CN110707274A

CN110707274A - Bus bar module

Info

Publication number: CN110707274A
Application number: CN201910602928.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 市川喜章; 牧野公利; 小林真人; 安田知司; 高松昌博
Original assignee: Yazaki Corp
Current assignee: Yazaki Corp
Priority date: 2018-07-10
Filing date: 2019-07-05
Publication date: 2020-01-17
Anticipated expiration: 2039-07-05
Also published as: JP6865722B2; JP6793691B2; CN110707273A; JP6691178B2; JP2020013766A; JP6883548B2; CN110707273B; JP2020013767A; JP2020013969A; JP6793690B2; JP2020014369A; JP2020013765A; CN110707274B

Abstract

A bus bar module includes a circuit body, a bus bar, a bracket, and a cover configured to be mounted to the bracket to protect the circuit body and the bracket. The circuit body includes: a ribbon-shaped main line extending in a first direction; a strip-shaped branch line extending from the main line so as to branch from the main line; and a connecting portion disposed at a position closer to a distal end of the branch line than the folded portion of the branch line. The cover is configured to be retractable in the first direction in response to the extension and retraction of the holder in the first direction.

Description

Bus bar module

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a bus bar module.

Background

Generally, ｃA bus bar module is used in ｃA manner of being mounted on ｃA battery assembly (ｃA battery module in which ｃA plurality of battery cells are provided for ease of assembly) as ｃA driving power source mounted on, for example, an electric vehicle and ｃA hybrid vehicle (see, for example, JP- ｃA-2014-.

The bus bar module described in JP- ｃA-2014-: a plurality of bus bars connecting between positive and negative electrodes of the battery cells mounted so as to be adjacent to each other; and a voltage detection line connected to the bus bar so as to monitor the battery cells. The voltage detection line is formed by bundling a plurality of electric wires of a typical structure in which core wires are covered with an insulating film.

Generally, the battery cells constituting the battery assembly expand and contract in the mounting direction due to the amount of operating heat associated with charging and discharging, the temperature of the external environment, and the like. Therefore, the battery assembly (battery module) is also deformed so as to expand and contract in the mounting direction of the battery cells. Also, in general, the dimension in the mounting direction of the battery assembly may differ in the manufactured battery assembly (manufacturing variations may occur) due to assembly tolerances when a plurality of battery units are provided to be mounted. Therefore, in order to cope with the deformation of the battery assembly and the manufacturing variation, the bus bar module is generally designed such that the length of the voltage detection line has a certain degree of margin.

However, in the above-described conventional bus bar module, when the number of stacked battery cells is increased for the purpose of increasing the capacity of the battery assembly, for example, the number of wires constituting the voltage detection lines is also increased. Therefore, if the voltage detection line is formed by bundling multiple wires, the rigidity of the voltage detection line as a whole (accordingly, the rigidity of the bus bar module) increases, so that it may be difficult to improve workability (assemblability) when mounting the bus bar module to the battery aggregate. For the same reason, the bus bar module may be difficult to expand and contract to sufficiently fit the deformation and manufacturing variation of the battery assembly.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a bus bar module excellent in assemblability to a battery assembly and in fittability to deformation and manufacturing variation of the battery assembly.

To achieve the above object, a bus bar module according to the present invention is characterized by the following [1] to [3 ]:

[1] a bus bar module configured to be mounted to a battery assembly having a plurality of electric cells combined with each other along a first direction, the bus bar module comprising:

a circuit body configured by a flexible board on which a wiring pattern is provided;

a bus bar configured to be connected to an electrode of each of the unit cells;

a bracket configured to support the bus bar and to be retractable in the first direction; and

a cover configured to be mounted to the bracket to protect the circuit body and the bracket,

wherein the circuit body includes:

a ribbon-shaped main line extending in the first direction;

a ribbon-shaped branch line extending from the main line so as to branch from the main line, a part of the branch line extending in the first direction and including a folded portion having a shape folded back around an axis intersecting the first direction; and

a connection portion arranged at a position of the branch line closer to a distal end than the folded portion and arranged to be connected to the bus bar, and

wherein the cover is configured to be retractable in the first direction in response to the retraction of the holder in the first direction.

[2] The bus bar module according to the above [1],

the cover has a plurality of portions arranged in the first direction and coupled to each other so as to be movable relative to each other.

[3] The bus bar module according to the above [2],

the movable range of each of the plurality of portions is limited, and each of the plurality of portions is configured to prevent the inside and the outside of the cover from communicating with each other even when each of the plurality of portions is arranged within the movable range.

According to the bus bar module of the above configuration [1], the circuit body formed of the flexible board is constituted by the strip-shaped main line and the strip-shaped branch line branched from the main line. At least a part of the branch line includes a folded portion having a shape folded around an axis intersecting with the mounting direction of the single cells. Therefore, when the battery assembly is stretched or contracted in the mounting direction due to thermal deformation of the single cells, the folded portions of the branch lines of the circuit body are bent and stretched, whereby the bus bar can move in the mounting direction of the single cells. Similarly, by bending and stretching the folded portion of the branch line of the circuit body, dimensional differences in the mounting direction of the battery assembly due to assembly tolerances of the single cells can be absorbed. In other words, the bus bar module of the present structure can easily cope with the stretching and shrinking of the battery assembly and the manufacturing variation substantially only by the deformation of the branch lines of the circuit body without any deformation of the main line. Further, although when a multiple circuit structure is included, the flexible board is generally easily flexibly deformed by a force much smaller than that of the standard electric wire used for the above-described conventional bus bar module. For this reason, the assemblability of the battery assembly is significantly improved.

Further, since the cover is also expanded and contracted in the stacking direction as the holder is expanded and contracted in the stacking direction, the circuit body and the bus bar can be protected from the outside and the fitting property to the mountability and manufacturing variation of the battery assembly can be improved.

According to the bus bar module of the above structure [2], by coupling the plurality of portions so as to be relatively movable in the stacking direction, it can be easily achieved that the cover is stretchable in the stacking direction in response to stretching of the bus bars in the stacking direction.

