JP7308328B2 - connection module - Google Patents

Description

The technology disclosed by this specification relates to a connection module.

A battery module for an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle includes a battery block composed of a plurality of battery cells, and a connection module attached to the battery block to connect a plurality of cells. As a connection module, a flexible printed circuit board with busbars is known, which includes a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) and a plurality of busbars connected to the flexible printed circuit board and connecting electrode terminals of adjacent storage elements (Patent Reference 1).

JP 2014-86246 A

A battery block made up of a large number of battery cells has dimensional tolerances due to manufacturing dimensional errors of each battery cell, assembly errors of a plurality of battery cells, and the like. Due to this dimensional tolerance, misalignment may occur between the busbar and the electrode of each battery cell, making it difficult to assemble the connection module to the battery block. Moreover, since the flexible printed wiring board has flexibility, there is a problem that it is difficult to handle when it is assembled to the battery block, and the assembly workability is poor.

A connection module disclosed in the present specification is a connection module attached to a storage element group composed of a plurality of storage elements having electrode terminals and connecting the plurality of storage elements, comprising: a flexible printed circuit board; a plurality of connecting members connected to a flexible printed circuit board to connect the electrode terminals of the adjacent storage elements; and a holding member holding the plurality of connecting members and the flexible printed circuit board, wherein the flexible printed circuit board The substrate includes a substrate body and a first movable portion that connects the substrate body and the connection member, the holding member is a substrate holding portion to which the substrate body is fixed, and the connection member is fixed. and a second movable portion connecting the board holding portion and the connection member holding portion, wherein the first movable portion and the second movable portion are connected to the connection member. The connection member holding portion is connected to the substrate main body and the substrate holding portion while allowing displacement.

According to the above configuration, since the connection member and the connection member holding portion are allowed to be displaced with respect to the substrate main body and the substrate holding portion in a state where they are assembled with each other, the electrode displacement caused by the dimensional tolerance of the electric storage element group is allowed. It is possible to avoid difficulty in assembling the connection module to the power storage element group due to misalignment of the terminals, thereby improving assembling workability. In addition, by holding the flexible printed circuit board and the plurality of connection members by the holding member, the shape of the flexible printed circuit board having flexibility is held constant, and together with the plurality of connection members, the storage element group is collectively stored in a predetermined state. Since it can be set in position, the assembling workability can be improved.

In the above configuration, the first movable portion may include a wire spring-like first spring portion extending from the substrate body and having at least one curved portion.

According to such a configuration, the connection member can be connected to the substrate body while allowing displacement with a simple configuration. Further, by configuring the first spring portion with a wire spring, the connection member can move freely in any of the directions of approaching and separating from the substrate body, the thickness direction of the substrate body, and the direction along the substrate body to some extent. , it is possible to easily perform the assembling work when assembling to the holding member after connecting the connecting member to the flexible printed circuit board.

In the above configuration, the plurality of second movable portions are arranged along one edge of the substrate holding portion, and each of the plurality of second movable portions expands and contracts along the one edge. A possible second spring portion may also be provided.

According to such a configuration, the second spring portion allows the connecting member holding portion to be displaced in the direction along one edge of the board holding portion. Therefore, by assembling the connection module to the power storage element group so that one edge of the substrate holding part extends along the direction in which the power storage elements are arranged, the connection member holding part and the connection held by the connection member holding part can be obtained. Displacement of the member in the direction in which the electric storage element group is arranged is allowed. As a result, it is possible to avoid difficulty in assembling the connection module to the energy storage element group due to the positional deviation of the electrode terminals due to the dimensional tolerance of the energy storage element group, thereby improving the assembling workability.

Further, the holding member may include a connecting portion that connects the adjacent connecting member holding portions while allowing displacement in the direction along the one edge.

According to such a configuration, the adjacent connection member holding portions are connected to stably hold the plurality of connection members without hindering the displacement of the connection member holding portion in the direction along the direction in which the electric storage element group is arranged. be able to.

In the above configuration, the substrate holding part is arranged with a holding body arranged along the substrate body and with a gap from the holding body, and holds the substrate body between the holding body and the holding body. A pressing piece may be provided.

According to such a configuration, the substrate body can be held by the substrate holding portion with a simple configuration.

In the above configuration, the substrate main body has a positioning hole, and the substrate holding part protrudes from the holding main body arranged along the substrate main body and is inserted through the positioning hole. A positioning projection may be provided for positioning the substrate body with respect to the holding body.

