Conductor

Abstract

The conductor includes a plate-shaped bus bar and an outer member attached to the bus bar. The bus bar includes a conductor portion and an insulating sheath covering the conductor portion, and at least partially includes an attachment portion having a twisted shape in which the bus bar extends while being twisted about an axis of the bus bar. The outer member includes a main body portion having a groove portion extending to be capable of receiving the attachment portion of the bus bar, and a cover portion capable of opening and closing an opening portion of the groove portion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a conductor including a plate-shaped bus bar and an external member attached to the bus bar. Background Art

[0002] In related art, when wiring a metal bus bar in an automobile or the like, it has been proposed to assemble an insulating external member to cover the bus bar, and when necessary, fix the external member to a vehicle body or the like of an automobile or the like, as disclosed in, for example, JP2018-190532A.

[0003] The above-described type of bus bar generally has a shape extending along a predetermined wiring path (so-called layout) according to the specifications of an automobile or the like. Similarly, the external member generally has a shape corresponding to the wiring path so that such a bus bar can be accommodated. In other words, the external member has a dedicated shape that varies for each specification of the bus bar. Therefore, of course, if the shape of the bus bar is different, the shape of the external member is also different. Conversely, if the external member is generalized, the design freedom of the shape of the bus bar is reduced. Therefore, it is generally difficult to both increase the design freedom of the shape of the bus bar and increase the versatility of the external member.

[0004] The present disclosure provides a conductor capable of both increasing the design freedom of the shape of the bus bar and increasing the versatility of the external member.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the conductor of the present disclosure is characterized as follows. Summary of the Invention

[0006] According to the present disclosure, the conductor includes a plate-shaped bus bar and an external member attached to the bus bar. The bus bar includes a conductor portion and an insulating sheath covering the conductor portion, and at least partially includes an attachment portion having a twisted shape in which the bus bar extends while twisting around the axis of the bus bar. The external member includes a main body portion and a lid portion, the main body portion having a groove portion extending to be able to accommodate the attachment portion of the bus bar, and the lid portion being able to open and close an opening portion of the groove portion.

[0007] According to the conductor of the present disclosure, the bus bar includes a conductor portion covered by an insulating sheath and at least partially includes an attachment portion having a twisted shape in which the bus bar extends while twisting around the axis of the bus bar. The attachment portion is for attaching the bus bar and an external component. Specifically, the attachment portion of the bus bar is received in a groove portion of the external component. Thus, the conductor portion of the bus bar is covered by the insulating sheath, so there is no need to provide an external component to cover the entire bus bar. In addition, the external component only needs to have a groove portion capable of receiving the attachment portion having a twisted shape and a lid portion capable of opening and closing the groove portion, and does not need to have a dedicated shape for each shape (e.g., layout) of the bus bar. Therefore, the versatility of the external component can be improved. On the other hand, in the bus bar, the shape (e.g., layout) of positions other than the attachment portion can be designed without considering the presence of the external component. Therefore, the design freedom of the bus bar shape can be improved. Thus, the conductor of this configuration can achieve both an improvement in the design freedom of the bus bar shape and an improvement in the versatility of the external component.

[0008] In addition, as another effect, the attachment portion having a twisted shape is received in the external component, so compared with the case where a portion of the bus bar extending in a linear shape without a twisted shape is received in the external component, displacement of the external component in the axial direction of the bus bar (so-called occurrence of position deviation) can be prevented. In addition, for example, an unexpected short circuit between the bus bars can be prevented by attaching the external component to the positive electrode bus bar and the negative electrode bus bar separately. In addition, the size of the external component can be reduced or the workability of attaching the external component to the bus bar can be improved.