According to the bus bar module of the above structure [3], although the plurality of portions constituting the cover each move as the bus bar expands and contracts, the inside and the outside of the cover do not communicate with each other. Therefore, even if the cover is extended or contracted, the state of the circuit body and the bus bar can be protected from the outside.

According to the present invention, the bus bar module can be provided excellent in assemblability to the battery assembly and adaptability to deformation and manufacturing variation of the battery assembly.

In the foregoing, the present invention has been described briefly. Further, details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading a mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as "embodiment") described below with reference to the drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an overall perspective view of a bus bar module of the present embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a battery assembly mounted with a bus bar module to which the present invention is applied.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an end portion of the enlarged circuit body.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the structure of the main line, the first branch portion, and the second branch portion constituting the circuit body.

Fig. 5A is a perspective view showing that the second branch portion is bent in an S shape as a whole, fig. 5B is a perspective view showing a shape that the second branch portion is deformed when the bus bar is moved relatively backward, and fig. 5C is a perspective view of a case where the bus bar is moved relatively forward so that the second branch portion is stretched.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a part of the stent.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the accommodating space in the bus bar accommodating part.

Fig. 8A to 8C are perspective views showing a modification of the folded portion of the second branch portion constituting the circuit body; fig. 8A shows a case where the folded portion is Z-shaped as a whole, fig. 8B shows a case where the folded portion is C-shaped as a whole, and fig. 8C shows a case where the folded portion is O-shaped as a whole.

Fig. 9A is a perspective view showing a modification of the first branch portion, and fig. 9B is a perspective view showing a modification of the branch positions of the main line and the branch line.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view enlarging the periphery of the contact position between the connection piece of the bus bar and the connection portion of the second branch portion.

Fig. 11A is a plan view around the connection position shown in fig. 10, and fig. 11B is a sectional view taken along line a-a of fig. 11A.

Fig. 12A is a view of a bus bar module of a modification of the present embodiment, fig. 12B is a view of a bus bar module of another modification of the present embodiment, corresponding to fig. 11A, and fig. 12C is a view of a bus bar module of another modification of the present embodiment, corresponding to fig. 11A.

Fig. 13A is a perspective view enlarging around a connection position between the connection piece of the bus bar and the connection portion of the second branch portion on the bus bar module of another modification of the present embodiment, and fig. 13B is a B-B sectional view of fig. 13A.

Fig. 14A is a sectional view corresponding to an upper side metal layer of the circuit body part, and fig. 14B is a sectional view corresponding to a lower side metal layer of the circuit body part.

Fig. 15 is an enlarged sectional view of the periphery of a branch portion of the circuit body shown in fig. 14A.

Fig. 16A is a sectional view corresponding to an upper side metal layer around the front end portion of the circuit body, and fig. 16B is a sectional view corresponding to a lower side metal layer around the front end portion of the circuit body.

Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to fig. 16B of the distal end portion of the circuit body according to another modification of the present embodiment.

Fig. 18A is a perspective view showing a manner in which a cover is attached to a bracket of a bus bar module, and fig. 18B is a perspective view showing a case in which a cover is attached to a bracket of a bus bar module.

Fig. 19 is a side view for explaining an engagement position between the holder and the cover.

Fig. 20A is a perspective view of the cover in an installed condition, and fig. 20B is an exploded perspective view of the cover.

Fig. 21A is a top view of the cover in an installed condition, fig. 21B is a cross-sectional view of the cover in a stretched to maximum condition corresponding to the cross-section C-C of fig. 21A, and fig. 21C is a cross-sectional view of the cover in a contracted to minimum condition corresponding to the cross-section C-C of fig. 21A.

Fig. 22 is a perspective view showing that the protector mounted to the circuit body exposed from the cover is fixed to the cover.

Fig. 23A is a top view of the protector mounted to the circuit body exposed from the cover, and fig. 23B is a bottom view of the protector mounted to the circuit body exposed from the cover.

Fig. 24A is a schematic diagram for explaining a manner in which the connector provided at the front end portion of the circuit body moves forward in a case where the protector is fixed to the cover, and fig. 24B is a schematic diagram for explaining a manner in which the connector provided at the front end portion of the circuit body moves backward in a case where the protector is fixed to the cover.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, a bus bar module 10 of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The bus bar module 10 of the present embodiment is used as a battery assembly (a battery module in which a plurality of single cells are provided for ease of assembly) that is mounted on, for example, a drive power source mounted on an electric vehicle and a hybrid vehicle.

(Structure of Battery Assembly)

First, the battery assembly 1 to which the bus bar module 10 of the present embodiment is mounted will be described. As shown in fig. 2, the battery assembly 1 is formed by linearly connecting a plurality of electric cells 2. Each single cell 2 has a positive electrode 4 and a negative electrode 5 protrudingly provided on the top of a rectangular-shaped battery main body (body) 3. The positive electrode 4 and the negative electrode 5 are disposed apart from each other on an electrode surface 6 of the battery body 3, and each is disposed to protrude vertically upward from the electrode surface 6 in a substantially cylindrical shape.

In the battery assembly 1, the cells 2 are mounted such that the positive electrodes 4 and the negative electrodes 5 of adjacent cells 2 alternate with each other in a predetermined direction (mounting direction). In the battery assembly 1, for example, the positive electrode 4 of one cell 2 corresponding to both end portions of the cells 2 connected in series is a total positive electrode, whereas the negative electrode 5 of the other cell 2 is a total negative electrode.

(integral Structure of busbar Module)

Next, the bus bar module of the present embodiment will be described. As shown in fig. 1, the bus bar module 10 has: a circuit body 20 formed of a flexible board (FPC) and mounted with bus bars 25 connected to the positive electrodes 4 and the negative electrodes 5 of the unit cells 2 (see fig. 3); and a holder (wiring member) 30 for accommodating and holding the circuit body 20 and for mounting on the battery assembly 1.