According to such a configuration, the substrate body can be positioned on the substrate holding portion with a simple configuration.

In the above configuration, the connection member holding portion includes a base portion arranged along the connection member and a locking portion continuous from the base portion, the locking portion projecting from the base portion, It may be provided with a flexible flexible portion and an engaging claw that protrudes from the flexible portion and holds the connection member by sandwiching it between itself and the base portion.

According to such a configuration, the connecting member can be easily assembled to the connecting member holding portion simply by pushing the connecting member toward the base portion, thereby improving the assembling workability of the connecting module.

According to the connection module disclosed by this specification, assembly workability can be improved.

1 is a perspective view of an electric storage module according to an embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a top view of the power storage module of the embodiment; 1 is a perspective view of a connection module according to an embodiment; FIG. A top view of the connection module of the embodiment Partially enlarged view within frame R1 in FIG. AA line sectional view of FIG. BB line sectional view of FIG. CC line sectional view of FIG. A perspective view of a bus bar of an embodiment A top view of the bus bar of the embodiment FIG. 2 is a top view of the flexible printed circuit board according to the embodiment; The perspective view of the resin protector of embodiment The top view of the resin protector of embodiment Front view of the resin protector of the embodiment Rear view of the resin protector of the embodiment Partially enlarged view within frame R2 in FIG.

Embodiments will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 16. FIG. The connection module 1 of this embodiment constitutes a power storage module M that is used as a drive source for a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the connection module 1 is attached to a storage element group 90G in which a plurality of storage elements 90 are arranged in a line, and connects the plurality of storage elements 90 in series.

[Storage element 90 and storage element group 90G]
The storage element 90 is, for example, a secondary battery. As shown in FIG. 1, each storage element 90 has a flat rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, and has an electrode arrangement surface 90F (upper surface in FIG. 1) perpendicular to the surface facing the adjacent storage element 90. ing. Electrode terminals 91A and 91B are arranged on the electrode arrangement surface 90F. One of the electrode terminals 91A and 91B is the positive electrode terminal 91A and the other is the negative electrode terminal 91B. Each of the electrode terminals 91A and 91B has a cylindrical shape, and the outer peripheral surface thereof is threaded (not shown in detail).

As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of storage elements 90 are arranged in a line to form a storage element group 90G. The plurality of storage elements 90 are arranged such that the electrode terminals 91A and 91B of different polarities are adjacent to each other in two adjacent storage elements 90 (that is, the positive electrode terminal 91A of one storage element 90 and the other adjacent electrode terminal 91A). are arranged so that the negative terminals 91B of the storage elements 90 are adjacent to each other).

In the following description, the direction in which the plurality of storage elements 90 are arranged (lower left to upper right direction in FIG. 1) is the X-axis direction, and the direction along the surface of the storage element 90 facing the adjacent storage element 90 ( The direction perpendicular to the electrode arrangement surface 90F (vertical direction in FIG. 1) is defined as the Z-axis direction.

[Connection module 1]
The connection module 1 is a member attached to the surface (upper surface in FIG. 1) formed by the electrode arrangement surface 90F of each storage element 90 in the storage element group 90G. As shown in FIG. 3, the connection module 1 is connected to a flexible printed circuit board 20 (hereinafter referred to as "FPC 20") and the FPC 20 to connect positive terminals 91A and negative terminals 91B of adjacent storage elements 90. and a resin protector 40 (corresponding to a holding member) that holds the busbars 10 and the FPC 20 . Although FIG. 1 shows only the connection module 1 connected to one of the two columns of the electrode terminals 91A and 91B (lower right column), the connection module 1 is connected to the other column in the same manner. 1 is connected. FIG. 1 also shows one bus bar 10 connecting the rightmost positive terminal 91A and the adjacent negative terminal 91B in the connection module 1, and the other bus bars 10 are omitted. The same applies to FIG. 2 as well.

(Busbar 10)
Each of the plurality of bus bars 10 is made of metal, and as shown in FIGS. It has an FPC connection piece 15 connected to the FPC 20 connected to the portion 11 and a locking wall 16 connected to the FPC connection piece 15 .

The electrode connection portion 11 is a generally rectangular plate-like portion, and includes two electrode insertion holes 12 through which the electrode terminals 91A and 91B can be inserted, and two engagement recesses for engagement with the resin protector 40. 13. One electrode insertion hole 12 is arranged at a position close to one short side 11S of the electrode connection portion 11, and one is arranged at a position close to the other short side 11S. One of the two engaging recesses 13 is a recess recessed from one short side 11S of the electrode connection portion 11, and the other is a recess recessed from the other short side 11S.

