bus bar

Abstract

A busbar includes members made of an electrically conductive material and arranged in succession to form a plate shape defining a wiring path. The members adjacent to each other have a connection surface at which the members adjacent to each other are connected to each other by laser joining. The members adjacent to each other include at least one tolerance buffer portion between the members adjacent to each other. In the at least one tolerance buffer portion, the connection surfaces of the members adjacent to each other have different widths.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a busbar. BACKGROUND

[0002] Patent Document JP 2001-286028 A proposes a busbar in which a wiring path is formed by a single member made of an electrically conductive material. The single member is formed in a shape along the wiring path by press working of a single flat base material. Alternatively, the single member is formed in a shape along the wiring path by shape working of a single linear base material. SUMMARY

[0003] In the above-described busbar in which the single member is worked into the wiring path, when the wiring path is designed to be complex, for example, manufacturing tolerances can occur and thus the dimensional accuracy with respect to the wiring path can be reduced.

[0004] An object of the present application is to provide a busbar capable of improving the dimensional accuracy with respect to the wiring path.

[0005] A busbar according to the present application includes members made of an electrically conductive material and arranged in succession to form a plate shape defining a wiring path. The members adjacent to each other have a connection surface at which the members adjacent to each other are connected to each other by laser joining. The members adjacent to each other include at least one tolerance buffer portion between the members adjacent to each other. The connection surface of the members adjacent to each other has different widths in the at least one tolerance buffer portion.

[0006] According to the above-described configuration, the dimensional accuracy with respect to the wiring path can be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a busbar according to an embodiment, which is applied between different battery packs.

[0008] Figure 2 is a plan view of an example of a busbar according to an embodiment.

[0009] Figure 3 is a plan view of a connection member of an arrangement of a busbar according to an embodiment.

[0010] Figure 4 is a perspective view of another example of a busbar according to an embodiment.

[0011] Figure 5 is a perspective view of still another example of a busbar according to an embodiment.

[0012] Figure 6 is a perspective view of yet another example of a busbar according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] Various embodiments will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] A busbar 1 according to an embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the scale of the drawings is exaggerated for the purpose of illustration, and thus the scale can be different from reality.

[0015] As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a busbar 1 according to an embodiment is made of an electrically conductive material and electrically connects between different battery packs 3 mounted on a vehicle, for example. The busbar 1 includes a wiring path 7 having a bent portion 5 to avoid interference with non-illustrated peripheral components arranged between the battery packs 3. The wiring path 7 includes plate-like members 9 arranged in succession. The members 9 include connecting members 11 and an electrically conductive member 13. Figure 1 Figure 2 The connecting members 11 include a first connecting member 15 and a second connecting member 17 arranged at both ends of the wiring path 7. In the first connecting member 15 and the second connecting member 17, connecting portions 19 for electrical connection with the battery packs 3 are provided, respectively. The connecting portions 19 are fastening portions to which non-illustrated fastening members such as bolts are fastened.

[0016] The first connecting member 15 and the second connecting member 17 are made of copper, for example, which is excellent in electrical connection with the battery packs 3 and suitable for fastening of the fastening members. The first connecting member 15 and the second connecting member 17 can also be made of a copper alloy mainly composed of copper. The first connecting member 15 and the second connecting member 17 can also be made of a 6000-series aluminum alloy mainly composed of aluminum, for example, which is excellent in electrical connection with the battery packs 3 and suitable for fastening of the fastening members. In this way, the material for the connecting members 11 can be any material as long as it is a material having excellent electrical conductivity and excellent rigidity.

[0017] The first connecting member 15 and the second connecting member 17 are formed into quadrangular plate shapes by press working or forming working, respectively. The first connecting member 15 and the second connecting member 17 are easy to work due to their simple quadrangular shapes, thereby reducing manufacturing cost. In the embodiment, the first connecting member 15 and the second connecting member 17 have the same plate thickness, the same plate width, and the same plate length. Therefore, the first connecting member 15 and the second connecting member 17 can be formed by the same working method, thereby further reducing manufacturing cost. The first connecting member 15 and the second connecting member 17 can also be made of different materials and have different plate thicknesses, different plate widths, and different plate lengths. The electrically conductive member 13 is arranged between the first connecting member 15 and the second connecting member 17.

