wiring module

Abstract

A wiring module (1) comprises a wiring module housing (10) having a wiring path (11a) provided with a wiring element (W), and a connector (20) having a housing (21) for securing one end of the wiring element (W). The wiring module housing (10) has a housing body (11) provided with the wiring path (11a) and a cover (15) provided on the housing body (11) that covers the wiring path (11a).The cover (15) has a cover body (15a) that is fixed to the housing body (11) and a hinge structure section (15b) that is connected to the cover body (15a) on the side of the connector (20) of the cover body (15a) via a hinge (16), is rotatable about an axis (CL) of the hinge (16) between an open position (K1) and a closed position (K2) and has a wiring element fixing section (15c) for fixing the wiring element (W) at one end side in the direction of the connector (20) by being separated from the wiring path (11a).

Description

Background of the invention Field of invention The present invention relates to a wiring module. Description of the related technique As an example of a technique relating to a conventional wiring module and a connector, Japanese patent application JP 2019-192336 A discloses a wiring module comprising a flat electrical conductor attached to an energy storage element group in which a plurality of energy storage elements are integrated, and a connector on the electrical conductor side that is connected to the end of the flat electrical conductor and fits into a device-side connector provided in a control unit of the energy storage element group. The flat electrical conductor has an excess length section extending from the energy storage element group, and a bend-restraint plate is laminated onto a portion of the excess length section. The bend-restraint plate suppresses free movement of the excess length section due to vibrations or the like. In such a wiring module, for example, the arrangement of the excess length section of the wiring element can be determined taking into account the arrangement of surrounding components, such as a cover for a battery pack, but there is room for further improvement of the arrangement of the excess length section of the wiring element. Summary of the invention The present invention was made taking into account the circumstances described above, and one object of the invention is to provide a wiring module that is able to arrange an excess length section of a wiring element in a suitable manner. To achieve the above-mentioned objective, a wiring module according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a wiring element that is electrically connected to an electrode terminal of a battery cell forming a battery module; a wiring module housing having a wiring path provided with the wiring element;and a connector comprising a housing for fixing one end of the wiring element, wherein the wiring module housing comprises a housing body provided with the wiring path, and a cover provided on the housing body and covering the wiring path, and the cover comprising a cover body fixed to the housing body, and a hinge structure section connected to the cover body on the side of the connector of the cover body via a hinge, rotatably about an axis of the hinge between an open position and a closed position, and comprising a wiring element fixing section that fixes the wiring element at one end side in the direction of the connector by being separated from the wiring path. The above and other objectives, features, advantages and the technical and industrial significance of this invention will be better understood by reading the following detailed description of the currently preferred embodiments of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Brief description of the drawings Fig. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration in a state where a wiring module including a connector according to one embodiment is mounted to a battery module and a hinge structure section is in an open position; Fig. 2 is a side view viewed from a P-direction in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a front view showing a schematic configuration in a state where the wiring module including the connector according to the embodiment is mounted to the battery module, the hinge structure section is in a closed position, and the connector is connected to a mating connector; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a wiring module according to a modification of the embodiment. Detailed description of preferred embodiments One embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that can be easily replaced by those skilled in the art or those that are essentially the same. embodiment A wiring module 1 of the present embodiment, shown in Fig. 1, is contained in a busbar module BBM, which is mounted to a battery module BM. The wiring module 1 comprises a wiring module housing 10, a wiring element W, and a connector 20. A plurality of battery cells BC form a battery module BM. The battery module BM is a component of a battery pack BP. The battery