The electrode connection portion 11 has a connection concave portion 14 which is recessed from one long side 11LA of the pair of long sides 11LA and 11LB. The connection recess 14 is a recess defined by a first inner edge 14A parallel to the long side 11LA and a pair of first side edges 14B connecting both ends of the first inner edge 14A and the long side 11LA. . The FPC connection piece 15 is a rectangular plate-like portion extending from the first inner edge 14A in the same plane as the electrode connection portion 11 . The locking wall 16 is a short plate wall-like portion extending vertically from the tip of the FPC connection piece 15 .

(FPC20)
The FPC 20 is a member for electrically connecting the plurality of busbars 10 and an ECU (electronic control unit: not shown). and an insulating resin film covering both sides of the conductive path. As shown in FIG. 11, the FPC 20 includes an FPC main body 21 (corresponding to a substrate main body) having a rectangular band shape as a whole, a plurality of first movable portions 31 connected from the FPC main body 21, and a plurality of first movable portions 31. and connected to each of the plurality of bus bars 10 .

The FPC main body 21 has a first slit 22 , a notch 23 , a plurality of positioning holes 24 and two engaging holes 25 .

The first slits 22 are located approximately in the center between the pair of long sides 21LA and 21LB of the FPC main body 21, parallel to the long sides 21LA and 21LB, and at both ends of the FPC main body 21 (the pair of short sides 21SA and 21SA). It is a slit that extends almost the entire length except for a near portion. The notch 23 is a relatively wide gap extending from the long side 21LA on one side (the lower side in FIG. 11) of the FPC body 21 to the first slit 22, and ) is arranged close to the short side 21SA. The portion sandwiched between the first slit 22 and the long side 21LA of the FPC body 21 (the portion below the first slit 22 in FIG. 11) is arranged on the short side 21SB side by the notch 23. It is divided into a long first dividing portion 26 and a short second dividing portion 27 arranged on the short side 21SA side.

The plurality of positioning holes 24 are arranged such that one is positioned close to one short side 21SA, two are positioned close to the other short side 21SB, and one is positioned substantially at the center of the first dividing portion 26 . One of the two engaging holes 25 is arranged at a position close to the notch 23 in the first dividing portion 26 and the other is arranged at a position close to the notch 23 in the second dividing portion 27 .

The first movable portion 31 is composed of a wire spring-like portion (corresponding to a first spring portion) continuous from the FPC main body 21, extends from the long side 21LA of the FPC main body 21, and bends in a U shape. a portion 32 (corresponding to a curved portion); is provided with a second curved portion 34 (corresponding to a curved portion) curved in a U-shape in the opposite direction, forming a substantially S-shape as a whole. The plurality of first movable portions 31 are arranged in a row along the long side 21LA, one of which continues from the second dividing portion 27, and the rest from the first dividing portion 26. are connected.

The joint piece 35 is a rectangular plate piece-like portion continuous from the extending end of the second curved portion 34 . A part of the conductive path is exposed as a joint land (not shown) on one surface of the joint piece 35, and the FPC connection piece 15 is connected thereto by soldering.

(Resin protector 40)
The resin protector 40 is made of synthetic resin and includes an FPC holding portion 41 (corresponding to a substrate holding portion) that holds the FPC main body 21 and a plurality of busbar holding portions 61 and 71 that hold the busbars 10 .

As shown in FIG. 12, the FPC holding portion 41 includes a holding plate portion 42 (corresponding to a holding main body), side ribs 43 and center ribs 44A and 44B extending from the holding plate portion 42, a plurality of pressing pieces 45, and a plurality of A positioning projection 46 and two FPC locking pieces 47 are provided.

The holding plate portion 42 as a whole has a rectangular plate shape with a size approximately equal to that of the FPC main body 21 . One surface (upper surface in FIG. 12) of the holding plate portion 42 is a mounting surface 42F on which the FPC main body 21 is mounted. 45, positioning projections 46 and FPC locking pieces 47 are arranged.

The side ribs 43 are strip-shaped portions that protrude from the long side 42LA of one of the pair of long sides 42LA and 42LB of the holding plate portion 42 (upper side in FIG. 12), and are arranged over substantially the entire length of the long side 42LA. there is The center ribs 44A, 44B are strip-shaped portions extending parallel to the long sides 42LA, 42LB approximately in the center between the pair of long sides 42LA, 42LB. A long one is arranged close to one of the short sides 42SA (the left side in FIG. 12), and another short one is arranged close to the other short side 42SB.

