Busbar protection structure

Abstract

The present invention provides a busbar protection structure that can stably maintain the assembled state of the first protective member and the second protective member. [Solution] In a busbar protection structure 1 comprising a busbar 3, a first protective member 5 having a housing portion 9 in which the busbar 3 is housed, and a second protective member 7 assembled to the first protective member 5 via an engaging portion 19 and closing the opening of the housing portion 9, the engaging portion 19 has a first engaging portion 21 that restricts the movement of the second protective member 7 in the direction away from the opening of the housing portion 9, and a second engaging portion 23 that restricts the movement of the second protective member 7 in the planar direction of the opening of the housing portion 9.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a bus bar protection structure.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a bus bar protection structure, there is provided a lower cover as a first protection member having a bus bar and a housing portion for housing the bus bar. Further, there is known a structure provided with an upper cover as a second protection member that is assembled to the lower cover via an engaging portion and closes the opening of the housing portion (see Patent Document 1). In this bus bar protection structure, the engaging portion is engaged by bringing the upper cover close to the lower cover from above the opening of the housing portion so as to close the opening of the housing portion with respect to the lower cover. By engaging the engaging portion, the assembled state of the lower cover and the upper cover is maintained.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the bus bar protection structure as in Patent Document 1 above, the engaging portion is engaged by bringing the second protection member close to the first protection member from above the opening of the housing portion so as to close the opening of the housing portion. In such an engaging portion, even if the second protection member tries to move in the plane direction of the opening of the housing portion due to an external force or the like in a state where the second protection member closes the opening of the housing portion, the movement of the second protection member is restricted by the engagement of the engaging portion, and the engagement of the engaging portion does not come off. However, if the second protection member tries to move upward from the opening of the housing portion on the opposite side to the assembling direction due to an external force or the like, the engagement of the engaging portion may come off, and the second protection member may be detached from the first protection member.

[0005] This invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art. The object of this invention is to provide a busbar protection structure that can stably maintain the assembled state of the first protective member and the second protective member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The busbar protection structure according to this embodiment comprises a busbar, a first protective member having a housing portion in which the busbar is housed, and a second protective member assembled to the first protective member via an engaging portion and closing the opening of the housing portion, wherein the engaging portion has a first engaging portion that restricts the movement of the second protective member in a direction away from the opening of the housing portion, and a second engaging portion that restricts the movement of the second protective member in the planar direction of the opening of the housing portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a busbar protection structure that can stably maintain the assembled state of the first protective member and the second protective member. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of the busbar protection structure according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the busbar protection structure according to this embodiment when the second protective member is opened. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view of the busbar protection structure according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view of the busbar protection structure according to this embodiment when the first engaging portion is engaged. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view of the busbar protection structure according to this embodiment when the second engaging portion is engaged. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The busbar protection structure according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for illustrative purposes and may differ from the actual ratios.

[0010] As shown in Figure 1, the busbar protection structure 1 according to this embodiment is applied between a vehicle-side charging unit to which a charging connector of charging equipment for electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles is fitted, and a power source such as a rechargeable battery. In recent years, power sources mounted on vehicles have increasingly been of high capacity in order to improve driving range. High-capacity power sources have long charging times, and in order to shorten the charging time, it is being considered to use a busbar 3 to supply a large current. The busbar 3 is arranged in a predetermined shape between the vehicle-side charging unit and the power source on a mounting member (not shown), such as the vehicle body. Since both ends of the busbar 3 are electrically connected and fixed to the vehicle-side charging unit and the power source, the part of the busbar 3 that is placed on the mounting member is prone to vibration due to vehicle vibrations, and the busbar 3 may interfere with the mounting member. Therefore, the outer surface of the busbar 3 is protected by a first protective member 5 and a second protective member 7.

[0011] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, the busbar protection structure 1 comprises a busbar 3, a first protective member 5, and a second protective member 7.

[0012] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, the bus bar 3 is made of a conductive material such as copper or aluminum, and is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate with a rectangular cross-section. Multiple bus bars 3 (two in this case) are arranged between a power supply mounted on a vehicle and a vehicle-side charging unit. One end of the bus bar 3 in the longitudinal direction is electrically connected to the power supply. The other end of the bus bar 3 in the longitudinal direction is electrically connected to the vehicle-side charging unit. The bus bar 3 is arranged on a mounting member such as the vehicle body between the power supply and the vehicle-side charging unit. Note that the portions of the multiple bus bars 3 that are placed on the mounting member are bent in different directions. The outer surface of the bus bar 3 that is placed on the mounting member is protected by a first protective member 5 and a second protective member 7.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, the first protective member 5 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The first protective member 5 has a housing portion 9, a first locking portion 11, and a second locking portion 13.