[0009] The present disclosure has been briefly described above. In addition, the details of the present disclosure will be clarified by reading the modes for carrying out the present disclosure described below with reference to the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pair of conductors in the case where the conductor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is used as a positive electrode conductor and a negative electrode conductor;

[0011] Figure 2 is a view showing a state in which the bus bar and the external component are separated from each other in one of the conductors shown in Figure 1 a perspective view;

[0012] Figure 3 is Figure 1 a top view of the conductor shown in

[0013] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 3 ;

[0014] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Figure 3 ;

[0015] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C in Figure 3 ;

[0016] Figure 7 is a view corresponding to Figure 1 in a modified example;

[0017] Figure 8 is Figure 7 a view corresponding to Figure 2 in the modified example shown in

[0018] Figure 9A is a perspective view of a cover portion of a modified example shown in Figure 7 as viewed from the rear and below; Figure 9B is a perspective view of a main body portion in Figure 7 the modified example shown in as viewed from the rear and above;

[0019] Figure 10 is Figure 7 a view corresponding to Figure 3 in the modified example shown in

[0020] Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D in Figure 10 ;

[0021] Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E in Figure 10 ; and

[0022] Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line F-F in Figure 10 ; DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] <Example>

[0024] Hereinafter, a conductor 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 etc., the conductor 1 includes a bus bar 2 and an external member 3 attached to an attachment portion 13, which is a part of the bus bar 2 in the extending direction. In Figure 1 and Figure 2 etc., only the attachment portion 13 is shown on the bus bar 2. Generally, in a state where the bus bar 2 is wired in an automobile or the like and the external member 3 attached to the attachment portion 13 of the bus bar 2 is fixed to a body of the automobile or the like, the conductor 1 is used by being mounted on the automobile or the like. Figure 1 and Figure 2shows an example in which a pair of conductors 1 are spaced apart on an attachment portion 13 of the positive electrode bus bar 2 (the right side in this example, Figure 2 and an attachment portion 13 of the negative electrode bus bar 2 (the left side in this example, Figure 2 wherein external components 3 are respectively attached to the pair of conductors.

[0025] Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience of description, "front", "rear", "left", "right", "upper", and "lower" are defined as shown in Figure 1 etc. The "front-rear direction", "left-right direction", and "upper-lower direction" are orthogonal to each other. The front-rear direction is consistent with the extension direction (axial direction) of the attachment portion 13 of the bus bar 2 and the extension direction of the external component 3. These directions are only defined for the convenience of description and do not necessarily correspond to, for example, the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and upper-lower direction of an automobile when the conductor 1 is installed on an automobile or the like. Hereinafter, the structure of each component constituting the conductor 1 will be described in sequence.

[0026] First, the bus bar 2 will be described. The bus bar 2 has a shape that extends along a wiring path according to the specifications of an automobile or the like (for example, a shape that extends while being three-dimensionally bent), and includes a conductor portion 11 that extends in the above shape and an insulating sheath 12 that covers the outer periphery of the conductor portion 11 (see Figure 2 ). In this example, in the portion shown in Figures 1 to 3 which is a part of the bus bar 2 in the extension direction, the conductor portion 11 is a metal plate having a rectangular cross-section and extending in an elongated shape, and the insulating sheath 12 covers the outer periphery of the conductor portion 11 over the entire region in the extension direction of the conductor portion 11. The shape of a part (not shown) of the bus bar 2 can be determined based on the specifications of the bus bar 2 and the like, and does not necessarily have a linear shape.

[0027] As Figures 1 to 3 shown, the bus bar 2 has a portion that extends in the front-rear direction in the portion in the extension direction (i.e., the portion where the conductor portion 11 is covered by the insulating sheath 12) as the attachment portion 13. The attachment portion 13 has the above-described rectangular cross-sectional shape over the entire region along the extension direction (front-rear direction). Therefore, as Figure 2As shown, the outer surface extending in the extending direction of the attachment portion 13 includes: a pair of side surfaces a arranged to face each other in the thickness direction of the attachment portion 13 (the conductor portion 11 constituting the attachment portion 13), and a pair of side surfaces b arranged to face each other in the width direction of the attachment portion 13 (the conductor portion 11 constituting the attachment portion 13). In this example, the entire region of the conductor portion 11 itself in the extending direction is covered by the insulating sheath 12, so there is no need to provide an external member 3 to cover the entire region of the bus bar 2 in the extending direction. Therefore, in this example, the external member 3 is attached to the bus bar 2 so as to cover only (accommodate) a part or all of the attachment portion 13 (in the extending direction) of the bus bar 2 in the extending direction. Therefore, the external member 3 only needs to be able to accommodate only a part or all of the attachment portion 13 of the bus bar 2 in the extending direction, and does not need to have a dedicated shape for each bus bar, and thus has high versatility. On the other hand, in the bus bar 2, the shape of the position other than the attachment portion 13 can be designed without considering the existence of the external member 3. Therefore, the degree of freedom in designing the shape of the bus bar 2 is high.

