Busbar Module

Abstract

To provide a busbar module with which it is possible to handle each part appropriately.SOLUTION: A busbar module 1 comprises a cover 40 which is assembled to a case that accommodates a busbar, and a temporary holding structure 60 which is capable of temporarily holding, to a cover 40, a connector 70 that is provided at an end of a detection line 20. The temporary holding structure 60 includes an insertion piece part 61 that extends along an insertion direction D1 while temporarily holding the connector 70 to the cover 40, a pressing piece part 63 that comes into contact with the insertion piece 61 in a pressing direction D3 and locks the insertion piece part 61 at a temporary holding position, and a detachment prevention wall 64 that comes into contact with an end of the insertion piece 61 in the insertion direction D1 while the insertion piece part 61 is inserted into a temporary holding position and locked at the temporary holding position by the pressing piece part 63 and restricts the insertion piece part 61 from falling out of the temporary holding position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a busbar module. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a battery wiring module that is attached to a group of cells arranged in a row, each cell having positive and negative electrode terminals. This battery wiring module includes a plurality of connection members and a flexible printed circuit board. The connection members connect the positive and negative electrode terminals of adjacent cells of the plurality of cells. The flexible printed circuit board has a plurality of voltage detection lines that detect the voltages of the plurality of cells via the connection members. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-27831 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, the battery wiring module described in Patent Document 1 above is provided with a connector at the end of the voltage detection line, but there is room for further improvement in terms of handling of the connector during transportation, for example.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a bus bar module in which each part can be handled appropriately. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, a bus bar module according to the present invention includes a bus bar that electrically connects electrode terminals of a plurality of battery cells, a detection wire that is electrically connected to the bus bar and has a connector at its end, a case that houses the bus bar, a cover that is assembled to the case, and a temporary holding structure that can temporarily hold the connector relative to the cover, wherein the temporary holding structure is provided on the connector and includes an insertion piece that extends along the insertion direction when the connector is temporarily held relative to the cover, and a temporary holding structure that can temporarily hold the connector relative to the cover. and a retaining piece portion provided on the cover, extending along the insertion direction, abutting against the insertion piece portion in a pressing direction intersecting the insertion direction and locking the insertion piece portion at a temporary holding position; and a slip-out prevention wall portion provided on the cover, positioned opposite the pressing piece portion at a distance from the pressing piece portion along the insertion direction, abutting against an end of the insertion piece portion in the insertion direction when the insertion piece portion is inserted into the temporary holding position and locked at the temporary holding position by the pressing piece portion, and preventing the insertion piece portion from coming off the temporary holding position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The bus bar module according to the present invention has an effect that each part can be handled appropriately. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a bus bar module according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of the bus bar module according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view including a temporary holding structure of the bus bar module according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of the connector side of the temporary holding structure for the bus bar module according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of the cover side of the temporary holding structure for the bus bar module according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of the cover side of the temporary holding structure for the bus bar module according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view including a temporary holding structure of the bus bar module according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view including a temporary holding structure of a bus bar module according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view including a temporary holding structure of the bus bar module according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same.

[0010] In the following description, of the first, second, and third directions that intersect with one another, the first direction will be referred to as the "arrangement direction X," the second direction will be referred to as the "width direction Y," and the third direction will be referred to as the "height direction Z." Here, the arrangement direction X as the first direction, the width direction Y as the second direction, and the height direction Z as the third direction are mutually orthogonal. Typically, the arrangement direction X corresponds to the insertion direction D1, the width direction Y corresponds to the facing direction D2, and the height direction Z corresponds to the pressing direction D3. Unless otherwise specified, the directions used in the following description will be described as directions in a state in which the respective parts are assembled together.

[0011] [Embodiment] The busbar module 1 according to this embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is applied to a battery pack 100 mounted on a vehicle. The battery pack 100 is mounted on a vehicle (such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle) that has an electric motor such as a motor as a drive source, and is used to supply power to the electric motor. The battery pack 100 includes a busbar module 1 and a battery module 110. The battery pack 100 may include a plurality of busbar modules 1 and a plurality of battery modules 110.

[0012] The battery module 110 is an assembled battery composed of a plurality of battery cells (single cells) 111 arranged along the arrangement direction X. Each battery cell 111 has a cell body 112 and two electrode terminals 113. The cell body 112 is the main component constituting the battery cell 111. Here, the cell body 112 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped plate shape, and various components are housed inside. The two electrode terminals 113 are each provided at a location on the cell body 112 and exposed to the outside. One of the two electrode terminals 113 is a positive electrode and the other is a negative electrode. The electrode terminals 113 may be, for example, plate-shaped and provided on the outer wall surface of the cell body 112, or may be columnar poles protruding from the outer wall surface of the cell body 112. Here, the electrode terminals 113 are illustrated as electrodes formed in a substantially circular plate shape, as an example.