[0014] The housing section 9 is provided to accommodate the busbar 3. The housing section 9 is formed in a groove shape with openings at the top and on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the busbar 3. The housing section 9 is divided into multiple sections (two in this case) by partition walls positioned between adjacent busbars 3, 3. The side of the housing section 9 where the busbar 3 is bent is formed in a cylindrical shape. A retaining member 15 is positioned in the cylindrical portion of the housing section 9. The retaining member 15 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The retaining member 15 holds the busbar 3 and is assembled to the first protective member 5 via an engaging portion (not shown). By holding the busbar 3 with the retaining member 15, the movement of the busbar 3 relative to the housing section 9 can be restricted, and the busbar 3 can be stably held in the housing section 9. A restricting wall 17 extending outward is formed in the cylindrical portion of the housing section 9.

[0015] The first locking portion 11 constitutes the first engaging portion 21 in the engaging portion 19. The first locking portion 11 is formed axially on one side wall of the first protective member 5, extending along the length direction of the housing portion 9. The lower part of the first locking portion 11 is open through a through hole formed by penetrating the side wall of the first protective member 5.

[0016] The second locking portion 13 constitutes the second engaging portion 23 in the engaging portion 19. The second locking portion 13 is formed as a projection on the outer surface of the other side wall of the first protective member 5, projecting outward from the outer surface. The second locking portion 13 has an inclined surface and a locking surface. The inclined surface extends along the height direction of the side wall of the first protective member 5. The inclined surface is inclined such that the upper opening side of the housing portion 9 is the lowest and the bottom wall side of the housing portion 9 is the highest. The locking surface is located on the bottom wall side of the housing portion 9. The locking surface is a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the outer surface of the side wall of the first protective member 5 and substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the housing portion 9.

[0017] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, the second protective member 7 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The second protective member 7 has a closing portion 25, a first locking piece 27, and a second locking piece 29.

[0018] The closing portion 25 is formed in a flat plate shape extending in a plane parallel to the plane direction of the upper opening of the housing portion 9. The closing portion 25 closes the upper opening of the housing portion 9 when the second protective member 7 is assembled to the first protective member 5. By closing the opening of the housing portion 9 with the closing portion 25, the outer surface of the busbar 3 housed in the housing portion 9 is not exposed, thus protecting the busbar 3. On one side of the closing portion 25 in the width direction, there is a restricting portion 31 that protrudes toward the first protective member 5 and extends across the width direction of the housing portion 9. The restricting portion 31 abuts against the longitudinal end faces of both side walls of the first protective member 5 when the second protective member 7 is assembled to the first protective member 5. The other side of the closing portion 25 in the width direction abuts against the restricting wall 17 provided on the cylindrical portion of the housing portion 9 when the second protective member 7 is assembled to the first protective member 5. The contact between the restricting portions 31 and the restricting wall 17 on both sides of the width direction of the closing portion 25 restricts the movement of the closing portion 25, thereby restricting the positional displacement of the closing portion 25 relative to the opening of the housing portion 9. As a result, the opening of the housing portion 9 can be stably closed by the closing portion 25, and the busbar 3 can be stably protected.

[0019] The first locking piece 27 forms the first locking portion 11 and the first engaging portion 21 at the engaging portion 19. The first locking piece 27 is disposed on the side of the first protective member 5 of the closing portion 25 on one side in the longitudinal direction of the closing portion 25. The first locking piece 27 extends from one side to the other side in the longitudinal direction of the closing portion 25 and is provided so as to be elastically deformable in a direction intersecting the plane direction of the opening of the accommodating portion 9. A locking protrusion protruding toward the closing portion 25 is provided on the free end side of the first locking piece 27. On the side of the first locking piece 27 toward the closing portion 25, a holding piece 33 formed in a symmetric shape with the first locking piece 27 and elastically deformable is provided. The proximal end of the first locking piece 27 is connected to the proximal ends of the closing portion 25 and the holding piece 33, and the free end of the first locking piece 27 is separated from the free end of the holding piece 33. A receiving space for engaging and receiving the first locking portion 11 is formed between the first locking piece 27 and the holding piece 33.

[0020] The first engaging portion 21 having the first locking piece 27 and the first locking portion 11 allows the free ends of the first locking piece 27 and the holding piece 33 to abut against the first locking portion 11 by bringing the second protection member 7 closer from the side to the opening of the accommodating portion 9. The first locking piece 27 and the holding piece 33 abutting against the first locking portion 11 slide and elastically deform with the first locking portion 11 by continuing the movement of the second protection member 7. When the movement of the second protection member 7 is completed, the elastically deformed first locking piece 27 and holding piece 33 are restored after the first locking portion 11 is disposed in the accommodation space between the first locking piece 27 and the holding piece 33 and the sliding with the first locking portion 11 ends. The restored first locking piece 27 and holding piece 33 engage the locking protrusion with the first locking portion 11. In the engaged state of the first engaging portion 21, the second protection member 7 is rotatably held by the first protection member 5, and the second protection member 7 can be opened and closed with respect to the opening of the accommodating portion 9. Therefore, the first protection member 5 and the second protection member 7 can be handled as one member, reducing the number of parts and simplifying the parts management. In the first engaging portion 21, when the second protection member 7 attempts to move in a direction away from the opening of the accommodating portion 9 due to an external force or the like in a state where the second protection member 7 closes the opening of the accommodating portion 9, the first locking piece 27 abuts against the first locking portion 11 (the first protection member 5). Thus, the first engaging portion 21 can regulate the movement of the second protection member 7 in the direction away from the opening of the accommodating portion 9, and the second protection member 7 can stably close the opening of the accommodating portion 9.