[0028] As Figure 2 shown, the attachment portion 13 of the bus bar 2 has a portion with a twisted shape that extends while twisting 90 degrees around the axis of the attachment portion 13 in the central portion in the extending direction (front-rear direction). Therefore, specifically, the attachment portion 13 of the bus bar 2 as a whole includes: a vertical portion 13a that extends in the front-rear direction while maintaining the direction in which the thickness direction coincides with the left-right direction and forms the front portion of the attachment portion 13; a twisted portion 13b that has a twisted shape, extends in the front-rear direction, and forms the central portion of the attachment portion 13 in the extending direction; and a horizontal portion 13c that extends in the front-rear direction while maintaining the direction in which the thickness direction coincides with the up-down direction and forms the rear portion of the attachment portion 13.

[0029] Next, the external member 3 will be described. The external member 3 is a resin molded body, as Figure 2 shown, including a main body portion 20 that extends in the front-rear direction; and a lid portion 30 that is separated from the main body portion 20, extends in the front-rear direction, and can open and close the opening portion of the groove portion 22 (described below) of the main body portion 20.

[0030] As Figure 2As shown, the main body portion 20 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in the front-rear direction. The upper surface 21 (the plane facing upward) of the main body portion 20 is provided with a groove portion 22 that is recessed downward, open upward, and penetrates in the front-rear direction. The groove portion 22 houses the attachment portion 13 (= vertical portion 13a + twisted portion 13b + horizontal portion 13c) of the bus bar 2 (see Figures 4 to 6 ). The surface shape of the groove inner wall of the groove portion 22 will be described in detail later. The to-be-joined portions 23 are provided at both end portions in the front-rear direction and both end portions in the left-right direction (a total of four positions) of the main body portion 20. Each to-be-joined portion 23 is joined to the corresponding joining portion 33 of the lid portion 30 (to be described below). The fixing portion 41 to be fixed to the body of an automobile or the like is provided at the central portion in the front-rear direction of the outer surface of the left side wall of the main body portion 20.

[0031] As Figure 2 shown, the lid portion 30 has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape extending in the front-rear direction corresponding to the shape of the upper surface 21 of the main body portion 20. The lower surface 31 (the plane facing downward) of the lid portion 30 is provided with a groove portion 32 that is recessed upward, open downward, and extends in the front-rear direction. The groove portion 32 houses the vertical portion 13a and the twisted portion 13b of the attachment portion 13 of the bus bar 2 (also see Figures 4 to 6 ). Therefore, the groove portion 32 extends from the front end of the lid portion 30 to an intermediate portion between the rear end and the center in the front-rear direction. The surface shape of the groove inner wall of the groove portion 32 will be described in detail later. The joining portions 33 are provided at both end portions in the front-rear direction and both end portions in the left-right direction of the lid portion 30 (a total of four positions) corresponding to the to-be-joined portions 23 of the main body portion 20. In this example, the joining portion 33 is a locking member having a locking projection, and the to-be-joined portion 23 is a locking hole into which the joining member is inserted to lock the locking projection. The structures of the components constituting the conductor 1 have been described above.

