Bus bar

Abstract

We can provide busbars with high dimensional accuracy. [Solution] The busbar comprises a busbar body 10 made of metal plate having a main body portion 11 and terminal portions 18, 19, and a resin covering member 30 that covers the main body portion 11. The main body portion 11 has a folded portion 13 in which the metal plate 20 is folded along a fold line 12, and a single piece portion 14 which is the part in which the metal plate 20 is not folded and constitutes the edge portions 17a, 17b, 17c of the main body portion 11. The single piece portion 14 has exposed portions 15a, 15b, 15c which are the parts not covered by the covering member 30.

Description

Technical Field

[0005] , , ,

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

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for manufacturing a bus bar resin molded product. The bus bar resin molded product disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a bus bar and a resin coating portion that coats the bus bar. In the method for manufacturing a bus bar resin molded product, first, the bus bar is manufactured by metal powder injection molding. Next, the bus bar is placed in a resin molding die. Next, the resin molding die with the bus bar placed therein is clamped. Next, a synthetic resin material is injected and filled into the resin molding die. In this way, the bus bar resin molded product is manufactured.

[0003] Conventionally, there is also a bus bar manufactured by pressing a metal plate. Further, as a method for manufacturing a bus bar having a large cross-sectional area, that is, a thick plate, using a metal plate, there is a method of folding the metal plate by hemming.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] When thickening the bus bar (hereinafter, the bus bar body) by folding a metal plate by hemming as described above, the following disadvantages may occur. That is, in the case of the bus bar body formed by folding the metal plate, the dimensional accuracy deteriorates. Therefore, when the bus bar body is inserted into a die to form a resin coating portion, there is a risk that the positioning of the bus bar body with respect to the die cannot be accurately performed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A busbar for solving the above problems comprises a busbar body made of a metal plate having a main body portion and a terminal portion, and a resin covering member covering the main body portion, wherein the main body portion has a folded portion in which the metal plate is folded along a fold line, and a single piece portion which is the portion in which the metal plate is not folded and constitutes the edge of the main body portion, and the single piece portion has an exposed portion which is the portion not covered by the covering member. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1(a) is a side view of a busbar according to one embodiment, and Figure 1(b) is a side view of the busbar body that constitutes the same busbar. [Figure 2] Figure 2(a) is a perspective view of a busbar according to one embodiment, and Figure 2(b) is a perspective view of the busbar body that constitutes the same busbar. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the lower and upper molds and the busbar body of a mold according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] Figures 4(a) to 4(c) are cross-sectional views illustrating the molding process of the covering member in a busbar according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] Figures 5(a) to 5(c) are cross-sectional views illustrating the molding process of the covering member in the busbar of the comparative example. [Figure 6] Figure 6(a) is a plan view of the busbar in the first modification example, and Figure 6(b) is a perspective view of the same busbar. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a side view of the busbar in the second modification example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] An embodiment of the busbar will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 4. As shown in Figures 1(a), 1(b), 2(a), and 2(b), the busbar comprises a busbar body 10 made of a metal plate having a main body portion 11 and terminal portions 18 and 19, and a resin covering member 30 that covers the main body portion 11.

[0009] <Bus bar body 10> As shown in Figures 1(b) and 2(b), the main body 11 has a folded portion 13 in which the metal plate 20 is folded along the fold line 12, and a single-piece portion 14 which is the part of the metal plate 20 that is not folded and constitutes the edges 17a, 17b, and 17c of the main body 11. The main body 11 is formed by folding a single metal plate 20 along the fold line 12.

[0010] In the following explanation, the direction in which the fold line 12 extends will be defined as the length direction L, the overlapping direction of the metal plates 20 will be defined as the thickness direction T, and the direction perpendicular to both the length direction L and the thickness direction T will be defined as the width direction W.

[0011] The main body portion 11 has notches 16a and 16b in which the portion including the fold line 12 is cut out. The notches 16a and 16b have a single piece portion 14. Two holes are formed in the metal plate 20 side by side in the longitudinal direction L, and the metal plate 20 is folded along the fold line 12 that passes through a position offset from the center of one of the holes, thereby forming the notches 16a and 16b having a single piece portion 14. The notches 16a and 16b each have edges 17a and 17b. The edges 17a and 17b extend along the longitudinal direction L.

[0012] The edge 17c of the main body 11 opposite to the fold line 12 is composed of a single piece 14. By folding the metal plate 20 along the fold line 12 so that the edges 17c and 21 located on opposite sides of the metal plate 20 do not overlap, a single piece 14 is formed on the edge 17c of the main body 11 opposite to the fold line 12. The edge 17c extends along the length direction L.

