Fixing structure of sheet material

Abstract

To provide a fixing structure of a sheet material, capable of achieving both of improvement of workability in assembling the sheet material to an assembled member, and proper fixing of the sheet material to the assembled member.SOLUTION: A fixing structure 100 of a sheet material includes a sheet material 70 having an opening 73, and an assembled member 40 on which the sheet material 70 is assembled. The sheet material 70 has a flexible piece 75 capable of being bent and deformed. The assembled member 40 has: a projection part 151 which is erected in an assembly direction with the sheet material 70 and is inserted into the opening 73; a pair of wall parts 152 which is erected in the assembly direction and is positioned so as to sandwich the projection part 151; and a locking projection 153 which extends in an opposite direction to the pair of wall parts 152 and to which the flexible piece 75 is locked.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fixing structure for a sheet material.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, various fixing structures for assembling a sheet material to an assembled member have been proposed. One of the conventional fixing structures for a sheet material is to insert a protrusion provided on the assembled member into the larger hole of the daruma holes provided on the sheet material and then move it to the smaller hole (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Although the above-described conventional fixing structure for a sheet material is easy for the operation of assembling the sheet material to the assembled member, the assembled sheet material may rotate or rattle, and there is a risk that the sheet material may not be properly fixed to the assembled member. On the other hand, there is also a structure in which the sheet material is fixed to the assembled member by a resin rivet or the like after positioning the sheet material on the assembled member. In the above structure, although the sheet material is properly fixed to the assembled member, the number of parts increases, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of manufacturing cost. As a result, the number of working steps during assembly also increases, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of workability. Thus, it has been difficult to achieve both workability during the assembly of the sheet material to the assembled member and proper fixing of the sheet material to the assembled member.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-described situation, and an object thereof is to provide a fixing structure for a sheet material that enables both improvement in workability when assembling the sheet material to an assembled member and proper fixing of the sheet material to the assembled member.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to achieve the above-described object, the fixing structure for a sheet material according to the present invention is characterized by the following.

[0007] A fixing structure for a sheet material including a sheet material having an opening and an assembled member to which the sheet material is assembled, The sheet material, has a flexible piece that can be bent and deformed, The assembled member, is erected in the assembling direction with respect to the sheet material and has a protrusion inserted into the opening, is erected in the assembling direction and has a pair of wall portions positioned so as to sandwich the protrusion, and has a locking protrusion that extends in the facing direction of the pair of wall portions and to which the flexible piece is locked. It is a fixing structure for a sheet material.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] The fixing structure for a sheet material according to the present invention will be described below. According to the fixing structure for a sheet material of this configuration, the assembled member has a protrusion inserted into the opening of the sheet material, a pair of wall portions positioned so as to sandwich the protrusion, and a locking protrusion to which the flexible piece of the sheet material is locked. Thus, when assembling the sheet material to the assembled member, the protrusion of the assembled member is inserted into the opening of the sheet material, whereby the sheet material is positioned on the assembled member. Then, the flexible piece of the sheet material is locked to the locking protrusion of the assembled member, whereby the sheet material is fixed to the assembled member. As described above, the fixing structure for a sheet material of this configuration can improve the workability when assembling the sheet material to the assembled member. Furthermore, during the above-mentioned assembly, at least a part of the sheet material will be accommodated (positioned) between a pair of wall portions of the member to be assembled, so that the displacement of the sheet material in the facing direction (the direction in which the pair of wall portions face each other) is restricted. Thus, the fixing structure of the sheet material of this configuration can properly fix the sheet material to the member to be assembled. That is, the fixing structure of the sheet material of this configuration enables both improvement in workability during the assembly of the sheet material to the member to be assembled and proper fixing of the sheet material to the member to be assembled.

[0009] The present invention has been briefly described above. Further, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading through the embodiments for carrying out the invention described below (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

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MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0011] <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a battery module 1 including a fixing structure 100 of a sheet material according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 10, the "front-rear direction", the "left-right direction", and the "up-down direction" are defined. The "front-rear direction", the "left-right direction", and the "up-down direction" are orthogonal to each other. Note that the front-rear direction corresponds to the "assembly direction" of the present invention, and the front-rear direction corresponds to the "opposing direction" of the present invention. Here, the cover 70 corresponds to the "sheet material" of the present invention, and the resin case 40 corresponds to the "member to be assembled" of the present invention.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the battery module 1 is configured by attaching a pair of left and right bus bar modules 4 extending in the front-rear direction to both left and right side surfaces of the assembled battery 2 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the front-rear direction. The assembled battery 2 is configured by stacking a plurality of battery cells 3 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is short in the front-rear direction in the front-rear direction. The battery module 1 is mounted and used, for example, in an electric vehicle that runs using an electric motor, a hybrid vehicle that runs using a combination of an engine and an electric motor, etc., and is used for applications such as supplying power to the electric motor.

