Method for Assembling an Electronic Battery Sensor - Patent application

Abstract

A battery pole terminal comprising a receiving portion (72) for a battery pole and a stopper (76) extending from the receiving portion (72) and designed to restrict rotational movement of an assembly (54) connected to the battery pole terminal (52) in at least one rotational direction.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for assembling an electronic battery sensor, and to a battery sensor designed to implement said method. [Background technology]

[0002] A pole terminal is used to establish an electrical contact with a pole, such as a pole of a battery. If an electrical contact with a battery pole is provided, this is also called a battery pole terminal or a battery terminal. For receiving or contacting the battery pole, the battery pole terminal typically comprises a receiving part. This receiving part may be formed, for example, as a clamping part.

[0003] The primary function of the battery pole terminals is to conduct electrical current from the battery pole to the ground cable or battery sensor during operation of the battery, while the battery pole terminals withstand pulling forces from the ground cable, battery sensor, and other loads during maintenance and fabrication during the life of the vehicle in which the battery is installed.

[0004] DE 102017219820 A1 describes a self-locking battery pole terminal with a clamping part for receiving a battery pole. Furthermore, a fastening part and a locking part are also provided, the locking part being designed to engage with the battery pole. The fastening part cooperates with the locking part, and actuation of the fastening part causes the locking part to pivot about a first pivot axis.

[0005] An electronic battery sensor (EBS) typically comprises integrated electronics that can detect and, if necessary, evaluate battery variables, such as, for example, current, voltage, and temperature. Since the EBS is preferably arranged close to the battery, it is known to combine the EBS with a battery pole terminal, where the battery pole terminal is typically a component of the EBS. Here, the EBS comprises a battery pole terminal and an assembly, where the assembly typically further comprises a connection piece (shunt), a plug or connection terminal (connector), and a housing. Here, the housing comprises electronics for detecting and evaluating, for example, the battery variables. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When assembling the EBS, i.e., mating the battery pole terminal with the assembly, care must be taken to ensure that the two components are correctly aligned with each other, i.e. that they are not twisted relative to each other, which is a challenge especially during automated assembly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] Against this background, a method for assembling an electronic battery sensor, and a battery sensor for carrying out said method are proposed. Embodiments emerge from the dependent claims and the description.

[0008] The battery pole terminal presented in the present application comprises a receiving part for or for receiving a battery pole and a stopper, the receiving part being thus formed corresponding to the battery pole, for example with a circular cross section, by which the battery pole can be at least partially received, in such a way that a reliable mechanical connection between the battery pole and the battery pole terminal is obtained and a good electrical contact is guaranteed.

[0009] The stop extends from the receiver and is designed to constrain the rotational movement of the assembly connected to the battery pole terminal in at least one rotational direction, such that when the assembly is rotated up to the stop, which prevents further rotation, correct positioning of the assembly relative to the battery pole terminal is assured.

[0010] The battery pole terminals presented herein are intended to engage a battery pole, thus providing a connection of the battery to the pole, or to contact the pole, thereby allowing connection of, for example, an earth cable or a sensor cable to the pole.

[0011] To connect a battery pole terminal to a battery pole, the battery pole terminal is typically placed over the battery pole, i.e. the battery pole is at least partially received in the battery pole terminal.

[0012] In one embodiment, the receiving portion is formed as a clamping portion for at least partially receiving the battery pole. The clamping portion may for example comprise two opposing clamping jaws.

[0013] In a further embodiment, the stopper is molded into the receiving part of the battery pole terminal and is formed in one piece with the receiving part, in this way the battery pole terminal can be manufactured in a molding process, for example by injection molding.

[0014] The stopper may, for example, typically be formed as a web extending from the receiving portion. In a further embodiment, the battery pole terminal has a flat base to which the receiving portion is attached, and the base may be provided with at least one opening for fastening the assembly to the battery pole terminal.

[0015] Furthermore, an electronic battery sensor (EBS) is also presented. The function and structure of the battery sensor have already been mentioned. Please refer to the information above. The EBS includes a battery pole terminal of the type described herein and an assembly, which may include a connection or shunt, a housing, and a plug or connection piece.