[0013] The terminal portions 18 and 19 are provided on one side and the other side of the main body portion 11 in the longitudinal direction L, respectively. The terminal portions 18 and 19 have holes 18a and 19a penetrating the terminal portions 18 and 19 in the thickness direction T.

[0014] As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the single-piece portion 14 has exposed portions 15a, 15b, and 15c that are portions not covered by a covering member 30 described later. The exposed portions 15a and 15b are provided on the single-piece portion 14 provided in the notch portions 16a and 16b. The exposed portion 15c is provided at the edge portion 17c. The exposed portion 15c is located between the exposed portions 15a and 15b in the longitudinal direction L.

[0015] <Covering member 30> As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the covering member 30 has cutouts 31a, 31b, and 31c and a mounting portion 35.

[0016] The cutouts 31a and 31b are provided corresponding to the notch portions 16a and 16b, respectively, and open to one side in the width direction W (the lower side in FIG. 1(a)). The cutouts 31a and 31b extend along the width direction W and form the exposed portions 15a and 15b.

[0017] The cutout 31c is provided corresponding to the edge portion 17c and opens to the other side in the width direction W (the upper side in FIG. 1(a)). The cutout 31c extends along the width direction W and forms the exposed portion 15c.

[0018] The mounting portion 35 protrudes from the outer surface of the covering member 30 in the thickness direction T. A cylindrical collar 40 is embedded in the mounting portion 35. Both end faces of the collar 40 are exposed to the outside. The covering member 30 is made of a thermoplastic resin. The collar 40 is made of, for example, metal.

[0019] <Mold 50 and molding method of covering member 30> First, the configuration of the mold 50 for molding the covering member 30 will be described. As shown in Figure 3, the mold 50 comprises a lower mold 51 and an upper mold 56 positioned above the lower mold 51.

[0020] The lower mold 51 has a lower mold body 52 and a plurality of support protrusions 53, 54, 55 that protrude from the upper surface of the lower mold body 52. The support protrusions 53, 54, and 55 are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction L. The support protrusions 53, 54, and 55 extend along the thickness direction T.

[0021] Support protrusions 53, 54, and 55 are provided with support grooves 53a, 54a, and 55a that extend along the longitudinal direction L. As shown in Figures 3 and 4(a), the support groove 53a supports the edge 17a of the busbar body 10 by sandwiching it in the thickness direction T.

[0022] As shown in Figure 3, the support groove 54a supports the edge 17b of the busbar body 10 by sandwiching it in the thickness direction T. The support groove 55a supports the edge of the terminal portion 19 of the busbar body 10 by clamping it in the thickness direction T. The support grooves 53a, 54a, and 55a position the busbar body 10 in the thickness direction T.

[0023] As shown in Figures 3 and 4(b), a support groove 57 extending along the length L is provided on the lower surface of the upper mold 56. The support groove 57 sandwiches the edge 17c of the busbar body 10 in the thickness direction T.

[0024] As shown in Figure 4(b), the portion of the support groove 57 that forms the exposed portion 15c has, from bottom to top, a widened portion 57a, a tapered portion 57b, and a support portion 57c. The widened portion 57a ​​is the portion that opens to the lower surface of the upper mold 56, and the spacing in the thickness direction T is constant in the width direction W (vertical direction in Figure 4(b)). The tapered portion 57b is connected to the upper end of the widened portion 57a, and the spacing in the thickness direction T becomes smaller as it moves away from the widened portion 57a ​​in the width direction W, i.e., towards the top. The support portion 57c is the upper end portion of the tapered portion 57b, and supports the edge portion 17c of the busbar body 10 by sandwiching the portion of the edge portion 17c of the busbar body 10 that forms the exposed portion 15c in the thickness direction T. The support portion 57c positions the busbar body 10 in the thickness direction T.

[0025] Note that in Figures 4(a) to 4(c), the position in the longitudinal direction L of the cross-section of the portion including the upper mold 56 is different from the position in the longitudinal direction L of the cross-section of the portion including the lower mold 51. Next, with reference to Figure 4, a method for molding the covering member 30 using the mold 50 will be described.

[0026] As shown in Figure 4(a), when forming the covering member 30, first the edges 17a and 17b of the busbar body 10 and the edges of the terminal portion 19 are inserted into the support grooves 53a, 54a, and 55a of the lower mold 51, respectively.