[0013] At the lower end portions of both left and right side surfaces of the battery cell 3, a pair of electrodes 3b are provided so as to protrude outward in the left-right direction (see FIG. 4). One of the pair of electrodes 3b is a positive electrode and the other is a negative electrode. In the assembled battery 2, a plurality of battery cells 3 are stacked and arranged in the front-rear direction such that the left-right positions of the positive and negative electrodes of the battery cells 3 adjacent in the front-rear direction are reversed from each other. Therefore, a plurality of electrodes 3b are arranged in a row at each of the lower end portions of both left and right side surfaces of the assembled battery 2 such that the positive and negative electrodes are alternately arranged in the front-rear direction. The electrode 3b (one of the positive and negative electrodes) on the right side of the battery cell 3 located at the front end of the assembled battery 2, and the electrode 3b (the other of the positive and negative electrodes) on the left side of the battery cell 3 located at the rear end of the assembled battery 2 function as the total electrodes (i.e., the total positive electrode and the total negative electrode) 3bb for power input / output from the assembled battery 2 to an external load (see FIGS. 2 to 4).

[0014] The pair of left and right bus bar modules 4 have the same configuration except that their arrangements in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction are opposite to each other. Hereinafter, only the right bus bar module 4 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "bus bar module 4") will be described in detail, and the detailed description of the left bus bar module 4 will be omitted.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the bus bar module 4 includes a plurality of intermediate bus bars 10 (see FIG. 3), a plurality of voltage detection lines 30 (see FIG. 3 etc.) respectively connected to the plurality of intermediate bus bars 10, and a resin case 40 (see FIG. 1). The resin case 40 holds the plurality of intermediate bus bars 10.

[0016] Hereinafter, the resin case 40 will be described. The resin case 40 is a resin molded body, and as shown in FIG. 4, it integrally includes a main body portion 51 that linearly extends in the front-rear direction, and a plurality of bus bar holding portions 52 that are arranged in a row in the front-rear direction below the main body portion 51. As the resin material constituting the resin case 40, a relatively inexpensive one that does not contain glass fibers, such as polypropylene (PP), is adopted in consideration of reducing the manufacturing cost of the bus bar module 4.

[0017] On the right side surface (outer side in the left-right direction) of the main body portion 51, a main line accommodating groove 53 that is recessed leftward (inner side in the left-right direction) and extends in the front-rear direction is formed. A plurality of voltage detection lines 30 connected to the plurality of intermediate bus bars 10 will be accommodated and routed in the main line accommodating groove 53. Each bus bar holding portion 52 has a rectangular box shape, and a substantially rectangular recess 54 that opens rightward and is recessed leftward is formed in each bus bar holding portion 52. The corresponding intermediate bus bar 10 will be inserted and assembled into the recess 54 of each bus bar holding portion 52 (see FIG. 3).

[0018] On the bottom wall of the recess 54 of each bus bar holding portion 52, a pair of through holes 55 that penetrate in the left-right direction (plate thickness direction) are formed so as to be arranged in the front-rear direction with the same interval as the interval between a pair of electrodes 3b adjacent in the front-rear direction of the assembled battery 2 (see FIG. 4). In a state where the resin case 40 is attached to the right side surface of the assembled battery 2, as can be understood from FIG. 4, each bus bar holding portion 52 is arranged such that the corresponding "pair of electrodes 3b" adjacent in the front-rear direction are inserted into the corresponding pair of through holes 55.

[0019] In the boundary wall portion (the lower side wall among the pair of upper and lower side walls that define the main line accommodation groove 53) that extends in the front-rear direction between each bus bar holding portion 52 and the main body portion 51, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a notch portion 56 that is recessed to the left is formed so as to vertically communicate the recess 54 of the bus bar holding portion 52 and the main line accommodation groove 53 of the main body portion 51. The detection terminal 12 and the voltage detection line 30 connected to the intermediate bus bar 10 assembled to the recess 54 are to be inserted into the notch portion 56 (see FIG. 3). The detection terminal 12 is electrically connected to the intermediate bus bar 10 by welding using, for example, a laser or the like.

[0020] On the lower end wall of the main body portion 51 (resin case 40), as shown in FIGS. 2 to 3 and FIGS. 5 to 8, a protruding portion 151 that is located at approximately the center in the left-right direction and protrudes downward, and a pair of wall portions 152 that are located in the left region in the left-right direction so as to sandwich the protruding portion 151 in the front-rear direction are provided.

[0021] The protruding portion 151 has a substantially elliptical columnar shape that extends in the left-right direction and has a pair of flat portions that respectively constitute the front surface and the rear surface of the protruding portion 151 (see FIGS. 7 and 8). Locking protrusions 153 to which the flexible pieces 75 of the cover 70 described later are locked are respectively provided on the front surface and the rear surface of the protruding portion 151. The locking protrusion 153 protrudes (extends) forward on the front surface of the protruding portion 151 and protrudes (extends) backward on the rear surface of the protruding portion 151. Further, the wall portion 152 has a substantially elliptical columnar shape that extends in the left-right direction and has a pair of flat portions that respectively constitute the front surface and the rear surface of the wall portion 152 (see FIGS. 7 and 8).