[0016] The housing typically contains and usually at least partially encloses electronics for sensing and evaluating battery variables. Furthermore, the assembly may be provided with at least one opening for fastening the assembly to a battery pole terminal, the at least one opening being capable of cooperating with at least one opening in the battery pole terminal, for example in a base of the battery pole terminal.

[0017] The assembly and the battery pole terminals may be fixedly connected to one another by rivets, again using the apertures previously described, or the fixed connection may be provided by cold forming, clinching, TOX joining, or other suitable connection techniques.

[0018] Further advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the specification and accompanying drawings. It will be understood that the features mentioned above, and those further described below, can be used not only in the respective presented combinations but also in other combinations, or alone, without departing from the scope of the invention. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an assembly apparatus for making an electronic battery sensor. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a part of FIG. [Diagram 3] 11A-11D illustrate further assembly processes. [Figure 4]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the described electronic battery sensor. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a side view of the battery pole terminal of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the electronic battery sensor. [Figure 7] 1A-1C are diagrams illustrating steps in assembling the battery sensor. [Figure 8] 1A-1C are diagrams illustrating steps in assembling the battery sensor. [Figure 9] 1A-1C are diagrams illustrating steps in assembling the battery sensor. [Figure 10] 1A-1C are diagrams illustrating steps in assembling the battery sensor. [Figure 11] 1A-1C are diagrams illustrating steps in assembling the battery sensor. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 shows two graphs illustrating the load on the housing of the assembly when connected to the battery pole terminals. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] The invention is illustrated diagrammatically in the drawings based on an embodiment and will be explained in detail below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows in schematic form an assembly apparatus for making electronic battery sensors, generally designated by the reference numeral 10. The figure shows an assembly arm 12 comprising at its front end a workpiece carrier 14 having a gripper 16 for receiving an assembly 18 or shunt.

[0021] In a first step, the assembly 18 is loaded onto the workpiece carrier 14. In a second step, the gripper 16 positions the assembly 18 onto the battery pole terminal 20. Correct positioning of the two components, i.e. the assembly 18 and the battery pole terminal 20, relative to each other is very important. This results in a connection that allows rotation of the components. This rotation should be constrained or limited by the stops presented in this application.

[0022] In the third and final step, the joining takes place, for example by a riveting process: the components are then fixedly connected to one another and rotation is no longer possible. Figure 2 shows a part of Figure 1 from another perspective. Two assemblies 18 and two battery pole terminals 20 can be seen. During the assembly process, the centering device must hold the shunt, as a component of the assembly 18, at an acceleration of 20 m / s2 in the manufacturing process and must be positioned accurately enough relative to the bolts. The shunt cannot be positioned 100% parallel to the side of the pole terminal. This positioning is indicated by the arrow 22.

[0023] It was recognized that a design change was necessary to limit or restrict this lateral movement of the shunt. A common basic design, the PF type battery pole terminal, uses spring positioning, as shown in Figure 3. This is indicated by arrow 30. One possible solution for positioning the battery pole terminal can be realized by an additional spring (arrow 32). However, this solution requires additional space, which is often not available.

[0024] 3, a battery pole terminal 40 is shown with a receiver 42 and a bolt 44 for connecting to an assembly or shunt. Also shown is a centering mechanism 46 and markings 48 for the camera.

[0025] This design requires positioning based on two points. One point is given by the marking 48 for the camera. This is for example the hole for the bolt 44. Without this marking 48 the assembly cannot be assembled. However, after connecting the assembly with the battery pole terminal, it is possible that the assembly can be twisted relative to the battery pole terminal. This needs to be prevented.

[0026] FIG. 4 shows two schematic diagrams of an electronic battery sensor, generally designated by the reference numeral 50 . This view shows the electronic battery sensor 50 prior to assembly of the battery pole terminals 52 and assembly 54. The assembly 54 includes a shunt 60, a housing 62, and a plug 64.

[0027] The battery pole terminal 52 includes a base 70 having attached thereto a receiving portion 72 and a bolt 74. Additionally, the receiving portion 72 is formed with a stopper 76 which extends from the receiving portion 72 and is essentially formed in a web shape or as a web.

