Method for making a choke

Abstract

A method to form a choke is disclosed, wherein the method comprises: encapsulating a hollow coil by a molding body; forming a first core, wherein the first core comprises a pillar; and disposing at least one first portion of the pillar inside the encapsulated hollow coil. The method avoids the overflow or vertical flow issue during a molding process for encapsulating a coil that has been wound on a core already.

Claims

1. A method to form a choke, comprising: encapsulating a hollow coil without a bobbin by a molding body comprising a magnetic material; forming a first core, wherein the first core comprises a pillar; and disposing at least a first portion of the pillar inside the encapsulated hollow coil.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the molding body has a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the hollow coil is disposed between the top surface and the bottom surface of the molding body.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the molding body is formed by injecting the magnetic material to the hollow coil to encapsulate the hollow coil.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the molding body is formed by pressing the magnetic material to the hollow coil to encapsulate the hollow coil.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein encapsulating the hollow coil by the molding body comprises: forming the molding body; and disposing the hollow coil inside the molding body.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first core further comprises a top portion, wherein the pillar has a top end and a bottom end, wherein the top portion is connected to the top end of the pillar and at least one portion of the top portion is disposed on the top surface of the molding body.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: forming a second core, wherein the second core has an opening; and disposing a second portion of the pillar in the opening of the second core and connecting the second portion of the pillar to the second core.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the second core comprises a joining face and an assembling face opposite to the joining face, and the bottom end of the pillar is disposed in the opening via the joining face.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the top portion of the first core and the pillar are integrally formed.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the top portion of the first core is a top plate and the hollow coil is located between the top plate of the first core and the second core.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the second core is directly disposed on the hollow coil.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the bottom end of the pillar is substantially aligned with the assembling face.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the hollow coil comprises two end portions disposed on the assembling face; and the second core further comprises two wire grooves located at edges of the second core, and the end portions pass through the wire grooves.

14. The method according to claim 7, further comprising a material layer disposed on an inner wall of the opening and located between the pillar and the opening.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the material layer is made of magnetic gel.

16. A method to form a choke, comprising: forming a molding body; disposing a hollow coil inside the molding body to encapsulate the hollow coil; forming a first core, wherein the first core comprises a pillar; and disposing at least a first portion of the pillar inside the encapsulated hollow coil, wherein the molding body is a barrel-shaped case, wherein at least one portion of the first core and the hollow coil are disposed in the barrel-shaped case.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein a magnetic gel is disposed in a space between the barrel-shaped case and the hollow coil.

18. A method to form a choke, comprising: encapsulating a hollow coil by a molding body; forming a first core, the first core comprising a pillar and a top portion, wherein the pillar has a top end and a bottom end, wherein the top portion is connected to the top end of the pillar; disposing at least a first portion of the pillar inside the encapsulated hollow coil, wherein at least one portion of the top portion of the first core is disposed on the top surface of the molding body; forming a second core, wherein the second core has an opening; and disposing a second portion of the pillar in the opening of the second core and connecting the second portion of the pillar to the second core, wherein the second core comprises a joining face and an assembling face opposite to the joining face, and the bottom end of the pillar is disposed in the opening via the joining face.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the bottom end of the pillar is substantially aligned with the assembling face of the second core.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the hollow coil comprises two end portions disposed on the assembling face of the second core; and the second core further comprises two wire grooves located at edges of the second core, and the two end portions of the hollow coil pass through the two wire grooves, respectively.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a conventional choke.

(3) FIG. 2A is a schematic view of a choke according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(4) FIG. 2B is a schematic exploded view of the choke in FIG. 2A.

(5) FIG. 2C is a schematic bottom view of the choke in FIG. 2A.

(6) FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a choke according to another embodiment of the present invention.

(7) FIG. 4 is a schematic three-dimensional view of a choke according to another embodiment of the present invention.

(8) FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a choke according to another embodiment of the present invention.

(9) FIG. 6A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a choke according to another embodiment of the present invention.

(10) FIG. 6B is a schematic three-dimensional view of a magnetic case in FIG. 6A.

(11) FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a choke according to another embodiment of the present invention.

(12) FIG. 8A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a choke according to another embodiment of the present invention.

(13) FIG. 8B is a schematic exploded view of the choke in FIG. 8A.

(14) FIG. 8C is a schematic three-dimensional view of the choke in FIG. 8A.

(15) FIG. 8D is another schematic exploded view of the choke in FIG. 8A.

(16) FIG. 8E is a still another schematic exploded view of the choke in FIG. 8A.

(17) FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a choke according to another embodiment of the present invention.

(18) FIGS. 10A to 10D are schematic cross-sectional views of four variable structures of a core in FIG. 9.

(19) FIG. 11A is a schematic view of a choke according to another embodiment of the present invention.

(20) FIG. 11B is a schematic exploded view of the choke in FIG. 11A.

(21) FIG. 11C is a schematic view of a choke according to another embodiment of the present invention.

(22) FIG. 11D is a schematic view of a choke according to another embodiment of the present invention.

(23) FIG. 12 is a schematic view of magnetic circuits of chokes.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

(24) Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.