[0022] The protruding portion 151, the pair of wall portions 152, and the locking protrusion 153 constitute a locked portion that is a locking means with the cover 70 described later. That is, on the lower end wall of the main body portion 51 (resin case 40), a plurality of locked portions composed of the protruding portion 151, the pair of wall portions 152, and the locking protrusion 153 are provided so as to be arranged at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction. The resin case 40 has been described above.

[0023] Next, the intermediate bus bar 10 will be described. The metal intermediate bus bar 10 is formed by punching a single metal plate. As shown in FIG. 3, the intermediate bus bar 10 has a rectangular flat plate shape corresponding to the bottom surface of the recess 54 of the bus bar holding portion 52 of the resin case 40. In the intermediate bus bar 10, a pair of through holes 11 penetrating in the left-right direction (plate thickness direction) are formed so as to be arranged in the front-rear direction corresponding to the pair of through holes 55 in the bottom wall of the recess 54. One end of the voltage detection line 30 is connected and fixed by welding or the like to a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the upper end edge of the intermediate bus bar 10 (see FIG. 3). The above is the description of the intermediate bus bar 10.

[0024] Next, the cover 70 will be described. The resin cover 70 is formed by punching and bending a single insulating resin sheet. As shown in FIG. 4, the cover 70 includes a first portion 71 extending in the left-right direction and a second portion 72 extending upward from the right end portion of the first portion 71, and has a substantially L-shaped shape as a whole when viewed from the left-right direction corresponding to the right side surface and the lower side surface of the resin case 40. The first portion 71 has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape extending in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction and being long in the front-rear direction, and the second portion 72 has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape extending in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction and being long in the front-rear direction.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 5 to 6 and FIGS. 9 to 10, the first portion 71 is provided with an opening 73 located at a position corresponding to the protrusion 151 of the resin case 40 and a pair of cutout portions 76 located at positions corresponding to the pair of wall portions 152 of the resin case 40.

[0026] The opening 73 is an opening that penetrates in the vertical direction and has a shape corresponding to the protrusion 151 (see FIGS. 9 and 10). A pair of notches 74 are provided at the front and rear opening edges of the opening 73 at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction. The notch 74 is formed so as to be recessed forward at the front opening edge and recessed rearward at the rear opening edge. As a result, a flexible piece 75 that is locked to the locking protrusion 153 of the resin case 40 is formed between the pair of notches 74. The flexible piece 75 is configured to be bendable and deformable in the vertical direction and is provided at a location corresponding to the locking protrusion 153. The pair of notches 76 are formed at the left end edge of the first portion 71 so as to be recessed rightward and have a shape corresponding to the pair of wall portions 152 (see FIGS. 9 and 10).

[0027] The opening 73, the flexible piece 75, and the pair of notches 76 constitute a locking portion that is a locking means with the resin case 40. That is, in the first portion 71 of the cover 70, a plurality of locking portions composed of the opening 73, the flexible piece 75, and the pair of notches 76 are provided so as to be arranged at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction so as to correspond to the plurality of locked portions of the resin case 40, respectively. The cover 70 has been described above.

[0028] Next, the manufacturing procedure of the bus bar module 4 will be described. In order to manufacture the bus bar module 4, a plurality of intermediate bus bars 10 are assembled to the resin case 40.

[0029] The assembly of the plurality of intermediate busbars 10 to the resin case 40 is such that each intermediate busbar 10 to which one end of the voltage detection line 30 is connected is assembled into the recess 54 of the corresponding busbar holding portion 52 of the resin case 40. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the voltage detection line 30 extending upward from the upper end edge of the intermediate busbar 10 passes through the notch portion 56 and enters the main wire accommodation groove 53, so that the intermediate busbar 10 contacts the bottom surface of the recess 54, and a pair of through holes 11 (see FIG. 3) of the intermediate busbar 10 and a pair of through holes 55 (see FIG. 4) of the resin case 40 communicate with each other in the left-right direction, and the intermediate busbar 10 is assembled. Thereby, the assembly of the intermediate busbar 10 to the busbar holding portion 52 is completed.

[0030] When the assembly of the intermediate busbar 10 to the busbar holding portion 52 is completed, then, the voltage detection line 30 extending from the intermediate busbar 10 and entering the main wire accommodation groove 53 is accommodated and routed in the main wire accommodation groove 53 so as to extend forward therein. By repeating the above procedure for each intermediate busbar 10, the assembly of all the intermediate busbars 10 to all the busbar holding portions 52 is completed, and when the routing of all the voltage detection lines 30 respectively extending from the plurality of intermediate busbars 10 is completed, the assembly of the plurality of intermediate busbars 10 to the resin case 40 is completed, and thus the manufacturing of the busbar module 4 is completed (see FIG. 3).