[0021] The second locking piece 29 constitutes the second locking portion 13 and the second engaging portion 23 in the engaging portion 19. The second locking piece 29 is disposed on the other side in the longitudinal direction of the closing portion 25. The second locking piece 29 extends from the closing portion 25 toward the first protection member 5 and is formed in a U shape when the second protection member 7 is viewed in the longitudinal direction. The portion of the second locking piece 29 connected to the closing portion 25 is elastically deformable in the plane direction of the opening of the accommodating portion 9. The portion connecting the elastically deformable portions of the second locking piece 29 is a locking portion that can engage with the locking surface of the second locking portion 13.

[0022] The second engaging portion 23, which has the second locking piece 29 and the second locking portion 13, is brought into contact with the inclined surface of the second locking piece 29 by rotating the second protective member 7 and bringing the second protective member 7 closer to the opening of the housing portion 9 from above. As the movement of the second protective member 7 continues, the locking portion of the second locking piece 29, which is in contact with the second locking portion 13, slides against the inclined surface of the second locking portion 13 and is elastically deformed. As the movement of the second protective member 7 is completed, the locking portion of the elastically deformed second locking piece 29 overcomes the inclined surface of the second locking portion 13 and returns to its original position. The returned second locking piece 29's locking portion engages with the locking surface of the second locking portion 13. When the second engaging portion 23 is engaged, the second protective member 7 maintains a closed state of the opening of the housing portion 9, and the second protective member 7 is assembled to the first protective member 5. With the second engaging portion 23, when the second protective member 7 is closed of the opening of the housing portion 9, if the second protective member 7 attempts to move in the planar direction of the opening of the housing portion 9 due to an external force or the like, the second locking piece 29 comes into contact with the second locking portion 13 (first protective member 5). As a result, the second engaging portion 23 can restrict the movement of the second protective member 7 in the planar direction of the opening of the housing portion 9, and the opening of the housing portion 9 can be stably closed by the second protective member 7.

[0023] In this manner, the second protective member 7 is attached to the first protective member 5 via an engagement portion 19 having a first engagement portion 21 and a second engagement portion 23. When the second protective member 7 is attached to the first protective member 5, the first engagement portion 21 restricts the movement of the second protective member 7 in the direction away from the opening of the housing portion 9. On the other hand, the second engagement portion 23 restricts the movement of the second protective member 7 in the planar direction of the opening of the housing portion 9. Therefore, even if external forces are applied to the second protective member 7 in different directions, the movement of the second protective member 7 can be restricted by the first engagement portion 21 and the second engagement portion 23, and the engagement between the first engagement portion 21 and the second engagement portion 23 will not be disengaged. Thus, the attached state of the first protective member 5 and the second protective member 7 can be stably maintained.

[0024] In assembling the second protective member 7 to the first protective member 5, the first engaging portion 21 engages with the opening of the housing portion 9 by the movement of the second protective member 7 approaching from the side. On the other hand, the second engaging portion 23 engages with the opening of the housing portion 9 by the movement of the second protective member 7 approaching from above. Therefore, even if the second protective member 7 attempts to move in the opposite direction to the assembly direction due to external force or the like, the movement of the second protective member 7 is restricted by the first engaging portion 21 and the second engaging portion 23, and the engagement of the first engaging portion 21 and the second engaging portion 23 does not become disengaged.

[0025] In this busbar protection structure 1, a busbar 3 is provided, a first protective member 5 having a housing portion 9 in which the busbar 3 is housed is provided, and a second protective member 7 is assembled to the first protective member 5 via an engaging portion 19 and closes the opening of the housing portion 9. The engaging portion 19 has a first engaging portion 21 that restricts the movement of the second protective member 7 in the direction away from the opening of the housing portion 9 and a second engaging portion 23 that restricts the movement of the second protective member 7 in the planar direction of the opening of the housing portion 9.

