JP2023156922A - 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 a cover 30 that is attached to the housing 40 so as to cover the voltage detection terminal 10 accommodated in the terminal accommodation recessed part 42. The electric wire 20 is accommodated in an electric wire accommodation part 46 formed between the housing 40 and the cover 30 by attaching the cover 30 to the housing 40, and is guided so as to be led out toward the exterior via the electric wire accommodation part 46. The electric wire accommodation part 46 is configured so that one (57, 58) of a pair of opposed inner walls of the electric wire accommodation part 46 opposed to each other in an attachment direction belongs to the housing 40 and the other (37, 38) of the pair of opposed inner walls belongs to the cover 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

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;
a cover attached to the housing along a predetermined attachment direction so as to cover the voltage detection terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodation recess;
The electric wire is
The cover is attached to the housing and is accommodated in an electric wire accommodating part formed between the housing and the cover, and guided so as to be pulled out to the outside through the electric wire accommodating part,
The electric wire accommodating part is
one of the pair of opposing inner walls of the wire accommodating part facing each other in the mounting direction belongs to the housing, and the other of the pair of opposing inner walls belongs to the cover;
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 housed 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 part. . 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 housing section has a pair of opposing inner walls that face each other in the direction in which the cover is attached to the housing, and one of the pair of opposing inner walls belongs to the housing. The other of the pair of opposing inner walls belongs to the cover. Therefore, by attaching the cover to the housing, the wires extending from the voltage detection terminal are sandwiched between a pair of opposing inner walls and have a predetermined routing shape (i.e., the final shape of the wire accommodating part). It is naturally accommodated in the wire accommodating part while its shape is restricted so that it follows the wire accommodating section. Therefore, compared to, for example, the case where the electric wire is manually pushed into a recess for housing the electric wire provided in the housing, such manual work is not required, and the work burden on the operator is reduced. That is, the voltage detection unit with this configuration can improve the productivity of the voltage detection unit by facilitating the work of accommodating the wires in the wire accommodating section.

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 an enlarged view of section E in FIG. 9.

<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 11. 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 accommodation recess 42 (see FIG. 4) formed in the housing 40, and the electric wire 20 is accommodated in a wire accommodation recess 46 (see FIG. 4) formed by the housing 40 and the cover 30. , FIG. 7, FIG. 10, etc.), and the cover 30 is installed in a later-described cover mounting recess 41 (see FIG. 4, etc.) formed in the housing 40. The mechanism for forming the wire accommodating portion 46 will be described later. Hereinafter, first, 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 FIG. 4) 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 extends rearward continuously from 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 with an interval in the front-back direction (see FIGS. 4 to 6, etc.). As can be seen from FIG. 6, each wire holding piece 35 protrudes downward from the lower surface 32a of the extension part 32, extends in the left-right direction, and further projects to the left from the left edge of the extension part 32. ing. 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 (details will be described later). When the cover 30 is attached to the housing 40, the pair of wire holding pieces 35 are arranged so as to sandwich the bending apex 48a (see FIGS. 4, 5, and 7) of the bending portion 48 (described later) of the wire accommodating portion 46 in the front-rear direction. , (see FIG. 10, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 6, a wire holding convex portion 36 is integrally formed on the extending portion 32 in order to form a wire accommodating portion 46 (see FIGS. 5, 10, etc.). The wire holding convex portion 36 protrudes downward on the lower surface 32a of the extension portion 32 and extends over substantially the entire area of the extension portion 32 in the front-rear direction. The height of the protrusion of the wire holding convex portion 36 is greater than the height of the protrusion of the pair of wire holding pieces 35 .

The left side outer surface (the surface parallel to the vertical direction and facing left) of the electric wire holding convex portion 36 has a pair of straight surfaces 37 extending in a straight line extending in the front-rear direction and spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. It is comprised of a bent surface 38 that connects the pair of straight surfaces 37 and extends while being bent to be concave to the right. When the cover 30 is attached to the housing 40, the outer surface of the left end of the wire holding convex portion 36 (a pair of straight surfaces 37 and a bent surface 38) is connected to the right end of the wire accommodating portion 46 (a pair of straight portions 47 and a bent portion 48). This will constitute the inner surface (see FIG. 10, etc.). The straight surface 37 and the bent surface 38 correspond to "the other of a pair of opposing inner walls" of the present invention.

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, and 9).

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 and 10).