[0031] Next, the attachment of the pair of left and right busbar modules 4 to the assembled battery 2 will be described. First, the pair of left and right busbar modules 4 whose manufacturing is completed are attached to the left and right side surfaces of the assembled battery 2 as shown in FIG. 1. Specifically, for each busbar module 4, as shown in FIG. 4 and the like, a pair of "corresponding electrodes 3b" adjacent in the front-rear direction are inserted into a pair of through holes 55 of each busbar holding portion 52 and a pair of through holes 11 of the intermediate busbar 10 held by the busbar holding portion 52, and the total electrode 3bb is inserted into the external terminal 93. Next, the peripheries of the pair of through holes 11 of each intermediate busbar 10 are connected and fixed to the "corresponding pair of electrodes 3b" by welding or the like, and the external terminal 93 is connected and fixed to the total electrode 3bb by welding or the like.

[0032] As a result, a plurality of battery cells 3 constituting the assembled battery 2 are electrically connected in series via a plurality of intermediate bus bars 10. By these connections, the plurality of battery cells 3 and the plurality of intermediate bus bars 10 arranged on the left and right sides of the assembled battery 2 constitute a series of (i.e., the battery cells 3 and the intermediate bus bars 10 are electrically connected in series) energization circuits. Further, the voltage detection lines 30 connected to each intermediate bus bar 10 are conductively connected to the "corresponding pair of electrodes 3b" connected to that intermediate bus bar 10.

[0033] Next, the other ends of the plurality of voltage detection lines 30 connected to the plurality of intermediate bus bars 10 are connected to a voltage detection device (not shown). As a result, the voltage detection device can detect the potentials of the "corresponding pair of electrodes 3b" or the corresponding total electrodes 3bb that are conductively connected to each voltage detection line 30. Thus, the attachment of the pair of left and right bus bar modules 4 to the assembled battery 2 is completed.

[0034] Next, a cover 70 is assembled to the resin case 40 of the bus bar module 4. Specifically, the cover 70 is disposed below the resin case 40 at a position where the opening 73 of the cover 70 corresponds to the protrusion 151 of the resin case 40 and at a position where the pair of cutout portions 76 of the cover 70 corresponds to the pair of wall portions 152 of the resin case 40. Then, the cover 70 is moved upward to insert the protrusion 151 through the opening 73. As a result, the cover 70 is positioned on the resin case 40 (bus bar module 4). At this time, the pair of wall portions 152 are inserted through the pair of cutouts 76.

[0035] When the movement of the cover 70 continues, the flexible piece 75 rides over the locking protrusion 153 (i.e., the flexible piece 75 is bent and deformed), and when the movement of the cover 70 continues further, the flexible piece 75 gets over the locking protrusion 153 (i.e., the flexible piece 75 returns from the bent and deformed state). As a result, the flexible piece 75 is locked to the locking protrusion 153 (see FIG. 6), and the cover 70 is assembled and fixed to the resin case 40 (bus bar module 4). Thus, the battery module 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 becomes in a usable state.

[0036] <Function and Effect> According to the fixing structure 100 of the sheet material (cover 70) according to the present embodiment, when the cover 70 is assembled to the resin case 40 (bus bar module 4), the protrusion 151 is inserted into the opening 73, so that the cover 70 is positioned on the resin case 40. Then, the flexible piece 75 is locked to the locking protrusion 153, so that the cover 70 is fixed to the resin case 40. Thus, the fixing structure 100 of the sheet material (cover 70) according to the present embodiment can improve the workability when the cover 70 is assembled to the resin case 40. Furthermore, during the above assembly, at least a part of the cover 70 is accommodated (positioned) between the pair of wall portions 152 of the resin case 40, so that the displacement of the cover 70 in the front-rear direction is restricted. Thus, the fixing structure 100 of the sheet material (cover 70) according to the present embodiment can properly fix the cover 70 to the resin case 40.

[0037] That is, the fixing structure 100 of the sheet material (cover 70) according to the present embodiment can achieve both improvement in workability when the cover 70 is assembled to the resin case 40 and proper fixing of the cover 70 to the resin case 40.

[0038] As yet another effect, by providing the flexible piece 75 on the cover 70, a locking means between the resin case 40 and the cover 70 can be configured regardless of the rigidity of the resin material constituting the resin case 40.

[0039] <Second Embodiment> Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a battery module 1a including a fixing structure 100a of a sheet material according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, as shown in FIGS. 11 to 20, the "front-rear direction", the "left-right direction", and the "up-down direction" are defined. The "front-rear direction", the "left-right direction", and the "up-down direction" are orthogonal to each other. Here, the cover 70a corresponds to the "sheet material" of the present invention, and the resin case 40a corresponds to the "member to be assembled" of the present invention.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 11, the battery module 1a is configured by attaching a pair of left and right bus bar modules 4a extending in the front-rear direction to the left and right side surfaces of the assembled battery 2a having a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the front-rear direction. The assembled battery 2a is configured by stacking a plurality of battery cells 3a having a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is short in the front-rear direction in the front-rear direction. The battery module 1a is mounted and used, for example, in an electric vehicle that runs using an electric motor, a hybrid vehicle that runs using both an engine and an electric motor, etc., and is used for applications such as supplying power to the electric motor.

