Battery external terminal connection attachment

Abstract

To provide an external terminal connection attachment for a storage battery that is capable of connecting a wiring to an external terminal without affecting the operation of the storage battery, and preventing an increase in contact resistance caused by aged deterioration.SOLUTION: An external terminal connection attachment 1 includes a pair of printed circuit boards 9 and 10, a screw 11, a nut 12 and a washer 13 that constitute a fastener, and a socket-side connector 14. The printed circuit boards 9 and 10 are arranged opposite so that conductive surfaces 9b and 10b are in electrical contact with connection portions 5 between storage battery posts 4a and 4b and a bus bar 3 with the connection portions 5 being interposed therebetween. The printed circuit boards 9, 10 are clamped together by a fastener to apply pressure to the contact between each of the conductive surfaces 9b, 10b and each of the connection point 5. A socket-side connector 14 is mounted on a printed circuit board 10 by mounting an insulator 14b on an insulating surface 10a and soldering each contact pin 14a on the conductive surface 10b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an external terminal connection attachment for a storage battery that is attached to an external terminal of the storage battery and is used to draw wiring from the external terminal. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as an external terminal connection attachment for this type of storage battery, for example, there is a terminal for measuring internal resistance disclosed in Patent Document 1. This measurement terminal is formed with a current-carrying terminal and a voltage measurement terminal protruding from the periphery of an annular body, and a hole is opened in the center of the annular body. This measurement terminal is attached to the storage battery post by passing a bolt through the hole opened in the center of the annular body and fastening the bolt to a nut cast into the storage battery post.

[0003] Furthermore, as an example of a conventional measurement terminal equivalent to this type of external terminal connection attachment for a storage battery, there is also a measurement terminal disclosed in Patent Document 2. This measurement terminal is composed of a top surface portion, a pair of side surfaces hanging down from both sides of the top surface portion, and cut-and-raised protrusions formed on the pair of side surfaces. This measurement terminal is attached to the band-shaped conductor by inserting it between the pair of side surfaces and engaging the cut-and-raised protrusions with the band-shaped conductor. The band-shaped conductor is connected to the external terminal of the storage battery and is used to connect the storage batteries together. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-195145 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2003-194848 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the internal resistance measurement terminal disclosed in the above-mentioned conventional Patent Document 1 is attached to the battery post by being sandwiched between the bolt and the nut by fastening the bolt to the nut of the battery post. In such an attachment structure of the measurement terminal, it is necessary to attach the measurement terminal to the battery post in advance when the storage battery is newly installed. In order to attach the measurement terminal to the battery post while the storage battery is in operation, it is necessary to stop the operation of the storage battery once and to disconnect the storage battery from the power supply system. For this reason, if such a measurement terminal is attached to the external terminal of the storage battery after the installation of the storage battery in order to measure the voltage, internal resistance, etc. of the storage battery while it is in operation, it will affect the operation of the storage battery.

[0006] In addition, in the measurement terminal disclosed in the above-mentioned conventional Patent Document 2, the force that holds the strip conductor between the pair of side portions weakens with age, which increases the contact resistance between the measurement terminal and the strip conductor, adversely affecting the measurement of the voltage, internal resistance, etc. of the storage battery. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, a pair of fastening pieces disposed opposite each other across a connection point between an external terminal of the storage battery and a bus bar or a connection line terminal, the fastening pieces having an insulating surface on the opposite side of each conductive surface, the conductive surfaces being in electrical contact with the connection point; a fastener that is fitted across a pair of clamping pieces and clamped to apply pressure to and hold the contact between each conductive surface and the connection point; A contact pin is electrically connected to the conductive surface of one of the fastening pieces, and an insulator for holding the contact pin is mounted on the insulating surface, forming a connector electrically connected to an external terminal. The above components constitute an external terminal connection attachment for a storage battery.

[0008] The external terminal connection attachment of this configuration can be used to pull out wires from the external terminal of the storage battery by simply clamping the connection point between the external terminal of the storage battery and the bus bar or the connection line terminal with a pair of fastening pieces and attaching a fastener between the pair of fastening pieces, so that the external terminal of the storage battery and the bus bar or the connection line terminal are in a connected state. Therefore, when measuring the voltage, internal resistance, etc. of the storage battery during operation of the storage battery, the present connection attachment can be attached to the external terminal of the storage battery without temporarily stopping the operation of the storage battery and disconnecting the storage battery from the power system, as in the case of the conventional measurement terminal disclosed in Patent Document 1. Therefore, by fitting the plug side connector to which the wiring is connected to the socket side connector of the present connection attachment attached to the external terminal of the storage battery, it becomes possible to connect wiring such as measurement lines to the external terminal of the storage battery without affecting the operation of the storage battery. In addition, the electrical connection between the present connection attachment and the connection point can be reliably and stably performed by the fastener attached between the pair of fastening pieces. Therefore, unlike the conventional measurement terminal disclosed in Patent Document 2, there is no risk of contact resistance increasing due to deterioration over time, which could adversely affect measurements of the voltage, internal resistance, etc. of the storage battery.

