Voltage sensing unit and energy storage device

Abstract

A voltage sensing unit comprises: a voltage sensing terminal with a first digit configured to be conductively connected to a detection target; a plate-shaped housing with a terminal receiving recess that receives the voltage sensing terminal; a cover configured to lock to the housing in a temporary locking position in which the first digit of the voltage sensing terminal received in the terminal receiving recess is not covered, and in a final locking position in which the first digit is covered; a temperature sensing unit that receives a temperature sensing element and is attached to the housing; and an electrical conductor that is conductively connected to a second digit of the voltage sensing terminal and is brought out to the outside of the housing.The temperature measuring unit is arranged such that at least part of the temperature measuring unit overlaps the voltage sensing connection in the plate thickness direction of the housing.

Description

Background 1. Field of the invention

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a voltage detection unit configured such that a voltage detection terminal to be conductively connected to a detection target is accommodated in a plate-shaped case, and relates to an energy storage device in which the voltage detection unit is used. 2. Description of the state of the art

[0002] The related art proposes a series-type energy storage device in which a plurality of chargeable and dischargeable thin energy storage modules are connected in series via conductive plates by alternately arranging the plate-type energy storage modules and the conductive plates and repeatedly arranging them. The energy storage modules used in this type of energy storage device generally have a structure incorporating a plurality of battery cells and function as a battery capable of being charged and discharged.

[0003] In one of the prior art energy storage devices, in order to monitor the output state of each energy storage module (ie, the potential of the output surface of each energy storage module relative to zero potential as a reference; hereinafter simply referred to as "energy storage module voltage"), a detection terminal such as a bus bar is connected to the conductive plate in contact with the output surface of the energy storage module, and the voltage of the energy storage module is measured through the detection terminal (see, for example, JP2020-161340A).

[0004] However, when actually connecting the bus bar or the like to the conductive plate in the energy storage device having the above-described structure, it is difficult to provide space for installing other components for connection (e.g., screws for screw fastening or the like) because the energy storage modules and the conductive plates have a thin plate shape. Therefore, the above-described related art energy storage device is provided with an insertion hole for inserting the detection terminal into the side edge of each conductive plate. The detection terminal is inserted into the insertion hole of the conductive plate from the side of the stacked body in which the energy storage modules and the conductive plates are lined up, thereby connecting the conductive plate and the detection terminal.However, in this prior art connection method, the positioning between the insertion hole of the conductive plate and the detection terminal when inserting the detection terminal is complicated, which makes it difficult to improve the labor in the connection process. overview

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a voltage detection unit having excellent processability for establishing a conductive connection with a detection target and an energy storage device in which the voltage detection unit is used.

[0006] To achieve the above-described object, a voltage detection unit and an energy storage device according to the present disclosure are characterized as follows.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a voltage detection unit comprising: a voltage detection terminal having a first installation location configured to be conductively connected to a detection target object; a plate-shaped housing having a terminal receiving recess for receiving the voltage detection terminal; a cover configured to be locked to the housing in a temporary locking position in which the first location of the voltage detection terminal received in the terminal receiving recess is not covered and in a final locking position in which the first location is covered; a temperature measuring unit receiving a temperature measuring element and attached to the housing; and an electric lead conductively connected to a second location.Installation location of the voltage detection terminal and led out to the outside of the housing, wherein the temperature measuring unit is arranged such that at least a part of the temperature measuring unit overlaps with the voltage detection terminal in a plate thickness direction of the housing to prevent the voltage detection terminal received in the terminal receiving recess from moving in the plate thickness direction. .

[0008] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an energy storage device comprising: a plate-shaped conductive module including the voltage detection unit and a conductive plate as a detection target to which the voltage detection terminal is conductively connected; and an energy storage module configured for charging and discharging, on which the conductive module is mounted.

[0009] According to the voltage detection unit and the energy storage device according to the present disclosure, the cover can be locked to the housing, while the voltage detection terminal, whose second location is connected to the electrical line, is housed in the terminal receiving recess of the housing, and the first location of the voltage detection terminal is exposed. Therefore, when the voltage detection unit is electrically connected to a detection target (e.g., a conductive plate or the like used in a stacked energy storage device), after the voltage detection unit is assembled with the detection target, the exposed first location of the voltage detection terminal can be fixed to the detection target using a method such as ultrasonic bonding or welding.This requires no additional component for connection compared to typical screw fastening or the like, and allows for easy alignment of the two components, reducing contact resistance at the contact point compared to the related prior art connection methods described above. By placing the cover in a final locking position after the detection target and the voltage sensing terminal are connected, the first location of the voltage sensing terminal (i.e., the contact point between them) can be covered and protected by the cover.

[0010] Furthermore, by attaching a temperature sensing unit (e.g., a thermistor) to the housing before attaching the cover to the housing as described above, at least a portion of the temperature sensing unit overlaps with the voltage sensing terminal in the board thickness direction, preventing the voltage sensing terminal housed in the terminal receiving recess from moving in the board thickness direction (so-called voltage sensing terminal run-up). The at least a portion of the temperature sensing unit may be in contact with the voltage sensing terminal or may be separated from the voltage sensing terminal by a gap that is acceptable from the viewpoint of restricting the movement of the voltage sensing terminal.This prevents, for example, the voltage sensing terminal housed in the terminal recess from accidentally moving in the direction of the board thickness and interfering with the attachment of the cover to the housing. If the voltage sensing terminal moves in the board thickness direction from its original mounting position before the temperature measurement unit is attached (for example, if the voltage sensing terminal is not properly housed in the terminal mounting recess and rests on the peripheral edge of the terminal mounting recess), the voltage sensing terminal will interfere with the attachment of the temperature measurement unit to the housing, making it possible to detect that the voltage sensing terminal is not properly housed in the terminal mounting recess.

[0011] Therefore, the voltage detection unit and the energy storage device according to the present disclosure are excellently suited for establishing the conductive connection with the detection target. Furthermore, with the voltage detection unit and the energy storage device having the present structure, the voltage detection terminal and the cover can be easily and conveniently mounted to the housing.