pack BP can comprise a plurality of battery modules BM. The battery pack BP is installed as an energy source in a vehicle, such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicle. The busbar module BBM accommodates a plurality of busbars (not shown) that are electrically connected to a pair of electrodes (not shown), including a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal, in each battery cell BC. The electrode pair of the plurality of battery cells BC is connected in parallel or in series by a plurality of busbars. The electrode terminal of each battery cell BC is electrically connected to the wiring element W, for example, via a voltage sensing terminal (not shown). The voltage sensing terminal is electrically connected to the busbar and senses a voltage between the electrode terminals. The wiring element W, electrically connected to the voltage sensing terminal, is electrically connected to a monitoring device 100 (see Fig. 3) via connector 20.Connector 20 is designed as a female connector and is joined to a male connector 110 (mating connector) of the monitoring device 100. The voltage of each battery cell BC is monitored by the monitoring device 100. In the following description, the direction in which connector 20 is inserted into connector 110 of monitoring device 100 is referred to as insertion direction X, and two directions that are orthogonal to and intersect insertion direction X are referred to as width direction Y and height direction Z. Height direction Z is a direction that is perpendicular to a mounting surface BM1 of battery module BM. In the following description, one side in insertion direction X is referred to as side X1, and the other side is referred to as side X2. Similarly, a description is created such that width direction Y is defined as side Y1 (the front side of the sheet in Figures 1 and 3) and side Y2 (the back side of the sheet in Figures 1 and 3), and height direction Z is defined as side Z1 and side Z2. Although not shown, the positive and negative electrode terminals of battery cell BC are arranged, for example, on one side Z1 in the vertical direction Z of battery cell BC, with one electrode terminal on one side Y1 in the horizontal direction Y and the other electrode terminal on the other side Y2. The busbar module BBM extends along the joining direction X and is attached to one side Z1 of battery module BM in the vertical direction Z. The wiring module 1 of busbar module BBM comprises the wiring module housing 10. The wiring module housing 10 has a wiring path 11a in which the wiring element W is provided. The wiring module housing 10 has a housing body 11, which is provided with the wiring path 15, and a cover 11a, which is provided in the housing body 11 and covers the wiring path 11a. The wiring element W extends in one direction along the joining direction X in the wiring path 11a and is, for example, a planar wiring element such as a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) or a flexible flat cable (FFC). If the wiring element W is an FPC, it comprises a base film, a coverlay layer, and a conductive layer. The base film and coverlay layer are flexible insulating resin layers. The conductive layer is embedded between and protected by the base film and the coverlay layer. The conductive layer is, for example, a conductive metal foil and features a variety of circuit patterns that are electrically connected to the busbar described above (not shown) via a voltage sensing terminal. The wiring path 11a, through which the wiring element W is routed, extends within the housing body 11 along the joining direction X. The housing body 11 is fixed to a surface of the battery module BM on one side Z1 in the vertical direction Z. The wiring path 11a is provided, for example, between the electrode terminals of the positive and negative electrodes in the lateral direction Y of the plurality of battery cells BC and is formed in a substantially recessed groove shape. In the present embodiment, the wiring element W, which serves as a planar wiring element, is routed with its planar surface aligned in the vertical direction Z. The wiring element W is routed within the wiring path 11a along the direction in which the wiring path 11a extends (i.e., along the joining direction X).The wiring path 11a is provided with a soldering part or a hook-shaped claw section, and the wiring element W is fixed to the wiring path 11a. The cover 15 is provided on one side Z1 of the housing body 11 in the vertical direction Z to cover the wiring path 11a. Both the housing body 11 and the cover 15 can be formed in a substantially flat plate shape, with the plate surface oriented in the vertical direction Z. The cover 15 has a cover body 15a that is fixed to the housing body 11, and a hinge structure section 15b that is connected to the cover body 15a on the side of the connector 20 (one side X1 in the joining direction X) via a hinge 16 and is rotatable about an axis CL (see Fig. 2) of the hinge 16 between an open position K1 (see Fig. 1) and a closed position K2 (see Fig. 