[0032] Next, the process of attaching the external component 3 to the bus bar 2 will be described. In order to attach the external component 3 to the bus bar 2, first, as Figure 2 shown, in a state where the lid portion 30 is separated, the attachment portion 13 (= vertical portion 13a + twisted portion 13b + horizontal portion 13c) (which is a part of the bus bar 2 in the extending direction) is housed in the groove portion 22 with respect to the main body portion 20. Next, the lid portion 30 is assembled to the main body portion 20 such that the vertical portion 13a and the twisted portion 13b of the attachment portion 13 are housed in the groove portion 32, and the lower surface 31 of the lid portion 30 and the upper surface 21 of the main body portion 20 are in surface contact with each other (see Figures 4 to 6)。Therefore, the attachment of the external component 3 to the bus bar 2 is completed, and the conductor 1 in the assembled state as shown is obtained. In the assembled state of the conductor 1, the cover portion 30 is held in a state firmly fixed to the main body portion 20 by the engagement of four engagement portions 33 and four engaged portions 23. Figure 1 Shown is the conductor 1 in the assembled state.

[0033] Hereinafter, the surface shape of the groove inner wall of the groove portion 22 of the main body portion 20 and the surface shape of the groove inner wall of the groove portion 32 of the cover portion 30 will be described in detail. As shown, the surface of the groove inner wall of the groove portion 22 of the main body portion 20 has a surface shape that extends along and contacts or approaches the outer surface of the attachment portion 13 (= vertical portion 13a + twisted portion 13b + horizontal portion 13c) that is in a state of being received in the groove portion 22 over the entire area in the front-rear direction (see Figures 4 to 6 ). In particular, at the position where the twisted portion 13b of the attachment portion 13 is received, the surface of the groove inner wall of the groove portion 22 of the main body portion 20 has a surface shape that bends along the outer surface of the twisted portion 13b corresponding to the twisted shape of the twisted portion 13b and extends while contacting or approaching the outer surface (see Figures 4 to 6 ). Figure 5 )。

[0034] Similarly, the surface of the groove inner wall of the groove portion 32 of the cover portion 30 has a surface shape that extends along and contacts or approaches the outer surfaces of the vertical portion 13a and the twisted portion 13b of the attachment portion 13 that are in a state of being received in the groove portion 32 over the entire area in the front-rear direction (see Figure 4 and Figure 5 ). In particular, at the position where the twisted portion 13b of the attachment portion 13 is received, the surface of the groove inner wall of the groove portion 32 of the cover portion 30 has a surface shape that bends along the outer surface of the twisted portion 13b corresponding to the twisted shape of the twisted portion 13b and extends while contacting or approaching the outer surface (see Figure 5 ).

[0035] Therefore, in the assembled state of the conductor 1, in the vertical portion 13a and the twisted portion 13b of the attachment portion 13, as shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the pair of side surfaces a facing each other in the thickness direction of the attachment portion 13 are clamped in the thickness direction of the attachment portion 13 by the groove inner walls of the groove portion 22 and the groove portion 32 (which are in contact with or close to each other), and the pair of side surfaces b facing each other in the width direction of the attachment portion 13 are clamped in the width direction of the attachment portion 13 by the groove inner walls of the groove portion 22 and the groove portion 32 (which are in contact with or close to each other). In the horizontal portion 13c of the attachment portion 13, as Figure 6 shown, the pair of side surfaces a facing each other in the thickness direction of the attachment portion 13 are clamped in the thickness direction of the attachment portion 13 by the groove inner wall of the groove portion 22 and the lower surface 31 of the cover portion 30 (which are in contact with or close to each other), and the pair of side surfaces b facing each other in the width direction of the attachment portion 13 are clamped in the width direction of the attachment portion 13 only by the groove inner walls of the groove portion 22 (which are in contact with or close to each other).

[0036] As described above, in the assembled state of the conductor 1, the external component 3 (= main body portion 20 + cover portion 30) cooperates with the groove inner wall of the groove portion 22 of the main body portion 20, the groove inner wall of the groove portion 32 of the cover portion 30, and the lower surface 31 of the cover portion 30 to clamp the attachment portion 13 (= vertical portion 13a + torsion portion 13b + horizontal portion 13c) in the thickness direction and the width direction over the entire area in the extending direction of the attachment portion 13 covered by the external component 3. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the attachment portion 13 of the bus bar 2 from shifting in the thickness direction and the width direction in the external component 3 (occurrence of a so-called rattling sound).