[0013] In the battery module 110, the battery cells 111 are arranged in a row, with one of the electrode terminals 113 of each battery cell 111 aligned in a row and the other electrode terminal 113 also aligned in a row. Therefore, in this battery module 110, electrode terminal groups 114 consisting of the aligned electrode terminals 113 are provided in two locations. Here, each battery cell 111 has a cell body 112 formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped plate shape, and positive and negative electrode terminals 113 are provided on one of its six outer wall surfaces. Therefore, the battery module 110 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole by the battery cells 111 arranged along the arrangement direction X, and has six wall surfaces as an assembly of the multiple battery cells 111. In this battery module 110, each electrode terminal group 114 is provided on one of the six wall surfaces of the assembly.

[0014] The busbar module 1 is electrically connected to a plurality of battery cells 111 that constitute a battery module 110. The busbar module 1 is electrically connected to at least one of the electrode terminal groups 114 of the battery module 110 configured as described above. Here, the busbar module 1 is electrically connected to both of the two electrode terminal groups 114. The busbar module 1 electrically connects each battery cell 111 to a monitoring device (not shown). The monitoring device is a computing device that constitutes a battery monitoring unit that monitors the state (voltage, current, temperature, etc.) of each battery cell 111, and is, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) or a microcomputer. The monitoring device monitors the state of each battery cell 111 based on information (voltage information, current information, temperature information, etc.) that indicates the state of the battery cell 111 obtained via the busbar module 1, and uses the information for various controls such as charge / discharge control.

[0015] In this configuration, the busbar module 1 of this embodiment includes a temporary holding structure 60 for a connector 70 for connecting to a monitoring device or the like, as shown in Fig. 3 etc., thereby realizing a configuration that allows each part to be handled appropriately, for example, even during transportation etc. The configuration of the busbar module 1 will be described in detail below with reference to the respective drawings.

[0016] 1 and 2 includes a busbar 10, a detection wire 20, a case 30, a cover 40, a cover 50, and a temporary holding structure 60. The busbar module 1 is assembled into a battery module 110 in a modularized state, with multiple busbars 10, detection wires 20, cases 30, covers 40, 50, temporary holding structures 60, etc., and each busbar 10 is joined to each electrode terminal 113 to form a battery pack 100. The busbar module 1 may also include a thermistor, various sensors, etc.

[0017] The busbar 10 is a connection terminal that electrically connects the electrode terminals 113 of the multiple battery cells 111. The busbar 10 is intended to connect at least one of the multiple arranged battery cells 111, and is electrically connected to one of the two electrode terminals 113 of the battery cell 111 to be connected. The busbar 10 is formed of a conductive metal plate such as copper or aluminum. The busbar 10 is joined to the electrode terminals 113 by various joining methods, such as laser welding or bolt joining, and is electrically connected to the electrode terminals 113.

[0018] More specifically, the busbar 10 constitutes an electrode connection busbar that electrically connects one of two electrode terminals 113 of each battery cell 111 adjacent to each other along the arrangement direction X. That is, in this case, the busbar 10 is provided across the different electrode terminals 113 and electrically connects the different electrode terminals 113 to each other. As a result, the busbar 10 electrically connects the electrode terminal 113 of one battery cell 111 adjacent to each other along the arrangement direction X to the electrode terminal 113 of the other battery cell 111. The busbar 10 electrically connects the electrode terminals 113 of adjacent battery cells 111 to each other in accordance with the connection method of the multiple battery cells 111 required in the battery module 110.

[0019] For example, when a plurality of battery cells 111 are connected in series in a battery module 110, the bus bar 10 connects the electrode terminal 113 constituting the positive electrode of one adjacent battery cell 111 to the electrode terminal 113 constituting the negative electrode of the other battery cell 111. In this case, in each electrode terminal group 114 of the battery module 110, the positive electrode terminals 113 and the negative electrode terminals 113 are arranged alternately. As another example, when a plurality of battery cells 111 are connected in parallel in a battery module 110, the bus bar 10 connects the electrode terminals 113 constituting the positive electrodes of adjacent battery cells 111 to each other, or the electrode terminals 113 constituting the negative electrodes of adjacent battery cells 111 to each other. In this case, in each electrode terminal group 114 of the battery module 110, the electrode terminals 113 of the same polarity are arranged side by side.

[0020] The battery module 110 has two electrode terminals 113 that are not connected to other electrode terminals 113 by the bus bars 10, one of which serves as a general positive electrode and the other as a general negative electrode. Here, an example is shown in which a plurality of battery cells 111 are connected in series in the battery module 110, i.e., in each electrode terminal group 114, positive and negative electrode terminals 113 are alternately arranged, and one electrode terminal group 114 has both a general positive electrode and a general negative electrode. In the battery module 110, the bus bars 10 that form the general positive electrode and the bus bars 10 that form the general negative electrode bus bars are electrically connected to the electrode terminals 113 that serve as the general positive electrode and the general negative electrode, respectively.