As shown in fig. 1 and 3, the circuit body 20 has a strip-shaped main line 21 (details will be described later) provided in the mounting direction on the single cell 2 and provided with a plurality of wiring patterns. The connector 212 is attached to an end of the main line 21 via a voltage detection line 211 drawn out from the main line 21. The connector 212 is connectable to a voltage detector 60 (see fig. 22) described later.

On the side in the longitudinal direction of the main line 21 (in this example, substantially aligned with the "mounting direction" of the battery assembly 1), first branch portions 22 in a band shape extending in the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction and the thickness direction of the main line 21 (outside the main line 21 in the width direction) are provided, and at the tip of each first branch portion 22, a second branch portion 23 in a band shape extending in the direction parallel to the mounting direction of the battery body 3 is provided. The main line 21, the first branch portion 22, and the second branch portion 23 are formed of FPC. Therefore, the main line 21, the first branch portion 22, and the second branch portion 23 flexibly deform particularly in the direction orthogonal to the respective surfaces.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5A, each of the second branch portions 23 has the laminated portion 231 folded back about the axes L1 and L2 intersecting in the mounting direction of the battery assembly 1 (in this example, substantially coinciding with the extending direction of the second branch portion 23) (in other words, about the axis extending in the width direction of the second branch portion 23). In this example, each of the second branch portions 23 is bent into an S shape (including an inverted S shape) as a whole by the first laminated portion 231A folded back about the axis L1 and the second laminated portion 231B folded back about the axis L2. For this reason, the second branch portion 23 is movable in the longitudinal direction of the main line 21 (the mounting direction of the battery assembly 1) and is extendable and retractable in the vertical direction.

The first branch portion 22 is disposed outside the main line 21 in the same plane as the main line 21, and the second branch portion 23 is connected to the first branch portion 22. For this reason, the second branch portion 23 is disposed outside the main line 21 in the width direction, and is configured in a downward S-shape with the relative positions of the battery assembly 1 and the circuit body 20 unchanged (see fig. 5A). Therefore, the bus bar 25 is positioned outside the main line 21 in the width direction and below the plane of the main line 21.

Further, at an end portion of the second branch portion 23 opposite to the first branch portion 22, a front end portion 232 having a surface substantially parallel to the main line 21 is provided, and at an upper surface of the front end portion 232, a connection portion 24 is provided. The lower surfaces of the connection portions 24 are disposed in parallel with the lower surface of the main line 21 at different height positions, and the lower surfaces are spaced apart from each other. The upper surface of the connecting portion 24 is connected to a bus bar 25 connecting the positive electrode 4 and the negative electrode 5 of the adjacent single cell 2 in the battery assembly 1. Thereby, the second branch portion 23 is connected to the electrode of each single cell 2 via the connection portion 24 and the bus bar 25, and the voltage detection line 211 is connected to the electrode.

As shown in fig. 3 and 5A to 5C, the bus bar 25 has: a bus bar main body 251 which is a plate-like member formed of a conductor (e.g., made of copper) and is rectangular as a whole; and a connection piece 252 protruding from the bus bar main body 251 toward the main line 21. The bus bar main body 251 has two electrode holes 253 through which the positive electrodes 4 and the negative electrodes 5 of the adjoining single cells 2 pass. A positioning recess 254 is formed in the end of the bus bar main body 251 on the main line 21 side and the end on the opposite side, corresponding to the interval between the two electrode holes 253. Further, the connection portion 24 of the second branch portion 23 is connected to the lower surface of the connection piece 252 of the bus bar main body 251. A specific form of connection between the connection piece 252 of the bus bar 25 and the connection portion 24 of the second branch portion 23 will be described later.

The bus bar 25A provided at each end in the length direction of the main line 21 is connected to the total positive electrode or the total negative electrode, and is provided with one electrode hole 253 through which the total positive electrode or the total negative electrode passes. A power cable (not shown) that derives power from the battery assembly 1 is connected to the bus bar 25A. The internal structures of the main line 21, the first branch portion 22, and the second branch portion 23 constituting the circuit body 20 will be described later.

(Structure of the holder)

As shown in fig. 6, the bracket 30 is formed of, for example, resin, and has, at the middle in the width direction, a main line accommodating portion 31 that extends in the mounting direction of the single cells 2 and accommodates and holds the main line 21. In the main line housing section 31, main line support members 311 are provided at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the main line 21 housed therein, and the main line 21 is routed on the main line support members 311. When the main line 21, the first branch portion 22, and the second branch portion 23 have such strength that the circuit body 20 of the present example can stand by itself without being supported by the main line support member 311, the main line support member 311 does not need to be provided. However, although in this case, when the circuit body 20 cannot maintain the self-standing state for some reason, the main line supporting member 311 may be provided to provide the auxiliary supporting function. As described above, the circuit body 20 may be provided to maintain the above-described state by using the main line support member 311 or may be provided to be able to stand alone without using the main line support member 311.

On both outer sides in the width direction of the main wire accommodating portion 31, bus bar accommodating portions 32 that accommodate the bus bars 25 are provided. In the bus bar housing portion 32, a plurality of housing spaces 33 that house the bus bars 25 are provided in the mounting direction of the single cells 2. As shown in fig. 7, the adjacent accommodation spaces 33 are separated by the partition 34 to prevent contact between the adjacent bus bars 25. At each end in the longitudinal direction of the main line 21, an accommodation space 33A for accommodating a bus bar 25A connected to a power cable (not shown) is provided, and the power cable accommodation portion 36 is provided continuously with the accommodation space 33A.

As shown in fig. 7, the accommodation space 33 is a rectangular space with an open top and is partitioned by an outer wall 331 on the outer side and an inner wall 332 on the inner side in the width direction and a pair of partitions 34 on both sides in the mounting direction. One side (left side in fig. 7) of the installation direction of each partition 34 is connected to the outer wall 331 and the inner wall 332 through the expansion portion 35. As a result, the accommodating space 33 expands and contracts in the mounting direction.