Each of the plurality of pressing pieces 45 is a plate piece-like portion extending parallel to the holding plate portion 42 from the side rib 43, and is designed to sandwich and hold the FPC main body 21 with the holding plate portion 42. . Each of the plurality of positioning projections 46 is a circular projection extending from the holding plate portion 42 and arranged at a position corresponding to each of the plurality of positioning holes 24 of the FPC main body 21 . As shown in FIG. 8, each of the two FPC locking pieces 47 has a locking piece body 47A extending from the holding plate portion 42 and a locking projection 47B projecting from the tip of the locking piece body 47A. , are arranged at positions corresponding to the two engaging holes 25 of the FPC main body 21, respectively.

The holding plate portion 42 has a plurality of spring recesses 48 recessed inward from the other long side 42LB (corresponding to one edge). As shown in FIG. 16, the spring recess 48 is composed of a second inner edge 48A parallel to the long side 42LB and a pair of second side edges 48B connecting both ends of the second inner edge 48A and the long side 42LB. A defined recess.

As shown in FIG. 12, among the plurality of busbar holding portions 61 and 71, the one closest to one short side 42SA of the holding plate portion 42 is the fixed busbar holding portion 71, and the others are the second movable portion. A movable busbar holding portion 61 (corresponding to a connection member holding portion) connected to the holding plate portion 42 via 51 .

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the second movable portion 51 has a plate-like shape that is bent in a bellows shape as a whole, and is capable of expanding and contracting in a direction along the long side 42LB of the holding plate portion 42. . More specifically, the second movable portion 51 includes a plate-shaped spring connection piece 52 (corresponding to a spring connection portion) extending from the second inner edge 48A on the same plane as the holding plate portion 42, and the spring connection portion. A pair of spring plate portions 53 (corresponding to second spring portions) extending from the piece 52 along the second inner edge 48A while being bent in mutually opposite directions are provided. Each of the pair of spring plate portions 53 vertically extends away from the holding plate portion 42 from the extended end of the spring connecting piece 52, then folds back to extend toward the holding plate portion 42, and then folds back. It has an S-shaped leaf spring shape extending away from the holding plate portion 42 .

As shown in FIG. 16 , the movable busbar holding portion 61 includes a back plate portion 62 continuing from the second movable portion 51 , a bottom plate portion 63 (corresponding to a base portion) continuing from the back plate portion 62 , and an extension piece extending from the bottom plate portion 63 . 65 , a first busbar locking piece 66 (corresponding to the locking portion), two second busbar locking pieces 67 (corresponding to the locking portion), and a pair of abutment plates 68 .

As shown in FIG. 16 , the back plate portion 62 is a plate-like portion that is arranged in a posture perpendicular to the holding plate portion 42 and is connected to the tip end portions of the pair of spring plate portions 53 . there is

As shown in FIG. 16 , the bottom plate portion 63 is a plate-like portion extending vertically from the back plate portion 62 in the direction opposite to the holding plate portion 42 and has two second slits 64 . Each of the two second slits 64 extends from the extended end of the bottom plate portion 63 toward the back plate portion 62 as shown in FIGS. 63 is divided into end plate portions 63A at both ends and an intermediate plate portion 63B in the center. The extension piece 65 is a plate-like portion extending from the extended end of the bottom plate portion 63 on the same plane as the bottom plate portion 63 .

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 16, the first busbar locking piece 66 extends from the middle plate portion 63B and is arranged with a gap from the back plate portion 62. The first flexible piece 66A (corresponding to the flexible portion) ), and a first locking claw 66B (corresponding to a locking claw) projecting from the extending end of the first bending piece 66A in the direction opposite to the back plate portion 62 . The first flexible piece 66A is slightly inclined away from the back plate portion 62 as it separates from the intermediate plate portion 63B.

As shown in FIG. 7, each of the two second busbar locking pieces 67 includes a second flexible piece 67A (corresponding to a flexible portion) extending vertically from the extending ends of the two end plate portions 63A, and a second flexible piece 67A. A second locking claw 67B (corresponding to a locking claw) projecting from the tip of the piece 67A toward the back plate portion 62 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 16, each of the two abutment plates 68 is a plate-like portion protruding from the intermediate plate portion 63B along the slit edge of each of the two second slits 64, and is a back plate portion. 62 are located adjacent to each other.

