Passive electronic component

Abstract

There is provided a passive electronic component that achieves proper recognition of a marker portion thereof that indicates a winding start position and a winding direction of a coil conductor as well as a posture and an orientation of the component. The passive electronic component is a laminated type electronic component and has an insulator portion, a terminal electrode electrically connected to a conductor portion provided inside the insulator portion and formed on a surface of the insulator portion, and a marker portion for indicating a winding start position and a winding direction of a conductor or a posture and an orientation of the component. The marker portion is disposed in a recessed portion on the surface of the insulator portion.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A passive electronic component, comprising:
 an insulator portion;   a conductor portion provided inside the insulator portion;   a terminal electrode electrically connected to the conductor portion and formed on at least one of surfaces of the insulator portion; and   at least one marker portion provided in at least one recessed portion provided on the at least one of surfaces of the insulator portion.   
     
     
         2 . The passive electronic component according to  claim 1 , wherein
 an upper surface of the at least one marker portion is at a position lower in level than the surface of the insulator portion.   
     
     
         3 . The passive electronic component according to  claim 1 , wherein
 a material of a marker of the at least one marker portion is glass or an organic resin.   
     
     
         4 . The passive electronic component according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the at least one marker portion has such a depth as not to affect an electrical property of the conductor portion.   
     
     
         5 . The passive electronic component according to  claim 4 , wherein
 the depth is smaller than 50% of a distance between the surface of the insulator portion and a portion of the conductor portion that is closest to the surface of the insulator portion.   
     
     
         6 . The passive electronic component according to  claim 1 , wherein
 an area of the at least one marker portion is not more than 40% of a surface area of one of surfaces of the insulator portion having the at least one marker portion formed thereon.   
     
     
         7 . The passive electronic component according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the at least one marker portion is at such a position as not to come in contact with the terminal electrode.   
     
     
         8 . The passive electronic component according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the at least one marker portion is present on an outer side of a quadrangle formed by linking midpoints of sides of the insulator portion.   
     
     
         9 . The passive electronic component according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the at least one marker portion is in a shape elongated in a longer-side direction of the insulator portion.   
     
     
         10 . The passive electronic component according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the marker is in an asymmetrical shape.   
     
     
         11 . The passive electronic component according to  claim 1 , wherein
 a shape defined by disposing a plurality of the at least one marker portions is asymmetrical.   
     
     
         12 . The passive electronic component according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the at least one marker portion is at least one of a character and a reading code.   
     
     
         13 . The passive electronic component according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the at least one marker portion comprises at least two marker portions provided on opposed two of the surfaces of the insulator portion, respectively.   
     
     
         14 . The passive electronic component according to  claim 13 , wherein
 positions of the at least two marker portions are asymmetrical to each other.   
     
     
         15 . The passive electronic component according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the passive electronic component is a coil component and is at such a position that, when projectively viewed from the surface having the at least one marker portion provided thereon, the at least one marker portion does not overlap the conductor portion.   
     
     
         16 . The passive electronic component according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the passive electronic component is a coil component,   the conductor portion has a via portion connecting between layers of a conductor inside the conductor portion, and   the at least one marker portion is at such a position that, when projectively viewed from the surface having the at least one marker portion provided thereon, the at least one marker portion does not overlap the via portion.   
     
     
         17 . The passive electronic component according to  claim 1 , wherein the passive electronic component is a coil component, and
 based on a position of the at least one marker portion on the surface of the insulator portion, a winding start position and a winding direction of a conductor of the coil component are indicated.   
     
     
         18 . The passive electronic component according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the passive electronic component is a coil component, and   based on a shape of the at least one marker portion, a winding start position and a winding direction of a conductor of the coil component are indicated.   
     
     
         19 . A method for manufacturing the passive electronic component as claimed in  claim 1 , the method comprising steps of:
 stacking lamination sheets,   disposing at least one marker portion on at least one of an uppermost one and a lowermost one of the lamination sheets,   press-bonding the sheets thus stacked so as to obtain a laminated body, and   segmenting the laminated body into units of a desired size and heat-treating the units thus obtained.   
     
     
         20 . A method for manufacturing the passive electronic component as claimed in  claim 1 , the method comprising steps of:
 forming a conductor by using a conductive wire,   disposing a resin and a filler around the conductor,   disposing at least one marker portion on a surface of the resin and the filler,   obtaining a molded body by pressing the resin and the filler together with the at least one marker portion, and   heat-treating the molded body.