Bus bar module

Abstract

To provide a bus bar module capable of achieving both heat resistance and productivity.SOLUTION: The bus bar module 1 includes a plate-shaped bus bar 10, a heat-resistant sheet material 20 provided so as to cover the bus bar 10, and a case 30 that houses the bus bar 10 and the sheet material 20. The bus bar 10 has a linear portion 10A extending linearly and a bent portion 10B extending in a bent manner. The sheet material 20 has a first sheet part 10A having a shape corresponding to the straight part 10A and covering the straight part 20A, and a second sheet part 10B having a shape corresponding to the bent part 10B and covering the bent part 20B, as separate bodies. Each of the first sheet portion 20A and the second sheet portion 20B includes the one portion 21 disposed on the one plate surface 11 of the bus bar 10, the other portion 22 disposed on the other plate surface 12 of the bus bar 10, and the coupling portion 23 coupling the one portion 21 and the other portion 22, and covers the bus bar 10 in a form of being folded back at the coupling portion 23.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a bus bar module including a plate-shaped bus bar, a heat-resistant sheet material provided to cover the bus bar, and a case that houses the bus bar and the sheet material. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, when a metal bus bar is used in an automobile or the like, a bus bar module in which the bus bar is housed in a case has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-190532 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Depending on the environment in which the busbar module is actually used, heat-resistant (fire-resistant) tape may be provided to cover the surface of the busbar. For example, in a busbar module installed in a vehicle's drive battery, the surface of the busbar may be covered with heat-resistant (fire-resistant) tape to prevent the metal surface of the busbar from being easily exposed, even if the busbar is exposed to high temperatures (e.g., several hundred degrees Celsius or higher) due to a malfunction such as thermal runaway of the battery. As an example, such tape may be wrapped spirally around the busbar. However, in this case, the process of wrapping the tape itself is cumbersome, making it difficult to improve the productivity of busbar modules.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a bus bar module that can achieve both heat resistance and productivity. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the bus bar module according to the present invention has the following features.

[0007] A bus bar module including: a plate-shaped bus bar; a heat-resistant sheet material provided so as to cover the bus bar; and a case that houses the bus bar and the sheet material, The bus bar is The linear portion has a shape that extends linearly, and a bent portion has a bent shape, The sheet material is a first sheet portion having a shape corresponding to the straight portion and covering the straight portion, and a second sheet portion having a shape corresponding to the bent portion and covering the bent portion, Each of the first sheet portion and the second sheet portion is a first portion disposed on one plate surface of the bus bar, a second portion disposed on the other plate surface of the bus bar, and a connecting portion connecting the first portion and the second portion, and configured to cover the bus bar in a folded-back form at the connecting portion; It is a busbar module. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the busbar module of the present invention, the heat-resistant sheet material includes a first sheet portion having a shape corresponding to the linear portion of the busbar and covering the linear portion, and a second sheet portion having a shape corresponding to the bent portion of the busbar and covering the bent portion. Each of the first and second sheet portions has a first portion disposed on one plate surface of the busbar, a second portion disposed on the other plate surface of the busbar, and a connecting portion connecting the first and second portions. The first and second sheet portions are folded back at the connecting portion to cover the busbar. This allows the sheet material to be attached to the busbar by first preparing the first and second sheet portions having the above-described shapes, and then attaching the sheet material to the busbar by folding back the first and second sheet portions at the connecting portion to cover the first and second plate surfaces of the busbar. In other words, the sheet material can be attached to the busbar simply by folding the sheet material. Therefore, compared to conventional tape wrapping, the sheet material can be provided more easily and the layer of sheet material does not become excessively thick. Therefore, the bus bar module of the present invention can achieve both heat resistance and productivity.

[0009] The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the detailed description of the invention below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a bus bar module according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the busbar module shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of part B in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a top view for explaining a plurality of straight sheet portions and a plurality of bent sheet portions that constitute the sheet material shown in FIG. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 is a top view showing a state in which each of the straight sheet portions and the bent sheet portions shown in FIG. 5 is attached to a bus bar. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of attaching the straight sheet portion to the straight portion of the bus bar. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the straight sheet portion shown in FIG. 7 is attached to a straight portion of a bus bar. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the bent sheet portion shown in FIG. 5 is attached to a bent portion of a bus bar. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a top view illustrating the operation of punching out a plurality of bent sheet portions from one sheet material. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a top view showing a bent sheet portion according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] <Embodiment> A busbar module 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The busbar module 1 shown in Fig. 1 is installed in an automobile or the like and fixed to the body of the automobile or the like for use. As shown in Fig. 2, the busbar module 1 includes a plate-shaped busbar 10, a heat-resistant sheet material 20 provided to cover the busbar 10, and a case 30 that houses the busbar 10 and the sheet material 20.