[0021] The detection wires 20 are electrically connected to the bus bars 10 and have connectors 70 at their ends, electrically connecting each bus bar 10 to the monitoring device via the connectors 70. The detection wires 20 are electrically connected to each of the multiple bus bars 10 configured as described above, and electrically connect each bus bar 10 to the monitoring device. As an example, the detection wires 20 of this embodiment can be configured using flexible printed circuits (FPCs) 21, which are flexible, plate-like planar circuits. That is, in this case, the detection conductors of the detection wires 20 that electrically connect each bus bar 10 to the monitoring device are configured by the conductor layers (printed circuits) that configure the flexible printed circuit 21. The detection wires 20 configured using the flexible printed circuit 21 are electrically connected to each bus bar 10 by welding or fastening the detection conductors (conductor layers) to the bus bars 10. The detection wires 20 may be electrically connected to each bus bar 10 via, for example, a relay bus bar or the like. A connector 70 is connected to one end of the detection line 20 in the arrangement direction X. The connector 70 constitutes a so-called FPC connector, and is fitted with a connector on the monitoring device side and electrically connected.

[0022] The case 30 is a housing that houses and holds the bus bars 10. The case 30 houses and holds a plurality of bus bars 10 configured as described above, arranged along the arrangement direction X. The case 30 is formed, for example, by integrally forming each part using an insulating resin material. The case 30 is configured by arranging a plurality of accommodation chambers 31, each of which accommodates a bus bar 10, side by side along the arrangement direction X, and the accommodation chambers 31 are interconnected via a displacement absorbing structure such as a hinge 32. The case 30 houses one bus bar 10 in each accommodation chamber 31 and holds each bus bar 10 in a position that allows connection to an electrode terminal 113. Here, the case 30 is configured to include two accommodation chamber groups 33, one for each electrode terminal group 114. Each accommodation chamber group 33 has accommodation chambers 31 in a number corresponding to the number of electrode terminals 113 that constitute the electrode terminal group 114, and the plurality of accommodation chambers 31 are arranged side by side along the arrangement direction X. One of the chamber groups 33 is configured to include chambers 31 that accommodate and hold the busbars 10 forming the total positive electrode and the busbars 10 forming the total negative electrode busbar. The pair of chamber groups 33 are spaced apart along the width direction Y and are connected and integrated via multiple connecting portions 34. The space between the pair of chamber groups 33 and above the multiple connecting portions 34 of the case 30 functions as a circuit body installation space 35. The circuit body installation space 35 is a space for installing the detection wire 20 described above. The multiple connecting portions 34 are spaced apart along the arrangement direction X between the pair of chamber groups 33 and cross the lower part of the circuit body installation space 35 along the width direction Y. The connecting portions 34 function as a support for supporting the detection wire 20 installed in the circuit body installation space 35. The detection wires 20 extend along the arrangement direction X while being housed in the circuit body installation space 35 and supported by the connecting portions 34, and the connector 70 is located on one side of the arrangement direction X.

[0023] The cover 40 is attached to the case 30, covers the bus bars 10 housed in the housing chambers 31 of the case 30, and protects live parts. The cover 40 is formed, for example, by integrally forming each part from an insulating resin material. The cover 40 as a whole is formed in a generally plate-like shape with its thickness direction aligned with the height direction Z. The cover 40 is attached to the case 30 by engaging with the case 30 via various engaging structures (engaging claws, engaging holes, etc.). The cover 40 is attached from one side of the case 30 in the height direction Z (the side opposite to the side where the battery modules 110 are located) and covers the case 30.

[0024] More specifically, the cover 40 includes a main body portion 41 and a connecting portion 42. The main body portion 41 is a main portion of the cover 40 that covers the accommodation chambers 31 of the case 30. A pair of main body portions 41 are provided, one for each of the pair of accommodation chamber groups 33. Each main body portion 41 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape corresponding to the shape of the accommodation chamber group 33 so as to cover substantially the entire accommodation chamber group 33. Here, each main body portion 41 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape with the plate thickness direction in the height direction Z and the long side direction in the arrangement direction X. The pair of main body portions 41 are spaced apart along the width direction Y and are connected and integrated via a plurality of connecting portions 42. The multiple connecting portions 42 are spaced apart along the arrangement direction X between the pair of main body portions 41 and extend across the circuit body installation space 35 of the case 30 along the width direction Y. The cover 40 is attached to the case 30 in a positional relationship in which the pair of main body portions 41 each cover the accommodating chamber group 33 and the plurality of connecting portions 42 are positioned above the circuit body installation space portion 35.

[0025] The cover 50 is attached to the case 30, covers the detection wires 20 housed in the circuit body installation space 35 of the case 30, and protects the live parts. The cover 50 is formed, for example, by integrally forming each part from an insulating resin material. The cover 50 as a whole is formed in a generally plate-like shape with its thickness direction aligned with the height direction Z. The cover 50 is attached to the case 30 by engaging with the case 30 via various engaging structures (engaging claws, engaging holes, etc.). The cover 50 is attached from one side of the case 30 in the height direction Z (the side opposite to the side where the battery module 110 is located) and covers the detection wires 20 housed in the circuit body installation space 35.

