JP2023156921A - voltage detection unit - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a voltage detection unit with excellent workability in conductive connection with a detection target.SOLUTION: A voltage detection unit 5 comprises: a voltage detection terminal 10 that is to be conductively connected with a detection target 4; an electric wire 20 that is conductively connected with the voltage detection terminal 10; a plate-like housing 40 that has a terminal accommodation recessed part 42 in which the voltage detection terminal 10 is accommodated, and an electric wire accommodation recessed part 46 which accommodates the electric wire 20 and guides the electric wire 20 so as to lead it out toward the exterior. The electric wire accommodation recessed part 46 has: a straight part 47 that guides the electric wire 20 in a lead-out direction linearly connecting between the voltage detection terminal 10 and an electric wire lead-out port 49 of the housing 40; a bent part 48 that is connected with the straight part 47 and guides the electric wire 20 while bending it in a convex shape to the lead-out direction; and an auxiliary guiding part 57 that connects between a branch point p located between a bending peak 48a of the bent part 48 and the voltage detection terminal 10 and a junction point q located between the bending peak 48a and the electric wire lead-out port 49.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a voltage detection unit configured such that a voltage detection terminal to be electrically connected to a detection target is accommodated in a plate-shaped housing.

Conventionally, a stacked power storage device is configured in which chargeable and dischargeable thin-plate power storage modules and conductive plates are alternately arranged and stacked repeatedly, thereby connecting multiple power storage modules in series via the conductive plates. is proposed. A power storage module used in this type of power storage device generally has a structure in which a plurality of battery cells are built-in, and functions as a single chargeable and dischargeable battery. One of the conventional power storage devices monitors the output status of each power storage module (i.e., the potential of the output surface of each power storage module relative to the reference zero potential; hereinafter also simply referred to as the "voltage of the power storage module"). In order to do so, a detection terminal such as a bus bar is connected to a conductive plate that is in contact with the output surface of each energy storage module, and the voltage of each energy storage module is detected through this detection terminal ( For example, see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-161340

By the way, when actually connecting a bus bar or the like to the conductive plate in the power storage device having the above-described structure, since the power storage module and the conductive plate have a thin plate shape, other parts for connection (for example, It is difficult to secure space for installing bolts (for bolt fastening, etc.). Therefore, in the conventional power storage device described above, an insertion hole is provided at the side edge of the conductive plate for inserting the detection terminal, and each conductive plate is inserted from the side of the laminate in which the power storage module and the conductive plate are laminated. By inserting the detection terminal into the hole, the conductive plate and the detection terminal are connected. However, in this conventional connection method, when inserting the detection terminal, it is difficult to align the insertion hole of the conductive plate and the detection terminal, so it is difficult to improve the workability of the connection work.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a voltage detection unit with excellent workability in conductive connection with a detection target.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the voltage detection unit according to the present invention has the following features.

A voltage detection terminal that will be electrically connected to the detection target,
an electric wire conductively connected to the voltage detection terminal;
a plate-shaped housing having a terminal accommodating recess in which the voltage detection terminal is accommodated, and an electric wire accommodating recess for accommodating the electric wire and guiding it to be pulled out to the outside;
The electric wire accommodating recess is
a straight part that guides the electric wire along a drawing direction that linearly connects the voltage detection terminal and the electric wire outlet of the housing;
a bent part that is connected to the straight part and guides the electric wire while being bent so as to have a convex shape with respect to the drawing direction;
an auxiliary guide portion that connects a branch point located between the bending apex of the bending portion and the voltage detection terminal, and a confluence point located between the bending apex and the wire outlet;
Must be a voltage detection unit.

According to the voltage detection unit of the present invention, the voltage detection terminal to which the electric wire is connected can be accommodated in the terminal accommodation recess of the plate-shaped housing, and the electric wire extending from the voltage detection terminal can be drawn out of the housing through the electric wire accommodation recess. . Thereby, the voltage detection terminal and the electric wire can be housed inside the voltage detection unit while making the voltage detection unit thinner (that is, having a plate-like outer shape). Furthermore, when electrically connecting the voltage detection unit to a detection target (for example, a conductive plate used in a stacked power storage device), for example, when the voltage detection unit is assembled to the detection target, the exposed voltage The detection terminal and the detection target can be fixed using techniques such as ultrasonic bonding and welding. As a result, compared to typical bolt connections, etc., there is no need for other parts for connection, and compared to the conventional connection method described above, it is easier to align the two and the contact resistance at the contact points is reduced. can be done. Therefore, the voltage detection unit with this configuration has excellent workability in conducting conductive connection with the detection target.

Furthermore, according to the voltage detection unit configured as described above, the wire accommodating recess of the housing has a straight portion and a bent portion. Therefore, when an unintended external force is applied to the wire pulled out from the housing, the voltage is reduced by resisting the external force due to the friction between the inner wall of the bent part and the wire, compared to when the wire receiving recess has only a straight part. It is difficult for the external force to directly apply to the contact point between the detection terminal and the electric wire. Therefore, the reliability of the electrical connection at the contact point between the voltage detection terminal and the electric wire can be improved. In addition, the wire accommodating recess has an auxiliary guide portion that connects a branch point between the bending apex of the bending portion and the voltage detection terminal and a confluence point between the bending apex and the wire outlet. This allows the cover to be attached even if the wire unintentionally slips out of the bend and stretches across the bend (i.e., shortcuts the bend) before the cover is attached to the housing. During the work, the cover pushes the electric wire that has come out in this way toward the auxiliary guide, so that the electric wire can be accommodated in the auxiliary guide. In other words, the electric wire that has come out of the bent part can escape into the auxiliary guide part. As a result, it is possible to avoid damage to the electric wires caused by the electric wires coming out of the bent portion being caught between the cover and the housing (that is, the electric wires being caught), and from making it difficult to attach the cover itself. . That is, by providing a failsafe in the event that the electric wire unintentionally comes out of the bent portion, the workability of attaching the cover to the housing can be improved.