[0009] The present invention also provides a method for producing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of: the external terminal has a rectangular column shape and is fixed to the flat bus bar or the connecting line terminal at the connection portion from a side by a fastener; Each of the pair of fastening pieces is made of a flat printed circuit board or a metal-based board having a conductive surface on one side and an insulating surface on the other side, and has a hole larger than the outer shape of the end of the fastener at a portion that is to be positioned at the fastener when attached to the connection portion, The fastener is provided between each pair of fastening pieces at a plurality of locations surrounding the hole on the side periphery of the bus bar or the connecting line terminal. It is characterized by:

[0010] According to this configuration, the planar side surfaces of the external terminal and the bus bar or the connection line terminal on both sides of the connection portion are sandwiched between the planar conductive surfaces of a pair of fastening pieces made of a printed circuit board or a metal base board. At this time, the ends of the fixtures protruding from the respective sides of the external terminal and the bus bar or the connection line terminal are prevented from interfering with the respective fastening pieces by the holes formed in the pair of fastening pieces. Therefore, the conductive surfaces of the pair of fastening pieces and the connection portion are abutted without any gaps by being fastened by the fasteners provided between the respective fastening pieces, and stable electrical contact is reliably obtained.

[0011] The present invention also provides a method for producing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of: a pair of clamping pieces disposed opposite each other and electrically contacting the external terminal of the storage battery at a location separated from the connection between the external terminal and the bus bar or the connecting line terminal, the clamping pieces having insulating surfaces on the opposite sides of the conductive surfaces, each end of one side being provided so as to be freely opened and closed around a fulcrum formed at the mutual engagement location, and each end receiving a biasing force from an elastic member in a direction in which each end closes, thereby clamping the external terminal; a fastener provided across each end of a pair of fastening pieces that sandwich the external terminal, and fastened to apply pressure to the contact between each conductive surface and the external terminal and to maintain the contact in a pressured state; A contact pin is electrically connected to the conductive surface of one of the fastening pieces, and an insulator for holding the contact pin is mounted on the insulating surface, forming a connector electrically connected to an external terminal. The above components constitute an external terminal connection attachment for a storage battery.

[0012] The external terminal connection attachment of this configuration can be used to pull out the wiring from the external terminal of the storage battery by simply opening the ends of the pair of fastening pieces, clamping the open pair of fastening pieces to the external terminal at a location away from the connection location, and attaching a fastener between the ends, so that the external terminal of the storage battery and the bus bar or the connection line terminal remain connected. Therefore, when measuring the voltage, internal resistance, etc. of the storage battery during operation of the storage battery, the present connection attachment can be attached to the external terminal of the storage battery without temporarily stopping the operation of the storage battery and disconnecting the storage battery from the power system, as in the case of the conventional measurement terminal disclosed in Patent Document 1. Therefore, by fitting the plug side connector to which the wiring is connected to the socket side connector of the present connection attachment attached to the external terminal of the storage battery, wiring such as measurement lines can be connected to the external terminal of the storage battery without affecting the operation of the storage battery. In addition, the electrical connection between the present connection attachment and the external terminal of the storage battery can be reliably and stably performed by the fastener attached between the ends of the pair of fastening pieces. Therefore, unlike the conventional measurement terminal disclosed in Patent Document 2, there is no risk of contact resistance increasing due to deterioration over time, which could adversely affect measurements of the voltage, internal resistance, etc. of the storage battery.

[0013] The present invention also provides a method for producing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of: the external terminal has a cylindrical shape, and a flat bus bar or a connecting line terminal is fixed to the connecting portion from above by a fixing device; The pair of fastening pieces are made of a flat printed circuit board or a metal-based board with a conductive surface on one side and an insulating surface on the other side, and are provided on the external terminal at a location away from the connection location, and the shape of the portion surrounding the external terminal is a curved shape that follows the cylindrical outer periphery of the external terminal. It is characterized by:

[0014] According to this configuration, the electrical connection between the external terminal of the storage battery and the pair of fastening pieces is established by abutting, without any gaps, the cylindrical outer circumferential surface of the external terminal at a location separated from the connection location by the fixing device and each conductive surface of the pair of fastening pieces, the portion surrounding the external terminal having a curved shape that follows the cylindrical outer circumferential shape. Therefore, by fastening the ends of the pair of fastening pieces with the fastener, a stable electrical contact is reliably obtained between them.

[0015] In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the connector has two contact pins.