[0041] A pair of electrodes 3b are provided at the lower end portions of the left and right side surfaces of the battery cell 3a so as to protrude outward in the left-right direction (see FIG. 14). One of the pair of electrodes 3b is a positive electrode and the other is a negative electrode. In the assembled battery 2a, a plurality of battery cells 3a are stacked in the front-rear direction such that the left-right positions of the positive and negative electrodes of the battery cells 3a adjacent in the front-rear direction are reversed from each other. Therefore, a plurality of electrodes 3b are arranged in a row at each of the lower end portions of the left and right side surfaces of the assembled battery 2a such that the positive and negative electrodes are alternately arranged in the front-rear direction. The electrode 3b (one of the positive and negative electrodes) on the right side of the battery cell 3a located at the front end of the assembled battery 2a, and the electrode 3b (the other of the positive and negative electrodes) on the left side of the battery cell 3a located at the rear end of the assembled battery 2a function as the total electrodes (that is, the total positive electrode and the total negative electrode) 3bb for power input / output from the assembled battery 2a to an external load (see FIGS. 11 to 13).

[0042] The pair of left and right bus bar modules 4a have the same configuration except that their arrangements in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction are opposite to each other. Hereinafter, only the right bus bar module 4a (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "bus bar module 4a") will be described in detail, and the detailed description of the left bus bar module 4a will be omitted.

[0043] As shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, the bus bar module 4a includes a plurality of voltage detection lines 30a (see FIG. 13 etc.) respectively connected to a plurality of intermediate bus bars 10a (see FIG. 13), and a resin case 40a (see FIG. 11). The resin case 40a holds the plurality of intermediate bus bars 10a.

[0044] Hereinafter, the resin case 40a will be described. The resin case 40a is a resin molded body, and as shown in FIG. 14, it integrally includes a main body portion 51a that linearly extends in the front-rear direction, and a plurality of bus bar holding portions 52a that are arranged in a row in the front-rear direction below the main body portion 51a. As the resin material constituting the resin case 40a, a relatively inexpensive one that does not contain glass fiber, such as polypropylene (PP), is adopted in consideration of reducing the manufacturing cost of the bus bar module 4a.

[0045] On the right side surface (outer side in the left-right direction) of the main body portion 51a, a main line accommodating groove 53a that is recessed leftward (inner side in the left-right direction) and extends in the front-rear direction is formed. A plurality of voltage detection lines 30a connected to the plurality of intermediate bus bars 10a will be accommodated and routed in the main line accommodating groove 53a. Each bus bar holding portion 52a has a rectangular box shape, and a substantially rectangular concave portion 54a that opens rightward and is recessed leftward is formed in each bus bar holding portion 52a. The corresponding intermediate bus bar 10a will be inserted and assembled into the concave portion 54a of each bus bar holding portion 52a (see FIG. 13).

[0046] On the bottom wall of the concave portion 54a of each bus bar holding portion 52a, a pair of through holes 55a that penetrate in the left-right direction (plate thickness direction) are formed so as to be arranged in the front-rear direction at the same interval as the interval between a pair of electrodes 3b adjacent in the front-rear direction of the assembled battery 2a (see FIG. 14). In the state where the resin case 40a is attached to the right side surface of the assembled battery 2a, as can be understood from FIG. 14, each bus bar holding portion 52a is arranged such that the corresponding "pair of adjacent electrodes 3b" in the front-rear direction are inserted into the corresponding pair of through holes 55a.

[0047] In a boundary wall portion (the lower side wall among the pair of upper and lower side walls that define the main line accommodation groove 53a) that extends in the front-rear direction between each bus bar holding portion 52a and the main body portion 51a, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, a notch portion 56a that is recessed leftward is formed so as to vertically communicate the recess 54a of the bus bar holding portion 52a and the main line accommodation groove 53a of the main body portion 51a. A detection terminal 12a and a voltage detection line 30a that are connected to the intermediate bus bar 10a assembled to the recess 54a are to be inserted through the notch portion 56a (see FIG. 13). The detection terminal 12a is electrically connected to the intermediate bus bar 10a by welding using, for example, a laser or the like.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 12 to 13 and FIGS. 15 to 18, on the lower end wall of the main body portion 51a (resin case 40a), a protrusion portion 151a that protrudes downward is provided at a substantially central portion in the left-right direction, and a pair of wall portions 152a that are positioned so as to sandwich the protrusion portion 151a in the front-rear direction are provided in a left region in the left-right direction.

[0049] The protrusion portion 151a has a substantially elliptical columnar shape that extends in the left-right direction and has a pair of flat portions that respectively constitute the front surface and the rear surface of the protrusion portion 151a (see FIGS. 17 and 18). Further, the wall portion 152a has a substantially elliptical columnar shape that extends in the left-right direction and has a pair of flat portions that respectively constitute the front surface and the rear surface of the wall portion 152a (see FIGS. 17 and 18). Locking protrusions 153a to which flexible pieces 75a of a cover 70a described later are locked are respectively provided on the rear surface of the front wall portion 152a and the front surface of the rear wall portion 152a. The locking protrusion 153a protrudes (extends) rearward on the rear surface of the front wall portion 152a and protrudes (extends) forward on the front surface of the rear wall portion 152a.