[0012] The present disclosure has been briefly described above. Further details of the present disclosure will become apparent from study modes (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") for carrying out the disclosure, which will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Short description of the drawings

[0013] The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description below and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only and thus are not limitative of the present disclosure, in which: Fig. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a stacked energy storage device with a voltage detection unit according to the present embodiment; Fig. 2 a cross-sectional view along a line AA of Fig. 1 is; Fig. 3 an enlarged view of part B in Fig. 2 is; Fig. 4 a perspective elevation view of the Fig. 1 shown voltage detection unit; Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating an operation when the voltage detection terminal is housed in a case; Fig. 6 is a plan view showing a thermistor, a cover, and the housing accommodating the voltage sensing terminal and an electrical lead; Fig. 7 is a plan view illustrating an operation when the thermistor is connected to the Fig. 6 shown housing; Fig. 8 a cross-sectional view along a line CC in Fig. 7 is; Fig. 9 is a plan view illustrating a process in which the cover is attached to the Fig. 7 shown housing; and Fig. 10 a cross-sectional view along a line DD in Fig. 9 is. Detailed description of the invention<Ausführungsbeispiel>

[0014] Hereinafter, a voltage detection unit 105 and an energy storage device 101 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of simplicity, the terms "front," "rear," "top," "bottom," "left," "right," a "forward-backward direction," a "left-right direction," and an "up-down direction" will be used as in Fig. 1. The "forward-backward direction," the "left-right direction," and the "up-down direction" are orthogonal to each other.

[0015] The voltage detection unit 105 is typically used in a stacked or sequential energy storage device 101, which is Fig. 1. The energy storage device 101 is formed by alternately stacking rectangular thin-plate energy storage modules 102 that can be charged and discharged and rectangular thin-plate conductive modules 103 that can electrically connect adjacent energy storage modules 102 in the up-down direction. In the energy storage device 101, a plurality of energy storage modules 102 are electrically connected in series via the conductive modules 103. Each energy storage module 102 has a structure in which a plurality of battery cells (not shown) are included, and the energy storage modules 102 as a whole function like a battery that can be charged and discharged.

[0016] As in Fig. 1, each conductive module 103 is formed to have a rectangular thin plate shape as a whole by a rectangular thin plate-shaped conductive plate 104 (the conductive plate 104 also functions as a heat sink, as described later), the rectangular thin plate-shaped voltage detection unit 105 connected to the left side of the conductive plate 104, and a rectangular thin plate-shaped contact surface unit 106 connected to the right side of the conductive plate 104. As shown in the Fig. 1 to 3 (especially Fig. 2), the conductive plate 104 and the voltage detection unit 105 are connected to each other by inserting a flange 104a into a recess 105a. The flange 104a is provided on the left end face of the conductive plate 104 and extends in the front-to-back direction. The recess 105a is located on the right end face of the voltage detection unit 105 and extends in the front-to-back direction. The conductive plate 104 and the abutment surface unit 106 are connected to each other by inserting a flange 104b into a recess 106a. The flange 104b is located on the right end face of the conductive plate 104 and extends in the front-to-back direction. The recess 106a is provided on the left end face of the abutment surface unit 106 and extends in the front-to-back direction.

[0017] In each of the conductive modules 103 arranged side by side between the energy storage modules 102 in the up-down direction, the conductive plate 104 is in direct contact with the upper and lower energy storage modules 102, as shown in Fig. 2. Thus, the conductive plate 104 serves as a conductor between the bottom of the upper energy storage module 102 and the top of the lower energy storage module 102 and acts as a heat sink that dissipates the heat generated by the upper and lower energy storage modules 102 to the outside.

[0018] In each of the conductive modules 103 located between the energy storage modules 102 adjacent to each other in the up-down direction, the voltage detection unit 105 has a voltage detection terminal 110 (see Fig. 2 and the like) in contact with the conductive plate 104, which will be described later. The voltage detection unit 105 has the function of outputting a signal indicating a voltage between the upper and lower energy storage modules 102 (specifically, the potential of the upper surface (output surface) of the lower energy storage module 102 relative to the zero potential as a reference) via an electrical line 120 (see Fig. 1, etc.) connected to the voltage detection terminal 110. The voltage detection unit 105 is in the Fig. 1 to 3, the voltage detection unit is arranged to the left of the conductive plate 104, but a voltage detection unit having the same function as the voltage detection unit 105 may also be arranged to the right of the conductive plate 104. In this case, a voltage detection unit obtained by inverting the entire configuration of the voltage detection unit 105 in the left-right direction (i.e., a mirrored component of the voltage detection unit 105) is used as the voltage detection unit having the same function as that of the voltage detection unit 105.

[0019] Any one of a voltage detection unit, a placeholder unit, or a temperature detection unit described later is attached as the abutment surface unit 106 to each of the conductive modules 103 positioned between the energy storage modules 102 juxtaposed in the up-down direction, according to the specification of the energy storage device 101.

[0020] When the contact surface unit 106 is a voltage detection unit, a voltage detection unit obtained by inverting the entire configuration of the voltage detection unit 105 in the left-right direction (i.e., a mirror component of the voltage detection unit 105 described above) is used as the contact surface unit 106. In this case, the voltage detection unit 105 is arranged on the left side of the conductive plate 104, and the mirror component of the voltage detection unit 105 is arranged on the right side of the conductive plate 104. The contact surface unit 106 (a mirror component of the voltage detection unit 105) has the same function as the voltage detection unit 105.

[0021] If the contact surface unit 106 is a placeholder unit, a simple resin plate with a recess 106a (see Fig. 2) extending in the front-to-back direction is used as the contact surface unit 106. In this case, the contact surface unit 106 only has the function of filling the gap between the upper and lower energy storage modules 102.

[0022] When the contact surface unit 106 is a temperature detection unit, the contact surface unit 106 has a structure in which a temperature sensor (not shown) is integrated into a resin plate used as a placeholder unit. In this case, the contact surface unit 106 has the function of outputting a signal indicating the temperature of the upper and lower energy storage modules 102 via an electrical line 107 (see Fig. 1), which is connected to the temperature sensor.

[0023] Hereinafter, a specific configuration of the voltage detection unit 105 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Fig. 4 to 10. As described in Fig. As shown in Figure 4, the voltage detection unit 105 includes a housing 140, a voltage detection terminal 110 housed in the housing 140, an electrical lead 120 connected to the voltage detection terminal 110 and housed in the housing 140, a cover 130 mounted on the housing 140, and a thermistor 170 mounted on the housing 140. The thermistor 170 corresponds to a "temperature measurement unit" in the present disclosure.

[0024] The voltage sensing terminal 110 is in a terminal receiving recess 142 formed in the housing 140 (see Fig. 4) which will be described later. The electrical cable 120 is housed in a recess 146 provided for receiving an electrical cable (see Fig. 4) formed in the housing 140 and described later. The cover 130 is mounted in cover mounting recesses 141 (see Fig. 4) formed in the housing 140 and described later. The thermistor 170 is mounted in a thermistor mounting recess 161 formed in the housing 140 (see Fig. 4), which will be described later. The elements constituting the voltage detection unit 105 are described in turn below.