[0016] According to this configuration, two wires are drawn out from each of a pair of positive and negative external terminals of the storage battery, and the internal resistance of the storage battery can be easily and accurately measured by a four-terminal method. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an external terminal connection attachment for a battery that allows wiring to be connected to the external terminal of the battery without affecting the operation of the battery, and that does not increase contact resistance due to deterioration over time, which would adversely affect the measurement of the battery's voltage, internal resistance, etc. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a storage battery to which an external terminal connection attachment according to a first embodiment of the present invention is attached is connected to a battery pack. [Diagram 2] 2 is an enlarged perspective view of an external terminal portion of the storage battery shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 1A and 1B are front and back views of a printed circuit board that constitutes an external terminal connection attachment according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an external terminal connection attachment according to a first embodiment is attached to a connection portion between an external terminal of a storage battery and a bus bar. FIG. [Diagram 5]1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an external terminal connection attachment according to a first embodiment is attached to a connection portion between an external terminal of a storage battery and a bus bar. FIG. [Figure 6] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating an external terminal connection attachment according to a first modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which a storage battery to which an external terminal connection attachment according to a second modification of the first embodiment is attached is connected to a battery pack. FIG. [Figure 8] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating an external terminal connection attachment according to a second modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating an external terminal connection attachment according to another modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a storage battery equipped with an external terminal connection attachment according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Next, the external terminal connection attachment for the storage battery according to each embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a storage battery 2 to which an external terminal connection attachment 1 according to the first embodiment is attached, the storage battery 2 being connected to a battery pack by a bus bar 3. FIG.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 2(a) and Fig. 2(b), a pair of positive and negative battery posts 4a, 4b in the shape of a rectangular column are provided on the upper surface of each storage battery 2 to protrude as external terminals of the storage battery 2. Each storage battery 2 is connected in series via a bus bar 3, with the positive battery post 4a connected to the negative battery post 4b of the adjacent storage battery 2 and the negative battery post 4b connected to the positive battery post 4a of the adjacent storage battery 2. Each bus bar 3 and each battery post 4a, 4b have an insertion hole (not shown), and a bolt 7 is inserted through each insertion hole via a washer 6. At a connection point 5 between each battery post 4a, 4b and the bus bar 3, the side of each battery post 4a, 4b is fixed to the flat bus bar 3 by the washer 6, the bolt 7, and the nut 8 that constitute a fixing device.

[0022] The external terminal connection attachment 1 is composed of a pair of printed circuit boards 9, 10 constituting a pair of fastening pieces, three screws 11, three nuts 12, and six washers 13 constituting fasteners, and one socket-side connector 14. One printed circuit board 9 is shown in FIG. 3(a) on its front side and in FIG. 3(b) on its back side, while the other printed circuit board 10 is shown in FIG. 3(c) on its back side and in FIG. 3(d) on its front side. Each printed circuit board 9, 10 is composed of a rectangular flat plate made of an electrically insulating resin or the like. The front and side periphery of each printed circuit board 9, 10 are covered with an insulating film shown by diagonal lines in the figure, and insulating surfaces 9a, 10a are formed on the front side. A thin conductive film is formed on the entire back side of each printed circuit board 9, 10, forming conductive surfaces 9b, 10b.

[0023] Each printed circuit board 9, 10 also has holes 9c, 10c with an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the head of the bolt 7, the nut 8, and the washer 6, i.e., the end of the fastener. These holes 9c, 10c are formed at locations that will be located at the fastener when each printed circuit board 9, 10 is attached to the connection location 5. Each printed circuit board 9, 10 also has screw insertion holes 9d, 10d at three corners through which the screws 11 are inserted. The printed circuit board 10 also has two through holes 10e, as shown in Figures 3(c) and 3(d).

[0024] As shown in Fig. 4, the printed circuit boards 9, 10 are disposed opposite each other across the connection points 5 between the battery posts 4a, 4b and the bus bar 3, with the conductive surfaces 9b, 10b electrically contacting the connection points 5. The insulating surfaces 9a, 10a are positioned on the opposite side of the conductive surfaces 9b, 10b. As shown in Fig. 5, fasteners consisting of screws 11, nuts 12, and washers 13 are provided between the pair of printed circuit boards 9, 10 at three corners of each printed circuit board 9, 10 surrounding the holes 9c, 10c around the side of the bus bar 3. When the fasteners provided between the pair of printed circuit boards 9, 10 are tightened, pressure is applied to the contacts between the conductive surfaces 9b, 10b and the connection points 5, and the pressure is maintained.

[0025] The socket side connector 14 is provided on the printed circuit board 10 with each contact pin 14a inserted into a through hole 10e of the printed circuit board 10 and an insulator 14b that holds each contact pin 14a mounted on the insulating surface 10a. Each contact pin 14a is soldered to the conductive surface 10b and electrically connected to the conductive surface 10b, and is electrically connected to each storage battery post 4a, 4b.