3).Furthermore, the open position K1 is a state in which the hinge structure section 15b is open and separated from the housing body 11, and the closed position K2 is a state in which the hinge structure section 15b is closed to approach the housing body 11. In the cover body 15a, for example, a soldered part or the like protrudes from the surface of the cover body 15a on the other side Z2 in the vertical direction Z, and the soldered part or the like is fixed to the housing body 11 by being fixed to the surface of the housing body 11 on one side Z1 in the vertical direction Z, or the like. Furthermore, the wiring element W provided in the wiring path 11a is separated from the wiring path 11a at an outlet section 12 on one side X1 in the joining direction X. The wiring element Wt on one side X1 in the joining direction X, which is separated from the wiring path 11a in the outlet section 12, has a wiring element hinge fixing section Wtf, which is a section fixed to the hinge structure section 15b. As shown in Fig. 1, the wiring element W at the outlet section 12 is separated from the wiring path 11a and folded back in the joining direction X to the other side X2 (side of the hinge 16). As shown in Fig. 2, the folded-back wiring element W is fixed to a wiring element fixing section 15c of the hinge structure section 15b. That is, the hinge structure section 15b has a wiring element fixing section 15c that fixes the wiring element hinge fixing section Wtf of the wiring element W at one end (one side X1 in the joining direction X) to the hinge structure section 15b towards the connector 20 by separating it from the wiring path 11a. Specifically, the wiring element fixing section 15c can, for example, be a plurality of soldered parts, each engaging with a plurality of through-holes provided on an edge of the wiring element W, a plurality of hook-shaped claw sections engaging with the edge of the wiring element W, or the like. Fig. 2 shows a plurality of soldered parts 15c1 as the wiring element fixing section 15c. The wiring element fixing section 15c is provided on a surface (surface on the other side Z2 in the vertical direction Z) of the hinge structure section 15b on the side of the housing body 11 at the closed position K2. Furthermore, the hinge structure section 15b is provided with a locking section 15d on the side of the hinge structure section. In the present embodiment, the locking sections 15d are provided at two opposing positions on the side of the hinge structure section, with the wiring element W (wiring element-hinge fixing section Wtf) positioned between them in the lateral direction Y. On the other hand, the housing body 11 has a locking section 11d on the side of the housing body against which the locking section 15d on the side of the hinge structure section is locked in the closed position K2 of the hinge structure section 15b. The locking section 15d on the side of the hinge structure section is, for example, designed in a hook shape.For example, the locking section 11d on the housing body side is concave, allowing the locking section 15d on the hinge structure side to be inserted. A projection may be provided on the concave inner surface of the locking section 11d on the housing body side to engage with the hook-shaped claw section of the locking section 15d on the hinge structure side. When the locking section 15d on the hinge structure side and the locking section 11d on the housing body side are locked, the hinge structure section 15b remains in the closed position K2. The wiring element W (wiring element Wt) extends outwards from a distal end 15b1 of the hinge structure section 15b. Here, the connector 20 has a housing 21, which forms the housing of the connector 20, as well as a plurality of terminals 22. One end of the wiring element W is fixed to the housing 21 of the connector 20. The housing 21 of the connector 20 is formed in a substantially rectangular, box-like shape, elongated in the width direction Y. One side X1 of the housing 21 in the joining direction X is formed as a substantially rectangular, elongated tube body in the width direction Y and forms a terminal retaining section 21a, which holds the plurality of terminals 22. The plurality of terminals 22 are arranged and held in the width direction Y within the terminal retaining section 21a. Here, the connector 110 of the monitoring device 100, shown in Fig. 3, is provided with a terminal block (not shown) that serves as a male terminal block. A terminal block of the connector 110 is held by a substantially rectangular, elongated tubular hood section (not shown) formed within the connector 110. The terminal block retaining section 21a of the connector 20 is inserted into the hood section of the connector 110 of the monitoring device 100 along the insertion direction X. Once the terminal block retaining section 21a is inserted into the hood section of the connector 110, the terminal block 22 of the connector 20, serving as a female terminal block, and the terminal block of the connector 110 of the monitoring device 100, serving as a male