Each movable busbar holding portion 61 is allowed to be displaced to some extent with respect to the holding plate portion 42 by the second movable portion 51 . Specifically, the expansion and contraction of the two spring plate portions 53 of the second movable portion 51 allows the holding plate portion 42 to move in the direction (X-axis direction) along the long side 42LB.

As shown in FIG. 12 , the fixed busbar holding portion 71 does not have the second movable portion 51 , and the movable busbar is fixed except that the back plate portion 72 extends from the long side 42 LB of the holding plate portion 42 . It has the same configuration as the holding portion 61 . In the fixed busbar holding portion 71, the same parts as those of the movable busbar holding portion 61 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 16 , the fixed busbar holding portion 71 , the adjacent movable busbar holding portion 61 , and the adjacent movable busbar holding portions 61 are connected by U-shaped plate spring-like connecting portions 81 . Concatenated. As a result, the fixed busbar holding portion 71, the adjacent movable busbar holding portion 61, and the adjacent movable busbar holding portions 61 are aligned along the long side 42LB of the holding plate portion 42 (the X-axis direction). The plurality of busbars 10 assembled to the fixed busbar holding portion 71 and the movable busbar holding portion 61 can be stably held by being connected without impeding directional displacement.

[Assembly of connection module 1]
An example of the procedure for assembling the connection module 1 having the above configuration will be described below.

First, a plurality of busbars 10 are connected to the FPC 20 . The FPC connection piece 15 of each bus bar 10 is overlapped with each joint piece 35 of the FPC 20 and joined by reflow soldering. When connected to the FPC 20, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, each bus bar 10 is connected to the FPC main body 21 via the first movable portion 31, and the first movable portion 31 is connected to the FPC body 21. By deforming, each bus bar 10 changes in the direction along the long side 21LA of the FPC main body 21 (X-axis direction), in the direction toward and away from the FPC main body 21 (Y-axis direction), and in the thickness of the FPC main body 21. It can be freely displaced to some extent in any direction (Z-axis direction).

Next, the joined body of the FPC 20 and the plurality of busbars 10 is assembled to the resin protector 40 .

First, the FPC main body 21 is assembled to the FPC holding portion 41 . As shown in FIG. 3, the FPC main body 21 is placed on the holding plate portion 42 so as to be inserted into the gap between the holding plate portion 42 and the pressing piece 45, and set so that the long side 21LB is along the side rib 43. The FPC body 21 is positioned on the holding plate portion 42 by inserting each of the plurality of positioning projections 46 into each of the plurality of positioning holes 24 and by inserting the two center ribs 44A and 44B into the first slit 22. be. Further, the FPC main body 21 is held by the holding piece 45 so as not to come off from the holding plate portion 42 . As shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, the locking piece body 47A of each FPC locking piece 47 is inserted into each engagement hole 25, and the locking projection 47B is engaged with the FPC body 21, thereby The end portions of 26 and 27 are pressed so as not to turn over from the holding plate portion 42 .

Next, each busbar 10 is assembled to each busbar holding portion 61 , 71 . Each second busbar locking piece 67 is inserted into each engaging recess 13 , and the electrode connecting portion 11 is pushed toward the bottom plate portion 63 while the first busbar locking piece 66 is bent by the locking wall 16 . When the electrode connection portion 11 abuts against the bottom plate portion 63, the first busbar locking piece 66 is elastically restored as shown in FIG. sandwiched between Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the portion of the electrode connecting portion 11 adjacent to the engaging recess 13 enters between the bottom plate portion 63 and the second locking claw 67B. Each bus bar 10 is thereby fixed to each bus bar holding portion 61 , 71 . At this time, the bus bar 10 is allowed to be displaced to some extent with respect to the FPC main body 21 by the deformation of the first movable portion 31, so that the assembly work of the bus bar 10 to the bus bar holding portions 61 and 71 can be facilitated. It can be carried out. In addition, since the bus bar 10 can be easily assembled to the bus bar holding portions 61 and 71 simply by pushing it toward the bottom plate portion 63, the assembling workability of the connection module 1 is improved.

When the busbar 10 is assembled to the busbar holding portions 61 and 71, as shown in FIG. It is inclined so as to separate from the FPC main body 21 as it separates from the curved portion 32 . The second curved portion 34 , the joint piece 35 and the bus bar 10 are arranged parallel to the FPC main body 21 and deviated from the FPC main body 21 . The straight portion 33 is passed through a gap between the first busbar locking piece 66 and the back plate portion 62 .

