US20130265057A1 - Structure and method of mounting current sensor to battery cable - Google Patents
Structure and method of mounting current sensor to battery cable Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20130265057A1 US20130265057A1 US13/855,785 US201313855785A US2013265057A1 US 20130265057 A1 US20130265057 A1 US 20130265057A1 US 201313855785 A US201313855785 A US 201313855785A US 2013265057 A1 US2013265057 A1 US 2013265057A1
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- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- fusion bonding
- thermal fusion
- bonding tape
- battery cable
- housing
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
- G01R19/00—Arrangements for measuring currents or voltages or for indicating presence or sign thereof
- G01R19/0092—Arrangements for measuring currents or voltages or for indicating presence or sign thereof measuring current only
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C65/00—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor
- B29C65/02—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor by heating, with or without pressure
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
- G01R1/00—Details of instruments or arrangements of the types included in groups G01R5/00 - G01R13/00 and G01R31/00
- G01R1/02—General constructional details
- G01R1/04—Housings; Supporting members; Arrangements of terminals
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
- G01R15/00—Details of measuring arrangements of the types provided for in groups G01R17/00 - G01R29/00, G01R33/00 - G01R33/26 or G01R35/00
- G01R15/14—Adaptations providing voltage or current isolation, e.g. for high-voltage or high-current networks
- G01R15/18—Adaptations providing voltage or current isolation, e.g. for high-voltage or high-current networks using inductive devices, e.g. transformers
- G01R15/183—Adaptations providing voltage or current isolation, e.g. for high-voltage or high-current networks using inductive devices, e.g. transformers using transformers with a magnetic core
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- H01M10/00—Secondary cells; Manufacture thereof
- H01M10/42—Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells
- H01M10/4285—Testing apparatus
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29L—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
- B29L2031/00—Other particular articles
- B29L2031/34—Electrical apparatus, e.g. sparking plugs or parts thereof
- B29L2031/3462—Cables
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
- G01R31/00—Arrangements for testing electric properties; Arrangements for locating electric faults; Arrangements for electrical testing characterised by what is being tested not provided for elsewhere
- G01R31/36—Arrangements for testing, measuring or monitoring the electrical condition of accumulators or electric batteries, e.g. capacity or state of charge [SoC]
- G01R31/364—Battery terminal connectors with integrated measuring arrangements
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
- Y02E60/10—Energy storage using batteries
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a structure and a method of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable, and relates particularly to one which sandwiches a battery cable between a housing and a holder of a current sensor and mounts the current sensor to the battery cable.
- a battery cable 302 is inserted from its front end through a through-hole 306 of a housing 304 of a current sensor 308 , the battery cable 302 is then tightened with a binding band 310 , and the battery cable 302 is mounted to the current sensor 308 (the housing 304 ) (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2011-179824). At this time, variation in the thickness and shape of the battery cable 302 is absorbed by the binding band 310 .
- a current flowing through the battery cable 302 is detected by using a core 312 , for example (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-121476).
- the battery cable 302 is inserted through a core (magnetic body) 312 having a gap portion 314 and formed into a C-shape, and a current detecting part (current detection element) 316 is provided in the gap portion 314 .
- a magnetic field generated by the current flowing through the battery cable 302 is amplified by the core 312 , and the current (for example, a current value) flowing through the battery cable 302 is detected (for example, measured) by the current detecting part 316 .
- the detection error in the current sensor is increased by the positional deviation of the battery cable relative to the current sensor.
- the coreless current sensor is a sensor which detects the current flowing through the battery cable without using an annular core.
- the magnetic field generated by the current flowing through the battery cable is directly detected by a small flat plate-shaped current detecting part mounted near the battery cable (the current detecting part is small in comparison with the core 312 ), and the detected magnetic field is amplified by using IC and so on.
- a large detection error may occur not only in the case of using the coreless current sensor but also in the case of using another current sensor such as a current sensor using a core, although in varying degrees.
- This invention provides a structure and a method of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable which can realize, when a current sensor is mounted to a battery cable, a proper positional relationship between the battery cable and the current sensor without being affected by a variation in the thickness and shape of the battery cable.
- a structure of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable in accordance with some embodiments includes a battery cable, a thermal fusion bonding tape wound around an outer circumference of the battery cable, and a current sensor.
- the current sensor includes a housing including a current detecting part configured to detect a current flowing through the battery cable, and a holder configured to hold and compress a thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion in cooperation with the housing to deform a cross-sectional shape of the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion into an elliptical shape.
- the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion is a portion where the thermal fusion bonding tape is wound around the battery cable.
- the housing may include a housing body including the current detecting part, and a cover disposed separated from the current detecting part and mounted to the housing body to cover the current detecting part.
- the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion may be held between the holder and the cover.
- the structure may further include a soft filler filled between the current detecting part and the cover.
- a method of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable includes mounting a thermal fusion bonding tape to an outer circumference of a battery cable, sandwiching and compressing a thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion between a housing and a holder of a current sensor, and fixing the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion to the housing, the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion being a portion where the thermal fusion bonding tape is mounted to the battery cable, heating and softening the thermal fusion bonding tape after the fixing of the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion to the housing, and curing the thermal fusion bonding tape after the softening of the thermal fusion bonding tape.
- a structure of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable in accordance with some embodiments is produced by mounting a thermal fusion bonding tape to an outer circumference of a battery cable, sandwiching and compressing a thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion between a housing and a holder of a current sensor, and fixing the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion to the housing, the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion being a portion where the thermal fusion bonding tape is mounted to the battery cable, heating and softening the thermal fusion bonding tape after the fixing of the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion to the housing, and curing the thermal fusion bonding tape after the softening of the thermal fusion bonding tape.
- the housing may include a housing body including a current detecting part configured to detect a current flowing through the battery cable, and a cover disposed separated from the current detecting part and mounted to the housing body to cover the current detecting part.
- the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion may be held between the holder and the cover.
- the structure may further include a soft filler filled between the current detecting part and the cover.
- a proper positional relationship between the battery cable and the current sensor can be realized without being affected by a variation in the thickness and shape of the battery cable.
- FIGS. 1A to 1D are views showing a schematic configuration of the related structure of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable
- FIG. 1A is a front view
- FIG. 1B is a side view
- FIG. 1C is a view showing an IC-IC cross section in FIG. 1A
- FIG. 1D is a view showing a core as viewed from an ID direction of FIG. 1C ;
- FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a current sensor mounting structure for a battery cable according to an embodiment of the invention
- FIGS. 3A and 3B are views corresponding to FIG. 2 and showing a schematic configuration of a housing of a current sensor used in the current sensor mounting structure for a battery cable according to the embodiment of the invention
- FIG. 3A is a view showing a state in which a cover is removed from a housing body
- FIG. 3B is a view showing a state in which the cover is mounted to the housing body;
- FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of an IV portion in FIG. 3B ;
- FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 and showing a state before a battery cable is sandwiched between a housing and a holder in the current sensor mounting structure for a battery cable according to the embodiment of the invention;
- FIGS. 6A to 6C are views showing a schematic configuration of the holder in the current sensor mounting structure for a battery cable according to the embodiment of the invention
- FIG. 6 A is an exploded perspective view of a holder body and a shield member of the holder
- FIG. 6B is a front view of the holder when the holder body and the shield member of the holder are exploded
- FIG. 6C is a front view of the holder
- FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the housing and the holder in the current sensor of the battery cable according to the embodiment of the invention.
