Protector and bus bar module

Abstract

To provide a protector which can improve workability in connecting a connector, connected to a flexible printed board, to a mating connector.SOLUTION: A protector 1 comprises: a first passage part 10 extending in a first direction X; and a second passage part 20 extending in a second direction Y perpendicular to the first direction. The second direction is a fitting direction where a connector connected to a flexible printed board is fitted to a mating connector. The first passage part has: a bottom wall 11; and lateral walls 14 disposed on both sides in a width direction of the bottom wall. The bottom wall has a tip end part 13b which is an end on the second passage part side. The first passage part has a slit which extends between the bottom wall and the lateral walls such that the tip end part may be swingable in the second direction. The second passage part is connected to the tip end part of the bottom wall and is swingable in the second direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a protector and a busbar module. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is a technology for connecting a connector connected to a flexible substrate to a mating connector. Patent Document 1 discloses a circuit body with a connector, which includes a circuit body made of a flexible substrate provided with a wiring pattern, and a connector attached to the circuit body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-021595 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] It is desirable to improve the workability of connecting a connector connected to a flexible printed circuit board to a mating connector. For example, in a configuration in which a flexible printed circuit board is protected by a protector, it is desirable to be able to position the connector in an appropriate position relative to the mating connector even when both the protector and the mating connector are fixed.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a protector and a bus bar module that can improve the workability of connecting a connector connected to a flexible printed circuit board to a mating connector. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The protector of the present invention comprises a first passage portion extending in a first direction and capable of accommodating a flexible printed circuit board, and a second passage portion extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and capable of accommodating the flexible printed circuit board, wherein the second direction is a mating direction in which a connector connected to the flexible printed circuit board is mated with a mating connector, the first passage portion has a bottom wall supporting the flexible printed circuit board and side walls arranged on both sides of the bottom wall in a width direction, the bottom wall has a tip portion which is an end portion on the side of the second passage portion, the first passage portion has a slit extending between the bottom wall and the side wall so that the tip portion can swing in the second direction, and the second passage portion is connected to the tip portion of the bottom wall and can swing in the second direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In the protector according to the present invention, the bottom wall of the first passage portion has a tip portion that is an end portion on the second passage portion side, the first passage portion has a slit extending between the bottom wall and the side wall so that the tip portion can swing in the second direction, and the second passage portion is connected to the tip portion of the bottom wall and can swing in the second direction. The protector according to the present invention has the effect of improving the workability of connecting a connector connected to a flexible printed circuit board to a mating connector. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a busbar module according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the protector according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the protector body of the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the protector body of the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the protector according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the busbar module according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the swinging portion swinging to the second side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A protector and a busbar module according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that can be easily imagined by a person skilled in the art or those that are substantially the same.

[0010] [Embodiment] An embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 7. The embodiment relates to a protector and a busbar module. Fig. 1 is a plan view of the busbar module of the embodiment, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the protector of the embodiment, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the protector main body of the embodiment, Fig. 4 is a plan view of the protector main body of the embodiment, Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the protector of the embodiment, Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the busbar module of the embodiment, and Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the swinging part swung to the second side. Fig. 6 shows a cross section taken along line VI-VI of Fig. 2.

[0011] The protector 1 of this embodiment is a protective member for a flexible printed circuit board. The protector 1 constitutes, for example, a part of a busbar module 100. The busbar module 100 is assembled to a battery module 210 of a battery pack 200. The battery module 210 has a plurality of battery cells 220. The plurality of battery cells 220 are arranged along a first direction X.

[0012] The busbar module 100 includes a plurality of busbars 110, a case 120, a flexible printed circuit board 3, a connector 50, and a protector 1. The busbars 110 are connectable to electrodes of the battery cells 220. The busbars 110 connect the electrodes of two adjacent battery cells 220, for example.

[0013] The case 120 houses the bus bars 110 and the flexible printed circuit board 3. The case 120 is molded from, for example, an insulating synthetic resin. The case 120 has a holding portion that holds the bus bars 110. The bus bars 110 are held by the case 120 in a line in the first direction X. The case 120 is fixed to the battery module 210 while holding the bus bars 110 and the flexible printed circuit board 3.

[0014] The flexible printed circuit board 3 has a base film, a conductive layer, and a coverlay. The conductive layer is sandwiched and protected between the base film and the coverlay. The conductive layer is, for example, a conductive metal foil and has a circuit pattern including multiple detection lines. The detection lines are connected to the corresponding bus bars 110 and thermistors. The detection lines are connected to the monitoring unit 230 of the battery pack 200 via the connector 50.