[0025] First, the voltage detection terminal 110 will be described. The metal voltage detection terminal 110 is formed by machining a metal plate by pressing or the like. The voltage detection terminal 110 is inserted into the terminal receiving recess 142 of the housing 140 from above. As shown in the Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, the voltage detection terminal 110 has a rectangular flat plate-shaped first portion 111 extending in the front-backward direction, a rectangular flat plate-shaped second portion 112 extending rightward from the rear end of the first portion 111, and a rectangular flat plate-shaped third portion 113 extending leftward from the front end of the first portion 111, and as a whole has a substantially crank-like flat plate shape when viewed in the up-down direction.

[0026] One end of the electrical line 120 is fixedly and electrically connected to a front portion 113a of the third section 113 (i.e., the end closer to the left end). The other end of the electrical line 120 is to be connected to a voltage measuring device (not shown) outside the energy storage device 101. A part of the flange 104a of the conductive plate 104 is to be fixed to the lower surface of a front portion 112a of the second section 112 (i.e., the end closer to the right end) by a method such as ultrasonic joining or welding (see Fig. 3).

[0027] The voltage detection terminal 110 is provided with an extension portion 114 that extends further rearward from the rear end portion of the first portion 111. Specifically, the extension portion 114 has a first extension portion 114a that extends further rearward from the rear end portion of the first portion 111, and a second extension portion 114b that extends downward (in the direction of the plate thickness of the voltage detection terminal 110) from the extension end of the first extension portion 114a. The downward extension length of the second extension portion 114b is greater than the plate thickness of the voltage detection terminal 110. When the voltage detection terminal 110 is housed in the housing 140, the extension portion 114 is received in a receiving recess 162 (see Fig. 4 and Fig. 8) formed in the thermistor mounting recess 161. The effect of providing the extension portion 114 in the voltage detection terminal 110 will be described later.

[0028] Next, the cover 130 will be described. The cover 130 is a resin molded part and is attached from the left to the cover mounting recesses 141 of the housing 140. As shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 4, the cover 130 has a contact surface portion 131 and an extension portion 132 extending forward from the contact surface portion 131. The contact surface portion 131 mainly serves to cover and protect the voltage detection terminal 110, and the extension portion 132 mainly serves to cover and protect the electrical line 120.

[0029] The abutment surface portion 131 includes a pair of two flat plates 133 facing each other at a distance in the up-down direction, and a coupling portion 134 that couples the left end edges of the two flat plates 133 extending in the front-rear direction in the up-down direction over the entire range in the front-back direction. The abutment surface portion 131 has a substantially U-shaped opening to the right when viewed in the front-back direction. The right end edge of each flat plate 133 has a stepped shape that inclines in a front-left direction when moving. The extension portion 132 extends flush and continuously forward from the front end edge of the upper flat plate 133 of the two flat plates 133 constituting the abutment surface portion 131 and has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape.

[0030] The extension portion 132 is integrally formed with two electric wire holding pieces 135 extending in the left-right direction and spaced apart in the front-back direction. Each electric wire holding piece 135 protrudes downward from the bottom of the extension portion 132 and extends in the left-right direction, protruding further to the right from the right end edge of the extension portion 132. When the cover 130 is mounted on the housing 140, the electric wire holding pieces 135 hold the electric wire 120 housed in the housing 140.

[0031] The lower flat plate 133 of the two flat plates 133 constituting the abutment surface portion 131 is provided with a locking portion 136 projecting upward toward the upper flat plate 133 at a predetermined position (see Fig. 10). The locking portion 136 serves to lock the cover 130 in a temporary locking position (not shown) and the final locking position (see Fig. 9 and Fig. 10) in cooperation with a temporarily locked portion 154 and a permanently locked portion 155 (provided in the housing 140, which will be described later). The rear side wall of the cover 130 (i.e., the side wall connecting the rear end edges of the two flat plates 133 extending in the left-right direction in the up-down direction transverse to the left-right direction) is provided with a rearwardly projecting projection 137.

[0032] Next, the housing 140 will be described. The housing 140 is a resin molded part and has a substantially rectangular, thin plate shape extending in the front-back direction, as shown in Fig. 1 etc. The right end face of the housing 140 is provided with a recess 105a that is recessed to the left and extends in the front-back direction. The flange 104a of the conductive plate 104 is to be fitted into the recess 105a (see Fig. 2).

[0033] At the locations on the top and bottom of the housing 140 where the cover 130 is mounted, the cover mounting recess 141 is recessed in a shape corresponding to the overall shape of the cover 130 (see Fig. 4 to 6). The recess depth (depth in the up-down direction) of the cover mounting recesses 141 is equal to the plate thickness of the resin material from which the cover 130 is made (the contact surface portion 131 + the extension portion 132). When the cover 130 is mounted on the housing 140, the surface of the housing 140 is flush with the surface of the cover 130 (see Fig. 1 and Fig. 9).

[0034] The position where the voltage detection terminal 110 is accommodated on a bottom surface 141a of the upper cover mounting recess 141 of the housing 140 is further recessed with the terminal receiving recess 142 according to a shape corresponding to the entire shape of the voltage detection terminal 110 (see Fig. 4 and Fig. 5). The recess depth (depth in the up-down direction) of the terminal receiving recess 142 is equal to the plate thickness of the voltage sensing terminal 110. When the voltage sensing terminal 110 is mounted on the housing 140, the top surface of the voltage sensing terminal 110 is flush with the bottom surface 141a of the cover mounting recess 141.

[0035] At the right end edge of the housing 140, where the front portion 112a of the voltage detection terminal 110 is located in the front-back direction, a notch 143 is formed, which is recessed to the left in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed in the up-down direction. The recess 105a extending in the right end surface of the housing 140 in the front-back direction is divided by the notch 143. When the voltage detection terminal 110 is housed in the housing 140, the upper and lower surfaces of the front portion 112a of the voltage detection terminal 110 are exposed through the notch 143.

[0036] The position in the terminal receiving recess 142 where the front portion 113a of the voltage detection terminal 110 is arranged is provided with a through hole 144 extending in the front-back direction and penetrating in the up-down direction (see Fig. 4 and Fig. 5). When the voltage detection terminal 110 is housed in the housing 140, one end (contact point) of the electrical line 120 connected to the voltage detection terminal 110 enters the through-hole 144 (see Fig. 6 and Fig. 7). In other words, the through hole 144 acts as a clearance to prevent interference between the bottom surface 142a of the terminal receiving recess 142 and one end of the electric wire 120.