[0026] Using the external terminal connection attachment 1 of this embodiment, wiring can be drawn from each battery post 4a, 4b by simply sandwiching the connection points 5 between each battery post 4a, 4b and the bus bar 3 between a pair of printed circuit boards 9, 10 and attaching fasteners consisting of a screw 11, a nut 12 and a washer 13 between the pair of printed circuit boards 9, 10, so that wiring can be drawn while each battery post 4a, 4b and the bus bar 3 remain connected.

[0027] Therefore, when measuring the voltage, internal resistance, etc. of the storage battery 2 during operation of the storage battery 2, the connection attachment 1 can be attached to each battery post 4a, 4b without having to temporarily stop operation of the storage battery 2 and disconnect the storage battery 2 from the power supply system, as is the case with conventional measurement terminals. Therefore, by fitting a plug-side connector to which wiring is connected into the socket-side connector 14 of the connection attachment 1 attached to each battery post 4a, 4b, wiring such as measurement lines can be connected to each battery post 4a, 4b without affecting the operation of the storage battery 2.

[0028] Moreover, the electrical connection between the connection attachment 1 and the connection point 5 can be reliably and stably performed by a fastener attached across the pair of printed circuit boards 9, 10. In particular, according to this embodiment, the planar side surfaces of the battery posts 4a, 4b and the bus bar 3 on both sides of the connection point 5 are sandwiched between the planar conductive surfaces 9b, 10b of the printed circuit boards 9, 10. At this time, the washer 6, the head of the bolt 7, and the nut 8, which protrude from each side surface of the battery posts 4a, 4b and the bus bar 3, i.e., the end of the fastener, are prevented from interfering with the printed circuit boards 9, 10 by the holes 9c, 10c formed in the pair of printed circuit boards 9, 10. Therefore, the conductive surfaces 9b, 10b of the pair of printed circuit boards 9, 10 and the connection point 5 are abutted without any gaps by being fastened by the fasteners composed of the screw 11, the nut 12, and the washer 13 provided across the printed circuit boards 9, 10, and a stable electrical contact can be reliably obtained. Therefore, unlike conventional measurement terminals, there is no risk of contact resistance increasing due to deterioration over time, which could adversely affect measurements of the voltage, internal resistance, etc. of the storage battery 2.

[0029] In addition, since the external terminal connection attachment 1 of this embodiment has a socket side connector 14 having two contact pins 14a, two wires can be drawn out from each of a pair of positive and negative battery posts 4a, 4b of the storage battery 2, and the internal resistance of the storage battery 2 can be easily and accurately measured by the four-terminal method.

[0030] Fig. 6(a) is a perspective view of an external terminal connection attachment 1A according to a first modified example of the first embodiment. This external terminal connection attachment 1A is composed of a pair of printed circuit boards 20, 21 constituting a pair of fastening pieces, three screws 11, three nuts (not shown), and six washers 13 constituting a fastener, and two socket side connectors 14. In Fig. 6, parts that are the same as or correspond to those in Fig. 5 are given the same reference numerals and their explanation will be omitted.

[0031] Fig. 6(b) shows the front surface of one of the pair of printed circuit boards 20, 21, and Fig. 6(c) shows the back surface. The printed circuit board 20 has screw insertion holes 20d through which the screws 11 are inserted, at two locations at both corners of the upper side and one location at the center of the lower side. In addition, two through holes 20e through which the contact pins 14a of the socket side connector 14 are inserted are formed on both sides of the screw insertion hole 20d at the center of the lower side. The other printed circuit board 21 of the pair of printed circuit boards 20, 21 has a similar configuration to the printed circuit board 20, except that the through holes 20e are not formed.

[0032] Each of the printed circuit boards 20 and 21 is made of a rectangular flat plate made of an electrically insulating material such as resin. The front and sides of the printed circuit boards 20 and 21 are covered with an insulating film to form insulating surfaces 20a and 21a on the front and conductive surfaces 20b and 21b on the rear.

[0033] In the above first embodiment, the external terminal connection attachment 1 is configured so that the printed circuit boards 9, 10 sandwich the connection points 5 between the battery posts 4a, 4b and the bus bar 3, but the external terminal connection attachment 1A according to the first modified example is configured so as to sandwich the bus bar 3 that connects the external terminals of adjacent batteries 2, as shown in Fig. 6(a). One of the two socket side connectors 14 is used to pull out wiring from the external terminal of one of the adjacent batteries 2, and the other connector 14 is used to pull out wiring from the external terminal of the other battery 2.