[0015] The protector 1 is disposed, for example, at an end of the case 120 in the first direction X. The flexible printed circuit board 3 is routed from the case 120 to the connector 50 via the protector 1.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, the protector 1 has a protector main body 2 and a sliding body 4. The sliding body 4 is slidable in the second direction Y while being guided by the protector main body 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the protector main body 2 has a first passage portion 10 and a second passage portion 20. The protector main body 2 is molded from, for example, an insulating synthetic resin. The first passage portion 10 extends in the first direction X and is capable of accommodating a flexible printed circuit board 3. The second passage portion 20 extends in the second direction Y and is capable of accommodating a flexible printed circuit board 3. The second direction Y is a direction perpendicular to the first direction X, for example, a direction along an end face of the battery module 210.

[0017] As will be described below, the protector main body 2 of this embodiment is configured so that the second passage portion 20 can swing relative to the first passage portion 10. The protector 1 of this embodiment allows the connector 50 to be moved in the second direction Y and mated with the mating connector 240.

[0018] The protector body 2 is connected to the end of the case 120 in the first direction X. The protector body 2 may be configured as a part of the case 120, may be engaged with the end of the case 120, or may be fixed to the battery module 210 or the like so as to be adjacent to the end of the case 120.

[0019] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the first passage portion 10 has a bottom wall 11 and a pair of side walls 14. The bottom wall 11 supports the flexible printed circuit board 3. The pair of side walls 14 are arranged on both sides of the bottom wall 11 in the width direction W. The width direction W is the width direction of the bottom wall 11 and also the width direction of the flexible printed circuit board 3 placed on the bottom wall 11. The width direction W is perpendicular to both the first direction X and the second direction Y. The protector body 2 is fixed to the battery module 210 so that the bottom wall 11 and the side walls 14 extend in the first direction X. The pair of side walls 14 face each other in the width direction W. The bottom wall 11 and the pair of side walls 14 form a groove-shaped passage that accommodates the flexible printed circuit board 3.

[0020] The bottom wall 11 has a tip portion 13b which is the end portion on the side of the second passage portion 20. The first passage portion 10 has a slit 11s extending between the bottom wall 11 and the side wall 14. The slit 11s is formed so that the tip portion 13b can swing in the second direction Y.

[0021] The bottom wall 11 has a base 12 and a swinging portion 13. The swinging portion 13 is separated from the side walls 14 by slits 11s. The slits 11s are arranged between the bottom wall 11 and each of the pair of side walls 14. The base 12 is a portion arranged adjacent to the case 120 and is integral with the side walls 14. In other words, no slits 11s are provided between the bottom wall 11 and the side walls 14 in the portion of the base 12. The base 12 is fixed to the case 120 and the battery module 210, and supports the swinging portion 13 so that it can swing.

[0022] A deformation portion 15 is provided at the boundary between the base portion 12 and the swinging portion 13 on the bottom wall 11. The deformation portion 15 is configured to be more elastically deformable than the swinging portion 13. In this embodiment, the deformation portion 15 is curved in an arch shape. The curved deformation portion 15 is more likely to bend and deform than, for example, the swinging portion 13. This bending deformation is an elastic deformation that causes the swinging portion 13 to swing in the second direction Y, and is a deformation in which the bending radius R of the deformation portion 15 increases or decreases.

[0023] Furthermore, the deforming portion 15, which is curved in an arch shape, is expandable and contractible along the first direction X. Therefore, the deforming portion 15 can displace the swinging portion 13 along the first direction X. The second passage portion 20 is connected to the swinging portion 13 and displaces in the first direction X together with the swinging portion 13. By having the deforming portion 15, the protector main body 2 of this embodiment can improve the workability of attaching and detaching the connector 50 to and from the mating connector 240.

[0024] The swinging portion 13 has a base end portion 13a and a tip end portion 13b. The base end portion 13a is the portion connected to the deformation portion 15 and is the end portion close to the base portion 12. The tip end portion 13b is the end portion farther from the base portion 12 and is connected to the second passage portion 20. The swinging portion 13 is provided with a protrusion 13c that positions the flexible printed circuit board 3. The shape of the protrusion 13c is, for example, cylindrical. The protrusion 13c is inserted into a through hole that the flexible printed circuit board 3 has.

[0025] A pair of guard walls 13d are provided on the swinging portion 13. The guard walls 13d are arranged near the tip end 13b of the swinging portion 13. The guard walls 13d are arranged on an extension of the side walls 14 and are adjacent to the side walls 14 in the first direction X. The pair of guard walls 13d face each other in the width direction W. A gap is provided between the guard walls 13d and the side walls 14 so that the guard walls 13d and the side walls 14 do not interfere with each other when the swinging portion 13 swings. This gap is continuous with the slit 11s.