On the bottom surface 41a of the cover attachment recess 41 on the upper surface side of the housing 40, substantially the entire rectangular area extending in the front-rear direction corresponding to the extending portion 32 of the cover 30 is provided with a wire holding convex portion 36 of the cover 30. A wire holding recess 52 is formed. The recess depth (vertical depth) of the wire holding recess 52 is greater than the recess depth of the terminal accommodating recess 42 . As will be described later, when the cover 30 is attached, the wire holding convex portion 36 and the wire holding recess 52 are arranged so as to be fitted into each other to form the wire accommodating portion 46.

The inner surface of the left end of the wire holding recess 52 (the surface parallel to the vertical direction and facing right) has a pair of straight surfaces 57 extending in a straight line extending in the front-rear direction and spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. A bent surface 58 connects the straight surfaces 57 and extends while being bent so as to protrude to the right. The pair of straight surfaces 57 are flush with the left end inner surface 41b (see FIGS. 4 and 5) extending in the front-rear direction of the cover mounting recess 41. The bent surface 58 is located to the right of the left side inner surface 41b of the cover mounting recess 41. The straight surface 57 and the bent surface 58 correspond to "one of a pair of opposing inner walls" of the present invention.

When the cover 30 is attached to the housing 40, the inner surface of the left end of the wire holding recess 52 (a pair of straight surfaces 57 and a bent surface 58) is aligned with the inner surface of the left end of the wire accommodating portion 46 (a pair of straight portions 47 and a bent portion 48). (See Figure 10, etc.). That is, when the cover 30 is attached to the housing 40, the pair of straight surfaces 57 of the wire holding recess 52 and the pair of straight surfaces 37 of the wire holding protrusion 36 are arranged so as to face each other in the left-right direction, and the wire A pair of straight portions 47 of the wire accommodating portion 46 are formed, and a bent surface 58 of the wire holding recess 52 and a bent surface 38 of the wire holding convex portion 36 are arranged so as to face each other in the left-right direction. A bent portion 48 will be formed (see FIG. 10, etc.).

The wire accommodating portion 46 includes a pair of straight portions 47 that extend in a straight line and are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction, and a bent portion that connects the pair of straight portions 47 and extends while being bent so as to protrude to the right. This is a space for wiring a series of electric wires, which is composed of a section 48 and a section 48. 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 (see FIGS. 5, 7, 10, etc.). In this way, since the wire accommodating portion 46 has the bent portion 48, compared to the case where the wire accommodating portion 46 is composed of only the straight portion 47, 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 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.

Protrusions 51 that protrude to the right are provided in the vicinity of the boundary between the pair of straight surfaces 57 and the bent surface 58 (see FIGS. 4, 5, and 10). In other words, the pair of protrusions 51 are arranged to sandwich the bending apex 48a (see FIGS. 4, 5, and 7) of the bending part 48 of the wire accommodating part 46 in the front-rear direction. When the cover 30 is attached to the housing 40 , the distance between the protrusion 51 and the straight surface 37 of the cover 30 in the left-right direction is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the electric wire 20 . Therefore, the pair of protrusions 51 function to hold the electric wire 20 while pressing it in the left-right direction. Since the electric wire 20 is held between the pair of protrusions 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 protrusions 51 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. 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).

A housing hole 53 recessed toward the left is formed in each of the pair of straight surfaces 57 of the wire holding recess 52 (see FIGS. 4 and 10). 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 Figure 10).

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.

A rib 59 is integrally formed on the right end of the bending surface 58 (the surface facing right at the location corresponding to the bending apex 48a) and protrudes further to the right from the upper region thereof (see FIGS. 4 and 4). (See Figure 5). The rib 59 is arranged to face the bottom surface 52a of the wire holding recess 52 with an interval in the vertical direction (see FIGS. 9 and 11). When the cover 30 is attached to the housing 40, a portion of the electric wire 20 is accommodated in the area between the rib 59 and the bottom surface 52a of the electric wire holding recess 52 (see FIGS. 9 and 11). 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. (See Figure 5). 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 placed on the bottom surface 52a of the electric wire holding recess 52 so as to extend rearward from the rear edge of the housing 40. At that time, as shown in FIG. It is desirable to place the wire holding recess 52 on the bottom surface 52a of the wire holding recess 52 such that the portion thereof is located in the area between the rib 59 and the bottom surface 52a of the wire holding recess 52 (see FIG. 11). As a result, the electric wire 20 comes out of the area between the rib 59 and the bottom surface 52a of the wire holding recess 52 (see FIG. 11) and is routed so as to straddle the bending part 48 (that is, shortcutting the bending part 48). This can be strongly suppressed.