(25) FIG. 2A is a schematic view of a choke according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2B is a schematic exploded view of the choke in FIG. 2A, and FIG. 2C is a schematic bottom view of the choke in FIG. 2A. First referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, in this embodiment, the choke 300a includes a core 310 and a hollow coil 320. The core 310 includes a first core body 311 and a second core body 315.

(26) The first core body 311 includes a pillar 312 and a top plate 314. An end 312b of the pillar 312 is connected to the top plate 314 to form a T-shaped structure. The pillar 312 and the top plate 314 are integrally formed. The second core body 315 is a flat plate and has a joining face 315a, an assembling face 315b opposite to the joining face 315a, an opening 316, and two wire grooves 317a and 317b disposed at two opposite side edges of the opening 316 and located at edges of the second core body 315. The opening 316 is located at a center of the second core body 315 and in communication with the joining face 315a and the assembling face 315b. An end 312a of the pillar 312 of the first core body 311 is suitable to be disposed in the opening 316 from the joining face 315a and joined to the opening 316. The end 312a of the pillar 312 may be joined to the opening 316 by means of close-fit joining or adhesive bonding. In this embodiment, the top plate 314, the second core body 315, and the opening 316 all have a round cross-section, and the pillar 312 is a cylinder, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the top plate 314, the second core body 315, and the opening 316 may also be rectangular, and the pillar 312 is a rectangular prism.

(27) The core 310 is made of a ferrite material, iron, or a low magnetic loss material. The ferrite material includes Ni—Zn ferrite or Mn—Zn ferrite. The low magnetic loss material is, for example, an iron-containing alloy including a FeAlSi alloy, a FeNiMo alloy, a Fe—Ni alloy, or an amorphous alloy. It should be noted that, by using a low magnetic loss material to form the core 310 may enhance the magnetic permeability and achieve low magnetic loss. In this embodiment, the first core body 311 and the second core body 315 of the core 310 are made of a ferrite material, and the magnetic permeability of the core 310 is, for example, above 75. In particular, the core 310 is formed by pressing and firing a ferrite powder mixed with a binder. The binder includes a polymethylallyl (PMA) synthesize resin.

(28) It should be noted herein that, in the manufacturing process of the first core body 311 and the second core body 315, a spacing may be easily produced at a junction between the pillar 312 and the opening 316 due to the influence of a process tolerance, i.e., referring to FIG. 2C, a diameter of the opening 316 is larger than that of the pillar 312. Therefore, in this embodiment, a material layer 330 is selectively coated on an inner wall of the opening 316, i.e., the material layer 330 is located between the pillar 312 and the opening 316, so as to reduce the impact of the spacing between the pillar 312 and the opening 316 on the inductance value in the assembly, thereby enhancing the assembly stability and reducing the inductance value variation. In addition, the material layer 330 is, for example, a resin gel or a magnetic gel. It should be noted that, the material layer 330 may be directly used as an adhesive for bonding the end 312a of the pillar 312 to the opening 316.

(29) The hollow coil 320 is fitted on the pillar 312 of the first core body 311 and located between the top plate 314 of the first core body 311 and the joining face 315a of the second core body 315. In particular, in this embodiment, a wire is wound into the hollow coil 320 by using an automatic equipment. The wire is, for example, a round wire (having a round minimum cross-section) or a flat wire (having a rectangular minimum cross-section), and is formed by, for example, a copper wire encapsulated with an enamel coating as an insulating layer. Specifically, the hollow coil 320 has two end portions 322 and 324 and a winding portion 323 located between the two end portions 322 and 324, the winding portion 323 is wound around the pillar 312 of the first core body 311, and the two end portions 322 and 324 pass through the wire grooves 317a and 317b of the second core body 315 and are disposed on the assembling face 315b. The two end portions 322 and 324 of the hollow coil 320 may be used as external electrodes directly or by connecting a lead frame. The external electrodes may be electrically connected to an external circuit by means of through-hole mount or surface mount.

(30) It should be noted that, the second core body 315 is directly press-fit on the hollow coil 320, and thus directly disposed on the hollow coil 320, so that the second core body 315 can be positioned through a height of the hollow coil 320. In this embodiment, the end 312a of the pillar 312 of the first core body 311 is substantially aligned with the assembling face 315b of the second core body 315; however, in another embodiment, referring to FIG. 3, the end 312a of the pillar 312 of the first core body 311 passes through the opening 316 of the second core body 315 and protrudes from the assembling face 315b, which is still a technical solution applicable in the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention. In FIG. 3, a height of the pillar 312 protruding from the assembling face 315b is smaller than a length of the two end portions 322 and 324 of the hollow coil 320 extending out of the wire grooves 317a and 317b, so as to prevent the pillar 312 from affecting electrical connections between the end portions 322, 324 and the external circuit.