- a current sensor 3 used in a structure of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable 1 (hereinafter referred to as a current sensor mounting structure 1 ) and a method of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable according to an embodiment of the invention is constituted of a housing (enclosure) 5 and a holder (fixing material) 7 as shown in FIG. 2 , for example.
- the housing 5 includes a current detecting part 11 which detects a current flowing through a core wire of a battery cable 9 of a vehicle and so on.
- the battery cable 9 is constituted of an electrically conductive core wire (not shown) and an insulating coating portion (not shown) and has some degree of flexibility.
- the core wire is formed by, for example, twisting wires (formed of metal such as copper).
- the coating portion is formed of a synthetic resin such as polyvinyl chloride and coats the core wire.
- the cross section of the battery cable 9 (cross section in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal direction) has a circular shape in a normal condition (for example, in such a state that the current sensor 3 is not mounted).
- the cross section of the core wire has a substantially circular shape
- the cross section of the coating portion has an annular shape in which the inner diameter is equal to the outer diameter of the core wire.
- the outer circumference of the coating portion is the outer circumference of the battery cable.
- the current sensor mounting structure 1 may be applied to a cable (electric wire) other than the battery cable.
- a thermal fusion bonding tape 13 is mounted to the outer circumference of the battery cable 9 (for example, the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 is wound around the outer circumference of the battery cable 9 ), and a thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 where the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 is mounted is compressed by being sandwiched between the housing 5 of the current sensor (for example, a coreless current sensor) 3 and the holder (also referred to as a holder assy or a holder assembly) 7 .
- the holder 7 is mounted integrally to the housing 5 , whereby the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 is compressed by being sandwiched between the housing 5 and the holder 7 .
- the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 is fixed to the housing 5 and the holder 7 (namely, the current sensor 3 is fixed to the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 ) (for example, the housing 5 and the holder 7 are provided integrally with each other), and then the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 is heated by, for example, being sprayed with hot air to be temporarily softened, and, thus, to be cooled after softening, whereby the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 is cured.
- the current sensor mounting structure 1 is configured in this manner.
- the current sensor 3 is mounted near an end in the longitudinal direction of the battery cable 9 or an intermediate portion of the battery cable 9 .
- the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 is sandwiched between the housing 5 and the holder 7 to fix the current sensor 3 to the battery cable 9 , and after the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 is softened and cured, the current detecting part 11 detects the current flowing through the core wire of the battery cable 9 .
- the current value detected by the current detecting part 11 is amplified through, for example, a circuit of a substrate 17 of the housing 5 and output through a cable (not shown) connected to a connector portion 19 (see, FIG. 7 ).
- the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 is mounted so as to cover the coating portion of the battery cable 9 .
- the core wire is covered with the coating portion
- the coating portion is covered with the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 .
- the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 may have a configuration in which the coating portion is removed over a predetermined length of the battery cable 9 to expose the core wire, and the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 is directly wound around the outer circumference of the exposed core wire, for example, whereby the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 is provided.
- the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 and the battery cable 9 are compressed by the housing 5 and the holder 7 , whereby the cross-sectional shape of the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 (the cross-sectional shapes of the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 and the battery cable 9 ) in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the battery cable 9 is an elliptical shape being a collapsed circle.
- the coating portion of the battery cable 9 has an elliptical ring shape and surrounds the elliptical core wire
- the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 has an elliptical ring shape and surrounds the elliptical battery cable 9 .
- the elliptical shape of the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 compressed by the housing 5 and the holder 7 is hardly changed even if the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 is heated and softened. Further, the elliptical shape is hardly changed even if the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 is cooled and cured.
- the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 Even in such a state that the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 is cooled and cured, the battery cable 9 and the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 are sandwiched between the housing 5 and the holder 7 , and the housing 5 and the holder 7 are fixed to the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 (the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 ).
- the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 of this embodiment is mounted in the form of C-shape having in its part an unmounted portion as viewed from the longitudinal direction of the battery cable 9
- the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 may have a configuration in which a single layer or multilayer of the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 is wound around the battery cable 9 (namely, the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 having a cylindrical shape is provided).
- the current sensor mounting structure 1 includes the housing 5 , the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 , and the holder 7 as described above.
- the housing 5 includes the current detecting part 11 which detects the current flowing through the core wire of the battery cable 9 .
- the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 is wound around the outer circumference of the battery cable 9 .
- the holder 7 sandwiches and compresses the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 wound with the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 in cooperation with the housing 5 and deforms the cross-sectional shape of the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 in the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the battery cable 9 into an elliptical shape.
- the current sensor mounting structure 1 even if the holder 7 is separated from the housing 5 from such a state that the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 is deformed by being sandwiched between the housing 5 and the holder 7 to thereby stop the sandwiching of the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 and, thus, to eliminate the compression of the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 , although the cross-sectional shape of the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 is slightly deformed, the elliptical shape at the time when the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 is sandwiched is substantially maintained.
- Such a phenomenon that the elliptical shape is maintained occurs in, for example, the softening and curing of the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 described above. Namely, in such a state that the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 is deformed by being sandwiched between the housing 5 and the holder 7 , the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 is heated to be softened and, thus, to be cured after the softening, whereby an internal stress of the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 is changed, so that the above phenomenon occurs.
- the housing 5 includes a housing body (enclosure body) 21 and a cover 23 .
- the current detecting part 11 which detects the current flowing through the core wire of the battery cable 9 is provided in the housing body 21 .
- the cover 23 is mounted integrally to the housing body 21 so as to separate from the current detecting part 11 and cover the current detecting part 11 .
- the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 is held between the holder 7 and the cover 23 mounted integrally to the housing body 21 , whereby the current sensor 3 is mounted integrally to the battery cable 9 .
- a soft filler 41 (such as a soft synthetic resin and a soft rubber) 41 is filled between the current detecting part 11 and the cover 23 inside the housing body 21 , for example.
- a predetermined direction in a space is represented by a lateral direction TD
- a direction perpendicular to the lateral direction TD is represented by a longitudinal direction LD
- a direction perpendicular to the lateral direction TD and the longitudinal direction LD is represented by a length direction ND (coinciding with the length direction of the battery cable 9 ).
- the current sensor 3 includes housing 5 , the holder 7 , the current detecting part 11 , and the substrate 17 .
- the housing 5 includes the housing body 21 and the cover 23 , which is constructed separately from the housing body 21 , for example.
- the housing body 21 and the cover 23 are formed by integrally forming a material such as an insulating synthetic resin.
- the housing body 21 is provided with a housing body 25 , the connector portion 19 , a retaining portion 27 , a stopper abutting portion 29 , and a cover abutting portion 31 .
- a recess 33 having, for example, a rectangular shape (rectangular solid shape) is formed in the central portion of the housing body 21 (the housing body 25 ), and the substrate 17 and the current detecting part 11 are provided in the recess 33 .
- the substrate 17 and the current detecting part 11 are integrally provided in the housing body 21 .
- the recess 33 has an opening on one end side in the longitudinal direction LD (the upper side of FIGS. 2 , 3 A, and 3 B and one end side E 1 ), and a current detecting portion of the current detecting part 11 faces the one end side in the longitudinal direction LD.