[0018] The first connecting member 15 and the second connecting member 17 are formed into quadrangular plate shapes by press working or forming working, respectively. The first connecting member 15 and the second connecting member 17 are easy to work due to their simple quadrangular shapes, thereby reducing manufacturing cost. In the embodiment, the first connecting member 15 and the second connecting member 17 have the same plate thickness, the same plate width, and the same plate length. Therefore, the first connecting member 15 and the second connecting member 17 can be formed by the same working method, thereby further reducing manufacturing cost. The first connecting member 15 and the second connecting member 17 can also be made of different materials and have different plate thicknesses, different plate widths, and different plate lengths. The electrically conductive member 13 is arranged between the first connecting member 15 and the second connecting member 17. ​

[0019] The conductive member 13 is arranged in the wiring path 7 between the first connecting member 15 and the second connecting member 17. The conductive member 13 is made of copper like the connecting members 11. The conductive member 13 can also be made of a copper alloy mainly composed of copper. When the connecting members 11 are made of an aluminum alloy mainly composed of, for example, aluminum, the conductive member 13 can be made of the same aluminum alloy.

[0020] The conductive member 13 is formed into a quadrangular plate shape by press working or forming working. The conductive member 13 is easy to work due to its simple quadrangular shape, thereby reducing manufacturing cost. In the embodiment, the conductive member 13 and the connecting members 11 have the same plate thickness, the same plate width, and the same plate length. Therefore, the conductive member 13 and the connecting members 11 can be formed by the same working method, thereby further reducing manufacturing cost. The conductive member 13 and the connecting members 11 can also have different plate thicknesses, different plate widths, and different plate lengths. For example, the plate width of the conductive member 13 can be greater than the plate width of each of the connecting members 11 to improve heat dissipation of the conductive member 13 by an increased surface area.

[0021] The conductive member 13 can be formed to have the bend 5 in the wiring path 7. When the conductive member 13 is provided with the bend 5, the conductive member 13 can be made of, for example, a 1000-series aluminum alloy mainly composed of aluminum, which is softer and has better formability than the connecting members 11. The plate thickness of the conductive member 13 can be smaller than the plate thickness of the connecting members 11 to reduce the rigidity of the conductive member 13 and increase formability. In this way, improving the formability of the conductive member 13 enables easy working for forming the bend 5 in the conductive member 13, thereby reducing manufacturing cost.

[0022] The members 9 including the conductive member 13 and the connecting members 11 described above are arranged along the wiring path 7, and portions in contact with each other are connected to each other by laser joining. An example of the connection of the members 9 in the busbar 1 is described below. First, as shown in FIG. 6, the first connecting member 15 and the second connecting member 17 are arranged so that the positions of the connecting portions 19 are fixed at prescribed positions. In this state, the connecting surface 21 that is one end surface of the first connecting member 15 in the width direction thereof and the connecting surface 23 that is one end surface of the second connecting member 17 in the length direction thereof are apart from each other. Figure 3

[0023] Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the connecting surface 21 of the first connecting member 15 and the connecting surface 23 of the second connecting member 17 are brought into contact with each other. In this state, the connecting surface 21 of the first connecting member 15 and the connecting surface 23 of the second connecting member 17 are joined to each other by laser joining. Figure 2 ​As shown, the conductive member 13 is arranged such that the connecting surface 25 of one end surface of the conductive member 13 in its length direction contacts the connecting surface 21 of the first connecting member 15, and the connecting surface 27 of one end surface of the conductive member 13 in its width direction contacts the connecting surface 23 of the second connecting member 17. Then, the portions of connecting surfaces 21 and 25 are connected to each other by laser bonding, and the portions of connecting surfaces 23 and 27 are connected to each other by laser bonding. The connection of the first connecting member 15, the conductive member 13, and the second connecting member 17 forms a bend 5 in the wiring path 7.

[0024] In this manner, wiring paths 7 with bends 5 can be formed by connecting components 9 one to one using laser bonding. Therefore, it is not necessary to form individual components into the shape along the wiring path 7 through stamping or forming processes, and wiring paths 7 of various shapes can be easily accommodated. When the connecting component 11 and the conductive component 13 are made of different kinds of metals such as copper and aluminum, intermetallic compounds are formed at their joints, resulting in reduced bond strength. Therefore, when the connecting component 11 and the conductive component 13 are made of different kinds of metals, a cladding component comprising the same kind of metal as the connecting component 11 and the conductive component 13 can be inserted between the connecting component 11 and the conductive component 13.