(31) In addition, in the choke 300a of this embodiment, a magnetic gel 340 may be selectively filled between the first core body 311 and the second core body 315, and encapsulate the winding portion 323 and a part of the end portions 322 and 324 of the hollow coil 320, such that the end portions 322 and 324 that are not encapsulated are used for electrical connections to the external circuit. The magnetic gel 340 includes a resin material and a magnetic powdery material. The magnetic powdery material accounts for over 70 percent of a total weight of the magnetic gel 340, and the magnetic permeability of the magnetic gel 340 is, for example, but not limited to, above 6. The resin material may be selected from a group consisting of polyamide 6 (PA6), polyamide 12 (PA12), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polybutyleneterephthalate (PBT), and ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer (EEA). The magnetic powdery material may be a metal soft magnetic material or ferrite powder. The metal soft magnetic material may be selected from a group consisting of iron, FeAlSi alloy, FeCrSi alloy, and stainless steel.

(32) In the choke 300a of this embodiment, the wire is first wound into the hollow coil 320 by using the automatic equipment, then the hollow coil 320 is fitted on the pillar 312 of the first core body 311, and the end 312a of the pillar 312 is disposed in the opening 316 of the second core body 315, so as to complete the assembly. Compared with the conventional choke 100, the choke 300a of this embodiment can effectively reduce the labor cost consumed in the winding process of the wire.

(33) Further, in the present invention, different hollow coils can be applied by controlling a position of the second core body 315 relative to the first core body 311 so as to adjust the inductance, such that chokes having different inductances may use the same core, thereby saving the mold cost. Moreover, the opening 316 is disposed on the second core body 315 having the assembling face 315b, and thus the pillar 312 protrudes from the assembling face 315b without affecting the appearance of the choke 300a when the inductance value is adjusted through the position of the second core body 315. In addition, as the second core body 315 has the wire grooves 317a and 317b for the two end portions 322 and 324 of the hollow coil 320 to pass through, a distance between the two end portions 322 and 324 and an appearance width of the choke 300a can be reduced, and a pad pitch on a circuit board can be effectively decreased when the two end portions 322 and 324 are used as external electrodes.

(34) FIG. 4 is a schematic three-dimensional view of a choke according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 2A and 4, the choke 300c in FIG. 4 is similar to the choke 300a in FIG. 2A. The differences lie in that: the choke 300c in FIG. 4 further includes a case 350 having an opening end 352, and a second core body 315′ further includes at least one injection hole 318 (two injection holes are shown in FIG. 4) located at an edge of the second core body 315′. The case 350 is of a barrel-shaped structure. A core 310′ and the hollow coil 320 are disposed in the case 350. The second core body 315′ is disposed at the opening end 352, and the opening end 352 exposes the assembling face 315b of the second core body 315′. The magnetic gel 340 is suitable to be filled in the case 350 through the injection holes 318, so as to be disposed in a space between the case 350 and the hollow coil 320 and encapsulate the hollow coil 320, the pillar 312 and the top plate 314 of the first core body 311, and a part of the second core body 315′.

(35) As the choke 300c of this embodiment has the case 350, the problem of overflow or vertical flow may not occur when the magnetic gel 340 is filled in (especially when the height of the choke 300c is greater, for example, above 10 mm), the appearance of the choke 300c is nice and cracks (on the surface of the choke caused by different thermal expansion coefficients of the resin material and the copper wire) of the magnetic gel 340 can be hidden, and the choke 300c is also prevented from rusting. Besides, if the case 350 is made of a metal or magnetic material, the choke 300c is free from electromagnetic interference. If the case 350 is made of a metal, heat is dissipated to lower the bulk temperature of the choke 300c, thereby improving the efficiency thereof.

(36) FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a choke according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 2A and 5, the choke 300d in FIG. 5 is similar to the choke 300a in FIG. 2A. The difference lies in that: in the fabrication of the choke 300d in FIG. 5, the magnetic gel 340 first encapsulates the hollow coil 320 by means of injection molding or press molding to form a package 370, and then the package 370 is fitted on the pillar 312, so that the end 312a of the pillar 312 of the first core body 311 passes through the hollow coil 320 and the second core body 315 and is aligned with the assembling face 315b of the second core body 315, thereby completing the assembly of the choke 300d. As in the fabrication of the choke 300d of this embodiment, the magnetic gel 340 first encapsulates the hollow coil 320 to form the package 370 and is then assembled on the core 310, the problem of overflow or vertical flow can be avoided. Moreover, the magnetic gel is formed by means of injection molding and press molding, so that the density of the magnetic gel in the package 370 is increased, thus enhancing the magnetic permeability. Therefore, under the condition of achieving the same inductance value, the choke 300d has a smaller volume than that of the chokes 300a and 300c.

(37) FIG. 6A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a choke according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6B is a schematic three-dimensional view of a magnetic case in FIG. 6A. Referring to FIGS. 2A, 6A, and 6B, the choke 300e in FIG. 6A is similar to the choke 300a in FIG. 2A. The difference lies in that: in the choke 300e in FIG. 6A, a magnetic case 360 is adapted to replace the magnetic gel 340 in FIG. 2A. The magnetic case 360 has an upper surface 360a, a lower surface 360b opposite to the upper surface 360a, and two opening ends 362a and 362b. The opening ends 362a and 362b are respectively located at the upper surface 360a and the lower surface 360b and in communication with each other. In particular, the hollow coil 320 is disposed in the magnetic case 360, and the pillar 312 of the first core body 311 penetrates through the opening ends 362a and 362b of the magnetic case 360, so that the top plate 314 of the first core body 311 leans against the upper surface 360a of the magnetic case 360, and the second core body 315 is disposed on the lower surface 360b of the magnetic case 360. As in the choke 300e of this embodiment, the magnetic case 360 is adapted to replace the magnetic gel 340, the problem of overflow or vertical flow may not occur.