[0034] In the external terminal connection attachment 1A according to this first modified example, wiring can be drawn from each battery post 4a, 4b of one storage battery 2 by simply sandwiching each bus bar 3 connecting the adjacent batteries 2 on either side of that storage battery 2 between a pair of printed circuit boards 20, 21, and attaching fasteners consisting of a screw 11, a nut (not shown) and a washer 13 between the pair of printed circuit boards 20, 21, so that wiring can be drawn from each battery post 4a, 4b and the bus bar 3 while they are still connected.

[0035] Therefore, with the external terminal connection attachment 1A according to the first modified example, when measuring the voltage, internal resistance, etc. of the storage battery 2 during operation of the storage battery 2, it is possible to attach the main connection attachment 1A to each bus bar 3 without temporarily stopping the operation of the storage battery 2 and disconnecting the storage battery 2 from the power supply system, as is the case with conventional measurement terminals. For this reason, by fitting a plug-side connector to which wiring is connected into the socket-side connector 14 of the main connection attachment 1A attached to each bus bar 3 connected to each of the storage battery posts 4a, 4b, it becomes possible to connect wiring such as measurement lines to each of the battery posts 4a, 4b without affecting the operation of the storage battery 2.

[0036] Furthermore, the electrical connection between the connection attachment 1A and the bus bar 3 can be reliably and stably established by a fastener attached across the pair of printed circuit boards 20, 21. Therefore, unlike conventional measurement terminals, there is no risk of contact resistance increasing due to deterioration over time, which could adversely affect measurements of the voltage, internal resistance, etc. of the storage battery 2.

[0037] Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a storage battery 2 to which an external terminal connection attachment 1B according to a second modified example of the first embodiment is attached, the storage battery 2 being connected to a battery pack by a bus bar 3. In Fig. 7, parts that are the same as or correspond to those in Fig. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted. Fig. 8(a) is an enlarged perspective view of the external terminal connection attachment 1B. In Fig. 8, parts that are the same as or correspond to those in Fig. 6 are given the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted.

[0038] The external terminal connection attachment 1B is composed of a pair of printed circuit boards 30, 31 which form a pair of fastening pieces, two screws 11, two nuts (not shown) and four washers 13 which form fasteners, one socket side connector 14, two L-shaped metal fittings 32 and two magnets 33.

[0039] FIG. 8(b) shows the front surface of one of the pair of printed circuit boards 30, 31, and FIG. 8(c) shows the back surface. The printed circuit board 30 has a pair of screw insertion holes 30d, through which the screws 11 are inserted, at two locations on both corners of the upper side. Two through holes 30e, through which the contact pins 14a of the socket-side connector 14 are inserted, are formed between the pair of screw insertion holes 30d. A cylindrical magnet 33 is provided at the center of the front surface of the printed circuit board 30. A pair of pads 34 are formed on the lower side of the printed circuit board 30. The upright pieces 32a of the L-shaped metal fittings 32 shown in a perspective view in FIG. 8(d) are soldered to these pads 34, and the protruding pieces 32b of the two L-shaped metal fittings 32 protrude from the back side of the printed circuit board 30.

[0040] The other printed circuit board 31 of the pair of printed circuit boards 30, 31 has a similar configuration to the printed circuit board 30, except that the other printed circuit board 31 does not have the through-hole 30e formed therein and does not have the two L-shaped metal fittings 32.

[0041] Each of the printed circuit boards 30 and 31 is made of a rectangular flat plate made of an electrically insulating material such as resin. The front and sides of the printed circuit boards 30 and 31 are covered with an insulating film to form insulating surfaces 30a and 31a on the front and conductive surfaces 30b and 31b on the rear.

[0042] The external terminal connection attachment 1B according to the second modification is also configured to sandwich the busbar 3 as shown in Fig. 8(a), but as shown in Fig. 7, the busbar 3 is provided at a position adjacent to each of the battery posts 4a, 4b for each storage battery 2. In the external terminal connection attachment 1B according to the second modification, the wiring can be drawn from each of the battery posts 4a, 4b of the storage battery 2 by simply sandwiching each of the busbars 3 at a position adjacent to each of the battery posts 4a, 4b between a pair of printed circuit boards 30, 31, attaching a fastener across the upper sides of the pair of printed circuit boards 30, 31, and positioning the protruding piece 32b of the L-shaped metal fitting 32 at the lower end of the busbar 3 by protruding it from the lower side of the printed circuit board 30. Therefore, in the external terminal connection attachment 1B according to the second modification, the wiring can be drawn from each of the battery posts 4a, 4b of the storage battery 2 while the battery posts 4a, 4b and the busbar 3 are still connected to each other.