The present invention has been briefly described above. Further, details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the detailed description described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of a stacked power storage device including a voltage detection unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2(a) is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2(b) is an enlarged view of section B in FIG. 2(a). FIG. 3 is a partially exploded perspective view of the conductive module shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the voltage detection unit according to the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a top view showing a housing in which a voltage detection terminal and an electric wire are housed, and a cover. FIG. 6 is a bottom view showing the housing in which the voltage detection terminal and the electric wire are housed, and the cover. FIG. 7 is a top view showing a state in which the cover is locked to the housing at the temporary locking position. FIG. 8 is a top view showing a state in which the cover is locked to the housing at the final locking position. FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 5 in a case where the electric wire unintentionally comes out of the bent portion. FIG. 12 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 7 in a case where the electric wire unintentionally comes out of the bent portion. FIG. 13 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 8 in a case where the electric wire unintentionally comes out of the bent portion. FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. 13. FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken along line FF in FIG. 14. FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of section G in FIG. 14.

<Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a voltage detection unit 5 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, "front", "rear", "left", "right", "upper", and "lower" will be defined as shown in FIG. 1 and the like. The "front-back direction", the "left-right direction", and the "up-down direction" are orthogonal to each other.

Voltage detection unit 5 is typically used in stacked power storage device 1 shown in FIG. The power storage device 1 has rectangular thin plate-like chargeable/dischargeable power storage modules 2 and rectangular thin plate-like conductive modules 3 that can electrically connect between adjacent power storage modules 2, which are stacked alternately in the vertical direction. configured. In power storage device 1 , a plurality of power storage modules 2 are electrically connected in series via conductive modules 3 . The power storage module 2 has a structure in which a plurality of battery cells (not shown) are built in, and the power storage module 2 as a whole functions as one chargeable and dischargeable battery.

As shown in FIG. 1, the conductive module 3 is connected to a rectangular thin conductive plate 4 (the conductive plate 4 also has a function as a heat sink, as described later) and the right side of the conductive plate 4. The rectangular thin plate-shaped voltage detection unit 5 and the rectangular thin plate-shaped opposing unit 6 connected to the left side of the conductive plate 4 are configured to have a rectangular thin plate shape as a whole. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 (see especially FIG. 2(a)), the conductive plate 4 and the voltage detection unit 5 are connected to a flange portion 4a provided on the right end surface of the conductive plate 4 and extending in the front-rear direction. , and a recess 5a extending in the front-rear direction provided on the left end surface of the voltage detection unit 5 are fitted together, thereby being connected to each other. In the conductive plate 4 and the facing unit 6, a flange portion 4b provided on the left end face of the conductive plate 4 and extending in the front-back direction is fitted into a recess 6a provided on the right end face of the facing unit 6 and extending in the front-back direction. Therefore, they are connected to each other.

In each conductive module 3 located between vertically adjacent power storage modules 2, the conductive plate 4 is in direct contact with the upper and lower power storage modules 2, as shown in FIG. 2(a). Therefore, the conductive plate 4 has the function of providing electrical continuity between the lower surface of the upper power storage module 2 and the upper surface of the lower power storage module 2, and also functions as a heat sink that releases heat generated from the upper and lower power storage modules 2 to the outside. fulfill.

In each conductive module 3 located between vertically adjacent power storage modules 2, the voltage detection unit 5 includes a voltage detection terminal 10 (see FIG. 2, etc.), which will be described later and contacts the conductive plate 4. The voltage detection unit 5 detects the voltage between the upper and lower power storage modules 2 (specifically, the lower voltage with respect to the reference zero potential) via the electric wire 20 (see FIG. 1, etc.) connected to the voltage detection terminal 10. It functions to output a signal indicating the potential of the upper surface (output surface) of the power storage module 2 on the side. Although the voltage detection unit 5 is placed on the right side of the conductive plate 4 in FIGS. 1 to 3, a voltage detection unit having the same function as the voltage detection unit 5 may be placed on the left side of the conductive plate 4. In this case, as a voltage detection unit having the same function as the voltage detection unit 5, a voltage detection unit obtained by reversing the entire configuration of the voltage detection unit 5 left and right (that is, a mirror product of the voltage detection unit 5) is used.

In each conductive module 3 located between vertically adjacent power storage modules 2, the opposing unit 6 may be any one of a voltage detection unit, a dummy unit, and a temperature detection unit, depending on the specifications of the power storage device 1. one of them applies.

When the opposing unit 6 is a voltage detection unit, a voltage detection unit obtained by reversing the entire configuration of the voltage detection unit 5 left and right (that is, a mirror product of the voltage detection unit 5 described above) is used as the opposing unit 6. . In this case, the voltage detection unit 5 is placed on the right side of the conductive plate 4, and the mirror version of the voltage detection unit 5 is placed on the left side of the conductive plate 4. Opposing unit 6 (a mirror product of voltage detection unit 5) performs the same function as voltage detection unit 5.

When the facing unit 6 is a dummy unit, a simple resin plate having a recess 6a extending in the front-rear direction is used as the facing unit 6, as shown in FIG. In this case, the facing unit 6 only functions to fill the gap between the upper and lower power storage modules 2.

When the opposing unit 6 is a temperature detection unit, as shown in FIG. 1, the opposing unit 6 has a structure in which a temperature sensor 7 (thermistor) is incorporated in a resin plate used as a dummy unit. In this case, the facing unit 6 functions to output a signal indicating the temperature of the upper and lower power storage modules 2 via the electric wire 7a (see FIG. 1) connected to the temperature sensor 7.

The specific configuration of the voltage detection unit 5 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4 to 16. As shown in FIG. 4, the voltage detection unit 5 includes a housing 40, a voltage detection terminal 10 housed in the housing 40, an electric wire 20 connected to the voltage detection terminal 10 and housed in the housing 40, and a voltage detection terminal 10 housed in the housing 40. A cover 30 to be attached is provided.