[0050] The protrusion 151a, the pair of wall portions 152a, and the locking protrusion 153a constitute a locked portion which is a locking means with the cover 70a described later. That is, on the lower end wall of the main body portion 51a (resin case 40a), a plurality of locked portions composed of the protrusion 151a, the pair of wall portions 152a, and the locking protrusion 153a are provided so as to be arranged at predetermined intervals in the front-rear direction. The above is the description of the resin case 40a.

[0051] Next, the intermediate bus bar 10a will be described. The metal intermediate bus bar 10a is formed by performing punching on a single metal plate. As shown in FIG. 14, the intermediate bus bar 10a has a rectangular flat plate shape corresponding to the bottom surface of the recess 54a of the bus bar holding portion 52a of the resin case 40a. In the intermediate bus bar 10a, a pair of through holes 11a penetrating in the left-right direction (plate thickness direction) are formed so as to be arranged in the front-rear direction corresponding to the pair of through holes 55a in the bottom wall of the recess 54a. One end portion of the voltage detection line 30a is connected and fixed by welding or the like to the substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the upper end edge of the intermediate bus bar 10a (see FIG. 14). The above is the description of the intermediate bus bar 10a.

[0052] Next, the cover 70a will be described. The resin cover 70a is formed by performing punching and bending on a single insulating resin sheet. As shown in FIG. 14, the cover 70a includes a first portion 71a extending in the left-right direction and a second portion 72a extending upward from the right end portion of the first portion 71a, and has a substantially L-shaped shape as a whole when viewed from the left-right direction corresponding to the right side surface and the lower side surface of the resin case 40a. The first portion 71a has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape extending in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction and being long in the front-rear direction, and the second portion 72a has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape extending in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction and being long in the front-rear direction.

[0053] As shown in FIGS. 15 to 16 and FIGS. 19 to 20, the first portion 71a is provided with an opening 73a located at a position corresponding to the protrusion 151a of the resin case 40a and a pair of cutout portions 76a located at positions corresponding to the pair of wall portions 152a of the resin case 40a.

[0054] The opening 73a is an opening that penetrates in the vertical direction and has a shape corresponding to the protrusion 151a (see FIGS. 19 and 20). The pair of notches 76a are formed at the left end edge of the first portion 71a so as to be recessed to the right and have a shape corresponding to the pair of wall portions 152a (see FIGS. 19 and 20). At the rear end edge of the front notch 76a and the front end edge of the rear notch 76a (that is, a pair of side edges positioned so as to sandwich the opening 73a), a pair of notches 74a are respectively provided at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction. The notch 74a is formed so as to be recessed forward at the rear end edge of the front notch 76a and recessed rearward at the front end edge of the rear notch 76a. Thereby, a flexible piece 75a that is locked to the locking projection 153a of the resin case 40a is formed between the pair of notches 74a. The flexible piece 75a is configured to be bendable and deformable in the vertical direction and is provided at a location corresponding to the locking projection 153a.

[0055] The opening 73a, the flexible piece 75a, and the pair of notches 76a constitute a locking portion that is a locking means with the resin case 40a. That is, in the first portion 71a of the cover 70a, a plurality of locking portions composed of the opening 73a, the flexible piece 75a, and the pair of notches 76a are provided so as to be arranged at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction so as to respectively correspond to a plurality of locked portions of the resin case 40a. The cover 70a has been described above.

[0056] Next, the manufacturing procedure of the bus bar module 4a will be described. In order to manufacture the bus bar module 4a, a plurality of intermediate bus bars 10a are assembled to the resin case 40a.

[0057] The assembly of the plurality of intermediate bus bars 10a to the resin case 40a is such that each intermediate bus bar 10a to which one end of the voltage detection line 30a is connected is assembled to the recess 54a of the corresponding bus bar holding portion 52a of the resin case 40a. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, the intermediate bus bar 10a contacts the bottom surface of the recess 54a such that the voltage detection line 30a extending upward from the upper edge of the intermediate bus bar 10a passes through the notch portion 56a and enters the main line accommodation groove 53a, and a pair of through holes 11a (see FIG. 13) of the intermediate bus bar 10a and a pair of through holes 55a (see FIG. 14) of the resin case 40a communicate in the left-right direction. Thus, the assembly of the intermediate bus bar 10a to the bus bar holding portion 52a is completed.

[0058] When the assembly of the intermediate bus bar 10a to the bus bar holding portion 52a is completed, then the voltage detection line 30a extending from the intermediate bus bar 10a and entering the main line accommodation groove 53a is accommodated and routed in the main line accommodation groove 53a so as to extend forward therein. By repeating the above procedure for each intermediate bus bar 10a, when the assembly of all the intermediate bus bars 10a to all the bus bar holding portions 52a is completed and the routing of all the voltage detection lines 30a respectively extending from the plurality of intermediate bus bars 10a is completed, the assembly of the plurality of intermediate bus bars 10a to the resin case 40a is completed, and the manufacturing of the bus bar module 4a is completed (see FIG. 13).