[0026] The length of the swinging portion 13 in the first direction X is determined according to the swing range required for the swinging portion 13. The length of the swinging portion 13 is set based on the stroke length required for the connector 50 when inserting or removing the connector 50 into or from the mating connector 240. The stroke length of the connector 50 is the range of movement along the second direction Y. The height of the side wall 14 is determined so that the flexible printed circuit board 3 does not climb over the side wall 14 when the swinging portion 13 swings.

[0027] The second passage portion 20 has a bottom wall 21, a pair of guide portions 22, and a support portion 23. The bottom wall 21 supports the flexible printed circuit board 3. The guide portions 22 guide the slider 4 along the second direction Y. The second passage portion 20 has a pair of side walls 24. The pair of side walls 24 are arranged on both sides of the bottom wall 21 in the width direction W and extend in the second direction Y. The bottom wall 21 and the pair of side walls 24 form a groove-shaped passage that accommodates the flexible printed circuit board 3. The guide portions 22 are through holes provided in the side walls 24 and extend in the second direction Y.

[0028] The support portion 23 forms a first folded portion 32a in the flexible printed circuit board 3. The support portion 23 is disposed at an end of the first side Y1 of the second passage portion 20. In the second direction Y, the first side Y1 is the front side in the mating direction when the connector 50 is mated with the mating connector 240. The second side Y2 is the side from which the connector 50 is pulled out when the connector 50 is removed from the mating connector 240.

[0029] The support portion 23 is an arm-shaped portion extending in the width direction W and is rotatable relative to the bottom wall 21. Fig. 3 shows the support portion 23 engaged with the bottom wall 21. The support portion 23 in Fig. 3 faces the bottom wall 21 and has a gap between it and the bottom wall 21. The flexible printed circuit board 3 is accommodated in the second passage portion 20 in a state where it is wrapped around the support portion 23 and folded back.

[0030] 5, the sliding body 4 has a main body 41 and a cover 42. The main body 41 and the cover 42 are molded from, for example, insulating synthetic resin. The main body 41 is assembled to the second passage portion 20 of the protector main body 2 and slides relative to the second passage portion 20. The main body 41 has a main wall 43 and a pair of legs 44.

[0031] The main wall 43 has a generally flat plate shape and supports the flexible printed circuit board 3. The main wall 43 has a first surface 43a and a second surface 43b. The first surface 43a is the surface facing the cover 42. The first surface 43a is provided with a protrusion 45 that engages the flexible printed circuit board 3.

[0032] The second surface 43b is a surface facing the bottom wall 21 of the second passage portion 20. The second surface 43b forms a space between the second surface 43b and the bottom wall 21. The folded flexible printed circuit board 3 is accommodated in the space between the bottom wall 21 and the second surface 43b. The flexible printed circuit board 3 is folded back so as to be wrapped around the end surface 43c of the main wall 43. That is, the flexible printed circuit board 3 is folded back in a substantially U-shape so as to have a portion facing the first surface 43a and a portion facing the second surface 43b. The end surface 43c is an end surface of the second side Y2 of the main wall 43.

[0033] The leg portions 44 are inserted into the guide portions 22 of the protector main body 2. The leg portions 44 protrude from the second surface 43b of the main wall 43 in the first direction X. A claw 44a protruding in the width direction W is provided at the tip of the leg portions 44. The claw 44a is engaged with the side wall 24 of the second passage portion 20. The sliding body 4 is connected to the protector main body 2 by the leg portions 44 and slides along the second direction Y.

[0034] The cover 42 engages with the main body 41 to protect the flexible printed circuit board 3. The cover 42 has a cover wall 46 and a holding portion 47. The cover wall 46 faces the first surface 43a and houses the flexible printed circuit board 3 between the first surface 43a and the cover wall 46. The cover wall 46 is provided with a through hole 46a and an engaging portion 46b. The protrusion 45 of the main body 41 is inserted into the through hole 46a. The engaging portion 46b is disposed on a side surface of the cover wall 46 and engages with the main body 41. The holding portion 47 is a portion that holds the connector 50. The holding portion 47 is disposed at the end of the first side Y1 of the cover 42.

[0035] 6 shows the protector 1 in a state where the connector 50 is fitted into the mating connector 240. As shown in FIG. 6, a monitoring unit 230 is disposed on an end surface 210a of the battery module 210 in the first direction X. The monitoring unit 230 is fixed to the battery module 210. The monitoring unit 230 may be detachable from the battery module 210. The monitoring unit 230 has a mating connector 240 that corresponds to the connector 50.