[0012] For ease of explanation, the terms "front," "rear," "left," "right," "upper," and "lower" are defined below as shown in FIG. 1 and elsewhere. The "front-rear direction," "left-right direction," and "upper-lower direction" are perpendicular to one another. The front-rear direction coincides with the longitudinal direction of the busbar module 1, and the upper-lower direction coincides with the thickness direction of the busbars 10 that constitute the busbar module 1. Note that these directions are defined merely for ease of explanation, and do not necessarily correspond to, for example, the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and upper-lower direction of an automobile or the like when the busbar module 1 is mounted on the automobile or the like. The configuration of each component that constitutes the busbar module 1 will be described below in order.

[0013] First, the busbar 10 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the busbar 10 has a long plate shape that extends while bending three-dimensionally along a wiring path according to the specifications of an automobile or the like. The busbar 10 has a constant width dimension in the extension direction and the width direction, which is perpendicular to the extension direction and the plate thickness direction. The busbar 10 is manufactured by subjecting a single metal flat plate to processes such as punching and bending. As shown in FIG. 5, the busbar 10 includes a plurality of linear portions 10A that extend linearly and a plurality of bent portions 10B that extend in a bent manner. The linear portions 10A have different lengths in the extension direction. A fastening portion 10a with a bolt hole formed therein is provided at each of both ends of the busbar 10 in the extension direction. The busbar 10 includes, as its bending and extending portions, a portion that bends and extends in a direction (within the plate surface of the busbar 10) along the plate surface of the busbar 10 (the upper surface 11 and the lower surface 12 shown in FIG. 3; a plane) and a portion that bends and extends in the plate thickness direction of the busbar 10 (a direction intersecting the plate surface of the busbar 10). The bending portion 10B refers to the portion that bends and extends in a direction along the plate surface of the busbar 10.

[0014] Next, the sheet material 20 will be described. The sheet material 20 is made of a flexible, heat-resistant material. As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet material 20 is provided to cover the entire surface of the bus bar 10 except for a pair of fastening portions 10a located at both ends of the bus bar 10 in the extension direction, thereby preventing the bus bar 10 from being exposed to an excessively high temperature environment. In this example, as shown in FIG. 4, the sheet material 20 is configured as a three-layer laminate in which an adhesive layer 20a, a heat-resistant layer 20b, and a base layer 20c are laminated in this order from the side to be attached to the bus bar 10 (the lower side in FIG. 4). The overall configuration of the sheet material 20 and the procedure for attaching it to the bus bar 10 will be described in detail later.

[0015] Next, the case 30 will be described. The case 30 serves to house and protect the bus bar 10 and the sheet material 20 covering the bus bar 10. The case 30 is a resin molded body, and as shown in FIG. 2, includes an upper case 31 and a lower case 32. Each of the upper case 31 and the lower case 32 has an elongated shape that extends while bending three-dimensionally, following the elongated plate-like shape of the bus bar 10 that extends while bending three-dimensionally. The upper case 31 has a cross-sectional shape made up of an upper plate portion and a pair of side plate portions, and the lower case 32 has a cross-sectional shape made up of a lower plate portion and a pair of side plate portions. Upper case 31 and lower case 32 are arranged so as to sandwich busbar 10, on which sheet material 20 is provided, from above and below, and multiple locking portions 33 provided on the side plate portion of upper case 31 are engaged with multiple locking portions 34 provided on the side plate portion of lower case 32, thereby achieving a state in which case 30 houses busbar 10 and sheet material 20 covering busbar 10. As a result, busbar module 1 shown in FIG. 1 is completed.

[0016] Next, the overall configuration of the sheet material 20 and a procedure for attaching the sheet material 20 to the bus bar 10 will be described. As shown in Fig. 5, the sheet material 20 has, as separate bodies, straight sheet portions 20A each having a shape corresponding to the straight portions 10A of the bus bar 10 and covering the straight portions 10A, and bent sheet portions 20B each having a shape corresponding to the bent portions 10B of the bus bar 10 and covering the bent portions 10B. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the sheet material 20 is composed of eight straight sheet portions 20A each having a shape corresponding to each of the eight straight portions 10A of the bus bar 10, and four bent sheet portions 20B each having a shape corresponding to each of the four bent portions 10B of the bus bar 10.