The bottom end portion of the outer wall 331 and the bottom end portion of the inner wall 332 are coupled by a coupling plate 333. At the bottom end portion of the outer wall 331 and the bottom end portion of the inner wall 332, engaging claws 334 are provided on both sides with a coupling plate 333 therebetween. This enables the bus bar 25 to be held between the coupling plate 333 and the engaging claw 334. Further, on the inner side surface of the outer wall 331 and the inner side surface of the inner wall 332, a protrusion 338 protruding toward the middle is provided in the mounting direction. These protrusions 338 are fitted into the positioning recesses 254 (see fig. 5A) of the bus bar 25 to position the bus bar 25.

The inner wall 332 is provided with a cut-out portion 336 corresponding to the cut-out portion 336, and a support plate 337 is provided to protrude inward. Therefore, the connection piece 252 of the bus bar 25 accommodated in the accommodation space 33 is supported by the support plate 337.

Further, on each side of the coupling direction of the coupling plate 333, a space 335 is provided. As a result, the positive electrode 4 and the negative electrode 5 of the single cell 2 can be exposed from the space 335 to the inside of the accommodating space 33 so that they can be connected to the electrode holes 253 of the bus bar 25 accommodated in the accommodating space 33. Instead of the coupling plate 333, a bottom plate having cutout portions or holes corresponding to the positive electrode 4 and the negative electrode 5 of the single cell 2 may also be provided.

As shown in fig. 1, the holder 30 accommodates and holds a portion of the circuit body 20 from the front end portion of the main line 21 to which the connector 212 is attached to a position behind a predetermined length (in other words, a portion of the circuit body 20 in a range where at least the branch positions of the main line 21 and the first branch portion 22 exist). In other words, a portion (hereinafter, referred to as an "exposed portion 213") from the front end of the main line 21 to which the connector 212 is mounted to a prescribed length is not accommodated in the cradle 30 but is exposed from the cradle 30.

(action of busbar Module)

Next, the operation of the bus bar module 10 will be described. Fig. 5A shows a case where the second branch line is bent in an S shape as a whole, fig. 5B shows a case where the second branch line is slightly stretched backward, and fig. 5C shows a case where the second branch line is stretched forward.

As described above, the main line 21 is routed on the main line support member 311 of the stand 30 and can move upward and in the longitudinal direction. Further, the bus bar 25 is fixed to the inside of the accommodating space 33 of the bracket 30, and the accommodating space 33 is movable in the longitudinal direction of the main line 21. The main line 21 and the bus bar 25 are connected by the second branch portion 23 bent in an S-shape (see fig. 5A).

Although the relative positions of the battery assembly 1 and the circuit body 20 are changed due to, for example, deformation of the battery assembly 1 in this state, and it changes the relative positions of the main wire 21 and the bus bar 25, the change (displacement) in the relative positions can be absorbed by bending and stretching of the second branch portion 23. Likewise, although the dimension in the mounting direction of the battery assembly 1 differs between the manufactured battery assemblies 1 due to the assembly tolerance of the plurality of single cells 2, the manufacturing variation can be absorbed by the bending and stretching of the second branch portion 23.

More specifically, fig. 5B shows a case where the bus bar 25 is slightly displaced rearward (rightward in fig. 5B) with respect to the main line 21. In this case, the S shape of the folded portion 231 of the second branch portion 23 is deformed to allow the displacement of the bus bar 25. Further, fig. 5C shows a case where the bus bar 25 is greatly shifted forward (leftward in fig. 5C) with respect to the main line 21. In this case, the S shape of the folded portion 231 of the second branch portion 23 stretches to allow displacement of the bus bar 25. Although not shown, when the main line 21 is moved upward or downward to change the position with respect to the bus bar 25, the S shape of the folded portion 231 is stretched in the vertical direction to allow the change of the relative position.

In the above embodiment, the case where the folded portion 231 of the second branch portion 23 is bent into an S shape (including an inverted S shape) as a whole has been described. In addition, as shown in fig. 8A, the folded portion 231 may be folded into a Z shape as a whole (including an inverted Z shape). Further, as shown in fig. 8B, the folded portion 231 may be folded into a C shape as a whole (including an inverted C shape). Further, as shown in fig. 8C, the folded portion 231 may be formed in an O shape as a whole. In the example shown in fig. 8C, the

branch lines

22 and 23 may be formed such that the lower surface of the main line 21 and the lower surface of the connection portion 24 are in the same plane as each other as required.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the first branch portion 22 extends in the same plane as the main line 21 is described; however, as shown in fig. 9A, the first branch portion 22 may be disposed in a direction intersecting with the lower surface of the main line 21 (for example, a downward direction perpendicular to the main line 21 in fig. 9A). Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the first branch portion 22 branches from the side portion of the main line 21 is described, and as shown in fig. 9B, the opening 29 may be provided in a central portion different from the side portion of the main line 21 so that the first branch portion 22 branches from the central portion of the main line 21.

(internal structure of main line and branch line constituting circuit body)

Next, referring to fig. 11B, 14A, 14B, and 17, the internal structure of the main line 21, the first branch portion 22, and the second branch portion 23 constituting the circuit body 20 will be described.

As described above, the main line 21, the first branch portion 22, and the second branch portion 23 constituting the circuit body 20 are formed of FPC. As shown in fig. 11B, the circuit body 20 (constituted by an FPC) is formed of a resin layer 201, an upper metal layer 203a and a lower metal layer 203B sandwiched between the resin layer 201. Generally, the resin layer 201 is made of polyimide, and the upper side metal layer 203a and the lower side metal layer 203b are made of copper (Cu). As described later, in the present embodiment, the circuit body 20 is supported by the bus bar 25, and a reinforcing plate for suppressing bending or the like of the circuit body 20, which is generally required, may be omitted. In practice, the circuit body 20 is provided with an adhesive layer (not shown) that tightly fixes these layers. However, for the convenience of explanation, the illustration of the adhesive layer is omitted in fig. 11B.

An upper metal layer 203a located above (front side) the center in the thickness direction of the resin layer 201 and a lower metal layer 203b located below (rear side) the center in the thickness direction of the resin layer 201 are embedded in the resin layer 201. The upper metal layer 203a and the lower metal layer 203b are separated from each other in the thickness direction of the resin layer 201 with the resin layer 201 interposed therebetween. That is, the upper metal layer 203a and the lower metal layer 203b are insulated from each other.