The voltage detection terminal 10 is accommodated in a later-described terminal accommodating recess 42 (see FIG. 4) formed in the housing 40, and the electric wire 20 is accommodated in a later-described electric wire accommodating recess 46 (see FIG. 4) formed in the housing 40. Then, the cover 30 is attached to a cover attachment recess 41 (see FIG. 4), which will be described later, formed in the housing 40. Hereinafter, each member constituting the voltage detection unit 5 will be explained in order.

First, the voltage detection terminal 10 will be explained. The metal voltage detection terminal 10 is formed by performing processing such as press working on a single metal plate. The voltage detection terminal 10 is accommodated in the terminal accommodation recess 42 of the housing 40 from above. As shown in FIG. 4, the voltage detection terminal 10 includes a first portion 11 in the shape of a rectangular flat plate extending in the front-rear direction, and a second portion 12 in the shape of a rectangular flat plate extending leftward from the front end of the first portion 11. As a whole, it has a flat plate-like shape having a substantially L-shape when viewed from the top and bottom.

One end of the electric wire 20 is fixed to the lower surface of the tip 11a (ie, the rear end) of the first portion 11 so as to be electrically connected (see also FIG. 6). The other end of the electric wire 20 will be connected to a voltage measuring device (not shown) outside the power storage device 1. A portion of the flange portion 4a of the conductive plate 4 is fixed to the lower surface of the tip portion 12a (i.e., the left end side end portion) of the second portion 12 by a method such as ultrasonic bonding or welding. (See Figure 2(b)).

A protrusion 13 that protrudes forward is formed on the front edge of the second portion 12 . When the voltage detection terminal 10 is housed in the housing 40, the protrusion 13 is locked in a locking groove 45 (see FIGS. 4, 10, and 15) formed in the housing 40.

Next, the cover 30 will be explained. The cover 30 is a resin molded product, and is attached to the cover attachment recess 41 of the housing 40 from the right side. The cover 30 includes a facing portion 31 and an extending portion 32 extending rearward from the facing portion 31. The opposing part 31 mainly functions to cover and protect the voltage detection terminal 10, and the extending part 32 mainly functions to cover and protect the electric wire 20.

The opposing portion 31 is a pair of flat plate portions 33 of the same shape that face each other with an interval in the vertical direction, and a connection that vertically connects the right edges of the pair of flat plate portions 33 that extend in the front-rear direction over the entire front-rear direction. It is composed of a section 34. The opposing portion 31 has a substantially U-shape that opens to the left when viewed from the front and back direction. Each flat plate part 33 is composed of a substantially square flat base part 33a connected from the connecting part 34, and a rectangular flat plate-like extension part 33b extending leftward from the front end of the base part 33a, and as a whole, viewed from the top and bottom. It has an approximately L-shaped shape when viewed from above. The extending portion 32 continuously extends rearward flush with the rear end edge of the upper flat plate portion 33 (more specifically, the upper base portion 33a) of the pair of flat plate portions 33 constituting the opposing portion 31. It has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape.

A pair of electric wire holding pieces 35 extending in the left-right direction are integrally formed on the extension portion 32 so as to be lined up at intervals in the front-rear direction. As can be seen from FIG. 6, each electric wire holding piece 35 is raised downward on the lower surface of the extension part 32, extends in the left-right direction, and further protrudes leftward from the left edge of the extension part 32. There is. When the cover 30 is attached to the housing 40, the wire holding piece 35 functions to hold the wire 20 housed in the housing 40.

A predetermined portion of the lower flat plate portion 33 (more specifically, the lower base portion 33a) of the pair of flat plate portions 33 constituting the opposing portion 31 projects upward toward the upper flat plate portion 33. A locking portion (not shown) is formed. This locking part cooperates with a temporary locking part 55 and a permanent locking part 56 provided on the housing 40, which will be described later, to move the cover 30 between the temporary locking position (see FIG. 7) and the main locking position. It performs the function of locking to the stop position (see Fig. 8).

Next, the housing 40 will be explained. The housing 40 is a resin molded product, and has a substantially rectangular thin plate shape extending in the front-rear direction, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. A recess 5a that is recessed to the right and extends in the front-rear direction is formed on the left end surface of the housing 40. The flange portion 4a of the conductive plate 4 is fitted into the recess 5a (see FIG. 2, etc.).

A recessed cover mounting recess 41 having a shape corresponding to the overall shape of the cover 30 is formed at a location on the upper and lower surfaces of the housing 40 where the cover 30 is mounted (see FIG. 4). The recess depth (vertical depth) of the cover mounting recess 41 is equal to the thickness of the resin material forming the cover 30 (facing portion 31 + extending portion 32). Therefore, when the cover 30 is attached to the housing 40, the surface of the housing 40 and the surface of the cover 30 are flush with each other (see FIGS. 1, 8, 9, and 14).

A terminal accommodating recess 42 having a shape corresponding to the overall shape of the voltage sensing terminal 10 and further recessed is formed at a location in the bottom surface 41a of the cover mounting recess 41 on the upper surface side of the housing 40 where the voltage sensing terminal 10 is accommodated. (See Figure 4). The recess depth (vertical depth) of the terminal accommodating recess 42 is equal to the plate thickness of the voltage detection terminal 10 . Therefore, when the voltage detection terminal 10 is attached to the housing 40, the top surface of the voltage detection terminal 10 and the bottom surface 41a of the cover attachment recess 41 are flush with each other.

At the left edge of the housing 40, at a position in the front-rear direction where the tip portion 12a of the voltage detection terminal 10 is arranged, a notch 43 that is recessed toward the right and has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the vertical direction is formed. A recess 5 a extending in the front-rear direction on the left end surface of the housing 40 is divided by a notch 43 . When the voltage detection terminal 10 is housed in the housing 40, the upper and lower surfaces of the tip portion 12a of the voltage detection terminal 10 are exposed through the notch 43 (see FIG. 7).