(38) FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a choke according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 2A and 7, the choke 300f in FIG. 7 is similar to the choke 300a in FIG. 2A. The difference lies in that: a top plate 314′ of a first core body 311′ of the choke 300f in FIG. 7 has a bottom portion 314a and two side wall portions 314b. The side wall portions 314b are disposed at two opposite side edges of the bottom portion 314a. An extension direction of the side wall portions 314b is substantially perpendicular to that of the bottom portion 314a and is parallel to that of the pillar 312. A height of the side wall portions 314b may be the same as that of the pillar 312. The second core body 315 is disposed between the side wall portions 314b. The magnetic gel 340 is filled between the side wall portions 314b of the first core body 311, and encapsulates the winding portion 323 and a part of the end portions (not shown) of the hollow coil 320. In the choke 300f of this embodiment, the side wall portions 314b are disposed to alleviate the problem of overflow or vertical flow of the magnetic gel 340.

(39) FIG. 8A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a choke according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8B is a schematic exploded view of the choke in FIG. 8A, and FIG. 8C is a schematic three-dimensional view of the choke in FIG. 8A. It should be noted that, for ease of illustration, the magnetic gel 340 is not shown in FIG. 8B. Referring to FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C, in this embodiment, the choke 400a includes a core 410a, at least one wire 420, and a case 430. In particular, the core 410a includes a top plate 412, a pillar 414, and a bottom plate 416. The bottom plate 416 has a joining face 416a, an assembling face 416b opposite to the joining face 416a, and at least one injection hole 416c (two injection holes are shown in FIG. 8C). The pillar 414 is disposed between the top plate 412 and the bottom plate 416. A winding space S is formed between the top plate 412, the pillar 414, and the bottom plate 416. The material and fabrication method of the core 410a are the same as those of the core 310, and the details thereof will not be described herein again. In this embodiment, the top plate 412, the pillar 414, and the bottom plate 416 of the core 410a are integrally formed into a drum-core structure.

(40) The wire 420 is wound around the pillar 414 and located in the winding space S. The wire 420 is, for example, a round wire (having a round minimum cross-section) or a flat wire (having a rectangular minimum cross-section), and is formed by, for example, a copper wire encapsulated with an enamel coating as an insulating layer. Besides, the wire 420 may be wound around the pillar 414 of the core 410a by using an automatic equipment. The number of the wire 420 is not limited in this embodiment, i.e., one or more wires 420 may be adopted herein.

(41) The case 430 is of a barrel-shaped structure with an opening end 432. The core 410a and the wire 420 are disposed in the case 430. The opening end 432 exposes the assembling face 416b of the bottom plate 416 of the core 410a.

(42) Moreover, the choke 400a of this embodiment further includes a magnetic gel 440 suitable to be filled in the case 430 through the injection holes 416c, so as to fill up the winding space S and encapsulate the wire 420 and a part of the core 410a. A material of the magnetic gel 440 is the same as that of the magnetic gel 340, and the details thereof will not be described herein again.

(43) As the choke 400a of this embodiment has the case 430, the problem of overflow or vertical flow may not occur when the magnetic gel 430 is filled in, the appearance of the choke 400a is nice and cracks of the magnetic gel can be hidden, and the choke 400a is also prevented from rusting. Besides, if the case 430 is made of a metal or magnetic material, the choke 400a is free from electromagnetic interference. If the case 430 is made of a metal, heat is dissipated to lower the bulk temperature of the choke 400a, thereby improving the efficiency thereof.

(44) It should be noted that, the form of the core 410a is not limited in the present invention. In other embodiments, first referring to FIG. 8D, the core 410b of the choke 400b may also be formed by a top plate 412′, a pillar 414′, and a bottom plate 416′, the pillar 414′ and the top plate 412′ are integrally formed and the bottom plate 416′ is connected to an end of the pillar 414′ through adhesive bonding, or the pillar 414′, the top plate 412′, and the bottom plate 416′ are all connected to each other through adhesive bonding, and the wire 420 is a hollow coil fitted on the pillar 414′. Further, referring to FIG. 8E, the core 410c of the choke 400c may also be formed by a pillar 414″ and a bottom plate 416″, and the wire 420 is a hollow coil fitted on the pillar 414″, which is still a technical solution applicable in the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention.