As shown in fig. 14A and 16A, the upper metal layer 203a forms an upper wiring pattern 204A that is a part of the plurality of wiring patterns, an upper dummy pattern 205a that is independent of the upper wiring pattern 204A, and the above-described connection 24 that is independent of the upper wiring pattern 204A.

As shown in fig. 14B and 16B, the lower metal layer 203B forms a lower wiring pattern 204B of the remaining portion of the plurality of wiring patterns described above and a lower dummy pattern 205B independent of the lower wiring pattern 204B. The respective upper and lower wiring patterns 204A and 204B are communicated in the thickness direction of the circuit body 20 via respective through holes 206 (see fig. 14A, 14B, 16A, and 16B) so as to be electrically continuous with each other.

As shown in fig. 14A, 14B, 16A and 16B, of the plurality of first branch portions 22 and second branch portions 23 provided on both sides in the width direction of the main line 21, with respect to the first and

second branch portions

22 and 23 on one side in the width direction (the right side in fig. 14A and 14B), the corresponding upper wiring patterns 204A continuously extend from the vicinity of the trailing end portion of the second branch portion 23 to the connector 212 connected to the front end portion of the circuit body 20 via the first and

second branch portions

22 and 23 and the main line 21, whereby the first and

second branch portions

22 and 23 are connected to the connector 212 so as to be electrically continuous.

On the other hand, in the first and

second branch portions

22 and 23, with respect to the first and

second branch portions

22 and 23 on the other side in the width direction (the left side in fig. 14A and 14B), first, as shown in fig. 14A, the corresponding upper wiring patterns 204A extend from near the trailing end portion of the second branch portion 23 to the through hole 206 near the first branch portion 22 on the main line 21 via the first and

second branch portions

22 and 23. And as shown in fig. 14B, the respective lower wiring patterns 204B extend from the through-holes 206 to the through-holes 206 near the connector 212 on the main line 21 (see fig. 16B). Further, as shown in fig. 16A, the respective upper wiring patterns 204a extend from the through holes 206 to the connector 212, whereby the first and

second branch portions

22 and 23 are connected to the connector 212 so as to be electrically continuous. That is, at the portion of the main line 21 connected to the connector 212, the upper wiring patterns 204a corresponding to all of the first and

second branch portions

22 and 23 provided on both sides in the width direction are connected to the connector 212 (see fig. 16B), and there are no lower wiring patterns 204B connected to the connector 212 (see fig. 16B).

By using both the upper metal layer 203a and the lower metal layer 203b as described above to thereby gather the upper wiring patterns 204a and the lower wiring patterns 204b to the connector 212, the plurality of wirings extending from the plurality of bus bars 25a can be connected to the connector 212 while being rearranged in an order corresponding to the arrangement order of the single cells 2 (see fig. 2). That is, the wiring patterns may be arranged in order of potential.

As shown in fig. 14A, 14B, 16A, and 16B, the upper dummy pattern 205a and the lower dummy pattern 205B are mainly formed in almost all areas of the area occupied by the upper wiring pattern 204A and the lower wiring pattern 204B in the part of the main line 21 accommodated in the support 30 (i.e., the part excluding the exposed part 213). The upper dummy patterns 205a and the upper wiring patterns 204a, and the lower dummy patterns 205b and the lower wiring patterns 204b are arranged to be separated from each other so as not to be electrically continuous. The upper dummy pattern 205a and the lower dummy pattern 205b are mainly disposed in order that the rigidity of the portion of the main line 21 accommodated in the support 30 (i.e., the portion excluding the exposed portion 213) is higher than the rigidity of the first and

second branch portions

22 and 23.

Further, as shown in fig. 16B, the lower dummy pattern 205B (hereinafter, referred to as "connector connection portion dummy pattern 207" in particular) is formed in a prescribed area in the length direction of the portion connected between the main line 21 and the connector 212, and substantially the entire area in the width direction. In other words, the connector connection portion dummy pattern 207 is provided in multiple layers with respect to the upper wiring patterns 204a connected to the connector 212.

Since the plurality of upper wiring patterns 204a are densely connected to the connector 212 as described above, the contact points between the terminals built into the connector 212 and the upper wiring patterns 204a also become dense. For this reason, heat caused by contact resistance at each contact point is concentrated in a narrow space of the connector 212. It is desirable to release this heat to the outside of the connector 212. In this regard, since the connector connection portion dummy pattern 207 made of metal has high thermal conductivity, heat in the connector 212 can be released to the outside through the connector connection portion dummy pattern 207. Therefore, by providing the connector connection portion dummy pattern 207, the performance of releasing heat from the connector 212 can be higher than that of a mode in which the connector connection portion dummy pattern 207 is not provided. In addition, since the rigidity of the connection portion of the main line 21 with the connector 212 can be higher than in a mode in which the connector connection dummy pattern 207 is not provided by providing the connector connection dummy pattern 207, for example, separation of the contact point between the terminal and the upper wiring pattern 204a due to bending of the main line 21 can be suppressed.

In the example shown in fig. 16B, the edge 207a of the connector connection portion dummy pattern 207 on the rear side (the side opposite to the side connected to the connector 212) has a linear shape. This makes the manufacture of the connector connection portion dummy pattern 207 relatively easy. In contrast, as shown in fig. 17, the rim 207a may have a corrugated shape. Thereby, the occurrence of stress concentration in the connector connecting portion dummy pattern 207 can be avoided as much as possible when the main line 21 of the circuit body 20 is bent.

Next, as shown in fig. 14A, the connecting portion 24 is formed at the trailing end portion of each of the second branch portions 23 of all the first and

second branch portions

22 and 23 provided on both sides in the width direction of the main line 21. As shown in fig. 15, the connection portion 24 is provided apart from the trailing end portion 26 of the upper wiring pattern 204a on the second branch portion 23. As described later, the bus bar 25 is connected to the connecting portion 24 and the chip fuse 50 is arranged to bridge between the tail end portion 26 and the connecting portion 24 (see fig. 10 and the like), whereby the bus bar 25 and the connector 212 are connected for electrical continuity.