[0027] As shown in Figure 4(b), next, a pair of horizontal molds 58 and 59 are placed on the lower mold 51 so as to sandwich the busbar body 10 in the thickness direction T. Then, by lowering the upper mold 56, the edge portion 17c of the busbar body 10 is inserted into the support groove 57 of the upper mold 56. At this time, the pair of horizontal molds 58 and 59 are sandwiched in the width direction W by the lower mold 51 and the upper mold 56. As the busbar body 10 is inserted into the mold 50 in this way, cavities 60 are formed between the horizontal molds 58 and 59 and the busbar body 10, and between the support groove 57 of the upper mold 56 and the busbar body 10.

[0028] Next, molten resin is injected from an injection device (not shown) and supplied to the cavity 60. Subsequently, the resin is cooled and solidified, forming the covering member 30 as shown in Figure 4(c).

[0029] Here, we will explain the method for forming the covering member in the busbar of the comparative example. Referring to Figure 5, for the busbars and molds of the comparative examples that correspond to those of the above embodiment, the reference numeral "1**" is added to the reference numeral "**" of the above embodiment, thereby omitting redundant explanations.

[0030] As shown in Figure 5(a), in the busbar body 110 of the comparative example, the edge portion 117c and the edge portion 121 overlap in the thickness direction T, and the entire body portion 111 becomes the folded portion 113. Therefore, the portion of the busbar body 110 including the fold line 112, i.e., the folded portion 113, is inserted into the groove portion 153a of the lower die 151.

[0031] As mentioned above, when increasing the thickness of the busbar body 110 by folding metal plates through hemming, the dimensional variation of the busbar body 110 becomes large. Therefore, as shown in Figure 5(b), the distance in the thickness direction T of the groove 153a of the lower mold 151 and the distance in the thickness direction T of the support groove 157 of the upper mold 156 are set to be large to account for variations in the thickness direction T of the busbar body 110.

[0032] As a result, as shown in Figure 5(c), the gap between the busbar body 110 and the groove 153a becomes larger, and molten resin can easily enter this gap, making it easier for burrs 139 to form. In addition, the position of the busbar body 110 tends to tilt within the mold 150, which can lead to problems such as the covering member 130 being molded at an angle relative to the busbar body 110.

[0033] <Operation of this embodiment> When inserting the busbar body 10 into the mold 50 to form the covering member 30, the exposed edges 17a, 17b, and 17c of the single piece 14 can be used as positioning parts relative to the mold 50. Specifically, by bringing the edges 17a, 17b, and 17c into contact with the support grooves 53a, 54a and support parts 57c of the mold 50, it becomes possible to position the busbar body 10 in the thickness direction T relative to the mold 50. Since the single piece 14 has higher dimensional accuracy than the folded portion 13, the gap between the busbar body 10 and the support grooves 53a, 54a and support parts 57c can be set to be smaller. Therefore, the accuracy of positioning the busbar body 10 relative to the mold 50 can be improved.

[0034] <Effects of this embodiment> (1) The busbar comprises a busbar body 10 made of metal plate having a main body portion 11 and terminal portions 18, 19, and a resin covering member 30 that covers the main body portion 11. The main body portion 11 has a folded portion 13 in which the metal plate 20 is folded along a fold line 12, and a single piece portion 14 which is the part in which the metal plate 20 is not folded and which constitutes the edges 17a, 17b, 17c of the main body portion 11. The single piece portion 14 has exposed portions 15a, 15b, 15c which are the parts not covered by the covering member 30.

[0035] This configuration provides the aforementioned effects, making it possible to offer busbars with high dimensional accuracy. (2) The main body portion 11 has notches 16a and 16b in which the portion including the fold line 12 is cut out. The notches 16a and 16b have a single sheet portion 14. The exposed portions 15a and 15b are provided on the single sheet portion 14 provided on the notches 16a and 16b.

[0036] By forming a hole in the metal plate 20 and folding the metal plate 20 along a fold line 12 that passes through a position offset from the center of the hole, notches 16a and 16b having a single piece 14 are formed.

[0037] According to the above configuration, the busbar body 10 is formed by folding the metal plate 20, on which the holes are located along the fold line 12. This contributes to reducing the press load when folding the metal plate 20 by hemming.

[0038] (3) The edge 17c of the main body 11 opposite to the fold line 12 is made of a single piece 14. The exposed portion 15c is provided on the opposite edge 17c. By folding the metal plate 20 along the fold line 12 so that the edges 17c and 21 of the metal plate 20 that are on opposite sides of each other do not overlap, a single piece 14 is formed on the edge 17c of the main body 11 that is opposite to the fold line 12. Therefore, with the above configuration, the single piece 14 can be easily formed.