[0017] Each of the eight straight sheet portions 20A has a rectangular shape with the same length as the corresponding straight portion 10A and a constant width L (see FIG. 5). Since each of the eight straight sheet portions 20A has the constant width L (the same width dimension), the eight straight sheet portions 20A can be obtained by sequentially cutting portions having the same length as each of the eight straight portions 10A from one end of a single elongated rectangular sheet material having the constant width L in the longitudinal direction.

[0018] 7 and 8, each of the eight straight sheet portions 20A is provided to cover the corresponding straight portion 10A by being folded and attached along the surface of the corresponding straight portion 10A of the busbar 10. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the straight sheet portion 20A has a rectangular one portion 21 to be disposed on the upper surface 11 (one plate surface) of the straight portion 10A, a rectangular other portion 22 to be disposed on the lower surface 12 (the other plate surface) of the straight portion 10A, and a rectangular connecting portion 23 connecting the one portion 21 and the other portion 22. 7, the linear sheet portion 20A is arranged to the side of the linear portion 10A in a flat state with the one portion 21 and the other portion 22 located on the upper and lower sides, respectively, and with the exposed surface of the adhesive layer 20a facing one side surface 13 of the linear portion 10A, and then the connecting portion 23 (the adhesive layer 20a) is attached to one side surface 13 of the linear portion 10A, and then the boundary between the connecting portion 23 and the one portion 21 is folded to attach the one portion 21 (the adhesive layer 20a) to the upper surface 11 of the linear portion 10A, and the boundary between the connecting portion 23 and the other portion 22 is folded to attach the other portion 22 (the adhesive layer 20a) to the lower surface 12 of the linear portion 10A. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the length of the one portion 21 is shorter and the length of the other portion 22 is longer than the width dimension of the linear portion 10A. Therefore, as shown in Figure 8, the excess portion of the other part 22 that extends beyond the lower surface 12 is folded and attached so as to follow the surfaces of the other side surface 14 of the straight part 10A and a portion of the upper surface 11, and the extended ends of the one part 21 and the other part 22 are stacked together on a portion of the upper surface 11 of the straight part 10A to form a stacked part 24.

[0019] In this example, the four bent sheet portions 20B have the same shape. As shown in Fig. 9, each of the four bent sheet portions 20B is provided so as to cover the corresponding bent portion 10B by being folded and attached to the surface of the corresponding bent portion 10B of the busbar 10. Specifically, as shown in Figs. 5 and 9, the bent sheet portion 20B has a fan-shaped (quarter-circle) one portion 21 to be disposed on the upper surface 11 (one plate surface) of the bent portion 10B, a fan-shaped (quarter-circle) other portion 22 to be disposed on the lower surface 12 (the other plate surface) of the bent portion 10B, and a connecting portion 23 connecting the center portions of the fan shapes of the one portion 21 and the other portion 22. Each of the four bent sheet portions 20B can be obtained at once by punching out the contour shapes of multiple bent sheet portions 20B arranged closely in a row while tilting in the same direction from a single large sheet material 20g, as shown in Figure 10.

[0020] The bent sheet portion 20B is arranged on the side of the bent portion 10B in a flat state with the one portion 21 and the other portion 22 located on the upper and lower sides, respectively, and with the surface on which the adhesive layer 20a is exposed facing the inner side surface 13 (see FIG. 9) of the bent portion 10B, and then the connecting portion 23 (the adhesive layer 20a) is attached to the inner side surface 13 of the bent portion 10B, and then the boundary between the connecting portion 23 and the one portion 21 is folded to attach the one portion 21 (the adhesive layer 20a) to the upper surface 11 of the bent portion 10B, and the boundary between the connecting portion 23 and the other portion 22 is folded to attach the other portion 22 (the adhesive layer 20a) to the lower surface 12 of the bent portion 10B. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the length of both the one portion 21 and the other portion 22 is longer than the width dimension of the bent portion 10B. Therefore, as shown in Figure 9, the excess portion of one part 21 that extends beyond the upper surface 11 is folded and attached so as to fit along the surface of the outer side surface 14 of the bent part 10B, and the excess portion of the other part 22 that extends beyond the lower surface 12 is folded and attached so as to fit along the surface of the outer side surface 14 of the bent part 10B, and the extended ends of one part 21 and the other part 22 are stacked together in a part of the outer side surface 14 of the bent part 10B to form a stacked part 24.