As shown in fig. 15, a narrow portion 27 in which the width (i.e., the cross-sectional area) of the wiring pattern is relatively small is formed in the upper wiring pattern 204a of the second branch portion 23. Therefore, although an overcurrent flows through a particular wiring pattern for various reasons and the chip fuse 50 is not operated, the narrow portion 27 corresponding to the wiring pattern is preferentially blown out than the remaining portion of the upper side wiring pattern 204a due to joule heat caused by the overcurrent. Therefore, the remaining portion of the upper wiring pattern 204a (particularly, the portion where the upper wiring pattern 204a is dense on the main line 21) is fused, whereby adverse effects on peripheral wiring and the like can be suppressed. Since the melted narrowed portion 27 is trapped in the resin layer 201, scattering to the vicinity of the metal constituting the narrowed portion 27 can be suppressed.

(concrete form of connection between connecting piece of bus bar and connecting part of branch line)

Next, a specific form of connection between the connection piece 252 of the bus bar 25 and the connection portion 24 of the second branch portion 23 will be described with reference to fig. 10, 11A, and 11B.

As shown in fig. 10, 11A, and 11B, on the upper surface of the front end portion 232 of the second branch portion 23, in the regions corresponding to the connection portions 24 and the tail end portions 26, the resin layer 201 (see fig. 11B) constituting the circuit body 20 is removed. As a result, the substantially U-shaped connecting portion 24 and the rectangular trailing end portion 26 are exposed on the upper surface of the leading end portion 232, and the top is open.

The connecting piece 252 of the bus bar 25 is constituted by a first portion 252a extending inward (the main line 21 side) from the bus bar main body 251 in the width direction, and a pair of

second portions

252b and 252c extending rearward from the leading end portion and the base end portion of the first portion 252 a. As a result, the connecting piece 252 has a substantially U-shape that opens rearward corresponding to the shape of the exposed connecting portion 24.

The connecting piece 252 (which has a first portion 252a and

second portions

252b and 252c) is fixed to the entire area of the upper surface of the exposed connecting portion 24 so that the substantially U-shaped shapes overlap each other. In this example, this fixing is performed by using solder H. As a result, the connection portion 24 and the bus bar 25 are connected so as to be electrically continuous, and by utilizing the rigidity of the connection piece 252, a region (bending limitation region) R in which the bending of the second branch portion 23 is limited is formed at a rectangular portion sandwiched by the pair of

second portions

252b and 252 c.

In the bending limitation region R, the chip fuse 50 is mounted so as to bridge between the tail end portion 26 and the connection portion 24. Specifically, one electrode on both end portions of the chip fuse 50 is fixed to the exposed connecting portion 24, and the other is fixed to the exposed tail end portion 26. In the present example, this fixing is performed by using solder H. As a result, the connection portion 24 (thus, the bus bar 25) and the tail end portion 26 (thus, the connector 212) are connected so as to be electrically continuous.

As described above, the bending restriction region R is formed by the connection piece 252 of the bus bar 25, and the chip fuse 50 is mounted in this region. Therefore, bending of the second branch portion 23 in the mounting region of the chip fuse 50 can be suppressed without providing a reinforcing plate or the like.

As shown in fig. 12A, the connecting piece 252 may have an L shape in which the second portion 252c is omitted from the pattern shown in fig. 11A. In addition, as shown in fig. 12B, the connecting piece 252 may also have a rectangular shape in which a third portion 252d that couples front ends of the pair of second portions 252B and 252c is further provided in the pattern shown in fig. 11A. Further, as shown in fig. 12C, the connecting piece 252 may be constituted by two

first portions

252a and 252e from the bus bar main body 251. In either mode, since the chip fuse 50 is mounted in the bending restriction region R utilizing the rigidity of the connection piece 252, the bending of the second branch portion 23 in the mounting region of the chip fuse 50 is suppressed.

Further, as shown in fig. 13A and 13B, by using a structure in which the height of the connection tab 252 (which has the first portion 252a and the second portions 252B and 252c) is greater than the height of the chip fuse 50 (see fig. 11B), the potting member 28 may be disposed to cover the chip fuse 50 at the bending limit region R formed by the connection tab 252 so as to be separated from the outside.

As described above, by covering the potting member 28 of the chip fuse 50, the waterproof performance of the chip fuse 50 and the electrical contacts near the chip fuse 50 can be improved. Further, by solidifying the potting material 28 in a state of being in close contact with the surface of the distal end portion 232, the bending of the second branch portion 23 can be further suppressed by the rigidity of the potting material 28. It is desirable that the potting member 28 be provided to fill the entire bending limitation region R formed by the connection piece 252 of the bus bar 25.

(cover to mount bracket)

Next, referring to fig. 18A and 18B to 21A to 21C, the cover 40 attached to the bracket 30 will be described. As shown in fig. 18A and 18B, a cover 40 made of resin is attached from above to the bracket 30 accommodating the circuit body 20 to cover the circuit body 20 to protect the circuit body 20. In the case of mounting the cover 40 to the bracket 30, the exposed portion 213 of the circuit body 20 is exposed to the outside from the space covered by the bracket 30 and the cover 40 (see fig. 18B).

As described above, the holder 30 is extendable and retractable in the front-rear direction (the mounting direction of the battery assembly 1). For this reason, it is desirable that the cover 40 is also configured to be stretchable in the front-rear direction. In this regard, the cover 40 is formed of two parts (i.e., a front side part 41 and a rear side part 42) arranged in the front-rear direction, and the front side part 41 and the rear side part 42 are coupled to be movable in the front-rear direction relative to each other. Hereinafter, specific structures of the front side portion 41 and the rear side portion 42 will be described.