In the completed connection module 1 , the FPC main body 21 is held in a positioned state with respect to the FPC holding portion 41 . Each bus bar 10 is held in a positioned state by each movable bus bar holding portion 61 . The busbar 10 is displaceably connected to the FPC main body 21 by the first movable portion 31 , and the movable busbar holding portion 61 is displaceably connected to the FPC holding portion 41 by the second movable portion 51 . As a result, the movable busbar holding portion 61 and the busbar 10 are attached to each other, and the long side 42LB of the holding plate portion 42 and the long side 21LA of the FPC main body 21 are attached to the FPC holding portion 41 and the FPC main body 21 . (X-axis direction) is allowed.

[Assembly of connection module 1 to power storage element group 90G]
An example of the procedure for assembling the connection module 1 configured as described above to the storage element group 90G will be described below.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connection module 1 is arranged at a predetermined position on the storage element group 90G, and the electrode terminals 91A and 91B are inserted through the electrode insertion holes 12 of each bus bar 10. As shown in FIG. After that, the electrode terminals 91A and 91B and the bus bar 10 are connected by screwing nuts (not shown) to the electrode terminals 91A and 91B.

Here, the power storage element group 90</b>G configured by arranging a large number of power storage elements 90 has dimensional tolerances due to manufacturing dimensional errors of each power storage element 90 and assembly errors of the plurality of power storage elements 90 . As a result, the electrode terminals 91A and 91B may be misaligned in the direction along which the storage elements 90 are arranged (the X-axis direction). In this embodiment, as described above, the displacement of the movable busbar holding portion 61 and the busbar 10 with respect to the FPC holding portion 41 and the FPC main body 21 is allowed. Each bus bar 10 can be displaced and assembled to the electrode terminals 91A and 91B in accordance with the positional deviation of the terminals 91A and 91B.

For example, when the distance between the electrode terminals 91A and 91B is smaller than the design dimension, the second movable portion 51 and the connecting portion 81 are deformed so that each movable busbar holding portion 61 is positioned with respect to the fixed busbar holding portion 71. , it is displaced in a direction approaching the fixed busbar holding portion 71 (a direction along the long side 42LB of the holding plate portion 42: a direction from the upper right to the lower left in FIG. 1). In other words, with fixed busbar holding portion 71 positioned at one end of resin protector 50 as a reference, the distance between movable busbar holding portion 61 positioned next to fixed busbar holding portion 71 and between adjacent movable busbar holding portions 61 is narrow. The movable busbar holding portion 61 is displaced so that As a result, with one busbar 10 held by the fixed busbar holding portion 71 as a reference, the other busbars 10 are displaced so as to reduce the distance between the adjacent busbars 10, thereby coping with the positional deviation of the electrode terminals 91A and 91B. can do.

Further, when the distance between the electrode terminals 91A and 91B is larger than the design dimension, the second movable portion 51 and the connecting portion 81 are deformed so that each movable busbar holding portion 61 is positioned with respect to the fixed busbar holding portion 71. , in a direction away from the fixed busbar holding portion 71 (a direction along the long side 42LB of the holding plate portion 42: a direction from the lower left to the upper right in FIG. 1). In other words, with the fixed busbar holding portion 71 positioned at one end of the resin protector 50 as a reference, the distance between the movable busbar holding portion 61 positioned next to the fixed busbar holding portion 71 and the adjacent movable busbar holding portions 61 are wide. The movable busbar holding portion 61 is displaced so that As a result, with one busbar 10 held by the fixed busbar holding portion 71 as a reference, the other busbars 10 are displaced so that the distance between the adjacent busbars 10 increases, thereby coping with the positional deviation of the electrode terminals 91A and 91B. can do.

In this way, it is possible to avoid difficulty in assembling the connection module 1 to the energy storage element group 90G due to the dimensional tolerance of the energy storage element group 90G, thereby improving the assembling workability.

In addition, by assembling the FPC 20 and the plurality of busbars 10 to the resin protector 40, the shape of the flexible FPC 20 is kept constant, and together with the plurality of busbars 10, the busbars 10 and the busbars 10 are collectively placed at a predetermined position on the power storage element group 90G. Since it can be set, the assembling workability can be improved.