A through hole 44 that extends in the front-rear direction and penetrates in the up-down direction is formed in the terminal accommodation recess 42 at a location where the tip end 11a of the voltage detection terminal 10 is arranged. When the voltage detection terminal 10 is housed in the housing 40, one end (contact) of the electric wire 20 connected to the voltage detection terminal 10 enters the through hole 44 (see FIG. 6). In other words, the through hole 44 functions as a relief part to avoid interference between the bottom surface 42a of the terminal accommodating recess 42 and one end of the electric wire 20.

On the inner wall surface of the terminal housing recess 42 at the location where the projection 13 (see FIG. 4) of the voltage detection terminal 10 is arranged, there is a locking groove that is depressed forward and communicates with the recess 5a, corresponding to the projection 13. 45 (see FIGS. 4, 10 and 15).

A recessed electric wire accommodating recess 46 having a shape corresponding to the wiring configuration of the electric wire 20 when the electric wire 20 is accommodated is formed at a location on the upper surface of the housing 40 where the electric wire 20 is accommodated (see FIG. (see 4). The wire accommodating recess 46 has a pair of straight parts 47 extending in a straight line extending in the front-rear direction and spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction, and a bent part 47 that connects the pair of straight parts 47 and extends while being bent so as to protrude to the right. This is a series of groove portions consisting of a portion 48 and a portion 48. Each of the left groove side wall (the wall facing right) and the right groove side wall (the wall facing left) in the wire accommodating recess 46 (a pair of straight portions 47 + bent portions 48) It extends upward from the groove bottom wall in parallel to the vertical direction.

The front end of the front straight part 47 of the pair of straight parts 47 communicates with the terminal accommodating recess 42 , and the rear end of the rear straight part 47 of the pair of straight parts 47 connects the electric wire from the rear end edge of the housing 40 . 20 constitutes a wire outlet 49 from which it extends. As described above, since the electric wire accommodating recess 46 has the bent portion 48, compared to the case where the electric wire accommodating recess 46 is composed of only the straight portion 47, it is possible to prevent unintended external force from being applied to the electric wire 20 pulled out from the housing 40. , the external force can be resisted by friction between the bent portion 48 and the electric wire 20. Therefore, a large external force is unlikely to be applied to the contact point between the voltage detection terminal 10 and the electric wire 20.

The wire accommodating recess 46 further includes an auxiliary guide portion 57. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the auxiliary guide portion 57 includes a branch point p located near the boundary between the bent portion 48 and the front straight portion 47, and a rear straight portion 47 of the bent portion 48. It is a groove that connects the confluence point q located near the boundary with the . The auxiliary guide part 57 is parallel to the front-rear direction so as to shortcut the bent part 48 at a position in the left-right direction on the right side of the pair of straight parts 47 and on the left side of the bent apex 48a (see FIG. 4) of the bent part 48. It extends to In other words, the auxiliary guide portion 57 is arranged at a position offset from the pair of straight portions 47 in the same direction (rightward) as the convex direction of the bent portion 48 .

The left groove side wall 57b (wall facing right) of the auxiliary guide part 57 extends upward from the groove bottom wall of the auxiliary guide part 57 in parallel with the vertical direction (see FIGS. 9 and 14). On the other hand, the right side groove side wall 57a (wall facing left) of the auxiliary guide part 57 extends upward and rightward from the groove bottom wall of the auxiliary guide part 57 at an angle with respect to the vertical direction. (See FIGS. 9 and 14). In other words, the groove side wall 57a on the right side of the auxiliary guide portion 57 is inclined such that the groove depth of the auxiliary guide portion 57 becomes deeper as it moves leftward from the bending apex 48a. The effect of providing the auxiliary guide portion 57 having such a configuration will be described later.

A narrow recess 51, which is a recess having a narrower width (interval in the left-right direction) than the straight part 47, is provided in the vicinity of the boundary between the pair of straight parts 47 and the bent part 48, respectively. The width of the narrow recess 51 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the electric wire 20. Therefore, it functions to hold the electric wire 20 while pressing it in the left-right direction. By sandwiching the electric wire 20 between the pair of narrow recesses 51, even if an unintended external force is applied to the electric wire 20 pulled out from the housing 40, the external force can be resisted by the friction between the narrow recess 51 and the electric wire 20. can. Therefore, a large external force is unlikely to be applied to the contact point between the voltage detection terminal 10 and the electric wire 20. Furthermore, it is possible to strongly prevent the electric wire 20 from being routed so as to come off from the bending part 48 and straddling the bending part 48 (that is, shortcutting the bending part 48).

As shown in FIG. 4, in the bottom surface 41a of the cover mounting recess 41 on the upper surface side of the housing 40, at the location where the pair of wire holding pieces 35 of the cover 30 are arranged, there are provided, corresponding to the pair of wire holding pieces 35, as shown in FIG. A pair of wire holding piece recesses 52 extending in the left-right direction are formed so as to be spaced apart from each other in the front-back direction. The pair of wire holding piece recesses 52 are arranged so as to sandwich the bending apex 48a (see FIG. 4) of the bending portion 48 of the wire accommodating recess 46 in the front-rear direction. The bottom surfaces of the pair of wire holding piece recesses 52 are located above the bottom surface of the wire accommodating recess 46 .

Each wire holding piece recess 52 extends in the left-right direction from the right edge of the upper surface of the housing 40, across the wire accommodating recess 46, to the left end inner wall 41b (see FIG. 5) of the cover mounting recess 41. At the locations where the pair of wire holding piece recesses 52 connect in the left end inner wall 41b of the cover mounting recess 41, storage holes 53 are formed which are recessed toward the left (see FIG. 4). When the cover 30 is attached to the housing 40, the extending ends (i.e., the left end) of the pair of wire holding pieces 35 of the cover 30 are inserted and stored in the pair of storage holes 53. (See Figures 10 and 15).