[0021] As described above, each of the plurality of straight sheet portions 20A and each of the plurality of bent sheet portions 20B are attached to the busbar 10 so as to cover the busbar 10 in a form in which they are folded back at the connecting portions 23, and as a result, as shown in Fig. 6, the sheet material 20 made up of the plurality of straight sheet portions 20A and the plurality of bent sheet portions 20B is configured to cover the busbar 10 continuously in the extension direction of the busbar 10. In the extension direction of the busbar 10, the ends of adjacent straight sheet portions 20A and bent sheet portions 20B may be arranged so as to slightly overlap (so as to be stacked on top of each other) or so as not to overlap (so as to have their end faces butt against each other).

[0022] <Actions and Effects> In the busbar module 1 according to this embodiment, the heat-resistant sheet material 20 has, as separate bodies, a first sheet portion 20A having a shape corresponding to the straight portion 10A of the busbar 10 and covering the straight portion 10A, and a second sheet portion 20B having a shape corresponding to the bent portion 10B of the busbar 10 and covering the bent portion 10B. Each of the first sheet portion 20A and the second sheet portion 20B has a first portion 21 disposed on one plate surface (upper surface 11) of the busbar 10, a second portion 22 disposed on the other plate surface (lower surface 12) of the busbar 10, and a connecting portion 23 connecting the first portion 21 and the second portion 22, and is configured to cover the busbar 10 in a folded-back form at the connecting portion 23. As a result, when providing the sheet material 20 to the busbar 10, the first sheet portion 20A and the second sheet portion 20B corresponding to the straight portion 10A and the bent portion 10B of the busbar 10 are first folded at the connecting portion 23, and then the one portion 21 and the other portion 22 are arranged so as to cover the one plate surface 11 and the other plate surface 12 of the busbar 10. This provides superior workability in providing the sheet material 20 compared to conventional tape wrapping, and the layer of the sheet material 20 does not become excessively thick, making it easy to accommodate the busbar 10 provided with the sheet material 20 in the case 30. Therefore, the busbar module 1 according to this embodiment can achieve both heat resistance and productivity.

[0023] <Other aspects> It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications, improvements, etc. are possible as appropriate. Furthermore, the material, shape, dimensions, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as they can achieve the present invention, and are not limited thereto.

[0024] For example, in the above embodiment, the bent sheet portion 20B has a sector-shaped (quarter-circle) one portion 21, a sector-shaped (quarter-circle) other portion 22, and a connecting portion 23 connecting the central portions of the sector shapes of the one portion 21 and the other portion 22, and (the adhesive layer 20a of) the connecting portion 23 is attached to the inner side surface 13 of the bent portion 10B. In contrast to this, as shown in FIG. 11 , the bent sheet portion 20B may have a sector-shaped (quarter-circle) one portion 21, a sector-shaped (quarter-circle) other portion 22, and a connecting portion 23 connecting the arc-shaped portions of the sector shapes of the one portion 21 and the other portion 22. In this case, (the adhesive layer 20a of) the connecting portion 23 is attached to the outer side surface 14 of the bent portion 10B. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the bent portion 10B of the busbar 10 is covered with one bent sheet portion 20B. On the other hand, depending on the degree of bending of the busbar 10 at the bent portion 10B, the bent portion 10B may be covered with a plurality of bent sheet portions 20B.

[0025] Here, the features of the embodiment of the busbar module 1 according to the present invention described above will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [4].

[0026] [1] A busbar module (1) including a plate-shaped busbar (10), a heat-resistant sheet material (20) provided to cover the busbar (10), and a case (30) that houses the busbar (10) and the sheet material (20), The bus bar (10) is The device has a linear portion (10A) having a shape extending linearly and a bent portion (10B) having a bent shape, The sheet material (20) is a first sheet portion (20A) having a shape corresponding to the straight portion (10A) and covering the straight portion (10A), and a second sheet portion (20B) having a shape corresponding to the bent portion (10B) and covering the bent portion (10B), which are separate members; Each of the first sheet portion (20A) and the second sheet portion (20B) is The bus bar (10) has one portion (21) arranged on one plate surface (11) of the bus bar (10), another portion (22) arranged on the other plate surface (12) of the bus bar (10), and a connecting portion (23) connecting the one portion (21) and the other portion (22), and is configured to cover the bus bar (10) in a folded form at the connecting portion (23). Busbar module (1).