- the connector portion 19 projects from the housing body 25 in the longitudinal direction of the housing body 21 , as shown in FIG. 7 .
- the retaining portion 27 is provided, for example, near four corners of the recess 33 , as shown in FIG. 7 . The details of the retaining portion 27 will be described later.
- the stopper abutting portion 29 projects from the housing body 25 on the both sides in the lateral direction TD of the housing body 21 , as shown in FIG. 2 .
- the cover abutting portion 31 is formed in the recess 33 , as shown in FIG. 2 .
- the cover abutting portion 31 projects toward the center of the recess 33 from an inner wall of the recess 33 on the both sides in the lateral direction TD of the housing body 21 and is, for example, formed as a pair of cover abutting portions.
- An upper surface 35 of the cover abutting portion 31 has a planar shape and is more depressed than the opening 37 of the recess 33 .
- the opening 37 of the recess 33 and the upper surface 35 of the cover abutting portion 31 form a step.
- cover abutting portion 31 is provided on the both sides in the lateral direction TD of the housing body 21 , instead of that or in addition to that, the cover abutting portion 31 may be provided projecting toward the center of the recess 33 from the inner wall of the recess 33 on the both sides in the length direction ND of the housing body 21 .
- an elliptical (or circular-arc) hollow 39 is formed in one surface in the thickness direction (a surface on one end side in the longitudinal direction in FIG. 5 and so on).
- the dimension in the lateral direction TD of the cover 23 is substantially equal to the dimension in the lateral direction TD of the recess 33 (portion near the opening 37 in which the cover abutting portion 31 is not formed).
- the hollow 39 of the cover 23 extends in the length direction ND, and a gap is formed between the cover 23 and the current detecting part 11 .
- the gap is filled with the soft filler 41 , for example.
- the cover 23 In such a state that the cover 23 is mounted to the housing body 21 , the cover 23 slightly projects relative to the opening of the recess 33 , so that the cover 23 cannot be moved any further toward the bottom of the recess 33 (the other end side in the longitudinal direction LD, the lower sides of FIGS. 2 and 3 , and the other end side E 2 ) by the cover abutting portion 31 .
- the holder 7 includes a holder body (fixing material body) 43 and a shield member (for example, a shield plate) 45 formed integrally with the holder body 43 .
- the holder 7 is mounted integrally to the housing 5 and sandwiches the battery cable 9 in cooperation with the housing 5 .
- the holder body 43 and the shield plate 45 are previously integrated to form the holder 7 , and the holder 7 is mounted to the housing 5 .
- the holder 7 (for example, the holder body 43 ) includes a retained portion 47 .
- the retained portion 47 of the holder 7 is abutted against the retaining portion 27 of the housing 5 and thereby elastically deformed.
- the retained portion 47 is restored and then anchored to the retaining portion 27 , and the holder 7 is mounted integrally to the housing 5 , so that holder 7 and the housing 5 sandwich the battery cable 9 .
- the retaining portion 27 of the housing 5 (the retaining portion provided in the housing 5 ) has four through-holes (retained portion insertion holes) 49 , for example, which penetrate through the housing 5 (the housing body 25 ) in the longitudinal direction LD and a pair of planar portions (an abutting portion of a claw portion of the retained portion and a stopper abutting portion of the retaining portion) provided around openings at the both ends of the through-holes 49 and provided in the housing body 25 .
- through-holes retained portion insertion holes
- the through-holes 49 are provided outside the recess 33 of the housing body 25 and adjacent to four corners of the housing body 25 and penetrate through the housing body 25 in the longitudinal direction LD.
- the retained portion 47 of the holder 7 (for example, a retained portion of the holder body 43 ) includes elastic portions 53 projecting from the holder 7 , claw portions (snap fit portions) 55 each provided at a front end of the elastic portion 53 , and stopper portions 57 of the holder 7 provided on the base end side of the elastic portion 53 .
- a rectangular plate-shaped material formed of an electrically conductive material such as metal is bent at two portions, whereby the shield plate 45 is formed into a U-shape.
- a top plate portion 59 of the shield plate 45 has a through-hole 61 .
- the holder body 43 is formed into a substantially U-shape.
- the holder body 43 includes a holder body portion 63 formed into a rectangular box shape, an elliptical arc portion (recess) 65 , and a protrusion 67 .
- the elliptical arc portion 65 is provided on the opening side of the holder body portion 63 (on the other end side in the longitudinal direction LD of the holder body portion 63 ) and provided in a pair of side wall portions (side wall portions of the holder body portion 63 ) existing at the both ends in the length direction ND of the holder 7 .
- the elastic portion 53 is formed into a bar shape and projects from the four corners of the holder body portion 63 toward the opening portion of the holder body portion 63 (toward the other end in the longitudinal direction LD of the holder body portion 63 ).
- the protrusion 67 is provided at the top plate portion of the holder body portion 63 .
- the protrusion 67 exists inside the box-shaped holder body portion 63 .
- the shield member 45 is inserted into the holder body 43 , and the protrusion 67 is inserted through the through-hole 61 . Then, a front end of the protrusion 67 is caulked by, for example, ultrasound. Consequently, the holder body 43 and the shield member 45 are integrated to form the holder 7 having a substantially U-shape.
- the elastic portion 53 is separated from the shield member 45 in the length direction ND. Accordingly, the elastic portion 53 can be elastically deformed by flexing in the length direction ND of the holder 7 .
- the claw portion 55 projects outside the holder 7 relative to the elastic portion 53 in the length direction ND of the holder 7 .
- the claw portion 55 and a front end side portion of the elastic portion 53 are inserted into the through-hole 49 , so that the elastic portion 53 is elastically deformed (flexing inside the holder 7 ) by a reaction force received from the housing 5 .
- the claw portions 55 are removed from the through-holes 49 and abutted against one of the pair of planar portions 51 , and the elastic portion 53 is restored and, at the same time, located in the through-hole 49 . Meanwhile, the stopper portion 57 is abutted against the other one of the pair of planar portions 51 . According to this constitution, the housing 5 (the housing body 21 ) is sandwiched between the claw portion 55 and the stopper portion 57 , so that the holder 7 is mounted integrally to the housing 5 .
- the cover 23 is mounted to the holder body 43 .
- the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 is mounted at a portion of the battery cable 9 where the current sensor 3 is mounted.
- the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 mounted with the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 is placed in the hollow 39 of the housing 5 (the cover 23 ). Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 , the holder 7 is brought close to the housing 5 , the holder 7 is mounted to the housing 5 , and the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 is pressed by being sandwiched between the holder 7 and the housing 5 (see, FIG. 2 ).
- the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 is self-aligned by the hollow 39 of the cover 23 and the recess 65 of the holder 7 .
- the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 is in contact with the hollow 39 of the cover 23 and the recess 65 of the holder 7 .
- the hollow 39 is formed throughout the length in the length direction ND of the cover 23 , and the recess 65 is formed at only both the ends in the length direction ND of the holder 7 (see, FIG. 6A ). Therefore, an upper portion 9 A of the battery cable 9 shown in FIG. 2 expands further upward than the state shown in FIG. 2 between a pair of the recesses because the recess 65 does not exist. Namely, the cross-sectional shape of the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 changes in the length direction ND, whereby the current sensor 3 mounted to the battery cable 9 is more reliably secured in the length direction ND of the battery cable 9 .