terminal block, are joined and electrically connected. One end of the wiring element W (at the end of the wiring element W on one side X1 in the joining direction X) is fixed at the other side X2 in the joining direction X of the housing 21 of the connector 20. The wiring element W is fixed to the housing 21, for example, by a fixing element, such as a pin. By fixing the wiring element W to the housing 21 of the connector 20, the plurality of terminals 22 of the connector 20 are electrically connected to the wiring element W. The wiring element W is fixed from one side Z1 in the vertical direction Z of the housing 21 of the connector 20. Therefore, the wiring element W extends on one side Z1 in the vertical direction Z of the housing 21. As described above, connector 20 is joined to connector 110 of the monitoring device 100. In the open position K1, the wiring element W has a length reserve from the distal end 15b1 of the hinge structure section 15b to connector 20, so that connector 20 can be reliably joined to connector 110 of the monitoring device 100. That is, as shown in Fig. 3, the wiring element W has an excess length section Wt1 (see also Fig. 1) which, in a state where connector 20 is joined to connector 110 of the monitoring device 100, is excessively longer than the distance L1 from the distal end 15b1 of hinge structure section 15b to connector 110.The excess length section Wt1 is formed in a section that extends from the distal end 15b1 (more precisely from the wiring element fixing section 15c on the side of the distal end 15b1) of the hinge structure section 15b in the wiring element Wt on one side X1 in the joining direction X, which is separated from the wiring path 11a in the outlet section 12. The joining of connector 20 to connector 110 of the monitoring device 100 can be carried out in a state where the hinge structure section 15b is in the open position K1 (see Fig. 1). After connector 20 and connector 110 of the monitoring device 100 are joined, hinge structure section 15b is moved to the closed position K2, so that the excess length section Wt1 is folded and accommodated between hinge structure section 15b and the housing body 11. That is, in the closed position K2, hinge structure section 15b forms a receiving space section S for folding and receiving the wiring element W at one end of the wiring element fixing section 15c in the direction of connector 20 between hinge structure section 15b and the housing body 11. The wiring element W (excess length Wt1) in the receiving space S can be folded, for example, as shown in Fig. 3. That is, the wiring element W is bent at its distal end 15b1 (specifically at the wiring element fixing section 15c on the side of the distal end 15b1) of the hinge structure section 15b in the joining direction X towards the other side X2 to form a first bent section Wb1. The wiring element W bent at the first bent section Wb1 forms a first extension section We1, which extends a predetermined distance in the joining direction X towards the other side X2. A second bent section Wb2 is formed at the wiring element W of the first extension section We1, and the wiring element W is further bent in the joining direction X towards one side X1.The wiring element W bent at the second bending section Wb2 forms a second extension section We2, which extends a predetermined distance into the receiving space section S. The wiring element W of the second extension section We2 extends from the outlet section 12 outwards towards the connector 20. In the example above, the wiring element W (excess length section Wt1) forms two bending sections (first bending section Wb1, second bending section Wb2) and two extension sections (first extension section We1 and second extension section We2). If, for example, the excess length section Wt1 is even longer, four or more bending sections can be formed. An even number of bending sections is always created. The case where the excess length section Wt1 is modified can be handled in this way. modification A modification of the present embodiment is described with reference to Fig. 4. In Fig. 4, the wiring element fixing section 15c and the locking section 15d described above are each configured as a wiring element fixing section 15Ac and a locking section 15Ad on the hinge side of the wiring module housing 10, respectively, with a more specific shape. A hinge 16A of the wiring module housing 10 in Fig. 4 is configured as a thin plate. The battery cells BC (battery module BM, battery pack BP), connectors 20, and the like are omitted from Fig. 4. The wiring element fixing section 15Ac is provided in a protruding form on a surface (surface on the other side Z2 in the vertical direction Z) of the hinge structure section 15b on the side of the housing body 11 at the closed position K2. In the present modification, a total of two wiring element fixing sections 15Ac are provided on both sides Y1 and Y2 in the lateral direction Y, so that they face each other in the lateral direction Y. The wiring element fixing section 15Ac rises from the hinge structure