As shown in fig. 20A and 20B, the front portion 41 is substantially formed by a top plate 411 having a rectangular flat plate shape and a pair of side plates 412 that hang down from both sides in the width direction of the top plate 411. The rear portion 42 is also formed of a top plate 421 having a substantially rectangular flat plate shape and a pair of side plates 422 that hang down from both sides in the width direction of the top plate 421.

As shown in fig. 19, the side plate portion 412 of the front side portion 41 and the side plate portion 422 of the rear side portion 42 are provided with a plurality of engaging portions 43 so as to correspond to the engaging portions 37 provided at a plurality of positions on both sides in the front-rear direction of the bracket 30 (see fig. 1 and 6). The engaging portions 37 of the respective brackets 30 and the engaging portions 43 of the cover 40 are engaged with each other, so that the cover 40 (the front side portion 41 and the rear side portion 42) is mounted to the brackets 30.

As shown in fig. 20A and 20B, in the top plate portion 411 of the front side portion 41, an engagement hole (through hole) 413 is formed in a central portion in the width direction near the rear end portion (portion coupled to the rear side portion 42). Further, at the rear end portion of the top plate portion 411, at the center portion in the width direction, a first coupling plate portion 414 is formed at a position slightly lower than the top plate portion 411, and at both sides in the width direction of the first coupling plate portion 414, a pair of second coupling plate portions 415 flush with the top plate portion 411 are formed.

The tongue piece 423 is formed to protrude forward from a central portion in the width direction of the front end portion (a position coupled to the front side portion 41) at the top plate portion 421 of the rear side portion 42. A projection 423a projecting upward is formed at the center of the upper surface of the tongue piece 423. Further, at the front end portion of the top plate portion 421, a first coupling plate portion 424 flush with the top plate portion 421 is formed at the central portion in the width direction, and at both sides of the first coupling plate portion 424 in the width direction, a pair of second coupling plate portions 425 are formed at positions slightly lower than the top plate portion 421.

In a state where the front side portion 41 and the rear side portion 42 are coupled together, as shown in fig. 20A and 21A, the tongue piece 423 of the rear side portion 42 enters a vertical gap between the top plate portion 411 of the front side portion 41 and the first coupling plate portion 414, and the protrusion 423a of the tongue piece 423 is located in the engaging hole 413. Further, the first coupling plate portion 414 enters below the first coupling plate portion 424, and the pair of second coupling plate portions 415 enter above the pair of second coupling plate portions 425, and thus, the first coupling plate portion 414 and the first coupling plate portion 424 partially overlap each other, and the pair of second coupling plate portions 415 and the pair of second coupling plate portions 425 partially overlap each other.

In a state where the front side portion 41 and the rear side portion 42 are coupled together, the front side portion 41 and the rear side portion 42 are stretchable in the front-rear direction until the protrusion 423a abuts against the rear side end of the engaging hole 413 as shown in fig. 21B, and contractible in the front-rear direction until the front end portion 423B of the tongue piece 423 abuts against the stopper wall 417 provided on the lower surface of the top plate portion 411 of the front side portion 41 as shown in fig. 21C.

Thus, the cover 40 formed by the front side 41 and the rear side 42 coupled together is configured to be retractable. As a result, the cover 40 is also stretched and contracted as the holder 30 is stretched and contracted, so that the assemblability for the battery assembly 1 and the adaptability to manufacturing variations are improved, the circuit body 20 and the bus bar 25 are protected from the outside.

Further, even if the front side portion 41 and the rear side portion 42 are located at any position within the telescopic range, the first coupling plate portion 414 and the first coupling plate portion 424 partially overlap each other, and the pair of second coupling plate portions 415 and the pair of second coupling plate portions 425 partially overlap each other. That is, even if the front side portion 41 and the rear side portion 42 are located at any position within the telescopic range, the portion coupling the front side portion 41 and the rear side portion 42 is closed, and the inside and the outside of the cover 40 are not communicated. As a result, even if the lid 40 is stretched or contracted, the state of the external protection circuit body 20 and the bus bar 25 can be maintained.

Further, since the cover 40 is configured to be able to expand and contract, the degree of absorbing manufacturing variations and the like at the engaging portion 37 of the bracket 30 and the engaging portion 43 of the cover 40 may be set lower than the manner in which the cover 40 cannot be stretched or contracted. As a result, the engaging portion 37 of the bracket 30 and the engaging portion 43 of the cover 40 can be made small.

(protector fixed to cover)

Next, referring to fig. 22 to 24A and 24B, the protector 70 fixed to the cover 40 is described. The protector 70 made of resin is provided at the exposed portion 213 of the circuit body 20 so as to protect the exposed portion 213 of the circuit body 20.

As shown in fig. 23A and 23B, the protector 70 is formed of a base end side accommodating portion 71, a leading end side accommodating portion 72, and a coupling portion 73. The base end side accommodating portion 71 has a rectangular plate shape. The base end side accommodating portion 71 is attached and fixed to the front end portion 38 of the bracket 30 accommodating the circuit body 20 from above so as to cover the base portion of the exposed portion 213 of the circuit body 20 by the engaging portions 71a on both sides in the width direction. Therefore, the base portion of the exposed portion 213 of the circuit body 20 is accommodated slidably in the longitudinal direction by the base end side accommodating portion 71 and the front end portion 38 of the holder 30.

The distal-end-side accommodating portion 72 is formed of an upper portion 72a and a lower portion 72b having a rectangular plate shape. The upper side portion 72a and the lower side portion 72b are attached to each other by sandwiching the longitudinal center portion of the exposed portion 213 of the circuit body 20 between the upper side portion 72a and the lower side portion 72b by the engaging portions 72c on both sides in the width direction. Therefore, the central portion of the exposed portion 213 of the circuit body 20 is accommodated slidably in the longitudinal direction by the front end side accommodating portion 72 formed by the upper side portion 72a and the lower side portion 72 b.

The coupling portion 73 is formed of a plurality of (3 in this example) bendable tapes coupling the upper side portions 72a of the base end side accommodating portion 71 and the front end side accommodating portion 72.