(45) FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a choke according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 9, in this embodiment, the choke 500a includes a core 510a and a package 520. The core 510a includes a pillar 512a. The package 520 is fitted on the pillar 512a of the core 510a, and includes a hollow coil 522 and a magnetic material 524 encapsulating the hollow coil 522. The package 520 is formed by encapsulating the magnetic material 524 around the hollow coil 522 by means of injection molding or pressing molding, and has a through-hole 526 for disposing the pillar 512a of the core 510a. In this embodiment, a height of the package 520 is equal to a length of the pillar 512b, so that two ends of the pillar 512b are aligned with a surface of the package 520. A material of the core 510a is the same as that of the core 310, a material of the hollow coil 522 is the same as that of the hollow coil 320, and a material of the magnetic material 524 is the same as that of the magnetic gel 340, which will not be described herein again.

(46) In the fabrication of the choke 500a of this embodiment, the package 520 is formed first, and then the pillar 512a of the core 510a passes through the hollow coil 522 to form the choke 500a. The choke 500a of this embodiment may achieve the same efficacies as the choke 300d, and the details thereof will not be described herein again.

(47) The structure of the core 510a is not limited to the structure disclosed in FIG. 9, and the core 510a may also adopt structures disclosed in FIGS. 10A to 10D. In particular, as shown in FIG. 10A, a core 510b of a choke 500b further includes a top plate 514b, the pillar 512b and the top plate 514b are integrally formed, and an end 513b of the pillar 512b is fitted in the package 520, i.e., the end 513b of the pillar 512b is not exposed outside the package 520, and a height of the package 520 is greater than a length of the pillar 512b. As shown in FIG. 10B, a core 510c of a choke 500c further includes a top plate 514c, a pillar 512c and the top plate 514c are integrally formed, and an end 513c of the pillar 512c passes through the package 520 and is substantially aligned with a surface 520a of the package 520 away from the top plate 514c. As shown in FIG. 10C, a core 510d of a choke 500d further includes a top plate 514d and a bottom plate 516d, the top plate 514d and the pillar 512d are integrally formed, an end 513d of the pillar 512d passes through the package 520 and is substantially aligned with a surface 520a of the package 520 away from the top plate 514d, and the bottom plate 516d covers an end 513d of the pillar 512d and the surface 520a of the package 520. As shown in FIG. 10D, a core 510e of a choke 500e further includes a top plate 514e and a bottom plate 516e, the top plate 514e and a pillar 512e are integrally formed, the bottom plate 516e has an opening 517, a joining face 518a, and an assembling face 518b opposite to the joining face 518a, an end 513e of the pillar 512e passes through the package 520 and is disposed in the opening 517 from the joining face 518a, and the 513e of the pillar 512e is substantially aligned with the assembling face 518b.

(48) FIG. 11A is a schematic view of a choke according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11B is a schematic exploded view of the choke in FIG. 11A. Referring to FIGS. 11A and 11B, in this embodiment, the choke 600a includes a core 610 and a hollow coil 620. In particular, the core 610 includes a first core body 611 and a second core body 617. The first core body 611 includes a top plate 612, a pillar 614, and at least one wire groove 616 (two wire grooves are shown in FIG. 11A). The pillar 614 and the top plate 612 are integrally formed. The top plate 612 has a bottom portion 612a and a side wall portion 612b disposed around the bottom portion 612a. The side wall portion 612b surrounds the pillar 614. A diameter of the pillar 614 is smaller than a length of one side of the bottom portion 612a in the top plate 612. An extension direction of the side wall portion 612b is substantially perpendicular to that of the bottom portion 612a and is parallel to that of the pillar 614. The wire grooves 616 are disposed at the side wall portion 612b of the top plate 612, and a width of the wire grooves 616 can be designed depending on a wire diameter of the disposed hollow coil 620.

(49) The second core body 617 is a flat plate and has a joining face 617a, an assembling face 617b opposite to the joining face 617a, and an opening 619. The opening 619 is located at a center of the second core body 617 and in communication with the joining face 617a and the assembling face 617b. An end 614a of the pillar 614 is suitable to be disposed in the opening 619 from the joining face 617a. Particularly, a height of the side wall portion 612b of the top plate 612 may be the same as that of the pillar 614, and the second core body 617 is disposed surrounded by the side wall portion 612b. A material of the core 610 in this embodiment is the same as that of the core 310, and the details thereof will not be described herein again. In this embodiment, the pillar 614 is, for example, a cylinder, the second core body 617, the opening 619, and the bottom portion 612a of the top plate 612 are all, for example, in a round shape, and a diameter of the opening 619 is larger than or equal to that of the pillar 617.

(50) The hollow coil 620 is fitted on the pillar 614 and located between the top plate 612 of the first core body 611 and the second core body 617. A height of the hollow coil 620 is smaller than that of the side wall portion 612b of the top plate 612. The side wall portion 612b at least contacts a part of the hollow coil 620. The fabrication method, material, and structure of the hollow coil 620 are the same as those of the hollow coil 320, and the details thereof will not be described herein again.