[0043] Therefore, with the external terminal connection attachment 1B according to the second modified example, when measuring the voltage, internal resistance, etc. of the storage battery 2 during operation of the storage battery 2, it is possible to attach the main connection attachment 1B to each bus bar 3 located close to each battery post 4a, 4b without having to temporarily stop operation of the storage battery 2 and disconnect the storage battery 2 from the power supply system, as is the case with conventional measurement terminals. Therefore, by fitting a plug side connector to which wiring is connected into the socket side connector 14 of the main connection attachment 1B attached to each bus bar 3, it becomes possible to connect wiring such as measurement lines to each battery post 4a, 4b without affecting the operation of the storage battery 2.

[0044] The pair of printed circuit boards 30, 31 tightly hold the bus bar 3 by the magnets 33 attached to each of them attracting each other by magnetic force. The protruding piece 32b of the L-shaped metal fitting 32 protrudes from the lower side of the printed circuit board 30 and is positioned at the lower end of the bus bar 3, so that the L-shaped metal fitting 32 prevents the pair of printed circuit boards 30, 31 from slipping out upward and no longer holding the bus bar 3. Therefore, the electrical connection between the connection attachment 1B and the bus bar 3 can be reliably and stably performed by the fastener, the magnet 33, and the L-shaped metal fitting 32 attached between the pair of printed circuit boards 30, 31. Therefore, unlike conventional measurement terminals, there is no increase in contact resistance due to aging, which adversely affects the measurement of the voltage, internal resistance, etc. of the storage battery 2.

[0045] In the above embodiment, the battery posts 4a, 4b of the batteries 2 are connected by the bus bar 3, but the same effects can be achieved when the batteries are connected by a connection wire. In this case, the connection wire and the battery posts 4a, 4b are electrically connected to each other at the connection point 5 by a fastener consisting of a washer 6, a bolt 7, and a nut 8, the flat portion of the crimp terminal provided at the end of the connection wire with the bolt insertion hole opening therein being fixed to the battery posts 4a, 4b as the connection wire terminal.

[0046] In the above embodiment, the pair of printed circuit boards 9 and 10 are provided with holes 9c and 10c, respectively. However, instead of the holes 9c and 10c, notches 9f and 10f as shown in FIG. 9 may be provided. In this case, the front side of the printed circuit board 9 is shown in FIG. 9(a), the back side is shown in FIG. 9(b), and the back side of the printed circuit board 10 is shown in FIG. 9(c), and the front side is shown in FIG. 9(d). In FIG. 9, the same or corresponding parts as those in FIG. 3 are denoted with the same reference numerals, and their description is omitted. Each of the notches 9f and 10f is formed by cutting out an area including the formation area of ​​the holes 9c and 10c at a corner of each of the four corners of the printed circuit boards 9 and 10 where the screw insertion holes 9d and 10d are not formed. That is, each of the notches 9f and 10f may have a shape that avoids interference between the printed circuit boards 9 and 10 and the end of the fixing tool.

[0047] In the above embodiment and each modification, the pair of fastening pieces is configured from the printed circuit boards 9, 10, 20, 21, 30, 31, but the pair of fastening pieces may be configured from a metal-based substrate using metal as the base material. In this case, too, the front and side periphery of the metal-based substrate are covered with an insulating film to form an insulating surface, and a thin conductive film is formed over the entire surface of each of the opposing back surfaces that sandwich the storage battery posts 4a, 4b to form a conductive surface. In this case, too, the same effects as those of the above embodiment and each modification can be achieved.

[0048] Fig. 10(a) is a side view of a storage battery 2 to which an external terminal connection attachment 41 according to a second embodiment of the present invention is attached, and Fig. 10(b) is a plan view of the storage battery 2 with the washer 6, bolt 7, and bus bar 3 removed. This external terminal connection attachment 41 is composed of a pair of fastening pieces 42, 43, a wire spring 44, a screw 11, a nut 12, and a washer 13 that constitute a fastener, and a socket side connector 14. In Fig. 10, parts that are the same as or correspond to those in Fig. 5 are given the same reference numerals and their explanation will be omitted.

[0049] A pair of cylindrical positive and negative battery posts 45a, 45b are provided on the top surface of the storage battery 2 to protrude as external terminals of the storage battery 2. Each of the battery posts 45a, 45b is a nut-inserted external terminal, and a nut (not shown) is cast into each of the battery posts 45a, 45b. The storage batteries 2 are connected in series via the bus bars 3, with the positive battery post 45a connected to the negative battery post 45b of an adjacent storage battery 2 (not shown) and the negative battery post 45b connected to the positive battery post 45a of an adjacent storage battery 2 (not shown). Each bus bar 3 has an insertion hole (not shown) opened therein. At each connection point 5 between each battery post 45a, 45b and the bus bar 3, a bolt 7 is inserted through an insertion hole of the bus bar 3 via a washer 6, and the bolt 7 is fastened to a nut of each battery post 45a, 45b, thereby fixing the flat bus bar 3 from above. The washer 6 and the bolt 7 form a fixing device.