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. In addition, the pair of wire holding pieces 35 of the cover 30 are inserted into the pair of storage holes 53 of the housing 40 across the upper part of the wire 20 placed on the bottom surface 52a of the wire holding recess 52. , the cover 30 is attached to the cover attachment recess 41 of the housing 40 from the right side.

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 can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 7, the inner surface of the left end of the wire holding recess 52 (a pair of straight surfaces 57 and the bent surface 58) and the wire holding convex The left side outer surface of the portion 36 (a pair of straight surfaces 37 and a bent surface 38) and the bottom surface 52a of the wire holding recess 52 form an electric wire accommodating portion 46 (a pair of straight portions 47 and a bent portion 48). Specifically, a pair of straight surfaces 57 and a pair of straight surfaces 37 are arranged to face each other in the left-right direction, forming a pair of straight portions 47 of the wire accommodating portion 46, and a bent surface 58 and a bent surface 38 are arranged so as to face each other in the left-right direction, thereby forming the bent portion 48 of the wire accommodating portion 46 (see FIG. 7, etc.). As described above, of the pair of opposing inner walls of the wire accommodating portion 46 that face each other in the left-right direction, the left inner wall belongs to the housing 40 and the right inner wall belongs to the cover 30. Therefore, by attaching the cover 30 to the housing 40, the electric wire 20 extending from the voltage detection terminal 10 is naturally accommodated in the electric wire accommodating portion 46 while being sandwiched between the pair of opposing inner walls and having its shape restricted. However, in this state (the state in which the cover 30 is locked in the temporary locking position), a portion of the wire accommodating portion 46 is opened upward (see FIG. 7). The electric wire 20 accommodated in the electric wire accommodating portion 46 extends rearward to the outside of the housing 40 from the electric wire outlet 49 (see FIG. 7).

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 cross over the wire 20 accommodated in the wire accommodating portion 46 (see FIG. 7). In other words, the pair of wire holding pieces 35 are arranged to sandwich the wire 20 between the wire 20 and the housing 40 (the bottom surface 52a of the wire holding recess 52) in the vertical direction. This prevents the electric wire 20 from slipping out of the electric wire accommodating portion 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 portion 46 can be suppressed. Furthermore, 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 wire accommodating portion 46. Thereby, it is possible to strongly prevent the electric wire 20 from slipping out from the electric wire accommodating part 46 and being routed so as to straddle the bending part 48 (that is, shortcutting the bending part 48). In this way, it is possible to reduce the possibility that a specific problem will occur due to the electric wire 20 coming off from the bending part 48 of the electric wire accommodating part 46. Of the pair of wire holding pieces 35, the front wire holding piece 35 also functions to protect the contact between the voltage detection terminal 10 and the electric wire 20, and the rear wire holding piece 35 protects the wire outlet 49. It also has the function of regulating the position of the electric wire 20 extending from.

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 and is stored therein, the locking part of the cover 30 overcomes the temporary locked part 55, and then enters into the main locked part 56 and becomes the main locked part 56. (See FIGS. 8 to 11). Thereby, the cover 30 is locked to the housing 40 at the final locking position.

When the cover 30 is locked in the main locking position, the entire area of the cover mounting 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 accommodating portion 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. In other words, as shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. A wire accommodating portion 46 (a pair of straight portions 47 and a bent portion 48) is formed by the surface 37 and the bent surface 38), the bottom surface 52a of the wire holding recess 52, and the lower surface 32a of the upper extension portion 32 of the cover 30. has been done. That is, the inner surface of the left end of the wire holding recess 52 and the outer surface of the left end of the wire holding protrusion 36 constitute a pair of opposing inner walls of the wire accommodating portion 46 , and the bottom surface 52 a of the wire holding recess 52 forms a pair of opposing inner walls of the wire accommodating portion 46 . The lower surface 32a of the upper extension part 32 of the cover 30 forms the top wall of the wire accommodating part 46.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the electric wire 20 located between the pair of protrusions 51 and the straight surface 37 of the cover 30 is pressed and held by the protrusions 51 and the straight surface 37 in the left-right direction. Thereby, 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 protrusion 51 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. 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 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 accommodating part 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 stacked power storage device 1, the voltage detection unit 5 is assembled to the conductive plate 4, and then the exposed voltage detection terminal 10 and The conductive 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 detection target (conductive plate 4).