(51) It should be noted that, the second core body 617 in this embodiment is directly press-fit on the hollow coil 620, so that the second core body 617 is directly disposed on the hollow coil 620, and the second core body 617 can be positioned according to the height of the hollow coil 620. In this embodiment, the end 614a of the pillar 614 of the first core body 611 is substantially aligned with the assembling face 617b of the second core body 617; however, in another embodiment, the end 614a of the pillar 614 of the first core body 611 may pass through the opening 619 of the second core body 617 and protrudes from the assembling face 617b, and a height of the pillar 614 protruding from the assembling face 617b is smaller than a length of two distal ends of the hollow coil 620 extending out of the wire grooves 616, which is still a technical solution applicable in the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention.

(52) Further, in this embodiment, a material layer 630 may be selectively coated on a junction between the pillar 614 and the opening 619, so as to reduce the influence of the spacing between the pillar 614 and the opening 619 on the inductance value during the assembly. Besides, the material layer 630 is, for example, a resin gel or a magnetic gel. It is understood that, in an embodiment, a diameter of the pillar 614 of the first core body 611 is equal to that of the opening 619 of the second core body 617.

(53) In addition, the forms of the first core body 611 and the second core body 617 are not limited in the present invention. In this embodiment, the bottom portion 612a of the top plate 612 of the first core body 611 and the second core body 617 are both in a round shape; however, in another embodiment, referring to FIG. 11C, a bottom portion 612a′ of a top plate 612′ of a first core body 611′ may also be rectangular, a side wall portion 612b′ is disposed around the rectangular profile of the bottom portion 612a′, and a second core body 617′ is disposed in the side wall portion 612b′ and is in a round shape, which is still a technical solution applicable in the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention.

(54) In the choke 600a of this embodiment, the wire is first wound into the hollow coil 620 by using an automatic equipment, then the hollow coil 620 is fitted on the pillar 614 of the first core body 611, and the end 614a of the pillar 614 is disposed in the opening 619 of the second core body 617. Thereby, the hollow coil 620 is located between the top plate 612 of the first core body 611 and the second core body 617, and the assembly of the choke is completed. Compared with the conventional art, the choke 600a of this embodiment can not only effectively reduce the labor cost consumed in the winding process of the wire, but also enhance the assembly stability and reduce the inductance value variation by selectively coating the material layer 630 on the junction between the pillar 614 and the opening 619.

(55) As in the choke 600a of this embodiment, the side wall portion 612b of the top plate 612 is adapted to replace the magnetic gel for encapsulating the hollow coil 620, so that the problem of overflow or vertical flow may not occur, and the process is simplified to lower the manufacturing cost. Further, different hollow coils can be applied by controlling a position of the second core body 617 relative to the first core body 611 so as to adjust the inductance, such that chokes having different inductances may use the same core, thereby saving the mold cost. Moreover, the opening 619 is disposed on the second core body 617 having the assembling face 617b, and thus the pillar 614 protrudes from the assembling face 617b without affecting the appearance of the choke 600a when the inductance value is adjusted through the position of the second core body 617.

(56) In addition, FIG. 11D is a schematic cross-sectional view of a choke according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 11A and 11D, the choke 600b in FIG. 11D is similar to the choke 600a in FIG. 11A. The differences lie in that: a height of the side wall portion 612b′ of the first core body 611′ in a core 610′ of the choke 600b in FIG. 11D is smaller than that of a pillar 614′, an end 614a′ of the pillar 614′ is suitable to be disposed in the opening 619 from the joining face 617a of the second core body 617, and two ends of the second core body 617 are disposed on the side wall portion 612b′, i.e., the second core body 617 can be positioned by the side wall portion 612b′. In this embodiment, the side wall portion 612b′ is also adapted to replace the magnetic gel, so that the problem of overflow or vertical flow may not occur, and the process is simplified to lower the manufacturing cost.

(57) The conventional choke 100 in FIG. 1 is compared with some of the chokes 300a, 300c, 300d, 600a, and 600b provided in the embodiments of the present invention through actually measured results.

(58) [First Set of Actually Measured Results]

(59) This actual measurement compares the conventional choke 100 with the choke 300a in FIG. 2A provided in the embodiment of the present invention, in which the cores are made of the same material and have similar volumes. Table 1 lists experimental data of the choke 100 and three identical chokes 300a obtained when an output of a power supply is in a range of 12 Volt to 5 Volt. Table 2 lists experimental data of the choke 100 and the three identical chokes 300a obtained when an output of the power supply is in a range of 12 Volt to 3.3 Volt.

(60) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Efficiency (%) Current Choke (a) Choke (b) Choke (c) Choke (Ampere, A) 100 300a 300a 300a 1 86.76% 91.92% 91.16% 92.31% 2 92.13% 94.06% 94.66% 94.78% 3 94.08% 95.86% 95.77% 95.82% 4 94.88% 96.26% 96.12% 96.33% 10 94.92% 95.64% 95.49% 95.41% 20 91.97% 91.93% 92.26% 92.29%

(61) TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Efficiency (%) Current Choke (a) Choke (b) Choke (c) Choke (Ampere, A) 100 300a 300a 300a 1 87.22% 88.78% 88.30% 88.64% 2 92.45% 93.23% 93.13% 93.12% 3 94.02% 94.63% 94.47% 94.50% 4 94.24% 95.06% 94.99% 94.90% 10 93.73% 93.92% 93.92% 93.81% 20 89.47% 89.62% 89.59% 89.53%

(62) It can be known from Tables 1 and 2 that, under the same current, the efficiencies of the chokes 300a are all higher than that of the conventional choke 100. In other words, the design of the core 310 of the choke 300a is better than that of the core of the conventional choke 100.