[0025] In the aforementioned busbar 1, components 9 are arranged in the same plane. However, the invention is not limited thereto. For example, as... Figures 4 to 6 As shown, to correspond with the three-dimensional wiring path 7, components 9 can also be arranged in three dimensions and connected to each other in succession via laser bonding. The bending angle at the bend 5 is not limited to 90 degrees. Depending on the bending shape of the wiring path 7, the bending angle at the bend 5 can be less than 90 degrees or greater than 90 degrees.

[0026] In the first connecting member 15 and the second connecting member 17 located at both ends of the wiring path 7, each connecting portion 19 needs to be positioned corresponding to a fixed point such as a different battery pack 3. However, when individual components are machined to form the wiring path 7, the position of the connecting portion 19 may be offset due to manufacturing tolerances. To solve this problem, in this embodiment, a tolerance buffer portion 29 is provided in the connecting portion of the component 9.

[0027] In the tolerance buffer 29 at the connection between the first connecting member 15 and the conductive member 13, the width of the connecting surface 21 of the first connecting member 15 and the width of the connecting surface 25 of the conductive member 13 are different from each other. The connecting surface 21 of the first connecting member 15 is the end surface opposite to the conductive member 13 in the width direction of the first connecting member 15, and includes the plate length of the first connecting member 15. The connecting surface 25 of the conductive member 13 is the end surface opposite to the first connecting member 15 in the length direction of the conductive member 13, and includes the plate width of the conductive member 13. In the tolerance buffer 29, even when a tolerance occurs in the length direction of the first connecting member 15, the tolerance can be absorbed by moving the conductive member 13 relative to the connecting surface 21 of the first connecting member 15 along the length direction of the first connecting member 15. The plate length of the first connecting member 15 is equal to or greater than the predetermined length corresponding to the wiring path 7. Therefore, for example, even if the conductive member 13 is arranged in... Figure 2 The lower side of the conductive component 13 will not result in insufficient connection space between the connection surface 25 of the conductive component 13 and the connection surface 21 of the first connecting component 15, thereby maintaining the connection strength.

[0028] In the tolerance buffer 29 at the connection between the conductive member 13 and the second connecting member 17, the width of the connecting surface 27 of the conductive member 13 and the width of the connecting surface 23 of the second connecting member 17 are different from each other. The connecting surface 27 of the conductive member 13 is the end surface of the conductive member 13 facing the second connecting member 17 in the width direction, and includes the plate length of the conductive member 13. The connecting surface 23 of the second connecting member 17 is the end surface of the second connecting member 17 facing the conductive member 13 in the length direction, and includes the plate width of the second connecting member 17. In the tolerance buffer 29, even when a tolerance occurs in the width direction of the second connecting member 17, the tolerance can be absorbed by moving the conductive member 13 relative to the connecting surface 23 of the second connecting member 17 in the width direction of the second connecting member 17. The plate length of the conductive member 13 is equal to or greater than the predetermined length corresponding to the wiring path 7. Therefore, for example, even if the conductive member 13 is arranged in... Figure 2 On the left side, it will not cause insufficient connection space between the connection surface 27 of the conductive component 13 and the connection surface 23 of the second connecting component 17, thereby maintaining the connection strength.

[0029] In the aforementioned tolerance buffer section 29, the planar direction of the tolerance buffer section 29 including connecting surfaces 21 and 25 intersects with the planar direction of the tolerance buffer section 29 including connecting surfaces 23 and 27. Specifically, the planar direction of the tolerance buffer section 29 including connecting surfaces 21 and 25 is perpendicular to the planar direction of the tolerance buffer section 29 including connecting surfaces 23 and 27. The intersection of the planar directions in the tolerance buffer section 29 can absorb tolerances in the intersecting directions.

[0030] In this way, by providing a tolerance buffer 29 in the busbar 1, manufacturing tolerances in the wiring path 7 can be absorbed. Therefore, it is possible to accommodate wiring paths 7 with various shapes without changing dimensional accuracy. In particular, it is possible to maintain the reliability of the electrical connection without shifting the position of the connection portion 19 of the connecting member 11.