[0037] The assembled conductor 1 is installed in an automobile or the like in a state where the fixed portion 41 (see Figure 1 etc.) of the external component 3 to which the bus bar 2 is wired and which is attached to the attachment portion 13 of the bus bar 2 is fixed to the body of the automobile or the like.

[0038] When the bus bar 2 is detached from the external component 3 in the assembled conductor 1, first, the cover portion 30 is separated from the main body portion 20 by disengaging the four engaged portions 23 of the main body portion 20 and the four engaged portions 33 of the cover portion 30. Then, the attachment portion 13 of the bus bar 2 moves upward through the opening portion toward the outside of the groove portion 22, and the opening portion opens above the groove portion 22 of the main body portion 20. Thus, the work of separating the bus bar 2 from the external component 3 is completed.

[0039] As Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, when the pair of conductors 1 are arranged at intervals on the attachment portions 13 of the positive electrode bus bar 2 and the attachment portions 13 of the negative electrode bus bar 2, and the external components 3 are respectively attached to the pair of conductors, when performing the operation of detaching the bus bar 2 from each of the pair of conductors 1, by sufficiently forming the interval between the pair of conductors 1, it is possible to prevent one bus bar 2 from contacting another bus bar 2, thereby preventing an unexpected short circuit between the bus bars 2.

[0040] <Operation and effect>

[0041] For the conductor 1 according to the present embodiment, the bus bar 2 includes a conductor portion 11 covered by an insulating sheath 12 and at least partially includes an attachment portion 13 having a twisted shape, in which the bus bar 2 extends while twisting around the axis of the bus bar 2. The attachment portion 13 is used to attach the bus bar 2 and the external component 3. Specifically, the attachment portion 13 of the bus bar 2 is received in the groove portion 22 of the external component 3. In this way, the conductor portion 11 of the bus bar 2 is covered by the insulating sheath 12, so there is no need to provide an external component 3 to cover the entire bus bar 2. In addition, the external component 3 only needs to have a groove portion 22 capable of receiving the attachment portion 13 having a twisted shape and a lid portion 30 for opening and closing the groove portion 22, and does not need to have a dedicated shape for each bus bar 2. Therefore, the versatility of the external component 3 can be improved. On the other hand, in the bus bar 2, the shape of the position other than the attachment portion 13 can be designed without considering the presence of the external component 3. Therefore, the design freedom of the shape of the bus bar 2 can be improved. Therefore, the conductor 1 according to the present embodiment can achieve both an improvement in the design freedom of the shape of the bus bar 2 and an improvement in the versatility of the external component 3.

[0042] In addition, as another effect, the attachment portion 13 having a twisted shape is received in the external component 3, so compared with the case where a portion of the bus bar extending in a linear shape without a twisted shape is received in the external component 3, it is possible to prevent the external component 3 from shifting in the axial direction of the bus bar 2 (the occurrence of so-called positional deviation). In addition, for example, by attaching the external component 3 to the positive electrode bus bar 2 and the negative electrode bus bar 2 separately, an unexpected short circuit between the bus bars can be prevented. In addition, the size of the external component 3 can be reduced or the workability of attaching the external component 3 to the bus bar 2 can be improved.

[0043] The external component 3 is implemented such that the attachment portion 13 of the bus bar 2 is clamped in the thickness direction of the bus bar 2 by the main body portion 20 and the lid portion 30. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the bus bar 2 from shifting in the thickness direction of the groove portion 22 of the external component 3 (the occurrence of so-called clicking).