[summary]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the connection module 1 is a module that is attached to the storage element group 90G configured by the plurality of storage elements 90 having the electrode terminals 91A and 91B and connects the plurality of storage elements 90. It includes an FPC 20, a plurality of busbars 10 connected to the FPC 20 and connecting electrode terminals 91A and 91B of adjacent storage elements 90, and a resin protector 40 holding the busbar 10 and the FPC 20. The FPC 20 includes an FPC main body 21 and a first movable portion 31 that connects the FPC main body 21 and the busbar 10 . A fixed movable busbar holding portion 61 and a plurality of second movable portions 51 connecting the FPC holding portion 41 and the movable busbar holding portion 61 are provided. The first movable portion 31 and the second movable portion 51 connect the busbar 10 and the movable busbar holding portion 61 while allowing displacement with respect to the FPC main body 21 and the FPC holding portion 41 .

According to the above configuration, when the busbar 10 and the movable busbar holding portion 61 are assembled with each other, displacement with respect to the FPC main body 21 and the FPC holding portion 41 is allowed. Positional deviation of the electrode terminals 91A and 91B caused by the above can avoid difficulty in assembling the connection module 1 to the power storage element group 90G, thereby improving assembling workability. In addition, by holding the FPC 20 and the plurality of busbars 10 in the resin protector 40, the shape of the flexible FPC 20 is held constant, and together with the plurality of busbars 10, the busbars 10 and the busbars 10 are collectively held at predetermined positions of the power storage element group 90G. Since it can be set, the assembling workability can be improved.

Also, the first movable portion 31 extends from the FPC main body 21 and is composed of a wire spring having a first curved portion 32 and a second curved portion 34 .

According to such a configuration, the bus bar 10 can be connected to the FPC main body 21 while allowing displacement with a simple configuration. Further, by configuring the first movable portion 31 with a wire spring, the bus bar 10 can move in any of the directions of approaching and separating from the FPC main body 21, the thickness direction of the FPC main body 21, and the direction along the FPC main body 21. can also be displaced freely to some extent, so that after connecting the bus bar 10 to the FPC 20, the assembling work when assembling to the resin protector 40 can be easily performed.

In addition, the plurality of second movable portions 51 are arranged side by side along the long side 42LB of the FPC holding portion 41, and each of the plurality of second movable portions 51 can expand and contract in the direction along the long side 42LB. A spring plate portion 53 is provided.

According to such a configuration, the second movable portion 51 allows the movable busbar holding portion 61 to be displaced in the direction along the long side 42 LB of the FPC holding portion 41 . Therefore, by assembling the connection module 1 to the storage element group 90G so that the long side 42LB of the FPC holding portion 41 extends along the direction in which the plurality of storage elements 90 are arranged, the movable busbar holding portion 61 and the movable busbar holding portion 61 are assembled. Displacement of bus bar 10 held by portion 61 in the direction along the direction in which power storage element group 90G is arranged is allowed. As a result, it is possible to avoid difficulty in assembling the connection module 1 to the energy storage element group 90G due to positional deviation of the electrode terminals 91A and 91B caused by the dimensional tolerance of the energy storage element group 90G, thereby improving assembly workability. can.

Further, the resin protector 50 may include a connecting portion 81 that connects the adjacent movable busbar holding portions 61 while allowing displacement in the direction along the long side 42LB of the holding plate portion 42 of the FPC holding portion 41. do not have.

According to such a configuration, the adjacent movable busbar holding portions 61 are connected without hindering the displacement of the movable busbar holding portions 61 in the direction along the direction in which the power storage element groups 90G are arranged, and the plurality of busbars 10 are stabilized. can be retained.

Further, the FPC holding portion 41 is arranged with a holding plate portion 42 arranged along the FPC main body 21 and with a gap from the holding plate portion 42 , and holds the FPC main body 21 between the holding plate portion 42 and the holding plate portion 42 . A holding piece 45 is provided.

According to such a configuration, the FPC main body 21 can be held by the FPC holding portion 41 with a simple configuration.

The FPC main body 21 has a positioning hole 24 , and the FPC holding portion 41 protrudes from the holding plate portion 42 arranged along the FPC main body 21 and is inserted into the positioning hole 24 . Accordingly, positioning protrusions 46 are provided for positioning the FPC main body 21 with respect to the holding plate portion 42 .

With such a configuration, the FPC main body 21 can be positioned on the FPC holding portion 41 with a simple configuration.