Furthermore, one of the pair of opposing inner walls (the left inner wall; the straight surface 37 and the bent surface 38) of the wire accommodating portion 46 that faces each other in the mounting direction (left-right direction) of the cover 30 to the housing 40 belongs to the housing 40; The other of the opposing inner walls (the inner wall on the right side; the straight surface 57 and the curved surface 58) belongs to the cover 30. Therefore, by attaching the cover 30 to the housing 40, the electric wire 20 extending from the voltage detection terminal 10 is naturally accommodated in the electric wire accommodating portion 46 while being sandwiched between the pair of opposing inner walls. Therefore, for example, compared to the case where the electric wire is manually pushed into a recess for housing the electric wire provided in the housing, housing the electric wire 20 in the electric wire housing part 46 of this configuration requires such manual work. Since this is not necessary, the work burden on the worker can be reduced. That is, the work of storing the electric wire 20 in the electric wire accommodating portion 46 is easy, and the productivity of the voltage detection unit 5 can be improved.

Further, the wire accommodating portion 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 part 46 has only a 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.

Further, at two locations (locations where a pair of protrusions 51 are provided) sandwiching the bending apex 48a of the bending portion 48 of the wire accommodating portion 46, the electrical wire 20 is inserted into the pair of opposing inner walls of the wire accommodating portion 46 (where the pair of protrusions 51 are provided). 51 and the straight surface 37) and is held while being pressed. This particularly prevents the electric wire 20 from slipping out of the wire accommodating portion 46 and being routed so as to straddle the bending portion 48 (that is, shortcutting the bending portion 48), thereby impairing the original function of the bending portion 48. , can be strongly suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that a particular problem will occur due to the electric wire 20 coming off from the bending part 48 of the electric wire accommodating part 46.

Further, when the cover 30 is attached to the housing 40, the electric wire 20 is inserted between the pair of electric wire holding pieces 35 of the cover 30 and the housing 40 in a direction (vertical direction) that intersects the attachment direction (left-right direction) of the cover 30. Sandwiched. As a result, the pair of wire holding pieces 35 prevent the wire 20 from slipping out from the wire accommodating portion 46 when the cover 30 is attached. Further, since the pair of wire holding pieces 35 are respectively stored in the pair of storage holes 53 of the housing 40 when the cover 30 is attached, deformation of the pair of wire holding pieces 35 itself can be suppressed.

<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, the wire accommodating portion 46 of the housing 40 is provided with two protrusions 51 (locations where the wire 20 is pressed and held in the left-right direction). On the other hand, the wire accommodating portion 46 of the housing 40 may be provided with one protrusion 51, three or more protrusions 51, or even if no protrusion 51 is provided. good.

Further, in the embodiment described above, the wire accommodating portion 46 of the housing 40 is composed of a straight portion 47 and a bent portion 48. On the other hand, the wire accommodating portion 46 may be composed of only the straight portion 47.

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 [4].

[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 housing (40) having a terminal accommodation recess (42) in which the voltage detection terminal (10) is accommodated;
a cover (30) attached to the housing (40) along a predetermined attachment direction so as to cover the voltage detection terminal (10) accommodated in the terminal accommodation recess (42);
The electric wire (20) is
The cover (30) is attached to the housing (40) and is housed in an electric wire accommodating part (46) formed between the housing (40) and the cover (30), and the electric wire accommodating part (46) guided to be drawn outward through
The electric wire accommodating part (46) is
One of the pair of opposing inner walls (57, 58) of the wire accommodating portion (46) that faces each other in the mounting direction belongs to the housing (40), and the other (37, 38) of the pair of opposing inner walls belonging to said cover (30) and configured to:
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 housed in the terminal accommodation recess of the plate-like housing, and the electric wire extending from the voltage detection terminal is passed through the wire accommodation part 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 housing section has a pair of opposing inner walls that face each other in the direction in which the cover is attached to the housing, and one of the pair of opposing inner walls belongs to the housing. The other of the pair of opposing inner walls belongs to the cover. Therefore, by attaching the cover to the housing, the wires extending from the voltage detection terminal are sandwiched between a pair of opposing inner walls and have a predetermined routing shape (i.e., the final shape of the wire accommodating part). It is naturally accommodated in the wire accommodating part while its shape is restricted so that it follows the wire accommodating section. Therefore, compared to, for example, the case where the electric wire is manually pushed into a recess for housing the electric wire provided in the housing, such manual work is not required, and the work burden on the operator is reduced. That is, the voltage detection unit with this configuration can improve the productivity of the voltage detection unit by facilitating the work of accommodating the wires in the wire accommodating section.