[0028] On the right side, at the battery pole terminal 52, the bolt 74 is also provided with a marking 75. This supports the assembly of the two components, especially when the opening 80 of the shunt 60 is guided by the bolt 74 of the battery pole terminal 52. After this connection, the assembly 54 can be rotated relative to the battery pole terminal 52. However, this rotational movement is restricted by a stopper 76, at least in the direction towards the receiver 72 (clockwise in this case).

[0029] Further, when assembled, a diameter of, for example, 2 mm with a conicity of 0.2 mm at the opening 80 has been found to be suitable. Figure 5 shows a side view of the battery pole terminal 52 of Figure 4. This view shows the base 70, bolt 74, and screw 90 with corresponding nut 92 that are used to secure the battery pole terminal 52 and thus assemble the entire electronic battery sensor 50 (Figure 4).

[0030] FIG. 6 shows the electronic battery sensor 50 of FIG. 4 in a plan view. This view shows the battery pole terminal 52 and the assembly 54 assembled such that the bolt 74 protrudes through an opening 80 in the assembly 54. This view further shows the receiver 72 with the shaped stopper 76, the screw 90 with the nut 92, the shunt 60 with the opening 80, the housing 62 and the plug 64 of the assembly 54. The stopper 76 cooperates with the housing 62 to realize the correct positioning of the assembly 54 relative to the battery pole terminal 52. For this purpose, preferably, the end face of the stopper 76 which cooperates with the assembly 54, in particular with the housing 62, is formed as a flat surface. The end face of the stopper 76 is preferably oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis of the assembly 54, which longitudinal axis extends from the opening 80 across the housing 62 to the rear fixing area. For example, after twisting due to lateral sliding across the longitudinal axis of the assembly 54, such as in the transition region between the housing 62 and the plug 60 (which results in twisting of the assembly 54 about the bolt 74 as the axis of rotation), the end face of the stopper 76 becomes flush with the side wall of the housing 62.

[0031] The fastening mechanism 94 of the battery pole terminal 52 and the assembly 54 allows a secure fastening that prevents twisting of the two components, and after this fastening process, the two components are reliably connected to each other without twisting. For this, it is necessary to correctly position the two components with respect to each other, especially with regard to their orientation relative to each other. The stopper 76 helps in this. When the assembly 54 is guided to this stopper 76 by twisting, the correct position is found.

[0032] 7-11 show an assembly process for providing an electronic battery sensor 100 including a battery pole terminal 102 and an assembly 104, in which the two components are first assembled or joined and fixedly connected to each other after precise positioning or alignment.

[0033] 7 shows, on the left, a battery pole terminal 102 having a receiving portion 110, a web-like stopper 112 formed on the receiving portion 110, a base 114, an opening 116 for a fixed connection, and a bolt 118. Here, the stopper 112 extends over a portion of the base 114.

[0034] The assembly 104 includes a shunt 120 having an opening 122 for receiving the bolt 118 of the battery pole terminal 102 , a housing 124 , and a plug 126 .

[0035] 7 shows the two components in a perspective view on the left and in a plan view on the right. It can be seen that the central axis of the bolt 118 and the central axis of the opening 122 (also called the sensor opening) of the shunt 120 are not aligned with each other. Therefore, assembly is not possible in this position.

[0036] 8 shows the battery pole terminal 102 and assembly 104 aligned with one another. The axis 130 shown (the central longitudinal axis of the bolt 118) extends through the opening 122 of the shunt. Markings 132 (e.g. holes) on the bolt 118 can be used for this alignment. Here, a camera is used.

[0037] Figure 9 shows the feed movement (arrow 150) of the assembly 104 to the battery pole terminal 102. After this movement, the battery sensor 100 is assembled as shown on the right side of Figure 9. However, the assembly 104 can still be twisted relative to the battery pole terminal 102, especially by pivoting about the axis 130.

[0038] 10 next shows the assembly 104 being rotated (arrow 160) relative to the battery pole terminal 102, hitting a stopper 112, for example at the housing 124. Further rotation in this direction is not possible. Thus, the stopper 112 limits the rotation of the assembly 104 relative to the battery pole terminal 102. The components are now properly aligned with one another.

[0039] FIG. 11 shows the electronic battery sensor after bonding according to FIG. 9 and positioning according to FIG. 10. A fastening mechanism 170, e.g. an opening, can be used to fixedly connect the two components to each other. This can be done, for example, by cold forming. In any case, it is ensured that the assembly 104 and the battery pole terminal 102 are correctly aligned or positioned relative to each other.