[0044] In addition, the inner wall of the groove portion 22 of the main body portion 20 and the inner wall of the groove portion 32 of the lid portion 30 of the external member 3 each have a surface shape that bends along the outer surface of the attachment portion 13 corresponding to the torsional shape of the attachment portion 13. Therefore, the inner wall of the groove of the main body portion 20 and the inner wall of the groove of the lid portion 30 are easily in surface contact with the bus bar 2, thereby more effectively preventing the bus bar 2 from shifting in the thickness direction in the groove portion 22 of the external member 3 (the occurrence of a so-called clicking sound).

[0045] <Other embodiments>

[0046] The present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. In addition, the materials, shapes, sizes, quantities, arrangement positions, etc. of the components in the above embodiments are freely selectable and not limited as long as the present disclosure can be implemented.

[0047] In the above embodiment (see Figures 1 to 6 ), in the conductor 1 assembled state, the surface formed by the inner wall of the groove portion 22 of the main body portion 20, the inner wall of the groove portion 32 of the lid portion 30, and the lower surface 31 of the lid portion 30 has a surface shape that extends along the outer surface of the attachment portion 13 (= vertical portion 13a + torsional portion 13b + horizontal portion 13c) of the bus bar 2 covered by the external member 3 over the entire region in the front-rear direction and contacts or approaches the outer surface (see Figures 4 to 6 ). Thus, in the conductor 1 assembled state, the external member 3 (= main body portion 20 + lid portion 30) clamps the attachment portion 13 (= vertical portion 13a + torsional portion 13b + horizontal portion 13c) covered by the external member 3 in the thickness direction and the width direction over the entire region in the extending direction of the attachment portion 13.

[0048] On the other hand, in Figures 7 to 13 the shown modification, the surface passing through the inner wall of the groove portion 22 of the main body portion 20 in the front-rear direction has a surface shape that extends along the outer surface of the vertical portion 13a of the attachment portion 13 of the bus bar 2 in the state of being received in the groove portion 22 and simultaneously contacts or approaches the outer surface, and extends away from the outer surfaces of the torsional portion 13b and the horizontal portion 13c of the attachment portion 13 of the bus bar 2 in the state of being received in the groove portion 22 (see Figures 10 to 13 ).

[0049] The groove portion 22 is formed with a first protruding portion 24 at a front-rear direction position corresponding to the torsion portion 13b of the attachment portion 13, and the first protruding portion 24 protrudes upward toward the outer surface of the torsion portion 13b of the attachment portion 13 in a state of being received in the groove portion 22 (see Figure 8 , Figure 9B and Figure 13 ). The protruding end face of the first protruding portion 24 has a surface shape that is curved along the outer surface of the torsion portion 13b of the attachment portion 13 in a state of being received in the groove portion 22 and contacts or approaches the outer surface (see Figure 12 and Figure 13 ).

[0050] Similarly, the surface of the inner wall of the groove portion 32 that penetrates the lid portion 30 in the front-rear direction has a surface shape that extends along the outer surface of the vertical portion 13a of the attachment portion 13 in a state of being received in the groove portion 32 and simultaneously contacts or approaches the outer surface, and extends away from the outer surfaces of the torsion portion 13b and the horizontal portion 13c of the attachment portion 13 in a state of being received in the groove portion 32 (see Figures 11 to 13 ). The groove portion 32 at a front-rear direction position corresponding to the front-rear direction position where the first protruding portion 24 of the main body portion 20 is provided is formed with a second protruding portion 34 that protrudes downward toward the outer surface of the torsion portion 13b of the attachment portion 13 in a state of being received in the groove portion 32 (see Figure 8 , Figure 9A and Figure 13 ). The protruding end face of the second protruding portion 34 has a surface shape that is curved along the outer surface of the torsion portion 13b of the attachment portion 13 in a state of being received in the groove portion 32 and contacts or approaches the outer surface (see Figure 12 and Figure 13 ).