[0031] The tolerance absorption of the tolerance buffer 29 is not limited to the case where the components 9 are arranged in the same plane, but can also be applied to situations such as... Figures 4 to 6 The example shown is of a busbar 1 in which component 9 is arranged in three dimensions. For example, in Figure 4 In the busbar 1 shown, at the connection between the first connecting part 15 and the conductive member 13, a tolerance buffer 29 can be applied to the connecting surface 31 of the first connecting part 15 and the connecting surface 33 of the conductive member 13. The connecting surface 31 of the first connecting part 15 is the end surface of the first connecting part 15 opposite to the conductive member 13 in the thickness direction. Figure 4 The conductive member 13 has a lower surface and includes the plate length of the first connecting member 15. The connecting surface 33 of the conductive member 13 is the end surface opposite to the first connecting member 15 in the length direction of the conductive member 13 and includes the plate thickness of the conductive member 13. In the tolerance buffer 29, even when a tolerance occurs in the length direction of the first connecting member 15, the tolerance can be absorbed by moving the conductive member 13 relative to the connecting surface 31 of the first connecting member 15 in the length direction of the first connecting member 15. Note that when the plate width of the conductive member 13 is larger than the plate width of the first connecting member 15, the tolerance in the width direction of the first connecting member 15 can be absorbed by the tolerance buffer 29 including the connecting surfaces 31 and 33.

[0032] The aforementioned busbar 1 includes plate-shaped components 9 made of conductive material and arranged sequentially to form a wiring path 7. Adjacent components 9 are connected to each other by laser bonding. Tolerance buffers 29 are provided between adjacent components 9, and in each tolerance buffer 29, the connection surfaces of adjacent components 9 have different widths.

[0033] Therefore, the tolerance buffer 29 can absorb the manufacturing tolerances that arise when the wiring path 7 is formed from a single component. As a result, the dimensional accuracy of the busbar 1 relative to the wiring path 7 can be improved.

[0034] The plurality of components 9 includes at least three components 9. Tolerance buffers 29 are provided between at least two adjacent components 9. The planar directions of the connecting surfaces in the tolerance buffers 29 intersect each other. Therefore, tolerances in the intersecting directions can be absorbed.

[0035] The planes of the connecting surfaces of the tolerance buffer section 29 are perpendicular to each other. Therefore, tolerances in mutually perpendicular directions can be absorbed.

[0036] The components 9 located at both ends of the wiring path 7 are connection components 11 with connection portions 19 for electrical input and output. Therefore, by absorbing tolerances through the tolerance buffer portion 29, the reliability of the electrical connection can be maintained without displacement of the connection portion 19.

[0037] The connecting part 19 is the fastening part to which the fastening member is fastened. Therefore, by absorbing the tolerance by the tolerance buffer part 29, the fastening member can be stably fastened, and thus the reliability of the electrical connection is maintained without displacement of the position of each connecting part 19 corresponding to each fixing point.

[0038] According to the embodiment, the busbar 1 electrically connects the different battery packs 3 to each other. However, the invention is not limited thereto. For example, the busbar 1 can be arranged between any electrical components, such as between power sources and devices, and between devices.

[0039] While specific embodiments have been described, these embodiments are disclosed by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Indeed, the novel embodiments described herein can be implemented in various other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the forms of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The appended claims and their counterparts are intended to cover such forms or modifications that fall within the scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A busbar, the busbar comprising: Multiple components, each made of a conductive material, are arranged sequentially to form a plate-like shape defining a wiring path, wherein... The adjacent components have a connecting surface at which they are joined together by laser bonding. The adjacent components include at least one tolerance buffer located between the adjacent components, and the connecting surfaces of the adjacent components have different widths in the at least one tolerance buffer. The component includes at least three of the aforementioned components. The at least one tolerance buffer includes at least two tolerance buffers. The adjacent components include tolerance buffers located between each pair of adjacent components, and The planar directions of the connecting surfaces in the tolerance buffer section intersect each other.

2. The busbar according to claim 1, wherein, The planes of the connecting surfaces in the tolerance buffer section are perpendicular to each other.

3. The busbar according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The components located at both ends of the wiring path are connecting components with electrical input / output connections.

4. The busbar according to claim 3, wherein, The connecting part is the fastening part to which the fastening component is fastened.

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