As shown in FIG. 6, on the bottom surface 41a of the cover mounting recess 41 on the lower surface side of the housing 40, there is a recess recessed upward at the same position in the front-rear direction as where the above-mentioned locking part of the cover 30 is arranged. A contact portion 54, a temporary locked portion 55, and a permanent locked portion 56 are formed in this order from right to left at intervals. As shown in FIG. 6, the contact portion 54 is a concave portion continuous from the right edge of the housing 40. As shown in FIG.

The groove side wall 48b on the left side of the bending apex 48a of the bending portion 48 (that is, the groove side wall having a convex shape projecting to the right and extending parallel to the vertical direction) has a rib that further projects to the right from its upper region. 48c is integrally formed (see FIG. 4, FIG. 5, FIG. 9, FIG. 10, etc.). Specifically, the rib 48c protrudes rightward from the upper region of the groove side wall 48b toward the groove side wall on the right side of the bending apex 48a, and is spaced vertically from the groove bottom surface 48d of the bending apex 48a. They are arranged to face each other (see FIGS. 9 and 14). A portion of the electric wire 20 is accommodated in the region between the rib 48c and the groove bottom surface 48d (see FIG. 9). Each member constituting the voltage detection unit 5 has been described above.

Next, a procedure for assembling the voltage detection terminal 10 and the cover 30 to the housing 40 will be described. First, the voltage detection terminal 10 to which the electric wire 20 is connected in advance by a method such as ultrasonic bonding or welding is accommodated in the terminal accommodation recess 42 of the housing 40 . Therefore, the voltage detection terminal 10 is inserted into the terminal accommodation recess 42 of the housing 40 from above so that the protrusion 13 enters the locking groove 45 and one end (contact) of the electric wire 20 enters the through hole 44. Fitted in. When the voltage detection terminal 10 is completely housed in the housing 40, the top and bottom surfaces of the tip 12a of the voltage detection terminal 10 are exposed through the notch 43.

Next, the electric wire 20 extending from the voltage detection terminal 10 housed in the housing 40 is housed in the electric wire accommodating recess 46 (a pair of straight parts 47 + bent part 48) of the housing 40. Therefore, the electric wire 20 is fitted from above along the electric wire accommodating recess 46 composed of a pair of straight portions 47 and a bent portion 48 . At this time, by pushing the pair of portions of the electric wire 20 located above the pair of narrow recesses 51 downward, the pair of portions of the electric wire 20 are housed inside the pair of narrow recesses 51 . The electric wire 20 located at the bending apex 48a is housed in a region between the rib 48c of the bending apex 48a and the groove bottom surface 48d (see FIG. 9). When the electric wire 20 is completely housed in the housing 40, the electric wire 20 extends rearward from the electric wire outlet 49 to the outside of the housing 40.

Next, the cover 30 is attached to the housing 40. For this reason, the facing portion 31 of the cover 30 vertically sandwiches the cover mounting recess 41 on the upper and lower surfaces of the housing 40, and the extending portion 32 of the cover 30 covers the cover mounting recess 41 on the upper surface of the housing 40. Then, the cover 30 is attached to the cover attachment recess 41 of the housing 40 from the right so that the pair of wire retention pieces 35 of the cover 30 are accommodated in the pair of wire retention piece recesses 52 of the housing 40. .

In the process of attaching the cover 30 to the housing 40, the locking portion of the cover 30 first contacts the side surface of the contact portion 54 of the housing 40, and slides over the side surface and climbs over the contact portion 54. Thereafter, it enters the inside of the temporarily locked part 55 and engages with the temporarily locked part 55, and is pressed against the left side surface of the temporarily locked part 55. As a result, the cover 30 is locked to the housing 40 at the temporary locking position, the attachment of the cover 30 to the housing 40 is completed (see FIG. 7), and the voltage detection unit 5 (see FIG. 3) is obtained. As will be described later, the voltage detection unit 5 obtained after the cover 30 has been completely attached to the housing 40 (with the cover 30 locked in the temporary locking position) is attached to the conductive module 3 (see FIG. (see).

When the cover 30 is locked in the temporary locking position, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. The tip portion 12a of the terminal 10 is not covered. Therefore, the upper and lower surfaces of the tip portion 12a of the voltage detection terminal 10 are still exposed through the notch 43.

Further, a pair of wire holding pieces 35 of the cover 30 are arranged over the straight portion 47 and a portion of the opening of the bent portion 48 of the wire accommodating recess 46 . This prevents the electric wire 20 from slipping out of the electric wire accommodation recess 46. Further, the extending ends of the pair of wire holding pieces 35 are received in the pair of storage holes 53 (see also FIG. 10). Thereby, unintended deformation such as misalignment of the pair of wire holding pieces 35 or separation of the pair of wire holding pieces 35 from the wire accommodating recess 46 can be suppressed. Further, the extending portion 32 of the cover 30 is disposed over the opening of the bending apex 48a of the bending portion 48 of the electric wire accommodating recess 46. Thereby, it is possible to strongly prevent the electric wire 20 from slipping out of the electric wire accommodation recess 46 and being routed so as to straddle the bending part 48 (that is, shortcutting the bending part 48). In this manner, it is possible to reduce the possibility that a particular problem will occur due to the electric wire 20 coming out of the bent portion 48 of the electric wire accommodating recess 46.

When the cover 30 is further pushed to the left with respect to the housing 40 while the cover 30 is locked in the temporary locking position, the extending ends of the pair of wire holding pieces 35 of the cover 30 are inserted into the pair of storage holes. 53 (see FIG. 10), the locking part of the cover 30 climbs over the temporary locking part 55, and then enters the main locking part 56. It engages with the main locked portion 56 (see FIG. 8). Thereby, the cover 30 is locked to the housing 40 at the final locking position.

When the cover 30 is locked in the final locking position, the entire area of the cover attachment recess 41 is covered by the cover 30, as shown in FIG. Covered by 32. This prevents the electric wire 20 from slipping out of the electric wire accommodation recess 46. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the opposing portion 31 (more specifically, the pair of upper and lower extension portions 33b) of the cover 30 covers the upper and lower surfaces of the tip portion 12a of the voltage detection terminal 10. Thereby, the voltage detection terminal 10 is entirely covered by the facing portion 31 of the cover 30, so that the voltage detection terminal 10 can be reliably protected.