[0036] An end 3d of the flexible printed circuit board 3 is connected to the connector 50. A detection line of the flexible printed circuit board 3 is connected to the monitoring unit 230 via the connector 50. The slider 4 is movable in the second direction Y together with the connector 50.

[0037] 6, the flexible printed circuit board 3 is accommodated in the second passage portion 20 with an excess portion bent in a substantially S-shape. When the sliding body 4 moves toward the first side Y1 relative to the second passage portion 20, a part of the excess portion of the flexible printed circuit board 3 is pulled out. At this time, the sliding body 4 slides toward the first side Y1 while pulling out the excess portion from the accommodation space of the second passage portion 20. On the other hand, when the sliding body 4 moves toward the second side Y2 relative to the second passage portion 20, the pulled out excess portion is accommodated in the internal space of the second passage portion 20.

[0038] The protector body 2 is formed, for example, so that the connector 50 is fully mated with the mating connector 240 when the swinging portion 13 is not swinging in the second direction Y. In this case, when the connector 50 is fully mated with the mating connector 240, the load on the swinging portion 13 in the second direction Y is released. When a force F1 toward the second side Y2 is applied to the connector 50 from the state shown in Fig. 6, the swinging portion 13 of the protector body 2 swings toward the second side Y2. Fig. 7 shows the protector body 2 deformed by the force F1 toward the second side Y2.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 7 , the protector main body 2 can swing the swinging portion 13 around the deformation portion 15 as a rotation center. The protector main body 2 can also flexibly deform the swinging portion 13. When the swinging portion 13 receives a force F1 directed toward the second side Y2, it swings so as to move the tip portion 13b toward the second side Y2. The second passage portion 20 moves toward the second side Y2 in conjunction with the swinging of the swinging portion 13. The movement of the second passage portion 20 toward the second side Y2 causes the connector 50 to be pulled out of the mating connector 240. In other words, the protector 1 of this embodiment allows the connector 50 to be pulled out of the mating connector 240 while the protector main body 2 and the monitoring unit 230 are fixed.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 7, the protector main body 2 has a thin-walled portion 13e. The thin-walled portion 21c is provided between the tip end 13b of the swinging portion 13 and the bottom wall 21 of the second passage portion 20. The thin-walled portion 13e is thinner than the swinging portion 13 and the bottom wall 21, and has high deformability relative to the swinging portion 13 and the bottom wall 21. The thin-walled portion 13e elastically deforms when the swinging portion 13 swings in the second direction Y, and can suppress inclination of the second passage portion 20 with respect to the second direction Y. This reduces the force required to insert or remove the connector 50 into or from the mating connector 240.

[0041] Furthermore, the deformation portion 15 can deform so as to increase or decrease the opening width of the opening 15a. That is, the deformation portion 15 can expand and contract along the first direction X. The expansion and contraction of the deformation portion 15 allows the swinging portion 13 to be displaced along the first direction X. This improves the ability of the connector 50 to follow the mating connector 240.

[0042] The height WH of the side walls 14 is determined so that the flexible printed circuit board 3 can be accommodated between the pair of side walls 14 when the swinging part 13 swings. FIG. 7 shows the swinging part 13 when the connector 50 is positioned in the external space of the mating connector 240. At this time, the side walls 14 face the side surfaces of the flexible printed circuit board 3. Therefore, the side walls 14 can prevent the flexible printed circuit board 3 from shifting and can prevent the flexible printed circuit board 3 from climbing up onto the side walls 14.

[0043] When the connector 50 is inserted into the mating connector 240, the swinging portion 13 swings toward the first side Y1 from the state shown in Fig. 7. The elastic restoring force of the protector main body 2 assists the insertion force when inserting the connector 50 into the mating connector 240. The protector 1 of this embodiment allows the connector 50 to be fitted into the mating connector 240 with the protector main body 2 and the monitoring unit 230 both fixed.

[0044] As described above, the protector 1 of this embodiment has the first passage portion 10 and the second passage portion 20. The first passage portion 10 extends in the first direction X and is capable of accommodating the flexible printed circuit board 3. The second passage portion 20 extends in the second direction Y perpendicular to the first direction X and is capable of accommodating the flexible printed circuit board 3. The second direction Y is a mating direction in which the connector 50 connected to the flexible printed circuit board 3 is mated with the mating connector 240.