[0039] In particular, the busbar body 10 can be positioned relative to the mold 50 on both the side of the fold line 12 and the opposite side of the main body 11. This further improves the accuracy of the positioning of the busbar body 10 relative to the mold 50. Therefore, a busbar with higher dimensional accuracy can be provided.

[0040] <Example of changes> The above embodiment can also be implemented with modifications as follows, for example. This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that they do not contradict each other technically.

[0041] - The exposed portion 15c may not be provided on the edge 17c opposite to the fold line 12. In other words, the busbar body 10 may be positioned relative to the mold 50 using only the edges 17a and 17b on the fold line 12 side.

[0042] As shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b), the busbar mounting portion 35 may protrude in the width direction W from the outer surface of the covering member 30. In this case, although not shown, the upper mold 56 may be provided so as to be able to move back and forth in the thickness direction T relative to the lower mold 51. In this case, if the edges 17a, 17b, and 17c of the busbar body 10 are brought into contact with the lower mold 51 in the width direction W, the busbar body 10 can be positioned in the width direction W relative to the lower mold 51.

[0043] In addition, for the busbar and mold of the first modified example, redundant explanations are omitted by denoting the same reference numerals as in the above embodiment for components that are the same as or corresponding to those in the above embodiment. As shown in the second modified busbar in Figure 7, the notches 16a and 16b may have second notches 17A and 17B in which the portion of the exposed portion 15a and 15b including the edges 17a and 17b of the notches 16a and 16b is cut out.

[0044] With this configuration, although not shown in the figures, the second notches 17A and 17B make it possible to position the busbar body 10 relative to the mold 50 in the direction of extension of the fold line 12, i.e., in the length direction L. Specifically, the bottom of the support grooves 53a and 54a of the lower mold 51 of the above embodiment may be provided with engaging protrusions (not shown in the figures) that engage with the second notches 17A and 17B in the length direction L. Since the exposed portions 15a and 15b having the second notches 17A and 17B are a single piece 14, the accuracy of positioning the busbar body 10 relative to the mold in the length direction L can be improved. Therefore, a busbar with high dimensional accuracy in both the length direction L and the thickness direction T can be provided.

[0045] In the busbar of the second modification example, the only difference from the busbar of the above embodiment is that it has second notches 17A and 17B. Therefore, redundant explanations are omitted for components that are the same as or corresponding to those in the above embodiment, by using the same reference numerals as in the above embodiment. In this case, the notches 16a and 16b correspond to the first notches in the claims.

[0046] The notches 16a and 16b of the busbar body 10 may be omitted, as may the exposed portions 15a and 15b. In this case, although not shown in the illustration, the busbar body 10 may be positioned relative to the mold by bringing the portion of the main body portion 11 of the busbar body 10 that becomes the exposed portion 15c on the edge 17c opposite to the fold line 12 into contact with the lower mold. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0047] 10,110...Bus bar body 11,111…Main body 12,112…fold lines 13,113…Folded section 14...One piece 15a,15b,15c...Exposed part 16a, 16b... Notches 17a,17b,17c,117c...Edge 18...Terminal section 18a…hole 19...Terminal section 19a…hole 20...Metal plate 21,121…edge 30... Covering material 31a, 31b, 31c... notches 35…Mounting part 40... Color 50,150… molds 51,151…lower mold 52...Lower body 53,54,55…Support protrusion 53a, 54a, 55a, 153a…Support groove 56,156…upper mold 57,157…Support groove 57a... Widening section 57b...Tapered section 57c…Support part 58, 59… Horizontal type 60... Cavity 139...Bali

Claims

1. A busbar body made of metal plate having a main body and terminals, It comprises a resin covering member that covers the main body, The main body is, A folded portion in which the metal plate is folded along the fold line, The portion in which the metal plates are not overlapped has a single piece that constitutes the edge of the main body, The aforementioned single piece has an exposed portion which is the part not covered by the covering member. Bus bar.

2. The main body portion has a notch in which the portion including the fold line is cut out, The aforementioned notch has the single piece portion, The exposed portion is provided in the single piece provided in the notched portion. The bus bar according to claim 1.

3. When the aforementioned notch is designated as the first notch, The first notch has a second notch, in which the portion of the exposed portion including the edge of the first notch is cut out. The bus bar according to claim 2.

4. The edge of the main body opposite to the fold line is made of the single piece, The exposed portion is provided on the opposite edge, A bus bar according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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