[0027] According to the busbar module having the configuration [1] above, the heat-resistant sheet material includes a first sheet portion having a shape corresponding to the straight portion of the busbar and covering the straight portion, and a second sheet portion having a shape corresponding to the bent portion of the busbar and covering the bent portion, as separate pieces. Each of the first and second sheet portions has a first portion disposed on one plate surface of the busbar, a second portion disposed on the other plate surface of the busbar, and a connecting portion connecting the first and second portions. The first and second sheet portions are folded back at the connecting portion to cover the busbar. This allows the sheet material to be attached to the busbar by first preparing the first and second sheet portions having the above-described shapes, and then attaching the sheet material to the busbar by folding back the first and second sheet portions at the connecting portion to cover the first and second plate surfaces of the busbar. In other words, the sheet material can be attached to the busbar simply by folding the sheet material. Therefore, compared to conventional tape wrapping, the sheet material can be provided more easily and the layer of sheet material does not become excessively thick. Therefore, the bus bar module having this configuration can achieve both heat resistance and productivity.

[0028] [2] In the busbar module (1) described in [1] above, The first sheet portion (20A) The shape of the bus bar (10) before covering it is a rectangle having one side corresponding to the length of the linear portion (10A), The second sheet portion (20B) The shape of the bus bar (10) before being covered is a sector shape having an interior angle corresponding to the bending angle of the bending portion (10B). Busbar module (1).

[0029] According to the busbar module having the configuration [2] above, the first sheet portion and the second sheet portion can be easily provided on the straight portion and the bent portion of the busbar while reducing unnecessary overlap.

[0030] [3] In the busbar module (1) described in [1] above, At least one of the first sheet portion (20A) and the second sheet portion (20B) The end of the one portion (21) and the end of the other portion (22) are configured to cover the bus bar (10) in a state where they overlap each other on the one plate surface (12). Busbar module (1).

[0031] According to the bus bar module having the configuration [3] above, the bus bar can be surrounded by the sheet material and covered without any gaps.

[0032] [4] In the busbar module (1) described in [1] above, The sheet material has an adhesive layer (20a) for fixing the sheet material to the bus bar (10), At least one of the first sheet portion (20A) and the second sheet portion (20B) The adhesive layer (20a) on the end of the one portion (21) and the adhesive layer (20a) on the end of the other portion (22) are configured to cover the bus bar (10) in a state where they are adhered to each other. Busbar module (1).

[0033] According to the bus bar module having the configuration [4] above, the sheet material can be attached to the bus bar by a simple operation of sandwiching the bus bar between the first sheet portion and the second sheet portion of the sheet material. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 1 Busbar module 10 Bus Bar 10A straight section 10B Bend part 11 Top surface (one of the board surfaces) 12 Bottom surface (other plate surface) 20 Sheet material 20A Straight seat section (first seat section) 20B Bent sheet portion (second sheet portion) 21 One side 22 Other part 23 Connecting part 30 cases

Claims

1. A bus bar module including: a plate-shaped bus bar; a heat-resistant sheet material provided so as to cover the bus bar; and a case that houses the bus bar and the sheet material, The bus bar is The linear portion has a shape that extends linearly, and a bent portion has a bent shape, The sheet material is a first sheet portion having a shape corresponding to the linear portion and covering the linear portion, and a second sheet portion having a shape corresponding to the bent portion and covering the bent portion, Each of the first sheet portion and the second sheet portion is a first portion disposed on one plate surface of the bus bar, a second portion disposed on the other plate surface of the bus bar, and a connecting portion connecting the first portion and the second portion, and configured to cover the bus bar in a folded-back form at the connecting portion; Busbar module.

2. The busbar module according to claim 1, The first sheet portion is a shape of the bus bar before being covered is a rectangle having one side corresponding to the length of the straight portion, The second sheet portion is The shape of the bus bar before being covered is a sector shape having an interior angle corresponding to the bending angle of the bending portion. Busbar module.

3. The busbar module according to claim 1, At least one of the first sheet portion and the second sheet portion is The end of the one portion and the end of the other portion are configured to cover the bus bar in a state where they overlap each other on the one plate surface. Busbar module.

4. The busbar module according to claim 1, the sheet material has an adhesive layer for fixing the sheet material to the bus bar, At least one of the first sheet portion and the second sheet portion is The adhesive layer on the end of the one portion and the adhesive layer on the end of the other portion are configured to cover the bus bar in a state of being adhered to each other. Busbar module.

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