[0026] More specifically, the cover 50 is formed in a generally rectangular plate shape corresponding to the shape of the circuit body installation space 35 so as to be able to cover substantially the entire circuit body installation space 35. Here, the cover 50 is formed in a generally rectangular plate shape with the height direction Z being the plate thickness direction and the arrangement direction X being the long side direction. The cover 50 is located between the pair of main body portions 41 of the cover 40, above the connecting portion 34 of the case 30 and below the connecting portion 42 of the cover 40, and is assembled to the case 30 in a positional relationship so as to cover the detection wire 20 housed in the circuit body installation space 35.

[0027] 1, 2, and 3, the temporary holding structure 60 is a structure capable of temporarily holding the connector 70 relative to the cover 40. The temporary holding structure 60 of this embodiment is configured to include an insertion piece portion 61 and a connector spring portion 62 provided on the connector 70, and a pressing piece portion 63 and a slip-out prevention wall portion 64 provided on the cover 40.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 4, the insertion piece 61 and the connector spring 62 are formed on the outer surface of the connector 70. Here, as described above, the connector 70 is a so-called FPC connector, and is connected to an end of the flexible printed circuit board 21 that constitutes the detection line 20. The connector 70 is configured to include a connector housing 71. The connector housing 71 is a member into which an end of the flexible printed circuit board 21 is inserted and which holds terminals that are electrically connected to the flexible printed circuit board 21. The connector housing 71 is formed in a substantially rectangular box shape. The connector housing 71 may be configured by combining multiple members. In the connector 70, the insertion piece 61 and the connector spring 62 are formed on the outer surface of the connector housing 71.

[0029] The insertion pieces 61 are portions that extend along the insertion direction D1 when the connector 70 is temporarily held in the cover 40. The insertion pieces 61 are formed on the outer surface of the connector housing 71 as a pair.

[0030] Here, the insertion direction D1 corresponds to the direction in which the insertion pieces 61 are inserted into a temporary holding position defined by the pressing piece portions 63, which are structures on the cover 40 side (see also FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 described later). Hereinafter, two directions intersecting (perpendicular to) the insertion direction D1 may be referred to as the opposing direction D2 and the pressing direction D3, respectively. The opposing direction D2 corresponds to the direction in which the pair of insertion pieces 61 are positioned opposite each other. The pressing direction D3 corresponds to the direction in which the insertion pieces 61 are locked by the pressing piece portions 63, which are structures on the cover 40 side, when the insertion pieces 61 are in the temporary holding position. In other words, the insertion pieces 61 are pressed down by the pressing piece portions 63 (see also FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 described later). In this embodiment, when the connector 70 is temporarily held in the cover 40, the insertion direction D1 corresponds to the direction along the arrangement direction X, the opposing direction D2 corresponds to the direction along the width direction Y, and the pressing direction D3 corresponds to the direction along the height direction Z.

[0031] The insertion piece 61 is formed on a surface 71a of the connector housing 71 that faces the cover 40 when the connector 70 is temporarily held in the cover 40 (see also Figures 7, 8, and 9, which will be described later). In other words, when the connector 70 is temporarily held in the cover 40, the surface 71a on which the insertion piece 61 is formed faces the cover 40. The insertion piece 61 is formed at the tip end of a pair of protruding ribs 71b that protrude from the surface 71a along the pressing direction D3. The pair of protruding ribs 71b each extend along the insertion direction D1 and are spaced apart along the facing direction D2. The pair of insertion pieces 61 are formed to protrude from the tip end of each protruding rib 71b toward each other along the facing direction D2, and each extend along the insertion direction D1.

[0032] The insertion piece 61 configured as described above constitutes a portion that comes into contact with the pressing piece 63, which is a structure on the cover 40 side, in the pressing direction D1 and is locked in the temporary holding position by the pressing piece 63 (see also Figures 7, 8, and 9 described later). Moreover, each insertion piece 61 of this embodiment is formed in a shape that tapers toward the insertion tip 61a toward the temporary holding position (see also Figures 7, 8, and 9 described later). Each insertion piece 61 is formed in the tapered shape by tapering the surface on the side that is exposed outward in the pressing direction D3.

[0033] The connector spring portion 62 is a portion that extends along the insertion direction D1 and is formed to be elastically deformable along the pressing direction D3 when the connector 70 is temporarily held in the cover 40. One connector spring portion 62 is formed on the outer surface of the connector housing 71. When the connector 70 is temporarily held in the cover 40, the connector spring portion 62 is formed on a surface 71a of the connector housing 71 that faces the cover 40 (see also Figures 7, 8, and 9 described below), i.e., on the surface 71a on which the insertion pieces 61 are formed. The connector spring portion 62 of this embodiment is formed on the surface 71a of the connector housing 71 so as to be located in a space between a pair of protruding ribs 71b and a pair of insertion pieces 61.

[0034] The connector spring portion 62 is formed in a generally rectangular plate shape with its thickness direction aligned with the pressing direction D3. The connector spring portion 62 has a base end 62a supported in a cantilevered (arm-like) manner on the surface 71a of the connector housing 71 and extends along the insertion direction D1, and a tip end 62b forming a free end (see also Figures 7, 8, and 9 described below). With this configuration, the connector spring portion 62 is supported in a cantilevered manner relative to the surface 71a of the connector housing 71 so as to be elastically deformable along the pressing direction D3.