[0037] The position on the bottom surface 141a of the upper cover mounting recess 141 of the housing 140 where the electric wire 120 is accommodated is provided with an electric wire accommodation recess 146 having a shape corresponding to the wiring path of the electric wire 120 when the electric wire 120 is accommodated (see Fig. 4 and Fig. 5). In the present embodiment, the electric wire receiving recess 146 is a groove extending in a straight line in the front-back direction. The rear end of the electric wire receiving recess 146 communicates with the terminal receiving recess 142, and the front end of the electric wire receiving recess 146 forms an electric wire outlet 149 through which the electric wire 120 extends from the front end edge of the housing 140.

[0038] Two locations spaced apart in the front-to-back direction in the electric wire receiving recess 146 are each provided with a narrow recess 151, which is a recess with a width (distance in the left-to-right direction) smaller than the other parts of the electric wire receiving recess 146. The width of the narrow recess 151 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the electric wire 120. Therefore, the electric wire 120 is clamped while being pushed in the left-to-right direction. By clamping the electric wire 120 between the two narrow recesses 151, it is possible to withstand the external force due to friction between the narrow recesses 151 and the electric wire 120, even if an inadvertent external force is applied to the electric wire 120 pulled out of the housing 140.Thus, a large external force is hardly exerted on the contact point between the voltage detection terminal 110 and the electrical line 120.

[0039] As in the Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, the positions on the bottom surface 141a of the upper cover mounting recess 141 of the housing 140 where the two electric wire holding pieces 135 of the cover 130 are arranged are formed with two electric wire holding piece recesses 152 as a pair extending in the left-right direction at a pitch in the front-back direction so as to correspond to the two electric wire holding pieces 135.

[0040] The recesses 152 for the holding piece for electric wires extend in the left-right direction from the left end edge of the upper surface of the housing 140 to the right inner wall 141b (see Fig. 4 and Fig. 5), which defines the right end of the upper cover mounting recess 141 via the recess 146 for receiving an electrical wire. Each of the locations on the right inner wall 141b of the upper cover mounting recess 141, where the two recesses 152 for the electrical wire holding piece are connected, is provided with a rightwardly recessed storage hole 153 (see Fig. 4 and Fig. 5). When the cover 130 is mounted on the housing 140, the ends of the extensions (ie, the right end) of the two electrical wire holding pieces 135 of the cover 130 are to be inserted into the two storage holes 153 and held there.

[0041] As in Fig. 10, the bottom surface 141a of the lower cover mounting recess 141 of the housing 140 is formed with a temporarily locked portion 154 and a permanently locked portion 155, which are upwardly recessed recesses. The temporarily locked portions 154 and the permanently locked portion 155 are provided at locations where the locking portion 136 of the cover 130 is in the temporarily locked position (not shown) and in the permanently locked position (see Fig. 9 and Fig. 10). In particular, the temporarily locked portion 154 and the permanently locked portion 155 are aligned in the left-right direction such that the permanently locked portion 155 is located to the right of the temporarily locked portion 154.

[0042] At the left end edge of the housing 140 extending in the front-back direction, the position where the thermistor 170 is mounted, that is, the position adjacent to the back of the upper and lower cover mounting recess 141, is provided with a thermistor mounting recess 161 having a shape corresponding to the overall shape of the thermistor 170 (a body 172 to be described later) and recessed to the right in a substantially rectangular shape as viewed in the up-down direction (see Fig. 4 to 6).

[0043] The thermistor 170 is a component used to measure the temperature of the voltage detection terminal 110 and is mounted in the thermistor mounting recess 161 of the housing 140 from the left. As shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 8, the thermistor 170 has a thermistor element 171, which is a temperature measuring element, and a plastic body 172 in which the thermistor element 171 is housed. The body 172 has a substantially rectangular, parallelepiped shape extending in the left-right direction and has an interior space 172a for accommodating the thermistor element 171 (see Fig. 8). The gap between the thermistor element 171 accommodated in the interior space 172a and the inner wall surface delimiting the interior space 172a is filled with a sealing material 173 (see Fig. 8). The thickness (the length in the up-down direction) of the body 172 is equal to the depth (the length in the up-down direction) of the thermistor mounting recess 161 (= the plate thickness of the resin material from which the housing 140 is made). When the thermistor 170 is mounted on the housing 140, the surface of the housing 140 is flush with the surface of the body 172 (see Fig. 7 to 9).

[0044] The thermistor element 171 is mounted inside the housing 172 and is electrically connected to one end of an electrical lead 180. The electrical lead 180 connected to the thermistor element 171 extends from the left end of the housing 172 rearward toward the outside of the housing 172 (see Fig. 4 and Fig. 6). The other end of the electrical line 180 is to be connected to a temperature measuring device (not shown) outside the energy storage device 101.

[0045] The upper right end of the left-right extending, substantially rectangular parallelepiped body 172 is integrally provided with a projecting plate 174 which projects forward and extends in the left-right direction (see Fig. 4 and 6 to 9). When the thermistor 170 is mounted on the housing 140, the protruding plate 174 engages the extension portion 114 (more precisely, the first extension portion 114a) of the voltage detection terminal 110, which is housed in the terminal receiving recess 142 (see Fig. 8). Both the front and rear outer surfaces of the housing 172 are provided with locking portions 175 (see Fig. ). When the thermistor 170 is mounted on the housing 140, the locking portions 175 are locked with the locking portions 163 provided in the thermistor mounting recess 161, which will be described later. In this example, the locking portions 175 are provided with recesses in grooves extending in the left-right direction in the front and rear side walls of the housing 172. The front side wall of the housing 172 is provided with a notch-shaped cavity 176 extending in the left-right direction. When the cover 130 and the thermistor 170 are attached to the housing 140, the projection 137 of the cover 130 fits into the cavity 176.

[0046] The upper part of the front inner wall at the bottom (right end) of the thermistor mounting recess 161 communicates with the rear end of the terminal receiving recess 142. The upper part of the front inner wall is provided with a receiving recess 162. The receiving recess 162 is a groove adjacent to the rear side of the rear end edge of the bottom surface 142a of the terminal receiving recess 142 and offset downward from the bottom surface 142a. Both the front and rear inner surfaces of the thermistor mounting recess 161 are provided with the locking portions 163.In this example, the locked portions 163 each include a protruding locking part extending in the left-right direction adjacent to and along the front inner surface of the thermistor mounting recess 161, and a locking strip extending in the left-right direction and provided on the rear inner surface of the thermistor mounting recess 161. The entire area in the front-back direction rearward of the thermistor mounting recess 161 in the left end surface of the front-back extending, substantially rectangular, thin plate-shaped housing 140 is provided with a rightward-deepened and front-back extending recess 164 (see FIG. Fig. 4 and Fig. 5). The recess 164 serves to accommodate the electrical line 180 leading from the thermistor 170 (see Fig. 7 and Fig. 9). The elements constituting the voltage detection unit 105 have been described above.