[0050] The pair of clamping pieces 42, 43 and the wire spring 44 have a structure similar to that of clothes pegs. That is, the pair of clamping pieces 42, 43 have ends 42a, 43a on one side that can be opened and closed around a fulcrum 46 formed at the mutual engagement point, and each end 42a, 43a receives a biasing force from the wire spring 44 in a direction in which the ends 42a, 43a close, thereby clamping each storage battery post 45a, 45b. The wire spring 44 constitutes an elastic member.

[0051] The pair of fastening pieces 42, 43 are disposed opposite to each other with the conductive surfaces 42b, 43b electrically contacting the battery posts 45a, 45b, sandwiching the battery posts 45a, 45b at a position away from the connection points 5 between the battery posts 45a, 45b and the busbar 3. The fastening pieces 42, 43 have a curved shape that surrounds the battery posts 45a, 45b and conforms to the cylindrical outer periphery of the battery posts 45a, 45b, and have insulating surfaces 42c, 43c on the opposite side of the conductive surfaces 42b, 43b. As with the fastening pieces of the first embodiment, the fastening pieces 42, 43 are formed of a printed circuit board made of an electrically insulating resin or a metal-based circuit board made of a metal base material, and a thin conductive film is formed on the conductive surfaces 42b, 43b. The insulating surfaces 42c, 43c and the sides of the fastening pieces 42, 43 are covered with an insulating film.

[0052] A fastener consisting of a screw 11, a nut 12 and a washer 13 is provided between the ends 42a, 43a of the pair of fastening pieces 42, 43 that sandwich the battery posts 45a, 45b. When this fastener is provided across the ends 42a, 43a and tightened, pressure is applied to the contact between each of the conductive surfaces 42b, 43b and the battery posts 45a, 45b, and the pressure is maintained.

[0053] Further, a socket side connector 14 is provided on the side of the end 43a of one of the fastening pieces 43. The socket side connector 14 has contact pins 14a electrically connected to a conductive surface 43b, an insulator 14b that holds the contact pins 14a mounted on an insulating surface 43c, and is electrically connected to battery posts 45a, 45b.

[0054] Using the external terminal connection attachment 41 of this embodiment, wiring can be pulled out from the battery posts 45a, 45b by opening each end 42a, 43a on one side of the pair of fastening pieces 42, 43, simply clamping the open pair of fastening pieces 42, 43 to the battery posts 45a, 45b at a location away from the connection point 5, and attaching a fastener between each end 42a, 43a, so that wiring can be pulled out while the battery posts 45a, 45b and each bus bar 3 remain connected.

[0055] Therefore, when measuring the voltage, internal resistance, etc. of the storage battery 2 during operation of the storage battery 2, the main connection attachment 41 can be attached to the battery posts 45a, 45b without temporarily stopping the operation of the storage battery 2 and disconnecting the storage battery 2 from the power supply system, as is the case with conventional measurement terminals. Therefore, by fitting a plug-side connector to which wiring is connected into the socket-side connector 14 of the main connection attachment 41 attached to the battery posts 45a, 45b, wiring such as measurement lines can be connected to the battery posts 45a, 45b without affecting the operation of the storage battery 2.

[0056] According to the external terminal connection attachment 41 of the present embodiment, the electrical connection between the battery posts 45a, 45b and the pair of fastening pieces 42, 43 is established by abutting the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the battery posts 45a, 45b at a location away from the connection location 5 by the bolt 7 with each conductive surface 42b, 43b of the pair of fastening pieces 42, 43, the portion surrounding the battery posts 45a, 45b being curved along the cylindrical outer periphery, without any gap. Therefore, the ends 42a, 43a of the pair of fastening pieces 42, 43 are fastened by the fastener, so that the electrical contact between the battery posts 45a, 45b and each conductive surface 42b, 43b is reliably and stably obtained. Therefore, the electrical connection between the connection attachment 41 and the battery posts 45a, 45b is reliably and stably established by the fastener attached across the ends 42a, 43a. Therefore, unlike conventional measurement terminals, there is no risk of contact resistance increasing due to deterioration over time, which could adversely affect measurements of the voltage, internal resistance, etc. of the storage battery 2.