- the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 is heated and softened, and thereafter, the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 is cured to terminate the mounting of the current sensor 3 to the battery cable 9 , and, thus, to produce the current sensor mounting structure 1 .
- the current sensor mounting structure 1 since the current sensor 3 is mounted to the battery cable 9 , using the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 , even if the thickness and shape of the battery cable 9 are varied, a proper positional relationship between the battery cable 9 and the current sensor 3 (the current detecting part 11 ) can be realized without being affected by the variation.
- the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 for example, the variation is absorbed by the mounting thickness of the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 or by softening and curing the thermal fusion bonding tape 13
- the current sensor 3 when the current sensor 3 is mounted to the battery cable 9 , a proper positional relationship between the battery cable 9 and the current sensor 3 can be realized.
- the detection accuracy of the current sensor 3 can be stabilized and enhanced.
- the coreless current sensor is used as the current sensor 3 , a distance between a portion holding the battery cable 9 and the current detecting part 11 is reduced than ever before. Namely, a distance between the battery cable 9 fixed by being held between the cover 23 of the housing 5 and the holder 7 is reduced than ever before. According to this constitution, the current sensor 3 can be miniaturized.
- the cover 23 is provided, and since the battery cable 9 is sandwiched between the cover 23 and the holder 7 , even if a force is applied to the current sensor 3 by, for example, flexure of the battery cable 9 when the current sensor 3 is mounted to the battery cable 9 , stress generated in the cover 23 of the current sensor 3 by the force hardly reaches the current detecting part 11 , and the current detecting part 11 can be protected.
- the current detecting part 316 is positioned by the housing 304 , and the current detecting part 316 is embedded with a resin such as urethane as a measure of waterproofing and dust-proofing.
- a resin such as urethane
- a current detecting part is embedded with a resin such as urethane as in the related current sensor 308 shown in FIGS. 1A to 1D , when a force is applied to the current sensor by, for example, flexure of the battery cable, stress is transmitted to the current detecting part.
- the cover 23 is provided as described above, if a force is applied to the current sensor 3 by, for example, the flexure of the battery cable 9 , the force hardly reaches the current detecting part 11 .
- the current detecting part 11 can be rendered waterproof and dust-proof.
- the stress generated in the cover 23 of the current sensor 3 is absorbed by the soft filler 41 and hardly reaches the current detecting part 11 .
- the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 may be omitted. In this case, heating and cooling are not required to be performed after the battery cable 9 is sandwiched between the housing 5 and the holder 7 .
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Power Engineering (AREA)
- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
- General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Electrochemistry (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Secondary Cells (AREA)
- Measuring Instrument Details And Bridges, And Automatic Balancing Devices (AREA)
- Battery Mounting, Suspending (AREA)
Abstract
A structure of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable includes a battery cable, a thermal fusion bonding tape wound around an outer circumference of the battery cable, and a current sensor. The current sensor includes a housing including a current detecting part configured to detect a current flowing through the battery cable, and a holder configured to hold and compress a thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion in cooperation with the housing to deform a cross-sectional shape of the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion into an elliptical shape. The thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion is a portion where the thermal fusion bonding tape is wound around the battery cable. Upon a compression between the housing and the holder being released, the elliptical shape of the cross-sectional shape of the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion is maintained.
Description
- This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-086000, filed on Apr. 5, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
- 1. Technical Field
- The present invention relates to a structure and a method of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable, and relates particularly to one which sandwiches a battery cable between a housing and a holder of a current sensor and mounts the current sensor to the battery cable.
- 2. Related Art
- In a
related structure 300 of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable, as shown inFIGS. 1A to 1D , abattery cable 302 is inserted from its front end through a through-hole 306 of ahousing 304 of acurrent sensor 308, thebattery cable 302 is then tightened with abinding band 310, and thebattery cable 302 is mounted to the current sensor 308 (the housing 304) (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2011-179824). At this time, variation in the thickness and shape of thebattery cable 302 is absorbed by thebinding band 310. - In the related
current sensor 308, a current flowing through thebattery cable 302 is detected by using acore 312, for example (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-121476). To describe more specifically, in thecurrent sensor 308, thebattery cable 302 is inserted through a core (magnetic body) 312 having agap portion 314 and formed into a C-shape, and a current detecting part (current detection element) 316 is provided in thegap portion 314. - A magnetic field generated by the current flowing through the
battery cable 302 is amplified by thecore 312, and the current (for example, a current value) flowing through thebattery cable 302 is detected (for example, measured) by the current detectingpart 316. - Other patent documents related to the pertinent art include JP 2009-139272 A and JP 2010-085381 A.
- In the
related structure 300 of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable, since the current is detected by using thecore 312, even if a positional deviation of thebattery cable 302 occurs when thebattery cable 302 is mounted, a detection error of a current value affected by the positional deviation is small (namely, the detection error falls within an allowable range). - However, when the magnetic field generated by the current flowing through the battery cable is measured by using a coreless current sensor, the detection error in the current sensor is increased by the positional deviation of the battery cable relative to the current sensor.
- The coreless current sensor is a sensor which detects the current flowing through the battery cable without using an annular core.
- In the coreless current sensor, the magnetic field generated by the current flowing through the battery cable is directly detected by a small flat plate-shaped current detecting part mounted near the battery cable (the current detecting part is small in comparison with the core 312), and the detected magnetic field is amplified by using IC and so on.
- A large detection error may occur not only in the case of using the coreless current sensor but also in the case of using another current sensor such as a current sensor using a core, although in varying degrees.
- This invention provides a structure and a method of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable which can realize, when a current sensor is mounted to a battery cable, a proper positional relationship between the battery cable and the current sensor without being affected by a variation in the thickness and shape of the battery cable.
- A structure of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable in accordance with some embodiments includes a battery cable, a thermal fusion bonding tape wound around an outer circumference of the battery cable, and a current sensor. The current sensor includes a housing including a current detecting part configured to detect a current flowing through the battery cable, and a holder configured to hold and compress a thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion in cooperation with the housing to deform a cross-sectional shape of the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion into an elliptical shape. The thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion is a portion where the thermal fusion bonding tape is wound around the battery cable. Upon a compression between the housing and the holder being released, the elliptical shape of the cross-sectional shape of the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion is maintained.
- The housing may include a housing body including the current detecting part, and a cover disposed separated from the current detecting part and mounted to the housing body to cover the current detecting part. The thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion may be held between the holder and the cover.
- The structure may further include a soft filler filled between the current detecting part and the cover.
- A method of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable in accordance with some embodiments includes mounting a thermal fusion bonding tape to an outer circumference of a battery cable, sandwiching and compressing a thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion between a housing and a holder of a current sensor, and fixing the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion to the housing, the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion being a portion where the thermal fusion bonding tape is mounted to the battery cable, heating and softening the thermal fusion bonding tape after the fixing of the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion to the housing, and curing the thermal fusion bonding tape after the softening of the thermal fusion bonding tape.
- A structure of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable in accordance with some embodiments is produced by mounting a thermal fusion bonding tape to an outer circumference of a battery cable, sandwiching and compressing a thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion between a housing and a holder of a current sensor, and fixing the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion to the housing, the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion being a portion where the thermal fusion bonding tape is mounted to the battery cable, heating and softening the thermal fusion bonding tape after the fixing of the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion to the housing, and curing the thermal fusion bonding tape after the softening of the thermal fusion bonding tape.