[0047] The following describes a method for assembling the voltage detection terminal 110, the thermistor 170, and the cover 130 with the housing 140. First, the voltage detection terminal 110, which is connected in advance to the electric wire 120, is housed in the terminal receiving recess 142 of the housing 140. Further, the voltage detection terminal 110 is fitted from above into the terminal recess 142 of the housing 140 so that one end (contact point) of the electric wire 120 enters the through-hole 144 (see the white arrow in Fig. 5). In this case, the voltage detection terminal 110 has a shape that (the terminal receiving recess 142 of the) housing or the housing 140 between a receiving position accommodated in the terminal receiving recess 142 (the position of the voltage detection terminal 110, which in Fig. 6), and an external position which is taken when it is removed from the receiving position (the position of the voltage detection terminal 110 shown in Fig. 5) is not obstructed when the voltage sensing terminal 110 is moved away from the housing 140 in the direction of the board thickness (up-down direction). When the voltage sensing terminal 110 is housed in the terminal receiving recess 142, the voltage sensing terminal 110 can be housed in the terminal receiving recess 142 simply by moving the entire voltage sensing terminal 110 straight down toward the terminal receiving recess 142 (in the board thickness direction) while holding the voltage sensing terminal 110 horizontally (in an orientation orthogonal to the up-down direction).

[0048] In a state where the voltage detection terminal 110 is completely housed in the housing 140, the upper and lower surfaces of the front portion 112a of the voltage detection terminal 110 are exposed through the notch 143 (see Fig. 6 and Fig. 7). Furthermore, the second extension portion 114b of the extension portion 114 is arranged in the receiving recess 162 of the thermistor mounting recess 161 such that the first extension portion 114a of the extension portion 114 of the voltage detection terminal 110 closes the upper opening of the receiving recess 162 (see Fig. 8).

[0049] Next, the electric wire 120 extending from the voltage detection terminal 110 housed in the housing 140 is inserted into the electric wire receiving recess 146 of the housing 140. Therefore, the electric wire 120 is fitted along the electric wire receiving recess 146 from above. At this time, two portions of the electric wire 120 positioned at the upper portions of the two narrow recesses 151 are pressed downward, so that the two portions of the electric wire 120 are inserted into the two narrow recesses 151. In a state where the electric wire 120 is completely housed in the housing 140, the electric wire 120 extends forward from the electric wire outlet 149 to the outside of the housing 140.

[0050] Next, the thermistor 170 is attached to the housing 140. For this purpose, the body 172 of the thermistor 170 is fitted from the left into the thermistor mounting recess 161 of the housing 140 so that the locking portions 175 of the body 172 are locked with the locking portions 163 of the thermistor mounting recess 161 (see the white arrow in Fig. 7). The electrical line 180, which extends rearwardly from the left end of the body 172, is housed in a recess 164 (see Fig. 4 and Fig. 5) extending in the front-back direction and provided in the left end face of the housing 140, and extends through the rear end opening of the recess 164 (see Fig. 1) to the outside of the housing 140.

[0051] In a state where the thermistor 170 is completely mounted in the thermistor mounting recess 161 as shown in Fig. As shown in Fig. 8, the protruding plate 174 provided on the body 172 of the thermistor 170 is engaged with the first extension portion 114a to overlap the upper side of the first extension portion 114a of the extension portion 114 of the voltage detection terminal 110. Accordingly, the voltage detection terminal 110 accommodated in the terminal receiving recess 142 is prevented from moving upward (in the plate thickness direction). Therefore, for example, the voltage detection terminal 110 accommodated in the terminal recess 142 is prevented from inadvertently moving upward (in the plate thickness direction) and hindering the attachment of the cover 130 to the housing 140.When the voltage detection terminal 110 moves upward (in the plate thickness direction) from the original receiving position before the thermistor 170 is fixed to the housing 140 (for example, when the voltage detection terminal 110 is not properly accommodated in the terminal receiving recess 142 and is seated on the peripheral edge of the terminal receiving recess 142), the protruding plate 174 collides with the first extension portion 114a of the extension portion 114, and the fixing of the thermistor 170 to the housing 140 by the voltage detection terminal 110 is hindered, so that it can be recognized that the voltage detection terminal 110 is not properly accommodated in the terminal receiving recess 142.In this example, the protruding plate 174 of the thermistor 170 is in contact with the first extension portion 114a of the voltage detection terminal 110, but the protruding plate 174 and the first extension portion 114a may be separated from each other by a gap allowable from the viewpoint of the restriction described above.

[0052] Further, in a state where the thermistor 170 is completely mounted to the thermistor mounting recess 161, the second extension portion 114b of the extension portion 114 of the voltage detection terminal 110 is disposed adjacent to the right side of the body 172 of the thermistor 170 (see Fig. 8). The second extension portion 114b of the voltage detection terminal 110 and the body 172 of the thermistor 170 may be in contact with each other or separated by a gap, as long as it is permissible from the viewpoint of improving thermal conductivity described later. As a result, the heat of the second extension portion 114b (i.e., the voltage detection terminal 110) is conducted to the thermistor element 171 housed in the body 172 via the body 172 and the sealing material 173 filled in the interior space 172a of the body 172, in this order. In this way, the thermistor 170 can measure the temperature of the voltage detection terminal 110. Here, the body 172 of the thermistor 170 is adjacent to the second extension portion 114b extending downward (in the plate thickness direction of the voltage detection terminal 110) and contained in the voltage detection terminal 110.This increases the size of the area contributing to heat conduction from the voltage sensing terminal 110 to the body 172 (in other words, the contact area therebetween, or the area where they are adjacent to each other even when they are not in contact with each other), compared to a case where only the edge of the voltage sensing terminal 110 is adjacent to the body 172 of the thermistor 170. Accordingly, the thermistor 170 can accurately measure the temperature of the voltage sensing terminal 110 (and thus the temperature of the energy storage module 102, which is conducted through the conductive plate 104 and the voltage sensing terminal 110 in the stacked energy storage device 101).Not only the heat conducted from the power storage module 102 via the conductive plate 104 and the voltage detection terminal 110 but also the heat conducted from the energy storage modules 102 enclosing the thermistor 170 in the up-down direction is conducted to the thermistor 170.