[0059] Next, the attachment of the pair of left and right bus bar modules 4a to the assembled battery 2a will be described. First, the pair of left and right bus bar modules 4a that have been manufactured are attached to the left and right side surfaces of the assembled battery 2a as shown in FIG. 11. Specifically, for each bus bar module 4a, as shown in FIG. 14 and the like, a pair of corresponding electrodes 3b adjacent in the front-rear direction are inserted into a pair of through holes 55a of each bus bar holding portion 52a and a pair of through holes 11a of the intermediate bus bar 10a held by the bus bar holding portion 52a, and the total electrode 3bb is inserted into the external terminal 93a. Next, the peripheries of the pair of through holes 11a of each intermediate bus bar 10a are connected and fixed to the corresponding pair of electrodes 3b by welding or the like, and the external terminal 93a is connected and fixed to the total electrode 3bb by welding or the like.

[0060] As a result, a plurality of battery cells 3a constituting the assembled battery 2a are electrically connected in series via a plurality of intermediate bus bars 10a. By these connections, a plurality of battery cells 3a and a plurality of intermediate bus bars 10a arranged on the left and right of the assembled battery 2a constitute a series of (i.e., the battery cells 3a and the intermediate bus bars 10a are electrically connected in series) energization circuit. Further, the voltage detection line 30a connected to each intermediate bus bar 10a is conductively connected to the corresponding pair of electrodes 3b connected to the intermediate bus bar 10a.

[0061] Next, the other ends of the plurality of voltage detection lines 30a connected to the plurality of intermediate bus bars 10a are connected to a voltage detection device (not shown). As a result, the voltage detection device can detect the potentials of the corresponding pair of electrodes 3b or the corresponding total electrode 3bb that are conductively connected to each voltage detection line 30a. Thus, the attachment of the pair of left and right bus bar modules 4a to the assembled battery 2a is completed.

[0062] Next, a cover 70a is assembled to the resin case 40a of the bus bar module 4a. Specifically, the cover 70a is disposed below the resin case 40a at a position where the opening 73a of the cover 70a corresponds to the protrusion 151a of the resin case 40a and at a position where the pair of cutouts 76a of the cover 70a correspond to the pair of wall portions 152a of the resin case 40a. Then, the cover 70a is moved upward to insert the protrusion 151a through the opening 73a. As a result, the cover 70a is positioned on the resin case 40a (bus bar module 4a). At this time, the pair of wall portions 152a are inserted into the pair of cutouts 76a.

[0063] When the movement of the cover 70a continues, the flexible piece 75a rides over the locking projection 153a (i.e., the flexible piece 75a is bent and deformed), and when the movement of the cover 70a continues further, the flexible piece 75a gets over the locking projection 153a (i.e., the flexible piece 75a is restored from the bent and deformed state). As a result, the flexible piece 75a is locked to the locking projection 153a (see FIG. 16), and the cover 70a is assembled and fixed to the resin case 40a (bus bar module 4a). Thus, the battery module 1a shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 becomes usable.

[0064] <Function and Effect> According to the fixing structure 100a of the sheet material (cover 70a) according to the present embodiment, when the cover 70a is assembled to the resin case 40a (bus bar module 4a), the protrusion 151a is inserted through the opening 73a, whereby the cover 70a is positioned on the resin case 40a. Then, the flexible piece 75a is locked to the locking projection 153a, whereby the cover 70a is fixed to the resin case 40a. Thus, the fixing structure 100a of the sheet material (cover 70a) according to the present embodiment can improve the workability when the cover 70a is assembled to the resin case 40a. Furthermore, during the above assembly, at least a part of the cover 70a will be accommodated (positioned) between a pair of wall portions 152a of the resin case 40a, so that the displacement of the cover 70a in the front-rear direction is restricted. Thus, the fixing structure 100a of the sheet material (cover 70a) according to the present embodiment can properly fix the cover 70a to the resin case 40a.

[0065] That is, the fixing structure 100a of the sheet material (cover 70a) according to the present embodiment can achieve both an improvement in workability during the assembly of the cover 70a to the resin case 40a and proper fixing of the cover 70a to the resin case 40a.

[0066] As yet another effect, by providing the flexible piece 75a on the cover 70a, a locking means between the resin case 40a and the cover 70a can be configured regardless of the rigidity of the resin material constituting the resin case 40a.

[0067] <Other forms> Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited.

[0068] Here, the features of the embodiments of the fixing structure of the sheet material according to the present invention described above are briefly summarized and listed in [1] to [4] below.