[0035] In this embodiment, the connector spring portion 62 has a base end 62a located on the side where the insertion tip 61a of the insertion piece 61 is located with respect to the insertion direction D1. Furthermore, both end portions of the connector spring portion 62 in the facing direction D2 are located facing a portion of each insertion piece 61 along the pressing direction D3. That is, when viewed along the pressing direction D3, both end portions of the connector spring portion 62 in the facing direction D2 are located overlapping a portion of each insertion piece 61. The distance between each insertion piece 61 and the connector spring portion 62 along the pressing direction D3 gradually narrows toward the tip end 62b along the insertion direction D1.

[0036] The connector spring portion 62 configured as described above elastically deforms when it comes into contact with the pressing piece portion 63 when each insertion piece portion 61 is locked in the temporary holding position by the pressing piece portion 63, and forms a portion that clamps the pressing piece portion 63 between itself and each insertion piece portion 61 in the pressing direction D3 (see also Figures 7, 8, and 9 described below).

[0037] In the connector 70, the space between the pair of protruding ribs 71b and the pair of insertion pieces 61, i.e., the space where the connector spring portion 62 is located, functions as a fitting space into which a part of the connector on the monitoring device side fits. Also, the connector 70 functions as a release lever for releasing the engagement of the connector spring portion 62 with the connector on the monitoring device side.

[0038] 3, 5, and 6, the pressing piece 63 and the fall-off prevention wall 64 are provided on the connecting portion 42 located on the connector 70 side of the multiple connecting portions 42 in the cover 40. In other words, the pressing piece 63 and the fall-off prevention wall 64 can be said to constitute the connecting portion 42 located on the connector 70 side in the arrangement direction X.

[0039] The pressing piece 63 extends along the insertion direction D1 and abuts against the insertion piece 61, which is a structural element of the connector 70, in the pressing direction D3, thereby locking the insertion piece 61 in a temporary holding position. Here, the temporary holding position of the insertion piece 61 is a position where the insertion piece 61 is locked by the pressing piece 63 and temporarily held, and is a position below the pressing piece 63 in the pressing direction D3 (see also Figures 7, 8, and 9 described below). Here, the below side of the pressing piece 63 in the pressing direction D3 is the side on which the battery module 110 is located, with the pressing piece 63 as the boundary; in other words, it is the side opposite the side on which the main body of the connector 70 is located, with the pressing piece 63 as the boundary.

[0040] The pressing piece 63 of this embodiment is formed to protrude in the arrangement direction X (insertion direction D1) from a beam-shaped portion 63a provided in the width direction Y (opposing direction D2) across the pair of main body portions 41 of the cover 40. The beam-shaped portion 63a constitutes one of the multiple connecting portions 42 of the cover 40. More specifically, the pressing piece 63 is located above the beam-shaped portion 63a via a step portion in the height direction Z (pressing direction D3), and is formed to extend from the beam-shaped portion 63a along the arrangement direction X toward a fall-off prevention wall portion 64 (described later). Note that here, in the height direction Z (pressing direction D3), the upper side of the beam-shaped portion 63a is the side opposite the side on which the battery module 110 is located, with the beam-shaped portion 63a as a boundary. In other words, it is the side on which the main body of the connector 70 is located, with the beam-shaped portion 63a as a boundary.

[0041] The pressing piece 63 of this embodiment is formed in a substantially trapezoidal plate shape with its plate thickness direction aligned with the height direction Z (pressing direction D3). The pressing piece 63 of this embodiment is formed to be elastically deformable along the pressing direction D3. More specifically, the pressing piece 63 has a base end 63b supported by the beam-shaped portion 63a in a cantilevered (arm-like) manner and extending along the insertion direction D1, and a tip end 63c forming a free end (see also FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, which will be described later). With this configuration, the pressing piece 63 is supported by the beam-shaped portion 63a in a cantilevered manner and elastically deformable along the pressing direction D3. When the connector 70 is temporarily held in the cover 40, the base end 63b of the pressing piece 63 is located on the side where the insertion tip 61a of the insertion piece 61 is located in the insertion direction D1.

[0042] The pressing piece portion 63 configured as described above constitutes a part that locks the insertion piece portion 61 in a temporary holding position in the pressing direction D3 when the connector 70 is temporarily held against the cover 40 (see also Figures 7, 8, and 9 described below).

[0043] The fall-out prevention wall 64 is positioned opposite the pressing piece 63 at an interval along the arrangement direction X (insertion direction D1), and is a part that prevents the insertion piece 61, which is a structure on the connector 70 side, from coming off from the temporary holding position. When the insertion piece 61 is inserted into the temporary holding position and locked in the temporary holding position by the pressing piece 63, the fall-out prevention wall 64 comes into contact with the end of the insertion piece 61 in the insertion direction D1, and prevents the insertion piece 61 from coming off from the temporary holding position.