[0051] Therefore, in the assembled state of the conductor 1, in the vertical portion 13a of the attachment portion 13, as Figure 11 shown, the pair of side portion faces a that face each other in the thickness direction of the attachment portion 13 are clamped in the thickness direction of the attachment portion 13 by the groove portion 22 and the groove portion 32 (which are in contact with or close to each other), and the pair of side portion faces b that face each other in the width direction of the attachment portion 13 are clamped in the width direction of the attachment portion 13 by the groove portion 22 and the groove portion 32 (which are in contact with or close to each other). In addition, in the torsion portion 13b of the attachment portion 13, as Figure 12 and Figure 13 (especially Figure 13) As shown, the pair of opposite side surfaces a that face each other in the thickness direction of the attachment portion 13 are clamped in the thickness direction of the attachment portion 13 by the protruding end surfaces of the first protruding portion 24 and the second protruding portion 34 (which are in contact with or close to each other). As described above, in the assembled state of the conductor 1, the external component 3 (= main body portion 20 + cover portion 30) cooperates with the inner wall of the groove of the groove portion 22 of the main body portion 20, the protruding end surface of the first protruding portion 24 of the main body portion 20, the inner wall of the groove of the groove portion 32 of the cover portion 30, and the protruding end surface of the second protruding portion 34 of the cover portion 30 to clamp the vertical portion 13a and the twisted portion 13b of the attachment portion 13 covered by the external component 3 in the thickness direction. Therefore, in Figures 7 to 13 In the deformation example shown, displacement of the attachment portion 13 of the bus bar 2 in the thickness direction within the external component 3 (occurrence of so-called clicking sound) can be prevented.

[0052] Here, the features of the embodiment of the conductor 1 according to the present disclosure described above are briefly summarized and listed in the following (i) to (iv).

[0053] (i)

[0054] A conductor (1) comprising:

[0055] A plate-shaped bus bar (2); and

[0056] An external component (3) attached to the bus bar (2), wherein

[0057] The bus bar (2) includes a conductor portion (11) and an insulating sheath (12) covering the conductor portion (11), and at least partially includes an attachment portion (13) having a twisted shape in which the bus bar (2) extends while being twisted around the axis of the bus bar (2); and

[0058] The external component (3) includes a main body portion (20) and a cover portion (30), the main body portion having a groove portion (22) extending to be able to accommodate the attachment portion (13) of the bus bar (2), and the cover portion being able to open and close the opening portion of the groove portion (22).

[0059] A conductor constructed according to (i) above, wherein the bus bar includes a conductor portion covered by an insulating sheath and at least partially includes an attachment portion having a twisted shape in which the bus bar extends while twisting about the axis of the bus bar. The attachment portion is for attaching the bus bar and an external component. Specifically, the attachment portion of the bus bar is received in a groove portion of the external component. Thus, the conductor portion of the bus bar is covered by the insulating sheath, so there is no need to provide an external component to cover the entire bus bar. In addition, the external component only needs to have a groove portion capable of receiving the attachment portion having a twisted shape and a lid portion capable of opening and closing the groove portion, and does not need to have a dedicated shape for each shape (e.g., layout) of the bus bar. Therefore, the versatility of the external component can be improved. On the other hand, in the bus bar, the shape (e.g., layout) of positions other than the attachment portion can be designed without considering the presence of the external component. Therefore, the design freedom of the bus bar shape can be improved. Thus, the conductor of this construction can achieve both an improvement in the design freedom of the bus bar shape and an improvement in the versatility of the external component.

[0060] In addition, as another effect, the attachment portion having a twisted shape is received in the external component, so compared with the case where a portion of the bus bar extending in a linear shape without a twisted shape is received in the external component, it is possible to prevent the external component from shifting in the axial direction of the bus bar (the occurrence of so-called position deviation). In addition, for example, an unexpected short circuit between the bus bars can be prevented by attaching the external component to the positive electrode bus bar and the negative electrode bus bar separately. In addition, the size of the external component can be reduced or the workability of attaching the external component to the bus bar can be improved.

[0061] (ii)

[0062] The conductor (1) according to (i) above, wherein

[0063] The external component 3 is implemented such that the attachment portion (13) of the bus bar (2) is clamped in the thickness direction of the bus bar (2) by the main body portion (20) and the lid portion (30).