[0053] Next, the cover 130 is attached to the housing 140 by locking it to the housing 140 in the first temporary locking position. For this purpose, the cover 130 is slid to the right so that the contact surface portion 131 of the cover 130 clamps the upper and lower cover fastening recesses 141 of the housing 140 in the up-down direction, the extension portion 132 of the cover 130 covers the upper cover fastening recesses 141 of the housing 140, and the two electrical wire holding pieces 135 of the cover 130 cover the two electrical wire holding piece recesses 152 of the housing 140 (see the white arrows in Fig. 9). In the process in which the cover 130 moves to the right relative to the housing 140, the locking portion 136 of the cover 130 slides on the bottom surface 141a of the cover mounting recess 141. Thereafter, the locking portion 136 enters the temporary locking portion 154 (see Fig. 10) and engages the temporary locking portion 154. Accordingly, the cover 130 is locked to the housing 140 in the temporary locking position, and the cover 130 is completely mounted to the housing 140, thereby obtaining the voltage detection unit 105 (see Fig. 1). In a state where the cover 130 is locked in the temporary locking position, the upper and lower right end edges 130b of the cover 130 (see Fig. 4, Fig. 6 and Fig. 7) not in contact with the upper and lower right inner walls 141b (see Fig. 4 to 7) of the housing 140, and there are gaps in the left-right direction between the right end edges 130b and the right inner walls 141b. As described later, the voltage detection unit 105 obtained after the cover 130 is completely mounted on the housing 140 (in a state where the cover 130 is locked in the temporary locking position) is to be used for assembling the conductive module 103 (see Fig. 1).

[0054] In a state where the cover 130 is locked in the temporary locking position, the abutment surface portion 131 of the cover 130 (more specifically, the right ends 133a of the pair of upper and lower flat plates 133 (see Fig. 4, Fig. 6 and Fig. 7)) does not cover the front portion 112a of the voltage detection terminal 110. Therefore, the upper and lower surfaces of the front portion 112a of the voltage detection terminal 110 are also exposed through the notch 143.

[0055] Furthermore, the two electrical wire holding pieces 135 of the cover 130 are arranged above the opening of the electrical wire receiving recess 146. This prevents the electrical wire 120 from escaping from the electrical wire receiving recess 146. Moreover, the ends of the extensions of the two electrical wire holding pieces 135 are received in the two storage holes 153. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent accidental deformation, such as misalignment of the two electrical wire holding pieces 135 or separation of the two electrical wire holding pieces 135 from the electrical wire receiving recess 146.

[0056] The following describes a method for moving the cover 130 locked in the temporary locking position to the final locking position (see Fig. 9 and Fig. 10). To move the cover 130 locked in the temporary locking position to the final locking position, the cover 130 locked in the temporary locking position is pushed to the right (see the white arrow in Fig. 9). During the process in which the cover 130 moves to the right relative to the housing 140, the ends of the extensions of the two electrical wire holding pieces 135 of the cover 130 further enter and are held in the two storage holes 153. At the same time, the locking portion 136 of the cover 130 extends beyond the temporarily locked portion 154 and slides on the bottom surface 141a of the cover mounting recess 141. Thereafter, the locking portion 136 enters the interior of the final locking portion 155 and is engaged with the final locking portion 155, and the upper and lower right end edges 130b of the cover 130 come into contact with the upper and lower right inner walls 141b of the housing 140, respectively. Thus, the cover 130 is locked in the final locking position on the housing 140 (see Fig. 9 and Fig. 10).

[0057] In a state where the cover 130 is locked in the final locking position as shown in Fig. 9, the entire cover mounting recess 141 is covered with the cover 130 without a gap, and thus the entire recess 146 for receiving electrical wires is covered with the extension portion 132 of the cover 130. This prevents the electrical wire 120 from escaping from the recess for receiving electrical wires 146. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 10, the contact surface portion 131 of the cover 130 (more precisely, the right end 133a of the pair of upper and lower flat plates 133) covers the upper and lower surfaces of the front portion 112a of the voltage detection terminal 110. Accordingly, the entire voltage detection terminal 110 is covered with the contact surface portion 131 of the cover 130, so that the voltage detection terminal 110 can be reliably protected.

[0058] As described above, the voltage detection unit 105 obtained after the cover 130 is completely mounted on the housing 140 (in a state where the cover 130 is locked in the temporary locking position) is used for assembling the conductive module 103 (see Fig. 1). Specifically, as in Fig. 2, the flange 104a of the conductive plate 104 is fitted into the recess 105a of the voltage detection unit 105 so that the voltage detection unit 105 is coupled to the left side of the conductive plate 104.

[0059] In this state, as Fig. 3, a part of the flange 104a of the conductive plate 104 overlaps the lower side of the front portion 112a of the voltage detection terminal 110, and the upper surface of the front portion 112a of the voltage detection terminal 110 is exposed upward and the lower surface of a part of the flange 104a of the conductive plate 104 is exposed downward due to the presence of the notch 143 of the housing 140.

[0060] Next, the upper surface of the front portion 112a of the voltage detection terminal 110, which is exposed upward, and the lower surface of a part of the flange 104a of the conductive plate 104, which is exposed downward, are used to fix the front portion 112a of the voltage detection terminal 110 and the part of the flange 104a of the conductive plate 104 by a method such as ultrasonic bonding or welding. After that, the cover 130 is moved from the temporary locking position to the final locking position, and the voltage detection unit 105 is completely mounted on the conductive plate 104.

[0061] Next, the flange 104b of the conductive plate 104 is fitted into the recess 106a of the contact surface unit 106 so that the contact surface unit 106 is connected to the right side of the conductive plate 104 on which the voltage detection unit 105 is mounted (see Fig. 2, etc.). The conductive module 103 is thus completely assembled.

[0062] The conductive module 103 thus obtained is used for the assembly of the Fig. 1. Specifically, the energy storage modules 102 and the conductive modules 103 are alternately stacked in the up-down direction, and the stacked body is fixed by a predetermined joint or the like, thereby obtaining the energy storage device 101. <Betrieb und Auswirkungen>

[0063] As described above, according to the voltage detection unit 105 and the energy storage device 101 in which the voltage detection unit 105 according to the present embodiment is used, the cover 130 can be locked to the housing 140, while the voltage detection terminal 110, whose front portion 113a is connected to the electric wire 120, is received in the terminal receiving recess 142 of the housing 140, and the front portion 112a of the voltage detection terminal 110 is exposed. Therefore, when the voltage detection unit 105 is electrically connected to the conductive plate 104 (the conductive plate 104 of the stacked energy storage device 101), for example, For example, after the voltage detection unit 105 is joined to the conductive plate 104, the exposed front portion 112a of the voltage detection terminal 110 may be fixed to the conductive plate 104 by a method such as ultrasonic joining or welding.This requires no additional component for connection compared to a typical screw fastening or the like, and can easily align the two components and reduce contact resistance at the contact point compared to the related art connection methods described above. Furthermore, by placing the cover 130 in the final locking position after the connection between the conductive plate 104 and the voltage sensing terminal 110, the front portion 112a of the voltage sensing terminal 110 (i.e., the contact point therebetween) can be covered and protected by the cover 130.