(63) [Second Set of Actually Measured Results]

(64) This actual measurement compares the conventional choke 100 with the choke 300c in FIG. 4 provided in the embodiment of the present invention, in which the cores are made of the same material and have similar volumes. Table 3 lists experimental data of the choke 100 and four identical chokes 300c obtained when an output of the power supply is in a range of 12 Volt to 5 Volt. Table 4 lists experimental data of the choke 100 and the four identical chokes 300c obtained when an output of the power supply is in a range of 12 Volt to 3.3 Volt.

(65) TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Efficiency (%) Current Choke (a) Choke (b) Choke (c) Choke (d) Choke (Ampere, A) 100 300c 300c 300c 300c 2 91.55 93.38 93.45 93.09 93.44 4 94.49 95.42 95.42 95.26 95.52 10 94.48 94.88 94.79 94.83 94.88 20 90.68 90.91 90.85 90.91 90.76

(66) TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Efficiency (%) Current Choke (a) Choke (b) Choke (c) Choke (d) Choke (Ampere, A) 100 300c 300c 300c 300c 2 88.25 90.40 90.33 90.01 90.37 4 92.28 93.30 93.34 93.20 93.47 10 92.39 92.78 92.75 92.69 92.79 20 87.80 87.80 87.89 88.05 88.01

(67) It can be known from Tables 3 and 4 that, under the same current, the efficiencies of the chokes 300c are all higher than that of the conventional choke 100 at a light load (50% load).

(68) [Third Set of Actually Measured Results]

(69) This actual measurement compares the conventional choke 100 with the choke 300d in FIG. 5 provided in the embodiment of the present invention, in which the cores are made of the same material and have similar volumes. Table 5 lists experimental data of the choke 100 and the choke 300d obtained when an output of the power supply is in a range of 12 Volt to 3.3 Volt.

(70) TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Efficiency (%) Current Ampere (A) 2 A 4 A 10 A 20 A Choke 100 90.12 93.47 93.44 89.18 Choke 300d 93.55 95.34 94.33 88.72

(71) It can be known from Table 5 that, under the same current, the efficiency of the choke 300d is higher than that of the conventional choke 100 at a light load.

(72) [Fourth Set of Actually Measured Results]

(73) In this actual measurement, experiments are carried out on the influence of a single-sided spacing at the junction between the pillar 312 and the opening 316 on an initial inductance of the choke 300a, and a thickness of the second core body 315 is 2.5 mm. Table 6 lists experimental data of the single-sided spacing vs. the initial inductance of the choke 300a.

(74) TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Single-sided spacing Initial inductance Inductance variation (millimeter, mm) (μH) rate (%) 0.001 7.41 0 0.1 6.89 −6.91 0.2 6.56 −11.38 0.3 6.31 −14.78 0.4 6.11 −17.51

(75) It can be known from Table 6 that, when the single-sided spacing is 0.1 mm, the initial inductance decreases by 6.91%; and the larger the single-sided spacing is (for example, 0.4 mm), the greater the decease of the initial inductance will be (by 17.51%). That is, in the manufacturing process of the choke 300a, the spacing produced at the junction between the pillar 312 and the opening 316 may influence the inductance value variation.

(76) Experiments are carried out on the influences of the material layer 340 filled at the junction between the pillar 312 and the opening 316 on the initial inductance of the choke 310a, and the thickness of the second core body 315 is 2.5 mm. Table 7 lists experimental data of the thickness of the material layer vs. the initial inductance.

(77) TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 Thickness of the material Initial inductance Inductance variation layer (millimeter, mm) (μH) rate (%) 0.001 7.41 0 0.1 7.29 −1.51 0.2 7.21 −2.70 0.3 7.13 −3.77 0.4 7.05 −4.74

(78) It can be known from Table 7 that, when the thickness of the magnetic material layer 330 is increased from 0.1 mm to 0.4 mm, the inductance variation rate is still lower than 5%. That is, compared with FIG. 18, the influence of the thickness of the material layer 330 on the initial inductance is smaller than that of the spacing produced at the junction between the pillar 312 and the opening 316 on the initial inductance. In other words, the inductance value variation caused by a process tolerance can be reduced by selectively filling the material layer 330.

(79) Experiments are carried out with the thickness of the second core body 315 being 3 mm. Table 8 lists experimental data of the thickness of the material layer vs. the initial inductance.

(80) TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 8 Thickness of the material Initial inductance Inductance variation layer (millimeter, mm) (μH) rate (%) 0.001 7.47 0 0.1 7.37 −1.28 0.2 7.28 −2.49 0.3 7.21 −3.44 0.4 7.15 −4.29

(81) It can be known by comparing Table 8 and Table 7 that, when the thickness of the second core body 315 is increased from 2.5 mm to 3 mm, the inductance variation rate is only 0.81% higher than that of 2.5 mm, and when the thickness of the material layer 330 is 0.4 mm, the influence on the inductance is still lower than 5%. That is, coating the material layer 330 at the junction between the pillar 312 and the opening 316 has a greater influence on the inductance than increasing the thickness of the second core body 315.