Hereinafter, the effect of further providing the auxiliary guide portion 57 in the wire accommodating recess 46 (a pair of straight portions 47 + bent portion 48) will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 16. Before the cover 30 is attached to the housing 40, as described above, when the electric wire 20 extending from the voltage detection terminal 10 housed in the housing 40 is accommodated in the electric wire accommodation recess 46 (a pair of straight parts 47 + bent part 48) ( 5), as shown in FIG. 11, the electric wire 20 that should be located at the bend apex 48a (the area between the rib 48c and the groove bottom surface 48d) unintentionally slips out from the bend apex 48a and straddles the bend 48 ( In other words, a situation may occur where the cable is routed in such a way as to shortcut the bent portion 48. Such a situation may occur, for example, if the housing 40 is subjected to vibrations due to transportation etc. after the electric wire 20 is accommodated in the electric wire accommodation recess 46 and before the cover 30 is attached to the housing 40, or when the electric wire This may occur when a mistake is made in accommodating the wire 20 in the wire accommodating recess 46. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the electric wire 20 that should be located at the bending apex 48a is unintentionally located on the upper surface of the rib 48c.

Even in such a case, as shown in FIG. 12, during the work of attaching the cover 30 to the housing 40, the electric wire 20 located on the upper surface of the rib 48c is By pushing the left edge of the protruding portion 32 to the left toward the auxiliary guide portion 57 (see the white arrow in FIG. (See FIGS. 14 to 16). In other words, the electric wire 20 that has come out of the bent portion 48 (the bent apex 48a) can escape into the auxiliary guide portion 57. At this time, because the auxiliary guide portion 57 has a right groove side wall 57a that slopes so that the groove depth becomes deeper as the distance from the bending apex 48a increases, when the cover 30 pushes the electric wire 20, the electric wire 20 moves along the inclined groove side wall 57a. As a result, the electric wire 20 can be easily accommodated in the auxiliary guide portion 57.

In this manner, when the electric wire 20 is housed in the auxiliary guide section 57, the electric wire 20 extending from the voltage detection terminal 10 is connected to the upper straight section 47, the auxiliary guide section 57, and the lower straight section, as shown in FIG. It extends to the outside from the wire outlet 49 while being accommodated in the wire accommodating recess 46 consisting of the portion 47 . Therefore, even if the cover 30 is moved from the temporary locking position to the final locking position, the electric wire 20 that has come out from the bending apex 48a is attached to the cover 30 (the left edge of the extending portion 32) and the left end inner wall 41b of the housing 40. It is possible to avoid damage to the electric wire 20 due to being pinched or difficulty in attaching the cover 30 (see FIGS. 13 to 16).

Furthermore, when the electric wire 20 is accommodated in the electric wire accommodating recess 46 consisting of the upper straight part 47, the auxiliary guide part 57, and the lower straight part 47, the electric wire 20 is guided through the bent part 48 in the same way as when the electric wire 20 is guided through the bent part 48. , and is guided while being bent so as to have a convex shape facing right (see FIG. 15). Therefore, when an unintended external force is applied to the electric wire 20 pulled out from the housing 40, the external force is suppressed by the friction between the inner wall of the auxiliary guide part 57 and the electric wire 20, as in the case where the electric wire 20 is guided through the bending part 48. By resisting this, the external force is difficult to directly apply to the contact point between the voltage detection terminal 10 and the electric wire 20.

Next, assembly of the conductive module 3 and the power storage device 1 (see FIG. 1) will be explained. As described above, the voltage detection unit 5 obtained after the cover 30 is completely attached to the housing 40 (with the cover 30 locked in the temporary locking position) is attached to the conductive module 3 (see FIG. 1). used for assembly. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, first, the flange 4a of the conductive plate 4 and the recess 5a of the voltage detection unit 5 are fitted, so that the voltage detection unit 5 is connected to the right side of the conductive plate 4. be done.

In this state, as can be understood from FIG. 3, a part of the flange portion 4a of the conductive plate 4 is arranged to overlap the lower side of the tip portion 12a of the voltage detection terminal 10 (see also FIG. 2(b)). ), due to the presence of the notch 43 in the housing 40, the upper surface of the tip portion 12a of the voltage detection terminal 10 is exposed upward, and the lower surface of a part of the flange portion 4a of the conductive plate 4 is exposed downward. ing.

Next, using the upper surface of the tip portion 12a of the voltage detection terminal 10 exposed upward and the lower surface of a part of the flange portion 4a of the conductive plate 4 exposed below, the tip portion 12a of the voltage detection terminal 10 and the conductive A part of the flange portion 4a of the plate 4 is fixed by a method such as ultrasonic bonding or welding. Thereafter, the cover 30 is moved from the temporary locking position to the final locking position, and the assembly of the voltage detection unit 5 and the conductive plate 4 is completed.

Next, the flange portion 4b of the conductive plate 4 and the recess 6a of the facing unit 6 are fitted, so that the facing unit 6 is connected to the left side of the conductive plate 4 on which the voltage detection unit 5 is assembled (see FIG. 2, etc.). reference). This completes the assembly of the conductive module 3.

The conductive module 3 thus obtained is used for assembling the power storage device 1 shown in FIG. Specifically, the power storage device 1 is obtained by vertically stacking the power storage modules 2 and the conductive modules 3 alternately, and fixing these stacked bodies with predetermined metal fittings or the like.