section 15b and has a shaft section 15Ac1, which is formed in a columnar shape, and a distal end 15Ac2, which is provided at a tip of the shaft section 15Ac1 and has a substantially frustoconical shape.The distal end 15Ac2 is connected to the shaft section 15Ac1 such that the side of the shaft section 15Ac1 forms a large-diameter side. The diameter of the distal end 15Ac2 on the large-diameter side is sufficiently larger than the diameter of the shaft section 15Ac1, and a locking step section 15Ac3 is formed. Furthermore, the locking section 15Ad has, on the side of the hinge structure section, a plate-shaped support plate 15Ad1, which extends from the edges of one side Y1 and the other side Y2 in the width direction Y of the hinge structure section 15b, and a locking plate 15Ad2, which projects inwards from the support plate 15Ad1. The support plate 15Ad1 and the locking plate 15Ad2 are formed in a substantially elongated rectangular plate shape, which is elongated in the extension direction of the wiring element W. The support plate 15Ad1 is arranged with its plate surface facing the width direction Y. The locking plate 15Ad2 is arranged such that its plate surface is substantially parallel to the hinge structure section 15b. In the locking section 15Ad on the side of the hinge structure section, the locking plate 15Ad2 is positioned in the closed position K2 on the other side Z2 in the vertical direction Z of the edge of the plate-shaped housing body 11, so that the hinge structure section 15b is locked to the housing body 11. Therefore, the edge of the housing body 11 that corresponds to the locking section 15Ad on the side of the hinge structure section in the closed position K2 is the locking section 11Ad on the side of the housing body. Furthermore, the wiring element W can be fixed so that it is sandwiched between the two locking sections 15Ad on the side of the hinge structure section, which face each other in the width direction Y. The excess length section Wt1 of the wiring element W can be provided with a hole section Wa, which can be pre-fitted into the locking stage section 15Ac3 of the wiring element fixing section 15Ac. The wiring element Wt of the section on one side X1 in the joining direction X of the wiring element W, which includes the excess length section Wt1, can be fixed after the connector 20 is joined to the connector 110 of the monitoring device 100 by fitting the hole section Wa into the locking stage section 15Ac3 of the wiring element fixing section 15Ac. Then, the hinge 16A is rotated to move the hinge structure section 15b into the closed position K2, and the wiring element Wt, including the excess length section Wt1, can be folded and received in the receiving space section S.For example, a large number of hole sections Wa can be provided at positions corresponding to the first extension section We1 to be folded and the second extension section We2 of the overlength section Wt1. The wiring module 1 described above comprises the wiring element W, which is electrically connected to the electrode terminals of the battery cells BC forming the battery module BM; the wiring module housing 10, which has the wiring path 11a provided with the wiring element W; and the connector 20, which has the housing 21 to which one end of the wiring element W is fixed. The wiring module housing 10 comprises the housing body 11, which has the wiring path 11a, and the cover 15, which is provided on the housing body 11 and covers the wiring path 11a.The cover 15 has the cover body 15a fixed to the housing body 11, as well as the hinge structure section 15b, which is connected to the cover body 15a on the side of the connector 20 of the cover body 15a via the hinge 16, rotatable about the axis CL of the hinge 16 between the open position K1 and the closed position K2, and the wiring element fixing section 15c, which fixes the wiring element W at one end side in the direction of the connector 20 by being separated from the wiring path 11a. Consequently, after connector 20, to which wiring element W is fixed, is joined to connector 110 of monitoring device 100, which represents the mating connector, the excess length section Wt1 is folded along the hinge structure section 15b by rotating and closing the hinge structure section 15b from the open position K1 to the closed position K2. In this way, the excess length section Wt1 of the wiring element W can be appropriately positioned. This appropriate positioning of the excess length section Wt1 protects the wiring element W and reduces interruptions due to interference between components and devices around the battery pack BP (battery module BM), such as a battery pack BP cover, and the excess length section Wt1 of the wiring element W.Since the excess length section Wt1 can be folded by the easily executable rotation process of the hinge structure section 15b, the number of work steps for folding the excess length section Wt1 can also be reduced. Furthermore, in the closed position K2, the hinge structure section 15b forms the receiving space section S between the