Further, the movable busbar holding portion 61 includes a bottom plate portion 63 arranged along the busbar 10 , and a first busbar locking piece 66 and a second busbar locking piece 67 extending from the bottom plate portion 63 . The first busbar locking piece 66 is provided to sandwich and hold the busbar 10 between a first flexible piece 66A projecting from the bottom plate portion 63 and capable of bending, and a first flexible piece 66A projecting from the first flexible piece 66A and projecting from the bottom plate portion 63. and a first locking claw 66B. Similarly, the second busbar locking piece 67 projects from the bottom plate portion 63 and is capable of bending. and a second locking claw 67B that is held in place.

According to such a configuration, the bus bar 10 can be easily assembled to the movable bus bar holding portion 61 simply by pushing it toward the bottom plate portion 63, so that the assembling workability of the connection module 1 is improved.

<Other embodiments>
The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the embodiments described by the above description and drawings, and includes, for example, the following various aspects.

(1) In the above embodiment, the first movable portion 31 has the first bending portion 32 and the second bending portion 34, but the number of bending portions may be one or three or more.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the second movable portion 51 includes a pair of spring plate portions 53 that are bent in a bellows shape. It is only necessary to have a spring shape that can expand and contract in the direction along the edge.

(3) In the above embodiment, the two spring plate portions 53 of the second movable portion 51 have symmetrical shapes with the spring connecting piece 52 interposed therebetween, but the pair of second spring portions have mutually asymmetrical shapes. can have

1... Connection module 10... Bus bar (connection member)
20... Flexible printed circuit board 21... FPC main body (substrate main body)
24... Positioning hole 31... First movable part (first spring part)
32... First bending portion (bending portion)
34... Second bending portion (bending portion)
40... Resin protector (holding member)
41 FPC holding portion (substrate holding portion)
42... Holding plate portion (holding main body)
45... Pressing piece 46... Positioning projection 51... Second movable part 53... Spring plate part (second spring part)
61... Movable busbar holding portion (connection member holding portion)
63... Bottom plate portion (base portion)
66... First busbar locking piece (locking portion)
66A... First flexible piece (flexible portion)
66B... First locking claw (locking claw)
67 . . . Second busbar locking piece (locking portion)
67A... Second flexible piece (flexible portion)
67B...Second locking claw (locking claw)
81... Connecting part 90... Power storage element 90G... Power storage element groups 91A, 91B... Electrode terminal

Claims (6)

A connection module attached to a storage element group composed of a plurality of storage elements having electrode terminals and connecting the plurality of storage elements,
a flexible printed circuit board;
a plurality of connection members connected to the flexible printed circuit board and connecting the electrode terminals of the adjacent storage elements;
A holding member that holds the plurality of connection members and the flexible printed circuit board,
The flexible printed circuit board includes a board body and a first movable part that connects the board body and the connecting member,
The holding member includes a substrate holding portion to which the substrate main body is fixed, a connection member holding portion to which the connection member is fixed, and a second movable portion that connects the substrate holding portion and the connection member holding portion. equipped with
the first movable portion and the second movable portion connect the connection member and the connection member holding portion while allowing displacement with respect to the substrate main body and the substrate holding portion;
The connection member is fixed to the connection member holding portion in a posture projecting from the connection member holding portion so as to form a cantilever beam,
The connection member includes an electrode connection portion that connects adjacent electrode terminals, an FPC connection piece that continues from the electrode connection portion and is connected to the flexible printed circuit board, and a plate wall shape that extends vertically from the tip of the FPC connection piece. a locking wall;
The connection member holding portion includes a bottom plate portion with which the electrode connection portion abuts, and a first bus bar locking piece that sandwiches the locking wall between the bottom plate portion and the bottom plate portion. 2. The connection module according to claim 1, wherein the first movable part comprises a wire spring-like first spring part extending from the substrate body and having at least one curved part. A plurality of the second movable parts are arranged side by side along one edge of the substrate holding part,
The connection module according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the plurality of second movable parts includes a second spring part that can expand and contract along the one edge. 4. The connection module according to claim 3, wherein the holding member comprises a connecting portion that connects the adjacent connecting member holding portions while allowing displacement in a direction along the one edge. The substrate holding portion includes a holding body arranged along the substrate body, and a pressing piece arranged with a gap with respect to the holding body and holding the substrate body between the holding body and the holding body. The connection module according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the connection module comprises: The substrate body has a positioning hole,
The substrate holding portion includes a holding body arranged along the substrate body, and a positioning projection that protrudes from the holding body and is inserted into the positioning hole to position the substrate body with respect to the holding body. A connection module according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the connection module comprises :

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