<Action/Effect>
As described above, according to the voltage detection unit 5 according to the present embodiment, the voltage detection terminal 10 to which the electric wire 20 is connected is accommodated in the terminal accommodation recess 42 of the plate-shaped housing 40, and the electric wire 20 extending from the voltage detection terminal 10 is connected to the electric wire 20. It can be drawn out of the housing 40 through the accommodation recess 46 . Thereby, the voltage detection terminal 10 and the electric wire 20 can be stored inside the voltage detection unit 5 while making it thinner (that is, having a plate-like outer shape). Furthermore, when electrically connecting the voltage detection unit 5 to the conductive plate 4 used in the power storage device 1, for example, after the voltage detection unit 5 is assembled to the conductive plate 4, the exposed voltage detection terminal 10 and the conductive The plate 4 can be fixed using techniques such as ultrasonic bonding and welding. As a result, compared to typical bolt connections, etc., there is no need for other parts for connection, and compared to the conventional connection method described above, it is easier to align the two and the contact resistance at the contact points is reduced. can be done. Therefore, the voltage detection unit 5 according to the present embodiment has excellent workability in conductive connection with the conductive plate 4.

Further, according to the voltage detection unit 5, the wire receiving recess 46 of the housing 40 has a straight portion 47 and a bent portion 48. Therefore, when an unintended external force is applied to the electric wire 20 pulled out from the housing 40, the external force is reduced by the friction between the inner wall of the bent part 48 and the electric wire 20, compared to the case where the electric wire accommodating recess 46 has only the straight part 47. By resisting, the external force is difficult to directly reach the contact point between the voltage detection terminal 10 and the electric wire 20. Therefore, the reliability of the electrical connection at the contact point between the voltage detection terminal 10 and the electric wire 20 can be improved. In addition, the wire accommodating recess 46 serves as an aid for connecting the branching point p between the bending apex 48a of the bending portion 48 and the voltage detection terminal 10, and the confluence q between the bending apex 48a and the wire outlet 49. It has a guide part 57. As a result, even if the electric wire 20 unintentionally slips out of the bending part 48 and is routed so as to straddle the bending part 48 (that is, shortcutting the bending part 48) before the cover 30 is attached, the cover 30 can be attached. During the operation, the cover 30 pushes the electric wire 20 toward the auxiliary guide section 57, so that the electric wire 20 can be accommodated in the auxiliary guide section 57. In other words, the electric wire 20 that has come out of the bent portion 48 can escape into the auxiliary guide portion 57. As a result, it is possible to avoid damage to the electric wire 20 due to the electric wire 20 coming out of the bending part 48 being pinched between the cover 30 and the housing 40, and also from making it difficult to attach the cover 30 itself. That is, by providing a failsafe in the event that the electric wire 20 unintentionally comes out of the bent portion 48, the workability of attaching the cover to the housing can be improved.

Further, the auxiliary guide portion 57 has a right side groove side wall 57a that slopes so that the groove depth increases as the distance from the bending apex 48a of the bending portion 48 increases. As a result, when the cover 30 pushes the electric wire 20 that has unintentionally slipped out of the bent portion 48, the electric wire 20 moves along the inclined right groove side wall 57a, and the electric wire 20 can be easily moved to the auxiliary guide portion 57. can be stored inside.

Further, the auxiliary guide portion 57 is arranged at a position offset from the straight portion 47 in the same direction as the convex direction of the bent portion 48 . As a result, the electric wire 20 heading to the wire outlet 49 via the straight part 47 and the auxiliary guide part 57 has a convex shape with respect to the drawing direction (front-back direction), similar to the case where the electric wire 20 is guided through the bent part 48. It is guided while being bent. Therefore, when an unintended external force is applied to the electric wire 20 pulled out from the housing 40, the external force is suppressed by the friction between the inner wall of the auxiliary guide part 57 and the electric wire 20, as in the case where the electric wire 20 is guided through the bending part 48. By resisting this, the external force is difficult to directly apply to the contact point between the voltage detection terminal 10 and the electric wire 20. Therefore, the reliability of the electrical connection at the contact point between the voltage detection terminal 10 and the electric wire 20 can be improved.

<Other aspects>
Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited.

In the embodiment described above, the cover 30 is provided with a pair of wire holding pieces 35. On the other hand, the cover 30 may be provided with one wire holding piece 35, three or more wire holding pieces 35, or no wire holding piece 35 may be provided. .

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, two narrow recesses 51 are provided in the wire accommodating recess 46 of the housing 40. On the other hand, one narrow recess 51 may be provided in the electric wire accommodation recess 46 of the housing 40, three or more narrow recesses 51 may be provided, or no narrow recess 51 may be provided. You don't have to.

Further, in the embodiment described above, the auxiliary guide portion 57 has a right side groove side wall 57a that slopes so that the groove depth becomes deeper as the distance from the bending apex 48a of the bending portion 48 increases. On the other hand, in the auxiliary guide section 57, the right groove side wall 57a may extend upward from the groove bottom wall of the auxiliary guide section 57 in parallel to the vertical direction, similarly to the left groove side wall 57b.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the auxiliary guide portion 57 is arranged at a position offset from the straight portion 47 in the same direction as the convex direction of the bent portion 48 . On the other hand, the auxiliary guide portion 57 may be arranged at a position offset from the straight portion 47 in a direction opposite to the convex direction of the bent portion 48 .

Here, the features of the embodiment of the voltage detection unit 5 according to the present invention described above will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [3].

[1]
a voltage detection terminal (10) to be electrically connected to the detection target (4);
an electric wire (20) electrically connected to the voltage detection terminal (10);
A plate-shaped plate having a terminal accommodating recess (42) in which the voltage detection terminal (10) is accommodated, and an electric wire accommodating recess (46) that accommodates the electric wire (20) and guides it to be drawn out. A housing (40);
The electric wire accommodating recess (46) is
a straight part (47) that guides the electric wire (20) along a drawing direction that linearly connects the voltage detection terminal (10) and the electric wire outlet (49) of the housing (40);
a bending part (48) connected to the straight part (47) and guiding the electric wire (20) while bending it in a convex shape with respect to the drawing direction;
A branch point (p) located between the bending apex (48a) of the bending portion (48) and the voltage detection terminal (10), and between the bending apex (48a) and the wire outlet (49). a confluence point (q) located at and an auxiliary guide section (57) that connects the
Voltage detection unit (5).