[0064] To attach the cover 130 to the housing 140, the thermistor 170 is attached to the housing 140 so that the thermistor 170 engages the voltage detection terminal 110 and the voltage detection terminal 110, which is housed in the terminal receiving recess 142, is prevented from moving in the board thickness direction (upward). This prevents, for example, the voltage detection terminal 110 housed in the terminal recess 142 from inadvertently moving in the board thickness direction (upward) and hindering the attachment of the cover 130 to the housing 140. If the voltage detection terminal 110 moves from the original receiving position in the board thickness direction (upward) before the thermistor 170 is attached (e.g.,When the voltage detection terminal 110 is not properly accommodated in the terminal receiving recess 142 and is seated on the peripheral edge of the terminal receiving recess 142, the attachment of the thermistor 170 to the housing 140 is obstructed by the voltage detection terminal 110, so that it can be recognized that the voltage detection terminal 110 is not properly accommodated in the terminal receiving recess 142. Therefore, the voltage detection unit 105 and the energy storage device 101 according to the present embodiment have excellent operability for maintaining conductive connection with the conductive plate 104. Furthermore, the voltage detection unit 105 and the energy storage device 101 according to the present embodiment allow the voltage detection terminal 110 and the cover 130 to be easily and conveniently mounted on the housing 140.

[0065] Furthermore, according to the voltage detection unit 105 of the present embodiment, the body 172 of the thermistor 170 is located adjacent to the second extension portion 114b extending in the plate thickness direction of the voltage detection terminal 110. This increases the area of ​​the region contributing to heat conduction from the voltage detection terminal 110 to the body 172 (in other words, the contact area therebetween or the area where they are adjacent even when they are not in contact with each other) compared to a case where only the edge of the voltage detection terminal 110 is adjacent to the body 172. Accordingly, the thermistor 170 can accurately measure the temperature of the voltage detection terminal 110 (in other words, for example, the temperature of the energy storage module 102, which is conducted through the conductive plate 104 and the voltage detection terminal 110 into the stacked power storage device 101).

[0066] According to the voltage detection unit 105 of the present embodiment, the voltage detection terminal 110 has a shape that does not interfere with the housing 140 between the receiving position accommodated in the terminal receiving recess 142 and the outward position assumed when the housing 140 moves it away from the receiving position in the board thickness direction (upward). Therefore, when the voltage detection terminal 110 is accommodated in the terminal receiving recess 142, the voltage detection terminal 110 can be accommodated in the terminal receiving recess 142 simply by moving the voltage detection terminal 110 linearly toward the terminal receiving recess 142 in the board thickness direction (downward).Accordingly, for example, the voltage detection terminal 110 can be easily arranged in the terminal receiving recess 142, compared with a case requiring an operation of hooking the edge of the voltage detection terminal 110 into the locking hole of the housing 140 when accommodating the voltage detection terminal 110. <Andere Ausführungsformen>

[0067] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes can be implemented within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and changes, improvements, and the like can be made as appropriate. Furthermore, the materials, shapes, sizes, numbers, arrangement positions, and the like of components in the above-described embodiment are freely selectable and are not limited as long as the present disclosure can be implemented.

[0068] The features of the above-described embodiment of the voltage detection unit 105 and the energy storage device 101 are briefly summarized and listed below by [1] to [4].

[0069] [1] A voltage detection unit (105), comprising: a voltage detection terminal (110) having a first location or installation location (112a) configured to be conductively connected to a detection target object (104); a plate-shaped housing (140) having a terminal receiving recess (142) which receives the voltage detection terminal (110); a cover (130) configured to be locked to the housing (140) in a temporary locking position in which the first location (112a) of the voltage detection terminal (110) accommodated in the terminal receiving recess (142) is not covered, and in a final locking position in which the first location (112a) is covered; a temperature measuring unit (170) which accommodates a temperature measuring element (171) and is attached to the housing (140); and an electrical line (120) which is conductively connected to a second location or installation location (113a) of the voltage detection terminal (110) and is led out to the outside of the housing (140), wherein the temperature measuring unit (170) is arranged such that at least a part of the temperature measuring unit (170) overlaps with the voltage detection terminal (110) in a plate thickness direction of the housing (140) in order to prevent the voltage detection terminal (110) accommodated in the terminal receiving recess (142) from moving in the plate thickness direction.

[0070] According to the voltage detection unit configured in [1] above, the cover can be locked to the housing, while the voltage detection terminal, whose second position is connected to the electric wire, is accommodated in the terminal receiving recess of the housing, and the first position of the voltage detection terminal is exposed. Therefore, when the voltage detection unit is electrically connected to a detection target (e.g., a conductive plate or the like used in a stacked energy storage device), after the voltage detection unit is mounted on the detection target, the exposed first position of the voltage detection terminal can be fixed to the detection target by a method such as ultrasonic bonding or welding.This requires no additional component for connection compared to a typical screw connection or similar, and can easily align the two components and reduce contact resistance at the contact point compared to the related prior art connection methods described above. Furthermore, by placing the cover in the final locking position after the detection target and the voltage detection terminal are connected, the first location of the voltage detection terminal (i.e., the contact point between them) can be covered and protected by the cover.

[0071] By attaching a temperature sensing unit (e.g., a thermistor) to the housing before attaching the cover to the housing, at least a portion of the temperature sensing unit overlaps the voltage sensing terminal in the board thickness direction, thereby preventing the voltage sensing terminal housed in the terminal receiving recess from shifting in the board thickness direction (so-called voltage sensing terminal ramp-up). The at least a portion of the temperature sensing unit may be in contact with the voltage sensing terminal or may be separated from the voltage sensing terminal by a gap, as long as the gap is acceptable from the viewpoint of restricting the movement of the voltage sensing terminal.This prevents, for example, the voltage sensing terminal housed in the terminal recess from accidentally moving in the board thickness direction and interfering with the attachment of the cover to the housing. If the voltage sensing terminal moves in the board thickness direction from its original mounting position before the temperature measurement unit is attached (e.g., if the voltage sensing terminal is not properly housed in the terminal mounting recess and is seated on the peripheral edge of the terminal mounting recess), the voltage sensing terminal will interfere with the attachment of the temperature measurement unit to the housing, making it possible to detect that the voltage sensing terminal is not properly housed in the terminal mounting recess.