[0026] When the second protective member 7 is assembled to the first protective member 5, the first engaging portion 21 restricts the movement of the second protective member 7 in the direction away from the opening of the housing portion 9. On the other hand, the second engaging portion 23 restricts the movement of the second protective member 7 in the planar direction of the opening of the housing portion 9. Therefore, even if external forces are applied to the second protective member 7 in different directions, the movement of the second protective member 7 can be restricted by the first engaging portion 21 and the second engaging portion 23, and the engagement between the first engaging portion 21 and the second engaging portion 23 will not be disengaged.

[0027] Therefore, in such a busbar protection structure 1, the assembled state of the first protective member 5 and the second protective member 7 can be stably maintained.

[0028] Furthermore, the first engaging portion 21 rotatably holds the second protective member 7 to the first protective member 5.

[0029] Therefore, the first protective member 5 and the second protective member 7 can be treated as a single component, reducing the number of parts and simplifying parts management.

[0030] Furthermore, the first engaging portion 21 is engaged with the opening of the housing portion 9 by the movement of the second protective member 7 approaching from the side. Also, the second engaging portion 23 is engaged with the opening of the housing portion 9 by the movement of the second protective member 7 approaching from above.

[0031] Therefore, even if the second protective member 7 attempts to move in the opposite direction to the assembly direction due to external force or the like, the movement of the second protective member 7 is restricted by the first engaging portion 21 and the second engaging portion 23, and the engagement between the first engaging portion 21 and the second engaging portion 23 does not disengage.

[0032] Furthermore, the first engaging portion 21 has a first locking portion 11 provided on one of the first protective member 5 and the second protective member 7, and a first locking piece 27 provided on the other so as to be elastically deformable in a direction intersecting the planar direction of the opening of the housing portion 9 and capable of engaging with the first locking portion 11. Furthermore, the second engaging portion 23 has a second locking portion 13 provided on one of the first protective member 5 and the second protective member 7, and a second locking piece 29 provided on the other so as to be elastically deformable in the planar direction of the opening of the housing portion 9 and capable of engaging with the second locking portion 13.

[0033] At the first engaging portion 21, if the second protective member 7 attempts to move away from the opening of the housing portion 9 due to an external force or the like, the first locking piece 27 abuts against the first locking portion 11 (one side). Therefore, the first engaging portion 21 can restrict the movement of the second protective member 7 away from the opening of the housing portion 9, and the second protective member 7 can stably close the opening of the housing portion 9. At the second engaging portion 23, if the second protective member 7 attempts to move in the planar direction of the opening of the housing portion 9 due to an external force or the like, the second locking piece 29 abuts against the second locking portion 13 (one side). Therefore, the second engaging portion 23 can restrict the movement of the second protective member 7 in the planar direction of the opening of the housing portion 9, and the second protective member 7 can stably close the opening of the housing portion 9.

[0034] Although this embodiment has been described above, this embodiment is not limited to these, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of this embodiment.

[0035] For example, the first engaging portion has a first locking portion provided on the first protective member and a first locking piece provided on the second protective member, but is not limited to this, and the first locking portion may be provided on the second protective member and the first locking piece may be provided on the first protective member. Similarly, the second engaging portion has a second locking portion provided on the first protective member and a second locking piece provided on the second protective member, but is not limited to this, and the second locking portion may be provided on the second protective member and the second locking piece may be provided on the first protective member.

[0036] Furthermore, while the storage compartment currently houses two busbars, it is not limited to this; one, three, or more busbars may be housed in the storage compartment. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0037] 1. Busbar protection structure 3 Busba 5. First protective member 7. Second protective member 9. Storage area 11. First locking section 13. Second locking section 19 Engaging part 21 First engagement part 23 Second engaging portion 27 1st locking piece 29 Second locking piece

Claims

1. Bassba and, A first protective member having a housing portion in which the busbar is housed, A second protective member is assembled to the first protective member via an engaging portion and closes the opening of the housing portion, Equipped with, The busbar protection structure comprises an engagement portion having a first engagement portion that restricts the movement of the second protective member in a direction away from the opening of the housing portion, and a second engagement portion that restricts the movement of the second protective member in the planar direction of the opening of the housing portion.

2. The busbar protection structure according to claim 1, wherein the first engaging portion rotatably holds the second protective member to the first protective member.

3. The first engaging portion is engaged with the opening of the housing portion by the movement of the second protective member approaching it from the side. The busbar protection structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second engaging portion is engaged with the opening of the housing portion by the movement of the second protective member approaching from above.

4. The first engaging portion has a first locking portion provided on one of the first protective member and the second protective member, and a first locking piece provided on the other so as to be elastically deformable in a direction intersecting the planar direction of the opening of the housing portion and capable of engaging with the first locking portion. The busbar protection structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second engaging portion comprises the first protective member and the second protective member, a second locking portion provided on one of the two, and a second locking piece provided on the other so as to be elastically deformable in the planar direction of the opening of the housing portion and capable of engaging with the second locking portion.

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