As shown in fig. 22, in a case where the exposed portion 213 of the circuit body 20 is folded from the base thereof toward the upper surface of the cover 40, the connector 212 located at the front end of the exposed portion 213 is connected to the connector connecting portion 61 of the voltage detector 60 disposed on the upper surface of the cover 40. In this case, the coupling portion 73 of the protector 70 is bent, and the front end side accommodating portion 72 is fixed to the upper surface of the cover 40 by engaging the engaging portions 72d (see also fig. 23A and 23B) on both sides in the width direction thereof to the engaging portion 416 (see also fig. 20A and 20B and the like) of the cover 40.

As shown in fig. 24A and 24B, in the case where the coupling portion 73 is bent and the front end side accommodating portion 72 is fixed to the upper surface of the cover 40, by sliding the circuit body 20 relative to the front end side accommodating portion 72, the circuit body 20 can also be deformed in a direction separating from the coupling portion 73. That is, the deformation of the circuit body 20 is not prevented. For this reason, not only the connector 212 is movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the cover 40 but also handling of the circuit body 20 can be facilitated.

(main influence of the present embodiment)

According to the bus bar module 10 of the present embodiment, the circuit body 20 formed of a flexible board has: a main line 21 that can be disposed at an upper portion of the battery cell 2, a first branch portion 22 that extends outward from a side portion of the main line 21, and a second branch portion 23 that is connected to the first branch portion 22 and extends parallel to the mounting direction of the battery cell 2. The second branch portion 23 is provided with a folded portion 231 folded around an axis L (in the width direction) intersecting in the mounting direction. For this reason, when the unit cells 2 repeat stretching and shrinking in the thickness direction (mounting direction) and when the positions of the unit cells 2 differ in the manufactured battery assembly 1 due to the assembly tolerance of the unit cells 2, the folded portions 231 of the second branch portions 23 bend and stretch, so that the bus bars 25 can move in the thickness direction of the unit cells 2.

As described above, the bus bar module 10 can easily cope with the stretching and shrinking of the battery assembly 1 and the manufacturing variation substantially only by the deformation of the first and

second branch lines

22 and 23 without the deformation of the main line 21 of the circuit body 20. Further, although when a multiple circuit structure is included, the flexible board is generally easily flexibly deformed by a force much smaller than the standard electric wire used for the above-described conventional bus bar module. For this reason, the assemblability of the battery assembly 1 is significantly improved. Therefore, the bus bar module 10 is excellent in assemblability with respect to the battery assembly 1 and adaptability to deformation and manufacturing variations of the battery assembly 1.

Further, in the bus bar module 10 of the present embodiment, the folded portion 231 is provided in such a manner that the lower surface of the connection portion 24 of the second branch portion 23 is along a surface different from the lower surface of the main line 21. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a protruding plate or the like on the upper surface of the cell 2, and the contact between the cell 2 and the main line 21 can be suppressed. Therefore, for the bus bar module 10, it is helpful to reduce the height thereof, reduce the number of parts thereof, simplify the manufacturing steps, and the like.

Further, in the bus bar module 10 of the present embodiment, the second branch portion 23 is formed in an S-shape provided with the first fold portion 231A and the second fold portion 231B. For this reason, even if the relative position of the bus bar 25 changes in either direction of the longitudinal direction of the main line 21, the change can be followed, and the return to the initial position can be made.

Further, in the bus bar module 10 of the present embodiment, since the cover 40 is also expanded and contracted in the stacking direction as the holder 30 is expanded and contracted in the stacking direction, when mounted to the battery assembly 1, it is possible to protect the circuit body 20 and the bus bar 25 from the outside and improve the fitting property against manufacturing variations.

Further, in the bus bar module 10 of the present embodiment, no matter where the front side 41 and the rear side 42 constituting the cover 40 are located within the telescopic range, the portion coupling the front side 41 and the rear side 42 is closed so that the inside and the outside of the cover 40 do not communicate with each other. Therefore, even if the cover 40 is expanded and contracted, the state of the circuit body 20 and the bus bar 25 can be maintained from the outside.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modified examples may be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be appropriately modified, improved, or the like. In addition, the materials, shapes, sizes, numbers, placement positions, and the like of the constituent elements in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be implemented, and are not limited thereto.

Now, the features of the above-described embodiment of the bus bar module 10 according to the present invention are briefly summarized and listed as the following [1] to [3 ]:

[1] provided herein is a bus bar module (10) configured to be mounted to a battery assembly (1) having a plurality of electric cells (2) combined with each other along a first direction, the bus bar module (10) including:

a circuit body (20) configured by a flexible board on which wiring patterns (204a, 204b) are provided;

a bus bar (25) configured to be connected to an electrode of each of the unit cells;

a bracket (30) configured to support the bus bar (25) and to be retractable in the first direction; and

a cover (40) configured to be mounted to the bracket (30) to protect the circuit body (20) and the bracket (30),

wherein the circuit body (20) includes:

a ribbon-shaped main line (20) extending in the first direction;

a ribbon-shaped branch line (22, 23) extending from the main line (20) so as to branch off from the main line (20), a part of the branch line (23) extending in the first direction and including a folded portion (231) having a shape folded back around an axis (L1, L2) intersecting with the first direction; and

a connecting portion (24) disposed at a position of the branch line that is more distal than the folded portion and configured to be connected to the bus bar, and

wherein the cover (40) is configured to be retractable in the first direction in response to the extension and retraction of the holder (30) in the first direction.

[2] The bus bar module according to the above [1],

the cover (40) has a plurality of portions (41, 42) arranged in the first direction and coupled to each other so as to be movable relative to each other.

[3] The bus bar module according to the above [2],

the movable range of each of the plurality of portions is limited, and each of the plurality of portions is configured to prevent the inside and outside of the cover from communicating with each other even when each of the plurality of portions is arranged within the movable range.

Claims

1. A bus bar module configured to be mounted to a battery assembly having a plurality of electric cells combined with each other along a first direction, the bus bar module comprising:

a bus bar configured to be connected to an electrode of each of the unit cells;

2. The bus bar module according to claim 1, wherein

3. The bus bar module according to claim 2, wherein