According to the voltage detection unit configured in [1] above, the voltage detection terminal to which the electric wire is connected is accommodated in the terminal accommodation recess of the plate-shaped housing, and the electric wire extending from the voltage detection terminal is passed through the electric wire accommodation recess to the outside of the housing. It can be pulled out. Thereby, the voltage detection terminal and the electric wire can be housed inside the voltage detection unit while making the voltage detection unit thinner (that is, having a plate-like outer shape). Furthermore, when electrically connecting the voltage detection unit to a detection target (for example, a conductive plate used in a stacked power storage device), for example, when the voltage detection unit is assembled to the detection target, the exposed voltage The detection terminal and the detection target can be fixed using techniques such as ultrasonic bonding and welding. As a result, compared to typical bolt connections, etc., there is no need for other parts for connection, and compared to the conventional connection method described above, it is easier to align the two and the contact resistance at the contact points is reduced. can be done. Therefore, the voltage detection unit with this configuration has excellent workability in conducting conductive connection with the detection target.

Furthermore, according to the voltage detection unit configured as described above, the wire accommodating recess of the housing has a straight portion and a bent portion. Therefore, when an unintended external force is applied to the wire pulled out from the housing, the voltage is reduced by resisting the external force due to the friction between the inner wall of the bent part and the wire, compared to when the wire receiving recess has only a straight part. It is difficult for the external force to directly apply to the contact point between the detection terminal and the electric wire. Therefore, the reliability of the electrical connection at the contact point between the voltage detection terminal and the electric wire can be improved. In addition, the wire accommodating recess has an auxiliary guide portion that connects a branch point between the bending apex of the bending portion and the voltage detection terminal and a confluence point between the bending apex and the wire outlet. This allows the cover to be attached even if the wire unintentionally slips out of the bend and stretches across the bend (i.e., shortcuts the bend) before the cover is attached to the housing. During the work, the cover pushes the electric wire that has come out in this way toward the auxiliary guide, so that the electric wire can be accommodated in the auxiliary guide. In other words, the electric wire that has come out of the bent part can escape into the auxiliary guide part. As a result, it is possible to avoid damage to the electric wires caused by the electric wires coming out of the bent portion being caught between the cover and the housing (that is, the electric wires being caught), and from making it difficult to attach the cover itself. . That is, by providing a failsafe in the event that the electric wire unintentionally comes out of the bent portion, the workability of attaching the cover to the housing can be improved.

[2]
In the voltage detection unit (5) described in [1] above,
The auxiliary guide part (57) is
It has a groove wall (57a) that slopes so that the groove depth becomes deeper as it moves away from the bending apex (48a).
Voltage detection unit (5).

According to the voltage detection unit having the configuration [2] above, the auxiliary guide portion has a groove wall that slopes so that the groove depth increases as the distance from the bending apex of the bending portion increases. Thereby, when the cover pushes an electric wire that has unintentionally slipped out of the bent portion, the electric wire moves along the inclined groove wall, and the electric wire can be easily accommodated in the auxiliary guide portion.

[3]
In the voltage detection unit (5) described in [1] or [2] above,
The auxiliary guide part (57) is
The wire is arranged at a position offset from the straight part (47) in a direction crossing the drawing direction, and goes to the wire drawing port (49) via the straight part (47) and the auxiliary guide part (57). guiding the electric wire (20) while bending it in a convex shape with respect to the drawing direction;
Voltage detection unit (5).

According to the voltage detection unit having the configuration [3] above, the auxiliary guide portion is arranged at a position offset from the straight portion in a direction intersecting the pull-out direction. Thereby, the electric wire heading to the wire outlet via the straight part and the auxiliary guide part is guided while being bent so as to have a convex shape with respect to the drawing direction, similar to the case where the electric wire is guided through the bending part. Therefore, when an unintended external force is applied to the electric wire pulled out from the housing, the external force is resisted by the friction between the inner wall of the auxiliary guide part and the electric wire, similar to when the electric wire is guided through a bend. The external force is difficult to directly apply to the contact point between the voltage detection terminal and the electric wire. Therefore, the reliability of the electrical connection at the contact point between the voltage detection terminal and the electric wire can be improved.

4 Conductive plate (detection target)
5 Voltage detection unit 10 Voltage detection terminal 20 Wire 30 Cover 40 Housing 42 Terminal accommodating recess 46 Wire accommodating recess 47 Straight part 48 Bent part 48a Bend apex 49 Wire outlet 57 Auxiliary guide part 57a Groove side wall (groove wall)
p Branch point q Confluence point

Claims (3)

A voltage detection terminal that will be electrically connected to the detection target,
an electric wire conductively connected to the voltage detection terminal;
a plate-shaped housing having a terminal accommodating recess in which the voltage detection terminal is accommodated, and an electric wire accommodating recess for accommodating the electric wire and guiding it to be pulled out to the outside;
The electric wire accommodating recess is
a straight part that guides the electric wire along a drawing direction that linearly connects the voltage detection terminal and the electric wire outlet of the housing;
a bent part that is connected to the straight part and guides the electric wire while being bent so as to have a convex shape with respect to the drawing direction;
an auxiliary guide portion that connects a branch point located between the bending apex of the bending portion and the voltage detection terminal, and a confluence point located between the bending apex and the wire outlet;
Voltage detection unit. The voltage detection unit according to claim 1,
The auxiliary guide part is
having groove walls that slope so that the groove depth becomes deeper as the distance from the bending apex increases;
Voltage detection unit. The voltage detection unit according to claim 1 or 2,
The auxiliary guide part is
The electric wire, which is arranged at a position offset from the straight part in a direction intersecting the drawing direction, and which goes to the electric wire outlet via the straight part and the auxiliary guide part, has a convex shape with respect to the drawing direction. Guide it while bending it so that
Voltage detection unit.

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