[0064] For the conductor constructed according to (ii), the external component is implemented such that the attachment portion of the bus bar is clamped in the thickness direction of the bus bar by the main body portion and the lid portion. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the bus bar from shifting in the thickness direction in the groove portion of the external component (the occurrence of so-called clicking).

[0065] (iii)

[0066] The conductor (1) according to (ii) above, wherein

[0067] The groove portion (22) of the main body portion (20) has a groove inner wall, and the groove inner wall has an outer surface corresponding to the torsion shape and bending along an outer surface of the attachment portion (13) in the thickness direction ( Figure 5 in the lower right side surface a) of

[0068] The cover portion (30) has a cover wall (the groove inner wall of the groove portion 32) with a shape corresponding to the torsion shape and bending along another outer surface of the attachment portion (13) in the thickness direction ( Figure 5 in the upper left side surface a) of

[0069] For the conductor having the structure according to the above (iii), the groove inner wall of the main body portion and the cover wall of the cover portion of the external component each have a surface shape corresponding to the torsion shape of the attachment portion and bending along the outer surface of the attachment portion. Therefore, it is easy to make the groove inner wall of the main body portion and the cover wall in surface contact with the bus bar, so that it is possible to more effectively prevent the bus bar from shifting in the thickness direction of the groove portion of the external component (the occurrence of so-called clicking).

[0070] (iv)

[0071] For the conductor (1) having the structure according to the above (ii), wherein

[0072] The groove portion (22) of the main body portion (20) includes a first protruding portion (24), and the first protruding portion has a protruding end surface. The protruding end surface has a shape protruding toward an outer surface of the attachment portion (13) in the thickness direction and bending along an outer surface ( Figure 13 in the lower right side surface a) of

[0073] The cover portion (30) includes a second protruding portion (34), and the second protruding portion has a protruding end surface. The protruding end surface has a shape protruding toward another outer surface of the attachment portion (13) in the thickness direction and bending along another outer surface ( Figure 13 in the upper left side surface a) of

[0074] For the conductor having the structure according to the above (iv), the protruding end surface of the first protruding portion provided on the main body portion and the protruding end surface of the second protruding portion provided on the cover portion of the external component each have a surface shape corresponding to the torsion shape of the attachment portion and bending along the outer surface of the attachment portion. Therefore, the protruding end surface of the first protruding portion and the protruding end surface of the second protruding portion are easily in surface contact with the bus bar, so that it is possible to more effectively prevent the bus bar from shifting in the thickness direction in the groove portion of the external component (the occurrence of so-called clicking).

Claims

1. A conductor, comprising: A plate-shaped bus bar; And An external component attached to the bus bar, wherein The bus bar includes a conductor portion and an insulating sheath covering the conductor portion, and at least partially includes an attachment portion having a twisted shape in which the bus bar extends while twisting around the axis of the bus bar; And The external component includes a main body portion and a cover portion, the main body portion having a groove portion extending to receive the attachment portion of the bus bar, and the cover portion being capable of opening and closing an opening portion of the groove portion.

2. The conductor according to claim 1, wherein The external component is implemented such that the attachment portion of the bus bar is clamped in the thickness direction of the bus bar by the main body portion and the cover portion.

3. The conductor according to claim 2, wherein The groove portion of the main body portion has a groove inner wall having a shape curved along an outer surface of the attachment portion in the thickness direction corresponding to the twisted shape, and The cover portion has a cover wall having a shape curved along another outer surface of the attachment portion in the thickness direction corresponding to the twisted shape.

4. The conductor according to claim 2, wherein The groove portion of the main body portion includes a first protruding portion having a protruding end face having a shape protruding toward an outer surface of the attachment portion in the thickness direction and curved along the outer surface corresponding to the twisted shape, and The cover portion includes a second protruding portion having a protruding end face having a shape protruding toward another outer surface of the attachment portion in the thickness direction and curved along the outer surface corresponding to the twisted shape.

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