[0044] The fall-off prevention wall portion 64 of this embodiment is provided in a beam shape along the width direction Y (opposing direction D2) across the pair of main body portions 41 of the cover 40. The fall-off prevention wall portion 64 constitutes one of the multiple connecting portions 42 of the cover 40. More specifically, the fall-off prevention wall portion 64 includes a vertical wall portion 64a and a flat plate portion 64b, which are integrally formed (see also Figures 7, 8, and 9 described below). The vertical wall portion 64a is a portion of the fall-off prevention wall portion 64 that extends along the height direction Z (pressing direction D3) and abuts against the end of the insertion piece 61 in the insertion direction D1 when the insertion piece 61 is locked in the temporary holding position by the pressing piece 63. The vertical wall portion 64a is positioned opposite the pressing piece 63 at a distance from the pressing piece 63 along the arrangement direction X (insertion direction D1). The distance between the vertical wall portion 64a and the pressing piece portion 63 is adjusted so that a sufficient engagement margin can be secured between the end of the insertion piece portion 61 when the insertion piece portion 61 is locked in the temporary holding position by the pressing piece portion 63. The flat plate portion 64b is formed in a generally plate-like shape with its thickness direction aligned with the height direction Z (pressing direction D3) and extends along the arrangement direction X (insertion direction D1). The flat plate portion 64b is formed by extending from the upper end of the vertical wall portion 64a, i.e., the end opposite the side on which the battery module 110 is located, toward the opposite side to the pressing piece portion 63 along the arrangement direction X.

[0045] The anti-slip wall portion 64 configured as described above forms a portion in which, when the insertion piece portion 61 is inserted into the temporary holding position and locked in the temporary holding position by the holding piece portion 63, the vertical wall portion 64a abuts against the end of the insertion piece portion 61 in the insertion direction D1, thereby preventing the insertion piece portion 61 from coming out of the temporary holding position (see also Figures 7, 8, and 9 described below).

[0046] When the temporary holding structure 60 configured as described above temporarily holds the connector 70 on the cover 40, first, the insertion tip 61a of the insertion piece 61 is inserted along the insertion direction D1 so as to slip under the pressing piece 63, as shown in Fig. 7. At this time, the pressing piece 63 is positioned such that the tip 63c is inserted between the insertion tip 61a and the base end 62a and between the insertion piece 61 and the connector spring portion 62 along the insertion direction D1.

[0047] In this state, the temporary holding structure 60 uses the contact point between the connector 70 and the slip-out prevention wall 64 as a fulcrum P1 and the contact point between the insertion piece 61 and the pressing piece 63 as a point of application P2, and while rotating the connector 70 around the fulcrum P1, the pressing piece 63 is elastically deformed along the pressing direction D3, allowing the insertion piece 61 to be inserted into the temporary holding position. In this case, the fulcrum P1 is formed by the contact point between the connector 70 and the corner where the vertical wall portion 64a and the flat plate portion 64b of the slip-out prevention wall 64 intersect. The point of application P2 is formed by the contact point between the middle portion of the insertion piece 61 and the tip end 63c of the pressing piece 63. With this configuration, when an operator grasps the connector housing 71 of the connector 70 and applies force to the force point, the temporary holding structure 60 uses the principle of leverage to efficiently apply force to the action point P2 while rotating the entire connector housing 71 around the fulcrum P1 (counterclockwise in Figure 7), and the insertion piece 61 pushes up the pressing piece 63, causing it to elastically deform.

[0048] As described above, the temporary holding structure 60 is configured such that the insertion piece 61 is inserted further in while the pressing piece 63 is bent and elastically deformed by the insertion piece 61, and as shown in Fig. 8, the insertion piece 61 is inserted up to the temporary holding position and is locked at the temporary holding position by the pressing piece 63. At this time, the pressing piece 63 returns to its original position as the insertion piece 61 reaches the temporary holding position.

[0049] At this time, as the insertion piece 61 is inserted further in, the pressing piece 63 moves relative to the tip 62b along the insertion direction D1, elastically deforming the connector spring part 62 and deforming it so as to push it upward in the pressing direction D3, i.e., away from the insertion piece 61.

[0050] In this state, the temporary holding structure 60 is in a state where the connector spring portions 62 abut against the pressing pieces 63 and are elastically deformed, and a biasing force (elastic pressing force) toward the insertion pieces 61 is generated on the connector spring portions 62. As a result, the temporary holding structure 60 is in a state where the biasing force of the elastically deformed connector spring portions 62 (a restoring force generated by the elastic deformation of the connector spring portions 62) sandwiches and holds the pressing pieces 63 between the connector spring portions 62 and each insertion piece 61.

[0051] In this state, the temporary holding structure 60 is in a state where the vertical wall portion 64a of the anti-slip wall portion 64 abuts against the end of the insertion piece portion 61 in the insertion direction D1, thereby preventing the insertion piece portion 61 from coming off the temporary holding position.

[0052] As a result, the temporary holding structure 60 can temporarily hold the connector 70 relative to the cover 40 as described above.