- The housing may include a housing body including a current detecting part configured to detect a current flowing through the battery cable, and a cover disposed separated from the current detecting part and mounted to the housing body to cover the current detecting part. The thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion may be held between the holder and the cover.
- The structure may further include a soft filler filled between the current detecting part and the cover.
- According to some embodiments of the invention, when a current sensor is mounted to a battery cable, a proper positional relationship between the battery cable and the current sensor can be realized without being affected by a variation in the thickness and shape of the battery cable.
-
FIGS. 1A to 1D are views showing a schematic configuration of the related structure of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable,FIG. 1A is a front view,FIG. 1B is a side view,FIG. 1C is a view showing an IC-IC cross section inFIG. 1A , andFIG. 1D is a view showing a core as viewed from an ID direction ofFIG. 1C ; -
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a current sensor mounting structure for a battery cable according to an embodiment of the invention; -
FIGS. 3A and 3B are views corresponding toFIG. 2 and showing a schematic configuration of a housing of a current sensor used in the current sensor mounting structure for a battery cable according to the embodiment of the invention,FIG. 3A is a view showing a state in which a cover is removed from a housing body, andFIG. 3B is a view showing a state in which the cover is mounted to the housing body; -
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of an IV portion inFIG. 3B ; -
FIG. 5 is a view corresponding toFIG. 2 and showing a state before a battery cable is sandwiched between a housing and a holder in the current sensor mounting structure for a battery cable according to the embodiment of the invention; -
FIGS. 6A to 6C are views showing a schematic configuration of the holder in the current sensor mounting structure for a battery cable according to the embodiment of the invention, FIG. 6A is an exploded perspective view of a holder body and a shield member of the holder,FIG. 6B is a front view of the holder when the holder body and the shield member of the holder are exploded, andFIG. 6C is a front view of the holder; and -
FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the housing and the holder in the current sensor of the battery cable according to the embodiment of the invention. - A
current sensor 3 used in a structure of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable 1 (hereinafter referred to as a current sensor mounting structure 1) and a method of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable according to an embodiment of the invention is constituted of a housing (enclosure) 5 and a holder (fixing material) 7 as shown inFIG. 2 , for example. Thehousing 5 includes a current detectingpart 11 which detects a current flowing through a core wire of abattery cable 9 of a vehicle and so on. - The
battery cable 9 is constituted of an electrically conductive core wire (not shown) and an insulating coating portion (not shown) and has some degree of flexibility. The core wire is formed by, for example, twisting wires (formed of metal such as copper). The coating portion is formed of a synthetic resin such as polyvinyl chloride and coats the core wire. - The cross section of the battery cable 9 (cross section in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal direction) has a circular shape in a normal condition (for example, in such a state that the
current sensor 3 is not mounted). To describe further, the cross section of the core wire has a substantially circular shape, and the cross section of the coating portion has an annular shape in which the inner diameter is equal to the outer diameter of the core wire. The outer circumference of the coating portion is the outer circumference of the battery cable. - In this embodiment, although the
battery cable 9 will be described taking as an example, the currentsensor mounting structure 1 may be applied to a cable (electric wire) other than the battery cable. - In the current
sensor mounting structure 1, first, as shown inFIG. 5 , a thermalfusion bonding tape 13 is mounted to the outer circumference of the battery cable 9 (for example, the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 is wound around the outer circumference of the battery cable 9), and a thermal fusion bondingtape mounting portion 15 where the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 is mounted is compressed by being sandwiched between thehousing 5 of the current sensor (for example, a coreless current sensor) 3 and the holder (also referred to as a holder assy or a holder assembly) 7. For example, theholder 7 is mounted integrally to thehousing 5, whereby the thermal fusion bondingtape mounting portion 15 is compressed by being sandwiched between thehousing 5 and theholder 7. - As shown in
FIG. 2 , the thermal fusion bondingtape mounting portion 15 is fixed to thehousing 5 and the holder 7 (namely, thecurrent sensor 3 is fixed to the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15) (for example, thehousing 5 and theholder 7 are provided integrally with each other), and then the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 is heated by, for example, being sprayed with hot air to be temporarily softened, and, thus, to be cooled after softening, whereby the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 is cured. The currentsensor mounting structure 1 is configured in this manner. - The
current sensor 3 is mounted near an end in the longitudinal direction of thebattery cable 9 or an intermediate portion of thebattery cable 9. As described above, the thermal fusion bondingtape mounting portion 15 is sandwiched between thehousing 5 and theholder 7 to fix thecurrent sensor 3 to thebattery cable 9, and after the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 is softened and cured, the current detectingpart 11 detects the current flowing through the core wire of thebattery cable 9. - The current value detected by the current detecting
part 11 is amplified through, for example, a circuit of asubstrate 17 of thehousing 5 and output through a cable (not shown) connected to a connector portion 19 (see,FIG. 7 ). - The thermal
fusion bonding tape 13 is mounted so as to cover the coating portion of thebattery cable 9. Namely, in the thermal fusion bondingtape mounting portion 15, the core wire is covered with the coating portion, and the coating portion is covered with the thermalfusion bonding tape 13. The thermal fusion bondingtape mounting portion 15 may have a configuration in which the coating portion is removed over a predetermined length of thebattery cable 9 to expose the core wire, and the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 is directly wound around the outer circumference of the exposed core wire, for example, whereby the thermal fusion bondingtape mounting portion 15 is provided. - In such a state that the
housing 5 and theholder 7 are fixed to the thermal fusion bondingtape mounting portion 15, as shown inFIG. 2 , the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 and thebattery cable 9 are compressed by thehousing 5 and theholder 7, whereby the cross-sectional shape of the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 (the cross-sectional shapes of the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 and the battery cable 9) in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of thebattery cable 9 is an elliptical shape being a collapsed circle. To describe further, the coating portion of thebattery cable 9 has an elliptical ring shape and surrounds the elliptical core wire, and the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 has an elliptical ring shape and surrounds theelliptical battery cable 9. - The elliptical shape of the thermal fusion bonding
tape mounting portion 15 compressed by thehousing 5 and theholder 7 is hardly changed even if the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 is heated and softened. Further, the elliptical shape is hardly changed even if the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 is cooled and cured. - Even in such a state that the thermal
fusion bonding tape 13 is cooled and cured, thebattery cable 9 and the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 are sandwiched between thehousing 5 and theholder 7, and thehousing 5 and theholder 7 are fixed to the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion 15 (the thermal fusion bonding tape 13). - Although the thermal
fusion bonding tape 13 of this embodiment is mounted in the form of C-shape having in its part an unmounted portion as viewed from the longitudinal direction of thebattery cable 9, the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 may have a configuration in which a single layer or multilayer of the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 is wound around the battery cable 9 (namely, the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 having a cylindrical shape is provided). - To further describe the current
sensor mounting structure 1, the currentsensor mounting structure 1 includes thehousing 5, the thermalfusion bonding tape 13, and theholder 7 as described above. - The