(82) [Fifth Set of Actually Measured Results]

(83) This actual measurement simulates the influence of whether the choke 600a in FIG. 11A has wire grooves 616 or not on the inductance, and the wire diameter of the hollow coil 620 is 1 mm, the coil has 5.5 loops, and the DC impedance is 0.5 ohm. It can be known from the results of the simulation that, when the choke 600a does not have the wire grooves 616, the inductance is about 3.3 μH; and when the choke 600a has the wire grooves 616, the inductance is about 3.43 μH. That is, the inductance difference is 4% when the wire grooves 616 exist or not.

(84) Then, experiments are carried out on the influence of the width of the wire groove 616 on the inductance, and the material of the first core body 611 of the choke 600a is FeAlSi alloy, and the magnetic permeability thereof is 125. Table 9 lists experimental data of the spacing of the wire grooves vs. the inductance.

(85) TABLE-US-00009 TABLE 9 Spacing of wire grooves Inductance Inductance decrease (millimeter, mm) (μH) rate (%) 1.6 9.98 0.00 2.0 9.96 0.20 2.4 9.93 0.45 2.8 9.91 0.66 3.2 9.89 0.87 3.6 9.86 1.20 4.0 9.83 1.50 4.4 9.79 1.84 4.8 9.76 2.17

(86) It can be known from Table 9 that, when the spacing of the wire grooves 616 is in a range of 1.6 mm to 4.8 mm, the inductance decrease rate of the choke 600a is below 3%. Thereby, the influence of the provision of the wire grooves 616 is small on the inductance.

(87) [Sixth Set of Actually Measured Results]

(88) Experiments of equivalent magnetic circuits are carried out on the choke 600a in FIG. 11A and the choke 600b in FIG. 11D, in which the cores of the chokes are made of the same material and have the same volume. FIG. 12 is a schematic view of the magnetic circuits of the chokes. For ease of illustration, FIG. 12 only shows the first core body and the second core body of each core. Specifically, FIG. 12(a) denotes that a second core body 717a is located on a pillar 714a and a side wall portion 712a of a first core body 711a, and the second core body 717a does not have an opening; FIG. 12(b) denotes the choke 600a, in which the second core body 617 is disposed surrounded by the side wall portion 612b; and FIG. 12(c) denotes the choke 600b, in which the two ends of the second core body 617 are disposed on the side wall portion 612b′. The thin dashed line represents a spacing (only a single-sided spacing is shown), and the thick dashed line represents a path of an equivalent magnetic circuit (only a single-sided path is shown). Table 10 lists experimental data of the single-sided spacing vs. the magnetic permeability of the equivalent magnetic circuit.

(89) TABLE-US-00010 TABLE 10 Magnetic permeability of the equivalent magnetic circuit Single-sided spacing (a) Choke (b) Choke (c) Choke (millimeter, mm) 700a 600a 600b 0 125 125 125 0.05 119.57 124.4 121.0 0.10 114.63 123.8 117.4 0.15 110.11 123.2 113.9 0.20 105.96 122.6 110.7 0.25 102.14 122.0 107.7 0.30 98.62 121.5 104.8 0.35 95.35 120.9 102.1 0.40 92.31 120.3 99.6

(90) It can be known from Table 10 that, regarding the influence of the single-sided spacing on the magnetic permeability, the choke 600a is the smallest, the choke 600b is the next, and the choke 700a is the greatest. Thereby, the chokes 600a and 600b provided in the present invention may effectively reduce the influence of the single-sided spacing on the magnetic permeability, and accordingly have larger inductance values than the choke 700a.

(91) In view of the above, the chokes 300a, 300c to 300f, 400a to 400c, 500a to 500e, 600a, and 600b provided by the present invention at least have the following advantages:

(92) 1. The assembly stability of the choke is high, and the inductance value variation is low.

(93) 2. The efficiency of the choke provided by the present invention is higher than that of the conventional choke.

(94) 3. A wire can be wound into a hollow coil by using an automatic equipment, thereby effectively reducing the labor cost consumed in the winding process of the wire.

(95) 4. Different coils can be applied by controlling a position of the second core body relative to the first core body so as to adjust the inductance, such that chokes having different inductances may use the same core, thereby saving the mold cost.

(96) 5. When the choke has wire grooves, an appearance width of the choke is effectively reduced, a distance between the end portions of the coil is narrowed, and a pad pitch on a circuit board is also decreased.

(97) 6. An opening is disposed on the second core body or bottom plate having an assembling face, so that the pillar protrudes from the assembling face without affecting the appearance of the choke.

(98) 7. The choke has a case, a package, and a magnetic case or a core with side wall portions, in which each can be used to replace a magnetic gel, thereby effectively avoiding the problem of overflow or vertical flow of the magnetic gel.

(99) It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.