[0045] The first passage portion 10 has a bottom wall 11 that supports the flexible printed circuit board 3, and side walls 14 that are arranged on both sides of the bottom wall 11 in the width direction W. The bottom wall 11 has a tip portion 13b that is the end portion on the second passage portion 20 side. The first passage portion 10 has a slit 11s that extends between the bottom wall 11 and the side wall 14 so that the tip portion 13b can swing in the second direction Y. The second passage portion 20 is connected to the tip portion 13b of the bottom wall 11 and can swing in the second direction Y. The protector 1 of this embodiment can improve the operability of inserting and removing the connector 50 into and from the mating connector 240 by swinging the second passage portion 20 in the above-mentioned fitting direction.

[0046] The bottom wall 11 of this embodiment has a swinging portion 13 and a base portion 12. The swinging portion 13 is separated from the side wall 14 by a slit 11s. The base portion 12 is integral with the side wall 14. A deformation portion 15 may be provided at the boundary between the base portion 12 and the swinging portion 13 in the bottom wall 11. The deformation portion 15 has higher deformability than the swinging portion 13. The deformation portion 15 may be formed, for example, to have lower rigidity than the swinging portion 13 against a force in the first direction X, or to have lower rigidity than the swinging portion 13 against a force in the width direction W. The deformation portion 15 can improve the followability of the connector 50 with respect to the mating connector 240.

[0047] The illustrated deformation portion 15 is curved in an arch shape and is expandable and contractible along the first direction X. The deformation portion 15 that expands and contracts in the first direction X can allow displacement of the connector 50 along the first direction X.

[0048] The busbar module 100 of this embodiment includes a protector 1, a flexible printed circuit board 3, a connector 50 connected to the flexible printed circuit board 3, and a plurality of busbars 110 connected to the flexible printed circuit board 3 and connectable to electrodes of the battery cells 220. The busbar module 100 of this embodiment can improve the ease of inserting and removing the connector 50 into and from the mating connector 240.

[0049] The protector 1 of this embodiment has a slider 4 that is slidable in the second direction Y relative to the protector main body 2. The slider 4 is directly or indirectly connected to the connector 50 and can slide together with the connector 50. The slider 4 can assist the stroke of the connector 50 along the second direction Y. For example, part of the required stroke length of the connector 50 may be achieved by a slide structure that includes the slider 4.

[0050] The shape of the deformation portion 15 is not limited to the arch shape shown as an example. The deformation portion 15 may be, for example, a hinge portion molded integrally with the base portion 12 and the swing portion 13.

[0051] The contents disclosed in the above embodiments can be implemented in appropriate combinations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1: Protector 2: Protector body, 3: Flexible printed circuit board, 3d: End 4: Slide body 10:First passage section 11: bottom wall, 11s: slit, 12: base 13: swinging portion, 13a: base end portion, 13b: tip end portion, 13c: protrusion 13d: Guard wall, 13e: Thin wall section 14: Side wall, 15: Deformed portion 20:Second passage section 21: bottom wall, 22: guide portion, 23: support portion, 24: side wall 32a: first folded portion, 32b: second folded portion 41: Main body, 42: Cover 43: Main wall, 43a: First surface, 43b: Second surface, 43c: End surface 44: Leg, 44a: Claw, 45: Protrusion 46: Cover wall, 46a: Through hole, 46b: Engagement portion, 47: Holding portion 50: Connector 100: busbar module, 110: busbar, 120: case 200: Battery pack, 210: Battery module, 220: Battery cell 230: Monitoring unit, 240: Mating connector W: Width direction X: First direction, Y: Second direction, Y1: First side, Y2: Second side

Claims

1. a first passage portion extending in a first direction and capable of accommodating a flexible printed circuit board; a second passage portion extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and capable of accommodating the flexible printed circuit board; Equipped with the second direction is a mating direction in which a connector connected to the flexible printed circuit board is mated with a mating connector, the first passage portion has a bottom wall that supports the flexible printed circuit board and side walls that are arranged on both sides of the bottom wall in a width direction, the bottom wall has a tip portion which is an end portion on the side of the second passage portion, the first passage portion has a slit extending between the bottom wall and the side wall so that the tip portion can swing in the second direction, The second passage portion is connected to the tip portion of the bottom wall and is swingable in the second direction. A protector characterized by the above.

2. The bottom wall has a swinging portion separated from the side wall by the slit and a base portion integral with the side wall, A deformation portion having higher deformability than the swinging portion is provided at the boundary between the base portion and the swinging portion on the bottom wall. The protector according to claim 1 .

3. The deformation portion is curved in an arch shape and is expandable and contractible along the first direction. The protector according to claim 2 .

4. The protector according to claim 1; the flexible printed circuit board; the connector connected to the flexible printed circuit board; a plurality of bus bars connected to the flexible printed circuit board and connectable to electrodes of battery cells; A busbar module comprising:

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