[0053] In the temporary holding structure 60, when the insertion piece 61 is locked in the temporary holding position by the pressing piece 63 and the connector 70 is temporarily held relative to the cover 40, the connector spring portion 62 abuts against the pressing piece 63, elastically deforming and applying a biasing force as described above. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9 , the temporary holding structure 60 is in a state in which the entire connector 70 is rotated slightly relative to the cover 40 around the rotation fulcrum P3 (clockwise in FIG. 9 ) due to the reaction force of the biasing force of the connector spring portion 62, and the end of the insertion piece 61 on the vertical wall portion 64a side is slightly raised upward. Here, the rotation fulcrum P3 is formed by the contact point between the middle portion of the insertion piece 61 and the tip portion 63c of the pressing piece 63. Even in this case, the temporary holding structure 60 ensures a sufficient engagement between the vertical wall portion 64a and the end of the insertion piece 61, maintaining a state in which the insertion piece 61 is prevented from leaving the temporary holding position. As a result, the temporary holding structure 60 keeps the insertion piece 61 locked in the temporary holding position by the pressing piece 63, maintaining a state in which the connector 70 is temporarily held relative to the cover 40.

[0054] The busbar module 1 described above electrically connects the electrode terminals 113 of the battery cells 111 to a monitoring device via the busbar 10, the detection wires 20, and the connector 70, allowing the monitoring device to monitor the state of each battery cell 111. In this configuration, the busbar module 1 has a temporary holding structure 60 including an insertion piece 61 provided on the connector 70, a pressing piece 63 provided on the cover 40, and a slip-out prevention wall 64 provided on the cover 40. With this configuration, the busbar module 1 can temporarily hold the connector 70 to the cover 40 by using the temporary holding structure 60 to prevent the insertion piece 61 from coming off the temporary holding position with the pressing piece 63 engaging the insertion piece 61 in the temporary holding position.

[0055] This allows the busbar module 1 to temporarily hold the connector 70 in the cover 40, for example, during transportation, thereby preventing the connector 70 from interfering with surrounding objects due to vibrations during transportation, etc.

[0056] Furthermore, in the busbar module 1, the temporary holding structure 60 is configured by the insertion piece 61, the pressing piece 63, and the fall-out prevention wall 64 as described above, so that the connector 70 can be temporarily held in the cover 40 with a simple operation and properly handled, compared to, for example, a case in which the connector 70 is protected by being wrapped in a cushioning material or the like. Furthermore, the busbar module 1 does not require a work step such as wrapping the connector 70 in a cushioning material or the like, and does not even require materials such as a cushioning material, so costs can be reduced.

[0057] Furthermore, in the busbar module 1, the connector 70 can be temporarily held on the cover 40 by the temporary holding structure 60, so that the connector 70 does not shake even if vibrations occur during transportation, for example. This makes it possible for the busbar module 1 to suppress loads (stress) from acting on the flexible printed circuit board 21 that constitutes the detection line 20 due to shaking of the connector 70 during transportation, for example. In other words, the busbar module 1 can be configured to prevent loads from acting on the flexible printed circuit board 21 that constitutes the detection line 20.

[0058] As described above, each part of the bus bar module 1 can be handled appropriately, even during transportation, for example.

[0059] Here, the busbar module 1 uses the contact point between the connector 70 and the slip-out prevention wall 64 as a fulcrum P1 and the contact point between the insertion piece 61 and the pressing piece 63 as a point of application P2, and utilizes the principle of leverage to efficiently elastically deform the pressing piece 63 while rotating the connector 70 around the fulcrum P1, thereby inserting the insertion piece 61 into the temporary holding position. As a result, the temporary holding structure 60 of the busbar module 1 makes it easy to temporarily hold the connector 70 in the cover 40, improving workability and allowing each part to be handled more appropriately.

[0060] In this case, the cover 40 is preferably formed from a resin material that is relatively more flexible than the portion of the connector 70 where the insertion pieces 61 are formed. Here, the cover 40 is formed from a resin material that is relatively more flexible than the connector housing 71, such as polypropylene (PP). The connector housing 71 on which the insertion pieces 61 are formed is formed from a resin material that is relatively more rigid than the cover 40, such as glass fiber-reinforced polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). This allows the insertion pieces 61 of the busbar module 1 to easily deflect the pressing pieces 63 when inserting the insertion pieces 61 into the temporary holding position as described above. This makes it easier to insert the insertion pieces 61 into the temporary holding position and temporarily hold the connector 70 in the cover 40, improving workability. This also allows the busbar module 1 to be configured such that the temporary holding structure 60 makes it easy to temporarily hold the connector 70 in the cover 40, and once temporarily held, makes it difficult for the connector 70 to come off the cover 40. In other words, the busbar module 1 can achieve a good balance between the conflicting requirements of making it easy to temporarily hold the connector 70 in the cover 40, and making it difficult for the temporarily held connector 70 to come off. As a result, each part of the busbar module 1 can be handled more appropriately.