[0072] Accordingly, the voltage detection unit with this design is ideally suited for establishing a conductive connection to the detection target. Furthermore, the voltage detection unit with this design allows the voltage detection terminal and cover to be easily and conveniently mounted on the housing.

[0073] [2] The voltage detection unit (105) according to the above [1], in which the voltage detection terminal (110) has a third location or installation location (114b) extending in the plate thickness direction, and the temperature measuring device (170) is arranged adjacent to the third location (114b).

[0074] According to the voltage detection unit of the above [2], the temperature measurement unit is arranged adjacent to the third location extending in the plate thickness direction of the voltage detection terminal. This increases the size of the area contributing to heat conduction from the voltage detection terminal to the temperature measurement unit (in other words, the contact area between them or the area where they are adjacent even if they are not in contact with each other), compared to a case where only the edge of the voltage detection terminal is adjacent to the temperature measurement unit. Accordingly, the temperature measurement unit can accurately measure the temperature of the voltage detection terminal (in other words, for example, the temperature of the energy storage module propagated through a conductive plate or the like as a detection target and the voltage detection terminal in a stacked energy storage device).

[0075] [3] The voltage detection unit (105) according to the above [1], in which the voltage detection terminal (110) has a shape that is not an obstacle to the housing (140) between a receiving position in which the voltage detection terminal (110) is received in the terminal receiving recess (142) and an outward position in which the voltage detection terminal (110) is assumed to be moved away from the receiving position in the plate thickness direction from the housing (140).

[0076] According to the voltage detection unit constructed as described in [3] above, the voltage detection terminal has a shape that does not cause interference with the housing between the receiving position accommodated in the terminal receiving recess and the outer position assumed to be moved from the housing in the board thickness direction away from the receiving position. When the voltage detection terminal is mounted, the voltage detection terminal can be accommodated in the terminal receiving recess simply by linearly moving the voltage detection terminal in the board thickness direction from the outer side of the housing (i.e., from the outer position) toward the receiving position of the terminal receiving recess.Accordingly, for example, the voltage detection terminal can be easily received in the terminal receiving recess, compared with a case that requires an operation of hooking the edge of the voltage detection terminal into the locking hole of the housing when receiving the voltage detection terminal.

[0077] [4] An energy storage device (101), comprising: a plate-shaped conductive module (103) containing the voltage detection unit (105) according to any one of [1] to [3] above and a conductive plate (104) as the detection target object to which the voltage detection terminal (110) is conductively connected; and an energy storage module (102) which is designed for charging and discharging and on which the conductive module (103) is placed.

[0078] According to the energy storage device having the structure of the above aspect [4], the cover can be locked to the housing, while the voltage detection terminal, whose second position is connected to the electric wire, is accommodated in the terminal receiving recess of the housing, and the first position of the voltage detection terminal is exposed. Therefore, when the voltage detection unit is electrically connected to a detection target (e.g., a conductive plate or the like used in a stacked energy storage device), after the voltage detection unit is mounted on the detection target, the exposed first position of the voltage detection terminal can be fixed to the detection target by a method such as ultrasonic bonding or welding.This requires no additional component for connection compared to a typical screw connection or similar, and can easily align the two components and reduce contact resistance at the contact point compared to the related prior art connection methods described above. Furthermore, by placing the cover in the final locking position after the detection target and the voltage sensing terminal are connected, the first location of the voltage sensing terminal (i.e., the contact point between them) can be covered and protected by the cover.

[0079] To attach the cover to the housing, the temperature sensing unit is attached to the housing such that at least a part of the temperature sensing unit overlaps with the voltage sensing terminal in the board thickness direction, and the voltage sensing terminal accommodated in the terminal receiving recess is prevented from moving in the board thickness direction. At least a part of the temperature sensing unit may be in contact with the voltage sensing terminal or may be separated from the voltage sensing terminal by a gap, as long as it is allowable with respect to the limitation described above. This prevents, for example, the voltage sensing terminal accommodated in the terminal recess from inadvertently moving in the board thickness direction and hindering the attachment of the cover to the housing.When the voltage detection terminal moves away from the original receiving position in the board thickness direction before the temperature measurement unit is attached (e.g., when the voltage detection terminal is not adequately accommodated in the terminal receiving recess and is seated on the peripheral edge of the terminal receiving recess), the attachment of the temperature measurement unit to the housing is hindered by the voltage detection terminal, so that it can be recognized that the voltage detection terminal is not adequately accommodated in the terminal receiving recess.

[0080] Accordingly, the energy storage device with the present structure is excellently suited to establishing a conductive connection with the detection target. Furthermore, the energy storage device with the present structure allows the voltage detection terminal and the cover to be easily and conveniently mounted on the housing. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] JP 2020-161340A

[0003]

Claims

[1] A voltage detection unit (105), comprising: a voltage detection terminal (110) having a first location (112a) configured to be conductively connected to a detection target object (104); a plate-shaped housing (140) having a terminal receiving recess (142) which receives the voltage detection terminal (110); a cover (130) configured to be locked to the housing (140) in a temporary locking position in which the first location (112a) of the voltage detection terminal (110) accommodated in the terminal receiving recess (142) is not covered, and in a final locking position in which the first location (112a) is covered; a temperature measuring unit (170) which accommodates a temperature measuring element (171) and is attached to the housing (140); and an electrical line (120) which is conductively connected to a second location (113a) of the voltage detection terminal (110) and is led out to the outside of the housing (140), wherein the temperature measuring unit (170) is arranged such that at least a part of the temperature measuring unit (170) overlaps with the voltage detection terminal (110) in a plate thickness direction of the housing (140) such that the voltage detection terminal (110) accommodated in the terminal receiving recess (142) is prevented from moving in the plate thickness direction. [2] The voltage detection unit (105) according to claim 1, wherein: the voltage detection terminal (110) has a third location (114b) extending in the plate thickness direction; and the temperature measuring unit (170) is arranged adjacent to the third location (114b). [3] The voltage detection unit (105) according to claim 1, wherein the voltage detection terminal (110) has a shape that is not an obstacle to the housing (140) between a receiving position in which the voltage detection terminal (110) is received in the terminal receiving recess (142) and an outward position in which the voltage detection terminal (110) is assumed to be moved away from the housing (140) in the plate thickness direction from the receiving position. [4] An energy storage device (101) comprising: a plate-shaped conductive module (103) with the voltage detection unit (105) according to one of claims 1 to 3 and a conductive plate (104) as a detection target object, to which the voltage detection terminal (110) is conductively connected; and an energy storage module (102) which is designed for charging and discharging and on which the conductive module (103) is placed.

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