[0069] [1] A fixing structure (100, 100a) of a sheet material, comprising a sheet material (cover 70, 70a) having an opening (73, 73a) and an assembly member (resin case 40, 40a) to which the sheet material is assembled, wherein the sheet material (cover 70, 70a) has a flexible piece (75, 75a) that can be elastically deformed, and the assembly member (resin case 40, 40a) has a protrusion (151, 151a) that stands upright in the assembly direction with respect to the sheet material and is inserted through the opening. A pair of wall portions (152, 152a) that stand upright in the assembling direction and are positioned so as to sandwich the protrusion A locking protrusion (153, 153a) that extends in the facing direction of the pair of wall portions and to which the flexible piece is locked A fixing structure (100, 100a) of a sheet material

[0070] According to the fixing structure of the sheet material having the configuration of [1] above, the member to be assembled has a protrusion inserted through the opening of the sheet material, a pair of wall portions positioned so as to sandwich the protrusion, and a locking protrusion to which the flexible piece of the sheet material is locked. Thereby, when the sheet material is assembled to the member to be assembled, the protrusion of the member to be assembled is inserted through the opening of the sheet material, so that the sheet material is positioned on the member to be assembled. Then, the flexible piece of the sheet material is locked to the locking protrusion of the member to be assembled, so that the sheet material is fixed to the member to be assembled. Thus, the fixing structure of the sheet material of this configuration can improve the workability when assembling the sheet material to the member to be assembled. Furthermore, at the time of the above assembly, at least a part of the sheet material is accommodated (positioned) between the pair of wall portions of the member to be assembled, so that the displacement of the sheet material in the facing direction (the direction in which the pair of wall portions face each other) is restricted. Thus, the fixing structure of the sheet material of this configuration can properly fix the sheet material to the member to be assembled. That is, the fixing structure of the sheet material of this configuration can achieve both improvement in workability when assembling the sheet material to the member to be assembled and proper fixing of the sheet material to the member to be assembled.

[0071] [2] In the fixing structure (100) of the sheet material described in [1] above, The flexible piece (75) is provided at the opening edge of the opening, The locking protrusion (153) is provided on the protrusion (151), A fixing structure (100) of a sheet material

[0072] According to the fixing structure of the sheet material having the configuration of [2] above, the flexible piece is provided at the opening edge of the opening, and the locking projection is provided on the protruding portion. Thereby, both the positioning of the sheet material to the member to be assembled and the fixing of the sheet material to the member to be assembled can be achieved simultaneously.

[0073] [3] In the fixing structure (100a) of the sheet material according to [1] above, the flexible piece (75a) is provided on a pair of side edges positioned so as to sandwich the opening, and the locking projection (153a) is provided on the pair of wall portions (152a). Fixing structure (100a) of the sheet material.

[0074] According to the fixing structure of the sheet material having the configuration of [3] above, the flexible piece is provided on a pair of side edges positioned so as to sandwich the opening, and the locking projection is provided on the pair of wall portions. Thereby, both the positioning of the sheet material to the member to be assembled and the fixing of the sheet material to the member to be assembled can be achieved simultaneously.

[0075] [4] In the fixing structure (100, 100a) of the sheet material according to any one of [1] to [3] above, the sheet material (covers 70, 70a) is configured as an insulating resin sheet, and the member to be assembled (resin cases 40, 40a) is configured as a resin case (40). Fixing structure (100, 100a) of the sheet material.

[0076] According to the fixing structure of the sheet material having the configuration of [4] above, the sheet material is configured as an insulating resin sheet, and the member to be assembled is configured as a resin case. Thereby, for example, the fixing structure of the sheet material can be applied to a battery module or the like.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0077] 1, 1a Battery module 2, 2a Assembled battery 3, 3a Battery cell 3b Electrode 3bb total electrode 4,4a bus bar module 10,10a intermediate bus bar 30,30a voltage detection line 40,40a resin case (member to be assembled) 51,51a main body part 52,52a bus bar holding part 56,56 notch 70,70a cover (sheet material) 71,71a first part 72,72a second part 73,73a opening 74,74a notch 75,75a flexible piece 76,76a notch 93,93a external terminal 100,100a fixing structure 151,151a protrusion 152,152a wall part 153,153a locking protrusion

Claims

1. A fixing structure for a sheet material, comprising a sheet material having an opening and an assembly member to which the sheet material is assembled, wherein the sheet material has a flexible piece that can be bent and deformed, and the assembly member has a protrusion that stands upright in the assembly direction with respect to the sheet material and is inserted through the opening, a pair of wall portions that stand upright in the assembly direction and are positioned so as to sandwich the protrusion, and a locking protrusion that extends in the facing direction of the pair of wall portions and to which the flexible piece is locked. A fixing structure for a sheet material.

2. In the fixing structure for a sheet material according to Claim 1, the flexible piece is provided at the opening edge of the opening, and the locking protrusion is provided on the protrusion. A fixing structure for a sheet material.

3. In the fixing structure for a sheet material according to Claim 1, the flexible piece is provided at a pair of side edges positioned so as to sandwich the opening, and the locking protrusion is provided on the pair of wall portions. A fixing structure for a sheet material.

4. In the fixing structure for a sheet material according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, the sheet material is configured as an insulating resin sheet, and the assembly member is configured as a resin case. A fixing structure for a sheet material.

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