# US 2018/0323709 A1 · Coupled inductor in a dc-dc converter > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0323709 A1 - Document ID: US20180323709A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/971,282 - Filed: 2018-05-04 - Published: 2018-11-08 - Earliest claimed: 2017-05-05 - Assignees: LEN Technology Limited - Applicants: LEN Technology Limited - Inventors: Jingquan Chen; Chuan Ni - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180323709A1 ## CPC - H02M 3/155: using semiconductor devices only - H01F 3/12: Magnetic shunt paths - H01F 27/006: {with special arrangement or spacing of turns of the winding(s), e.g. to produce desired self-resonance} - H01F 27/2823: {Wires (H01F27/2866 takes precedence)} - H01F 37/00: Fixed inductances not covered by group H01F17/00 - H02J 1/102: being switching converters (H02J1/108, H02J1/12 take precedence) - H02M 3/1584: {with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel} - H02M 1/0019: {the disturbance parameters being load current fluctuations} - H02M 1/0064: {Magnetic structures combining different functions, e.g. storage, filtering or transformation} - H02M 3/003: {Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections} - H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P) - H01F: MAGNETS; INDUCTANCES; TRANSFORMERS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY ## Abstract This disclosure is related to the technical field of magnets, and in particular to a method for applying a coupled inductor to a DC-DC converter providing a DC current output, and based on the number of phases of the DC-DC converter, the coupled inductor is designed to have a corresponding number of windings, the windings are reversely coupled to cancel out the magnetizing fields to avoid flux saturation of the magnet material under high current excitation, and the coupled inductor has air gaps, the leakage flux in the air gap induced by each winding is in the same direction, the leakage magnetic flux is used to achieve the filtering of the output current. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 1-10. (canceled) ### Claim 11 A device, comprising: a first magnet, a second magnet opposite to the first magnet in a first direction; a plurality of discrete magnetic columns positioned between the first magnet and the second magnet and within peripheral ends of each of the first or the second magnet in a second direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction; a plurality of windings each adjacent to a respective one of the plurality of discrete magnetic columns; and a void among the first magnet, the second magnet and the discrete magnetic columns, the void including a first void segment adjacent to a peripheral end of at least one of the first magnet and the second magnet and a second void segment adjacent to two of the plurality of the discrete magnetic columns. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The device of claim 11, wherein the peripheral ends of at least one of the first magnet or the second magnet protrude toward another one of the first magnet or the second magnet. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The device of claim 11, wherein the peripheral ends of the first magnet protrude toward the second magnet and wherein a surface of the peripheral ends of the first magnet is substantially coplanar with a surface of the second magnet. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The device of claim 13, wherein the surface of the peripheral ends of the first magnet is substantially coplanar with an opposite surface of the second magnet. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The device of claim 11, wherein the first void segment includes a portion between the first magnet and the second magnet in the second direction. ### Claim 16 A method, comprising: providing a coupled inductor, the inductor including a first magnet, a second magnet opposite to the first magnet and at least two windings reversely coupled between the first magnet and the second magnet; coupling the inductor to outputs of multiple power devices of a multi-phase DC-DC converter; and operating the DC-DC converter for a DC current output. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the operating the DC-DC converter includes controlling on and off states of each of the power devices. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the controlling the on and off states of each of the power devices includes controlling a duration of each of the on or off states. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the operating the DC-DC converter includes providing a DC output current as a feedback to a load of the multi-phase DC-DC converter. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein a number of the at least two windings is equal to a number of the multiple power devices.