hinge structure section 15b and the housing body 11, in which the wiring element W is folded and received at one end (one side X1 in the joining direction X in the wiring element W) by the wiring element fixing section 15c in the direction of the connector 20. Since the excess length section Wt1 of the folded wiring element W is received in the receiving space section S, the excess length section Wt1 can accordingly be arranged within the wiring module 1 to protect the wiring element W. Furthermore, the hinge structure section 15b has locking sections 15d and 15Ad on the side of the hinge structure section, and the housing body 11 has locking sections 11d and 11Ad on the side of the housing body, to which the locking sections 15d and 15Ad on the side of the hinge structure section are locked in the closed position K2 of the hinge structure section 15b. As a result, it is possible to maintain the folded state of the excess length section Wt1 of the wiring element W, and thus, for example, in a case where the wiring module 1 is mounted on the vehicle-mounted battery pack BP, the possibility of the hinge structure section 15b unintentionally moving into the open position K1 due to vibrations is reduced, and the folded excess length section Wt1 returns to its original state.In particular, if an FPC with a strong restoring force is used as the wiring element W, the hinge structure section 15b can suitably maintain the closed position K2 by locking the locking sections 15d and 15Ad on the side of the hinge structure section and the locking sections 11d and 11Ad on the side of the housing body. Furthermore, the wiring module 1 described above according to the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and various modifications can be made within the scope described in the claims. In the description above, one side Y1 and the other side Y2 are open in the lateral direction Y between the cover 15 and the housing body 11 (a gap including the receiving space section S); however, a cover or the like may be provided separately. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the positions of the distal end 15b1 and the outlet section 12 of the hinge structure section 15b are aligned in the joining direction X, but they need not be. Additionally, the wiring module housing 10 may be provided with a structure in which the hinge structure section 15b maintains the open state in the open position K1, for example, with a locking mechanism that locks the hinge 16 in the open position K1.Furthermore, the length of the hinge structure section 15b in the width direction Y is designed to correspond to the width of the cover body 15a, but it can be appropriately determined according to the length of the wiring element W in the width direction Y. The wiring module according to the present embodiment can be configured by a suitable combination of the components of the embodiment described above and the modifications. The wiring module according to the present embodiment has the effect that the excess length section of the wiring element can be arranged in a suitable manner. QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature JP 2019-192336 A

[0002]

Claims

A wiring module (1) comprising: a wiring element (W) electrically connected to an electrode terminal (22) of a battery cell (BC) forming a battery module (BM); a wiring module housing (10) having a wiring path (11a) provided with the wiring element (W);and a connector (20) having a housing (21) for fixing one end of the wiring element (W), wherein the wiring module housing (10) has a housing body (11) provided with the wiring path (11a), and a cover (15) provided in the housing body (11) and covering the wiring path (11s), and the cover (15) having a cover body (15a) fixed to the housing body (11), and a hinge structure section (15b) connected to the cover body (11) on the side of the connector (20) of the cover body (15a) via a hinge (16), rotatable about an axis (CL) of the hinge (16) between an open position (K1) and a closed position (K2), and having a wiring element fixing section (15c) that secures the wiring element (W) at one end side in the direction of the connector (20) is fixed by being separated from the wiring path (11a). The wiring module (1) according to claim 1, wherein the hinge structure section (15b) in the closed position (K2) forms a receiving space section (S) for folding and receiving the wiring element (W) at an end side of the wiring element fixing section (15c) in the direction of the connector (20) between the hinge structure section (15b) and the housing body (11). The wiring module (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hinge structure section (15b) has a locking section (15d, 15Ad) on the side of the hinge structure section and the housing body (11) has a locking section (11d, 11Ad) on the side of the housing body, to which the locking section (15d, 15Ad) on the side of the hinge structure section is locked in the closed position (K2) of the hinge structure section (11).

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