housing 5 includes the current detectingpart 11 which detects the current flowing through the core wire of thebattery cable 9. The thermalfusion bonding tape 13 is wound around the outer circumference of thebattery cable 9. - The
holder 7 sandwiches and compresses the thermal fusion bondingtape mounting portion 15 wound with the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 in cooperation with thehousing 5 and deforms the cross-sectional shape of the thermal fusion bondingtape mounting portion 15 in the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of thebattery cable 9 into an elliptical shape. - In the current
sensor mounting structure 1, when the above compression between thehousing 5 and theholder 7 is released, the elliptical shape of the cross-sectional surface of the thermal fusion bondingtape mounting portion 15 is maintained. - Namely, in the current
sensor mounting structure 1, even if theholder 7 is separated from thehousing 5 from such a state that the thermal fusion bondingtape mounting portion 15 is deformed by being sandwiched between thehousing 5 and theholder 7 to thereby stop the sandwiching of the thermal fusion bondingtape mounting portion 15 and, thus, to eliminate the compression of the thermal fusion bondingtape mounting portion 15, although the cross-sectional shape of the thermal fusion bondingtape mounting portion 15 is slightly deformed, the elliptical shape at the time when the thermal fusion bondingtape mounting portion 15 is sandwiched is substantially maintained. - Such a phenomenon that the elliptical shape is maintained occurs in, for example, the softening and curing of the thermal
fusion bonding tape 13 described above. Namely, in such a state that the thermal fusion bondingtape mounting portion 15 is deformed by being sandwiched between thehousing 5 and theholder 7, the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 is heated to be softened and, thus, to be cured after the softening, whereby an internal stress of the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 is changed, so that the above phenomenon occurs. - In the current
sensor mounting structure 1, thehousing 5 includes a housing body (enclosure body) 21 and acover 23. The current detectingpart 11 which detects the current flowing through the core wire of thebattery cable 9 is provided in thehousing body 21. - The
cover 23 is mounted integrally to thehousing body 21 so as to separate from the current detectingpart 11 and cover the current detectingpart 11. - The thermal fusion bonding
tape mounting portion 15 is held between theholder 7 and thecover 23 mounted integrally to thehousing body 21, whereby thecurrent sensor 3 is mounted integrally to thebattery cable 9. - In the current
sensor mounting structure 1, a soft filler (such as a soft synthetic resin and a soft rubber) 41 is filled between the current detectingpart 11 and thecover 23 inside thehousing body 21, for example. - The current
sensor mounting structure 1 will be described more specifically. For the convenience of explanation, a predetermined direction in a space is represented by a lateral direction TD, a direction perpendicular to the lateral direction TD is represented by a longitudinal direction LD, and a direction perpendicular to the lateral direction TD and the longitudinal direction LD is represented by a length direction ND (coinciding with the length direction of the battery cable 9). - As described above, the
current sensor 3 includeshousing 5, theholder 7, the current detectingpart 11, and thesubstrate 17. - The
housing 5 includes thehousing body 21 and thecover 23, which is constructed separately from thehousing body 21, for example. - The
housing body 21 and thecover 23 are formed by integrally forming a material such as an insulating synthetic resin. - The
housing body 21 is provided with ahousing body 25, theconnector portion 19, a retainingportion 27, astopper abutting portion 29, and acover abutting portion 31. - A
recess 33 having, for example, a rectangular shape (rectangular solid shape) is formed in the central portion of the housing body 21 (the housing body 25), and thesubstrate 17 and the current detectingpart 11 are provided in therecess 33. Thesubstrate 17 and the current detectingpart 11 are integrally provided in thehousing body 21. - The
recess 33 has an opening on one end side in the longitudinal direction LD (the upper side ofFIGS. 2 , 3A, and 3B and one end side E1), and a current detecting portion of the current detectingpart 11 faces the one end side in the longitudinal direction LD. - The
connector portion 19 projects from thehousing body 25 in the longitudinal direction of thehousing body 21, as shown inFIG. 7 . - The retaining
portion 27 is provided, for example, near four corners of therecess 33, as shown inFIG. 7 . The details of the retainingportion 27 will be described later. Thestopper abutting portion 29 projects from thehousing body 25 on the both sides in the lateral direction TD of thehousing body 21, as shown inFIG. 2 . - The
cover abutting portion 31 is formed in therecess 33, as shown inFIG. 2 . Thecover abutting portion 31 projects toward the center of therecess 33 from an inner wall of therecess 33 on the both sides in the lateral direction TD of thehousing body 21 and is, for example, formed as a pair of cover abutting portions. Anupper surface 35 of thecover abutting portion 31 has a planar shape and is more depressed than theopening 37 of therecess 33. Theopening 37 of therecess 33 and theupper surface 35 of thecover abutting portion 31 form a step. Although thecover abutting portion 31 is provided on the both sides in the lateral direction TD of thehousing body 21, instead of that or in addition to that, thecover abutting portion 31 may be provided projecting toward the center of therecess 33 from the inner wall of therecess 33 on the both sides in the length direction ND of thehousing body 21. - Although the
cover 23 is formed into a planar shape, an elliptical (or circular-arc) hollow 39 is formed in one surface in the thickness direction (a surface on one end side in the longitudinal direction inFIG. 5 and so on). The dimension in the lateral direction TD of thecover 23 is substantially equal to the dimension in the lateral direction TD of the recess 33 (portion near theopening 37 in which thecover abutting portion 31 is not formed). - When the
cover 23 is mounted in therecess 33 of thehousing body 25 so that the other surface in the thickness direction of thecover 23 faces therecess 33 of the housing body 25 (see,FIGS. 3A and 3B ), a surface near the both ends in the lateral direction TD of the cover 23 (a portion of the other surface in the thickness direction) is abutted against thecover abutting portion 31, and the both end surfaces in the lateral direction TD of thecover 23 are abutted against a wall surface of therecess 33, whereby thecover 23 slots into thehousing body 21, so that thecover 23 is mounted integrally to the housing body 21 (the housing body 25). - In such a state that the
cover 23 is mounted to thehousing body 21, the hollow 39 of thecover 23 extends in the length direction ND, and a gap is formed between thecover 23 and the current detectingpart 11. The gap is filled with thesoft filler 41, for example. - In such a state that the
cover 23 is mounted to thehousing body 21, thecover 23 slightly projects relative to the opening of therecess 33, so that thecover 23 cannot be moved any further toward the bottom of the recess 33 (the other end side in the longitudinal direction LD, the lower sides ofFIGS. 2 and 3 , and the other end side E2) by thecover abutting portion 31. - As shown in
FIG. 6 , theholder 7 includes a holder body (fixing material body) 43 and a shield member (for example, a shield plate) 45 formed integrally with theholder body 43. - As described above, the
holder 7 is mounted integrally to thehousing 5 and sandwiches thebattery cable 9 in cooperation with thehousing 5. - The
holder body 43 and theshield plate 45 are previously integrated to form theholder 7, and theholder 7 is mounted to thehousing 5. - The holder 7 (for example, the holder body 43) includes a retained
portion 47. During when theholder 7 is mounted integrally to the housing 5 (that is, when theholder 7 is linearly moved in a direction close to thehousing 5 so that theholder 7 in a state of being separated from thehousing 5 is mounted integrally to the housing 5), the retainedportion 47 of theholder 7 is abutted against the retainingportion 27 of thehousing 5 and thereby elastically deformed. - Once the
holder 7 is mounted integrally to the housing 5 (that is, upon completion of the mounting after termination of the linear movement), the retainedportion 47 is restored and then anchored to the retainingportion 27, and theholder 7 is mounted integrally to thehousing 5, so thatholder 7 and thehousing 5 sandwich thebattery cable 9. - As shown in
FIG. 7 , the retainingportion 27 of the housing 5 (the retaining portion provided in the housing 5) has four through-holes (retained portion insertion holes) 49, for example, which penetrate through the housing 5 (the housing body 25) in the longitudinal direction LD and a pair of planar portions (an abutting portion of a claw portion of the retained portion and a stopper abutting portion of the retaining portion) provided around openings at the both ends of the through-holes 49 and provided in thehousing body 25. - The through-