[2]
In the voltage detection unit (5) described in [1] above,
The electric wire accommodating part (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); 47) and a bending part (48) that guides 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 [2] above, the wire accommodating portion 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 accommodating part 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.

[3]
In the voltage detection unit (5) described in [2] above,
The electric wire (20) is held between and pressed between the pair of opposing inner walls at a plurality of locations (51) that sandwich the bending apex (48a) of the bending portion (48) in the drawing direction;
Voltage detection unit (5).

According to the voltage detection unit having the configuration [3] above, the electric wire is sandwiched between the pair of opposing inner walls of the wire accommodating portion at a plurality of (for example, two) locations sandwiching the bending apex of the bending portion of the wire accommodating portion. It is held while being pressed. This strongly suppresses, in particular, the loss of the original function of the above-mentioned bending part due to the electric wire slipping out of the wire storage part and being routed so as to straddle the bend (i.e., shortcut the bend). be able to. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that a particular problem will occur due to the electric wire slipping out of the bent portion of the electric wire accommodating portion.

[4]
In the voltage detection unit (5) according to any one of [1] to [3] above,
The cover (30) includes:
The wire extends from the cover (30) in the mounting direction and is arranged to sandwich the electric wire (20) between the housing (40) in a direction intersecting the mounting direction when the cover (30) is mounted. an extending piece (35);
The housing (40) includes:
It has a storage hole (53) in which the extension piece (35) is stored as the cover (30) moves when the cover (30) is attached.
Voltage detection unit (5).

According to the voltage detection unit having the configuration [4] above, when the cover is attached, the electric wire is sandwiched between the extending piece of the cover and the housing in a direction intersecting the direction in which the cover is attached. As a result, the extending piece prevents the electric wire from slipping out from between the pair of opposing inner walls when the cover is attached. Furthermore, since the extension piece is stored in the storage hole of the housing when the cover is attached, deformation of the extension piece itself can be suppressed.

4 Conductive plate (detection target)
5 Voltage detection unit 10 Voltage detection terminal 20 Electric wire 30 Cover 35 Electric wire holding piece (extending piece)
37 Straight surface (the other of the pair of opposing inner walls)
38 Bent surface (the other of a pair of opposing inner walls)
40 Housing 42 Terminal accommodating recess 46 Wire accommodating portion 47 Straight portion 48 Bent portion 48a Bend apex 49 Wire outlet 51 Projection (portion sandwiched in the drawing direction)
53 Storage hole 57 Straight surface (one of a pair of opposing inner walls)
58 Bent surface (one of a pair of opposing inner walls)

Claims (4)

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;
a cover attached to the housing along a predetermined attachment direction so as to cover the voltage detection terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodation recess;
The electric wire is
The cover is attached to the housing and is accommodated in an electric wire accommodating part formed between the housing and the cover, and guided so as to be pulled out to the outside through the electric wire accommodating part,
The electric wire accommodating part is
one of the pair of opposing inner walls of the wire accommodating part facing each other in the mounting direction belongs to the housing, and the other of the pair of opposing inner walls belongs to the cover;
Voltage detection unit. The voltage detection unit according to claim 1,
The electric wire accommodating part is
a straight part that guides the electric wire along the drawing direction that linearly connects the voltage detection terminal and the electric wire outlet of the housing; and a straight part that is connected to the straight part and bends the electric wire in a convex shape with respect to the drawing direction. a bending portion that guides the user while guiding the user;
Voltage detection unit. The voltage detection unit according to claim 2,
The electric wire is held between and pressed between the pair of opposing inner walls at a plurality of locations sandwiching the bending apex of the bending portion in the drawing direction;
Voltage detection unit. In the voltage detection unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The cover is
an extending piece extending from the cover in the mounting direction and arranged to sandwich the electric wire between the electric wire and the housing in a direction intersecting the mounting direction when the cover is mounted;
The housing includes:
having a storage hole in which the extending piece is stored as the cover moves when the cover is attached;
Voltage detection unit.

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