Patterned Magnetic Flux Structure for Coupled Inductors

An inductor, comprising:

• a core of magnetic material defining a core length that extends in an x direction from a top side to a bottom side the core, a core width that extends in a y direction from a left side to a right side of the core, and a core depth that extends in a z direction from an upper side to a lower side of the core, and including upper, lower, top, and bottom volumes;
• wherein the upper volume and the lower volume are disposed opposite one another in the z direction and extend laterally across the core length and laterally across the core width;
• wherein each of the upper volume and the lower volume includes two elongate gaps that extend partially across the core width from opposite sides, creating a generally S shaped profile in each of the respective volumes in a manner such that the S shaped profiles of the top volume and of the bottom volume face in opposite directions;
• wherein the top volume and the bottom volume are each disposed between the upper volume and the lower volume and are separated from one another in the x direction such that a main gap extends in the y direction across the core width between the top volume, the bottom volume, the upper volume, and the lower volume;
• wherein the elongate gaps of the upper volume and the elongate gaps of the lower volume are disposed adjacent to the main gap such that the elongate gaps and the main gap form a continuous volume in which the magnetic material of the core is absent;
• and
• two electrical conductors, each at least partially disposed in the main gap, in one of the elongate gaps of the upper volume, and in one of the elongate gaps of the lower volume, and each configured to conduct electrical current along a path that enters through the upper volume and exits through the lower volume or that enters through the lower volume and exits through the upper volume.

An inductor, comprising:

• a core of magnetic material defining a rectangular volume having top and bottom faces orthogonal to an x direction, left and right faces orthogonal to a y direction, and upper and lower faces orthogonal to a z direction, and defining a main gap that passes completely through the volume in the y direction;
• wherein the upper face defines an upper left elongate gap that extends partially into the upper face from the left, the lower face defines a lower right elongate gap that extends partially into the lower face from the right, and the upper left and the upper right elongate gaps are both at least partially disposed in a first y-z plane;
• wherein the upper face defines an upper right elongate gap that extends partially into the upper face from the right, the lower face defines a lower left elongate gap that extends partially into the lower face from the left, and the upper right and the lower left elongate gaps are both at least partially disposed in a second y-z plane;
• wherein the first y-z plane is separated from the second y-z plane in the x direction by a phase distance;
• and
• wherein the first y-z plane and the second y-z plane both pass through the main gap such that all of the elongate gaps are continuous with the main gap.