holes 49 are provided outside therecess 33 of thehousing body 25 and adjacent to four corners of thehousing body 25 and penetrate through thehousing body 25 in the longitudinal direction LD. - The retained
portion 47 of the holder 7 (for example, a retained portion of the holder body 43) includeselastic portions 53 projecting from theholder 7, claw portions (snap fit portions) 55 each provided at a front end of theelastic portion 53, andstopper portions 57 of theholder 7 provided on the base end side of theelastic portion 53. - To further describe the
holder 7, in theshield plate 45, as shown inFIG. 6A , a rectangular plate-shaped material formed of an electrically conductive material such as metal is bent at two portions, whereby theshield plate 45 is formed into a U-shape. Atop plate portion 59 of theshield plate 45 has a through-hole 61. - The
holder body 43 is formed into a substantially U-shape. To further describe, theholder body 43 includes aholder body portion 63 formed into a rectangular box shape, an elliptical arc portion (recess) 65, and aprotrusion 67. Theelliptical arc portion 65 is provided on the opening side of the holder body portion 63 (on the other end side in the longitudinal direction LD of the holder body portion 63) and provided in a pair of side wall portions (side wall portions of the holder body portion 63) existing at the both ends in the length direction ND of theholder 7. - The
elastic portion 53 is formed into a bar shape and projects from the four corners of theholder body portion 63 toward the opening portion of the holder body portion 63 (toward the other end in the longitudinal direction LD of the holder body portion 63). - The
protrusion 67 is provided at the top plate portion of theholder body portion 63. Theprotrusion 67 exists inside the box-shapedholder body portion 63. - The
shield member 45 is inserted into theholder body 43, and theprotrusion 67 is inserted through the through-hole 61. Then, a front end of theprotrusion 67 is caulked by, for example, ultrasound. Consequently, theholder body 43 and theshield member 45 are integrated to form theholder 7 having a substantially U-shape. - In the
holder 7, theelastic portion 53 is separated from theshield member 45 in the length direction ND. Accordingly, theelastic portion 53 can be elastically deformed by flexing in the length direction ND of theholder 7. Theclaw portion 55 projects outside theholder 7 relative to theelastic portion 53 in the length direction ND of theholder 7. - During when the
holder 7 is mounted integrally to thehousing 5, theclaw portion 55 and a front end side portion of theelastic portion 53 are inserted into the through-hole 49, so that theelastic portion 53 is elastically deformed (flexing inside the holder 7) by a reaction force received from thehousing 5. - Once the
holder 7 is mounted integrally to thehousing 5, theclaw portions 55 are removed from the through-holes 49 and abutted against one of the pair ofplanar portions 51, and theelastic portion 53 is restored and, at the same time, located in the through-hole 49. Meanwhile, thestopper portion 57 is abutted against the other one of the pair ofplanar portions 51. According to this constitution, the housing 5 (the housing body 21) is sandwiched between theclaw portion 55 and thestopper portion 57, so that theholder 7 is mounted integrally to thehousing 5. - The operation of mounting the
current sensor 3 to thebattery cable 9 will be described. - It is assumed that the
holder 7 is previously assembled in the aspects shown inFIGS. 6A to 6C . - As shown in
FIGS. 3A , 3B, and 4, thecover 23 is mounted to theholder body 43. The thermalfusion bonding tape 13 is mounted at a portion of thebattery cable 9 where thecurrent sensor 3 is mounted. - As shown in
FIG. 5 , the thermal fusion bondingtape mounting portion 15 mounted with the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 is placed in the hollow 39 of the housing 5 (the cover 23). Subsequently, as shown inFIGS. 5 and 7 , theholder 7 is brought close to thehousing 5, theholder 7 is mounted to thehousing 5, and the thermal fusion bondingtape mounting portion 15 is pressed by being sandwiched between theholder 7 and the housing 5 (see,FIG. 2 ). - As shown in
FIGS. 5 and 7 , when theholder 7 is brought close to thehousing 5, the thermal fusion bondingtape mounting portion 15 is self-aligned by the hollow 39 of thecover 23 and therecess 65 of theholder 7. In the state shown inFIG. 2 , the thermal fusion bondingtape mounting portion 15 is in contact with the hollow 39 of thecover 23 and therecess 65 of theholder 7. - In the above case, the hollow 39 is formed throughout the length in the length direction ND of the
cover 23, and therecess 65 is formed at only both the ends in the length direction ND of the holder 7 (see,FIG. 6A ). Therefore, anupper portion 9A of thebattery cable 9 shown inFIG. 2 expands further upward than the state shown inFIG. 2 between a pair of the recesses because therecess 65 does not exist. Namely, the cross-sectional shape of the thermal fusion bondingtape mounting portion 15 changes in the length direction ND, whereby thecurrent sensor 3 mounted to thebattery cable 9 is more reliably secured in the length direction ND of thebattery cable 9. - In the state shown in
FIG. 2 , the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 is heated and softened, and thereafter, the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 is cured to terminate the mounting of thecurrent sensor 3 to thebattery cable 9, and, thus, to produce the currentsensor mounting structure 1. - According to the current
sensor mounting structure 1, since thecurrent sensor 3 is mounted to thebattery cable 9, using the thermalfusion bonding tape 13, even if the thickness and shape of thebattery cable 9 are varied, a proper positional relationship between thebattery cable 9 and the current sensor 3 (the current detecting part 11) can be realized without being affected by the variation. - Namely, even if the thickness and shape of the
battery cable 9 are varied, since the variation is absorbed by, for example, the thermal fusion bonding tape 13 (for example, the variation is absorbed by the mounting thickness of the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 or by softening and curing the thermal fusion bonding tape 13), when thecurrent sensor 3 is mounted to thebattery cable 9, a proper positional relationship between thebattery cable 9 and thecurrent sensor 3 can be realized. The detection accuracy of thecurrent sensor 3 can be stabilized and enhanced. - Since the coreless current sensor is used as the
current sensor 3, a distance between a portion holding thebattery cable 9 and the current detectingpart 11 is reduced than ever before. Namely, a distance between thebattery cable 9 fixed by being held between thecover 23 of thehousing 5 and theholder 7 is reduced than ever before. According to this constitution, thecurrent sensor 3 can be miniaturized. - According to the current
sensor mounting structure 1, thecover 23 is provided, and since thebattery cable 9 is sandwiched between thecover 23 and theholder 7, even if a force is applied to thecurrent sensor 3 by, for example, flexure of thebattery cable 9 when thecurrent sensor 3 is mounted to thebattery cable 9, stress generated in thecover 23 of thecurrent sensor 3 by the force hardly reaches the current detectingpart 11, and the current detectingpart 11 can be protected. - Meanwhile, in the
related structure 300 of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable shown inFIGS. 1A to 1D , the current detectingpart 316 is positioned by thehousing 304, and the current detectingpart 316 is embedded with a resin such as urethane as a measure of waterproofing and dust-proofing. However, since thebattery cable 302 passes through the through-hole 306 in such a state that a space is formed (in a hollow state), even if thebattery cable 302 flexes, the stress according to the flexure is hardly generated in thehousing 304 of thecurrent sensor 308. - In the current
sensor mounting structure 1, if a current detecting part is embedded with a resin such as urethane as in the relatedcurrent sensor 308 shown inFIGS. 1A to 1D , when a force is applied to the current sensor by, for example, flexure of the battery cable, stress is transmitted to the current detecting part. - However, since the
cover 23 is provided as described above, if a force is applied to thecurrent sensor 3 by, for example, the flexure of thebattery cable 9, the force hardly reaches the current detectingpart 11. - According to the current
sensor mounting structure 1, since a space between the current detectingpart 11 and thecover 23 is filled with thesoft filler 41, the current detectingpart 11 can be rendered waterproof and dust-proof. In addition, even if a force is applied to thecurrent sensor 3 by, for example, the flexure of thebattery cable 9 when thecurrent sensor 3 is mounted to thebattery cable 9, the stress generated in thecover 23 of thecurrent sensor 3 is absorbed by thesoft filler 41 and hardly reaches the current detectingpart 11. - In the current
sensor mounting structure 1, the thermalfusion bonding tape 13 may be omitted. In this case, heating and cooling are not required to be performed after thebattery cable 9 is sandwiched between thehousing 5 and theholder 7. - Although the embodiments of the present invention has been described above, the invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible.