[0057] In addition, since the socket side connector 14 of the external terminal connection attachment 41 of this embodiment has two contact pins 14a, two wires can be drawn out from each of the pair of positive and negative battery posts 45a, 45b of the storage battery 2, and the internal resistance of the storage battery 2 can be easily and accurately measured by the four-terminal method.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the case where the battery posts 45a, 45b of each storage battery 2 are connected by the bus bar 3 has been described, but similar effects can be achieved when the batteries are connected by a connecting wire. In this case, the connecting wire and the battery posts 45a, 45b are electrically connected to each other at the connection point 5 by a fastener consisting of a washer 6 and a bolt 7, with a flat portion of a crimp terminal provided at the end of the connecting wire, which has an opening for a bolt insertion hole, being fixed to the nut of the battery post 45a, 45b as a connecting wire terminal.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the battery posts 45a, 45b are cylindrical, but the present invention can be applied to the battery posts 4a, 4b of the battery 2 in the first embodiment. In this case, the height of the rectangular battery posts 4a, 4b protruding from the upper surface of the battery 2 is increased, and the length of the battery posts 4a, 4b is set to include the length required for the connection points 5 between the busbar 3 or the connection line terminals and the battery posts 4a, 4b, as well as the length for connecting the external terminal connection attachment. An external terminal connection attachment similar to the external terminal connection attachment 41 is clamped to the battery posts 4a, 4b at the locations of the battery posts 4a, 4b that are not connected to the connection points 5 and have this length. However, the shape of the portion of the external terminal connection attachment that surrounds and clamps the battery posts 4a, 4b is made flat to match the outer shape of the battery posts 4a, 4b, unlike the curved shape of the external terminal connection attachment 41. With such an external terminal connection attachment, the same effects as those of the external terminal connection attachment 41 according to the second embodiment described above can be achieved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060]

[0033] 1,41...external terminal connection attachment, 2...storage battery, 3...bus bar, 4a,4b,45a,45b...storage battery post (external terminal), 5...connection point, 6...washer, 7...bolt, 8...nut, 9,10...printed circuit board (pair of fastening pieces), 9a,10a,42c,43c...insulating surface, 9b,10b,42b,43b...conductive surface, 9c,10c...hole, 9d,10d...screw insertion hole, 10e...through hole, 9f,10f...notch, 11...screw, 12...nut, 13...washer, 14...socket side connector, 14a...contact pin, 14b...insulator, 42,43...pair of fastening pieces, 42a,43a...one end, 44...wire spring (elastic body), 46...fulcrum

Claims

1. a pair of fastening pieces disposed opposite each other across a connection point between an external terminal of the storage battery and a bus bar or a connection line terminal, the fastening pieces having an insulating surface on the opposite side of each of the conductive surfaces, the conductive surfaces being in electrical contact with the connection point; a fastener that is fitted across a pair of said clamping pieces and is clamped to apply pressure to and hold in pressure contact between each of said conductive surfaces and said connection points; a connector in which contact pins are electrically connected to the conductive surface of one of the fastening pieces, an insulator for holding the contact pins is mounted on the insulating surface, and the connector is electrically connected to the external terminal; An external terminal connection attachment for a storage battery comprising:

2. the external terminal has a rectangular column shape and is fixed to the flat bus bar or the flat connection line terminal at the connection portion by a fastener from a side surface thereof; each of the pair of fastening pieces is made of a flat printed circuit board or a metal-based board having the conductive surface on one side and the insulating surface on the other side, and has a hole larger than the outer shape of an end of the fastener at a location that is to be positioned at the fastener when the fastening pieces are attached to the connection portion; The fastener is provided between each pair of the fastening pieces at a plurality of locations surrounding the hole on the side periphery of the bus bar or the connection line terminal.

2. The external terminal connection attachment for a storage battery according to claim 1 .

3. a pair of clamping pieces disposed opposite to and in electrical contact with the external terminal of the storage battery at a location separated from a connection location between the external terminal and the bus bar or the connecting line terminal, the clamping pieces having insulating surfaces on the opposite sides of the conductive surfaces, each end of one side being provided so as to be freely opened and closed around a fulcrum formed at the mutual engagement location, and each end receiving a biasing force from an elastic member in a direction in which each end closes, thereby clamping the external terminal; a fastener that is provided across the ends of the pair of fastening pieces that sandwich the external terminal, and that is fastened to apply pressure to the contact between each of the conductive surfaces and the external terminal, thereby maintaining the contact in a pressured state; a connector in which contact pins are electrically connected to the conductive surface of one of the fastening pieces, an insulator for holding the contact pins is mounted on the insulating surface, and the connector is electrically connected to the external terminal; An external terminal connection attachment for a storage battery comprising:

4. the external terminal has a cylindrical shape, and the flat bus bar or connection line terminal is fixed to the connection portion from above by a fixing device; The pair of fastening pieces are made of a flat printed circuit board or a metal-based board in which the conductive surface is formed on one surface and the insulating surface is formed on the other surface, and are provided on the external terminal at a location away from the connection location, and the shape of the portion surrounding the external terminal is a curved shape that follows the cylindrical outer periphery of the external terminal.

4. The battery external terminal connection attachment according to claim 3.

5. 5. The battery external terminal connection attachment according to claim 1, wherein the connector has two of the contact pins.

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