[0061] Furthermore, in the busbar module 1, the temporary holding structure 60 further includes a connector spring portion 62, which abuts against the pressing piece portion 63 and elastically deforms, and the pressing piece portion 63 is sandwiched and held between the connector spring portion 62 and each insertion piece 61 by the biasing force of the elastically deformed connector spring portion 62. With this configuration, the busbar module 1 can securely temporarily hold the connector 70 in the cover 40, and furthermore, it is possible to prevent the insertion force required to insert the pressing piece portion 63 between the connector spring portion 62 and each insertion piece 61 from becoming large compared to, for example, simple press-fitting. As a result, the busbar module 1 can securely temporarily hold the connector 70 in the cover 40 without deteriorating the workability of temporarily holding the connector 70 in the cover 40, thereby allowing each part to be handled more appropriately.

[0062] Furthermore, in the busbar module 1 described above, the insertion pieces 61 are formed in a tapered shape toward the insertion tip 61a toward the temporary holding position. This configuration of the busbar module 1 makes it easier to insert the insertion pieces 61 into the temporary holding position, further improving workability. As a result, each part of the busbar module 1 can be handled more appropriately.

[0063] The bus bar module according to the embodiment of the present invention described above is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims.

[0064] In the above description, the pressing piece portion 63 and the fall-off prevention wall portion 64 of the temporary holding structure 60 are described as being provided on the cover 40 , but this is not limiting, and they may also be provided on the cover 50 .

[0065] In the above description, the detection line 20 has been described as being configured by the flexible printed circuit board 21 as a planar circuit body, but this is not limiting. The detection line 20 may be configured by, for example, a flat cable (FC), a flexible flat cable (FFC), an insulated wire, or the like.

[0066] In the above explanation, the temporary holding structure 60 has been described as being configured to include a connector spring portion 62, but this is not limited to this, and it may be configured to include an insertion piece portion 61, a pressing piece portion 63, and a slip-out prevention wall portion 64, and may be configured not to include the connector spring portion 62.

[0067] In the above description, the insertion piece 61 has been described as being formed in a shape in which the insertion tip 61a toward the temporary holding position is tapered, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0068] In the above description, the pressing piece 63 is described as being formed so as to be elastically deformable along the pressing direction D3, but this is not limiting.

[0069] In the above description, it has been described that the cover 40 is preferably made of a resin material that is relatively flexible compared to the portion of the connector 70 where the insertion piece portion 61 is formed, but this is not limitative.

[0070] The bus bar module according to this embodiment may be configured by appropriately combining the components of the above-described embodiments and modified examples. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 1 Busbar Module 10 Busbar 20 detection line 21 Flexible printed circuit board (flat circuit body) 30 cases 40, 50 cover 60 Temporary holding structure 61 Insertion piece 61a Insertion tip 62 Connector spring part 63 Pressing piece 64 Fall prevention wall 70 Connector 71 Connector housing 100 battery packs 110 Battery Module 111 Battery Cell 112 Cell Body 113 Electrode terminal 114 Electrode terminal group D1 Insertion direction D2 Opposing direction D3 Pressing direction P1 fulcrum P2 Point of action P3 Rotation fulcrum X array direction Y width direction Z height direction

Claims

1. a bus bar that electrically connects electrode terminals of the plurality of battery cells; a detection line electrically connected to the bus bar and having a connector at an end thereof; a case that houses the bus bar; a cover assembled to the case; a temporary holding structure capable of temporarily holding the connector relative to the cover, The temporary holding structure is an insertion piece provided on the connector and extending along an insertion direction when the connector is temporarily held in the cover; a pressing piece provided on the cover, extending along the insertion direction, and abutting against the insertion piece in a pressing direction intersecting the insertion direction to lock the insertion piece in a temporary holding position; a fall-off prevention wall portion that is provided on the cover and positioned opposite the pressing piece portion with a gap therebetween along the insertion direction, and that abuts against an end of the insertion piece portion in the insertion direction to prevent the insertion piece portion from coming off the temporary holding position when the insertion piece portion is inserted into the temporary holding position and locked at the temporary holding position by the pressing piece portion; Busbar module.

2. The pressing piece is formed to be elastically deformable along the pressing direction, The temporary holding structure uses the contact point between the connector and the fall-out prevention wall portion as a fulcrum and the contact point between the insertion piece portion and the pressing piece portion as a point of application, and while rotating the connector around the fulcrum, elastically deforms the pressing piece portion along the pressing direction, making it possible to insert the insertion piece portion into the temporary holding position. The busbar module according to claim 1 .

3. The temporary holding structure is a connector spring portion provided on the connector, the connector spring portion extending along the insertion direction and elastically deformable along the pressing direction when the connector is temporarily held by the cover, the connector spring portion abutting against the pressing portion and elastically deforming when the insertion piece portion is locked in the temporary holding position by the pressing portion, and sandwiching the pressing portion between the insertion piece portion and the pressing portion in the pressing direction; The bus bar module according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The insertion piece portion is formed in a shape in which a tip side inserted into the temporary holding position is tapered. The bus bar module according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The cover is made of a resin material that is relatively flexible compared to the portion of the connector where the insertion piece portion is formed. The bus bar module according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. the detection line is formed by a flexible plate-like planar circuit body; The bus bar module according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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