[0040] Figure 12 shows the load on a housing during the final joining process, for example during TOX joining. This figure shows on the left a graph 200 on whose abscissa 202 the stress [%] is plotted and on its ordinate 204 the load [MPa]. The curve 210 shows the progression of the load. At a certain value 212, this load leads to failure.

[0041] 12 further shows on the right hand side a graph 220 on which the temperature [°C] is plotted on the horizontal axis 222 and the elastic modulus [MPa] on the vertical axis 224. A first curve 230 shows the evolution of the measured values ​​and a second curve 232 shows the evolution of the fitted model values. A line 236 shows the elastic modulus at a temperature of 25°C.

Claims

1. A method for assembling an electronic battery sensor, comprising: - a receiving part (42, 72, 110) for a battery pole, a stopper (76, 112) extending from said receiving portion (42, 72, 110) and designed to restrict in at least one rotational direction the rotational movement of an assembly (18, 54, 104) connected to said battery pole terminal (20, 40, 52, 102); - Bolts (44, 74, 118) and Including, The assembly (18, 54, 104) - Shunt (60, 120) and a housing (62, 124), - a plug (64, 126), - openings (80, 122) for fastening said assembly (18, 54, 104) to said battery pole terminals (20, 40, 52, 102); Including, The method is - assembling the battery pole terminal (20, 40, 52, 102) with the assembly (18, 54, 104) to form an electronic battery sensor (50, 100); - twisting the battery pole terminal (20, 40, 52, 102) and assembly (18, 54, 104) until rotational movement is restricted by said stopper (76, 112); - fixing the battery pole terminal (20, 40, 52, 102) and the assembly (18, 54, 104) against rotation, method.

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the opening (80, 122) is provided in the bolt (44, 74, 118) for assembly of a battery pole terminal (20, 40, 52, 102) with an assembly (18, 54, 104).

3. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the assembly of the battery pole terminal (20, 40, 52, 102) with the assembly (18, 54, 104) is performed in particular using markings (48, 75, 132) made on the bolts (44, 74, 118).

4. 4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising loading the assembly (18, 54, 104) onto a workpiece carrier (14).

5. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a gripper (16) positions the assembly (18, 54, 104) on the battery pole terminal (20, 40, 52, 102).

6. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the fastening is performed by a riveting process and / or by cold forming and / or by TOX joining.

7. An electronic battery sensor including at least one battery pole terminal and assembly, A battery pole terminal (20, 40, 52, 102) - a receiving part (42, 72, 110) for a battery pole, a stopper (76, 112) extending from said receiving portion (42, 72, 110) and designed to restrict in at least one rotational direction the rotational movement of an assembly (18, 54, 104) connected to said battery pole terminal (20, 40, 52, 102); - Bolts (44, 74, 118) and Including, The assembly (18, 54, 104) - Shunt (60, 120) and a housing (62, 124), - a plug (64, 126), - openings (80, 122) for fastening said assembly (18, 54, 104) to said battery pole terminals (20, 40, 52, 102); Including, The battery pole terminal (20, 40, 52, 102) and the assembly (18, 54, 104) are designed to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6. Electronic battery sensor.

8. The electronic battery sensor of claim 7, wherein the receiving portion (42, 72, 110) is formed as a clamping portion for at least partially receiving the battery pole.

9. 9. The electronic battery sensor of claim 7 or 8, wherein the stopper (76, 112) is shaped in a receiving portion (42, 72, 110) of the battery pole terminal (20, 40, 52, 102) and is formed in one piece with the receiving portion (42, 72, 110).

10. The electronic battery sensor according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the stopper (76, 112) is formed as a web and / or the stopper (76, 112) cooperates with the housing (62, 124).

11. 11. The electronic battery sensor of claim 7, wherein the battery pole terminal has a flat base to which the receiving portion (42, 72, 110) is attached, and wherein the base (70, 114) has at least one opening (116) for fastening the assembly (18, 54, 104) to the battery pole terminal (20, 40, 52, 102).

12. 12. The electronic battery sensor of claim 7, wherein electronics for sensing and evaluating battery variables are contained within the housing (62, 124).

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