Claims (7)
1. A structure of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable, the structure comprising:
a battery cable;
a thermal fusion bonding tape wound around an outer circumference of the battery cable; and
a current sensor comprising
a housing including a current detecting part configured to detect a current flowing through the battery cable, and
a holder configured to hold and compress a thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion in cooperation with the housing to deform a cross-sectional shape of the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion into an elliptical shape, the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion being a portion where the thermal fusion bonding tape is wound around the battery cable,
wherein upon a compression between the housing and the holder being released, the elliptical shape of the cross-sectional shape of the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion, is maintained.
2. The structure of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable according to claim 1 ,
wherein the housing comprises
a housing body including the current detecting part, and
a cover disposed separated from the current detecting part and mounted to the housing body to cover the current detecting part, and
wherein the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion is held between the holder and the cover.
3. The structure of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable according to claim 2 , further comprising a soft filler filled between the current detecting part and the cover.
4. A method of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable, the method comprising:
mounting a thermal fusion bonding tape to an outer circumference of a battery cable;
sandwiching and compressing a thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion between a housing and a holder of a current sensor, and fixing the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion to the housing, the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion being a portion where the thermal fusion bonding tape is mounted to the battery cable;
heating and softening the thermal fusion bonding tape after the fixing of the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion to the housing; and
curing the thermal fusion bonding tape after the softening of the thermal fusion bonding tape.
5. A structure of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable produced by:
mounting a thermal fusion bonding tape to an outer circumference of a battery cable;
sandwiching and compressing a thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion between a housing and a holder of a current sensor, and fixing the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion to the housing, the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion being a portion where the thermal fusion bonding tape is mounted to the battery cable;
heating and softening the thermal fusion bonding tape after the fixing of the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion to the housing; and
curing the thermal fusion bonding tape after the softening of the thermal fusion bonding tape.
6. The structure of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable according to claim 5 ,
wherein the housing comprises
a housing body including a current detecting part configured to detect a current flowing through the battery cable, and
a cover disposed separated from the current detecting part and mounted to the housing body to cover the current detecting part, and
wherein the thermal fusion bonding tape mounting portion is held between the holder and the cover.
7. The structure of mounting a current sensor to a battery cable according to claim 6 , further comprising a soft filler filled between the current detecting part and the cover.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US14/934,761 US9921250B2 (en) | 2012-04-05 | 2015-11-06 | Structure of mounting current sensor to battery cable |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2012086000A JP5977984B2 (en) | 2012-04-05 | 2012-04-05 | Current sensor mounting structure to battery cable |
JP2012-086000 | 2012-04-05 |
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US14/934,761 Division US9921250B2 (en) | 2012-04-05 | 2015-11-06 | Structure of mounting current sensor to battery cable |
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US20130265057A1 true US20130265057A1 (en) | 2013-10-10 |
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Family Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US13/855,785 Abandoned US20130265057A1 (en) | 2012-04-05 | 2013-04-03 | Structure and method of mounting current sensor to battery cable |
US14/934,761 Expired - Fee Related US9921250B2 (en) | 2012-04-05 | 2015-11-06 | Structure of mounting current sensor to battery cable |
Family Applications After (1)
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US14/934,761 Expired - Fee Related US9921250B2 (en) | 2012-04-05 | 2015-11-06 | Structure of mounting current sensor to battery cable |
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US (2) | US20130265057A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP5977984B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN103364609B (en) |
DE (1) | DE102013205946B4 (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20160061865A1 (en) * | 2012-04-05 | 2016-03-03 | Yazaki Corporation | Structure of mounting current sensor to battery cable |
WO2020055239A1 (en) * | 2018-09-13 | 2020-03-19 | Squarell B.V. | Sensor device with confiner |
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US20100315066A1 (en) * | 2007-12-07 | 2010-12-16 | Yazaki Corporation | Current sensor |
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-
2012
- 2012-04-05 JP JP2012086000A patent/JP5977984B2/en active Active
-
2013
- 2013-04-03 CN CN201310115717.6A patent/CN103364609B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2013-04-03 US US13/855,785 patent/US20130265057A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2013-04-04 DE DE102013205946.9A patent/DE102013205946B4/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
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2015
- 2015-11-06 US US14/934,761 patent/US9921250B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
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US20050271342A1 (en) * | 2002-08-20 | 2005-12-08 | Kousuke Tanaka | Tool and method for assembling linear elements into ribbon shape, and linear elements assembled into ribbon shape and terminal portion structure of the same |
US20100315066A1 (en) * | 2007-12-07 | 2010-12-16 | Yazaki Corporation | Current sensor |
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Cited By (4)
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US20160061865A1 (en) * | 2012-04-05 | 2016-03-03 | Yazaki Corporation | Structure of mounting current sensor to battery cable |
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NL2021622B1 (en) * | 2018-09-13 | 2020-05-06 | Squarell B V | Sensor device |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US20160061865A1 (en) | 2016-03-03 |
DE102013205946A1 (en) | 2013-10-10 |
JP2013217681A (en) | 2013-10-24 |
DE102013205946B4 (en) | 2015-11-12 |
CN103364609B (en) | 2015-11-25 |
CN103364609A (en) | 2013-10-23 |
US9921250B2 (en) | 2018-03-20 |
JP5977984B2 (en) | 2016-08-24 |
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Legal Events
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AS | Assignment |
Owner name: YAZAKI CORPORATION, JAPAN Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:SUGIMORI, YASUHIRO;HARADA, KUNIHIRO;SHIMIZU, YASUO;REEL/FRAME:030139/0538 Effective date: 20130321 |
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STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |