Wiring Module

Abstract

To provide a wiring module that can suppress an increase in manufacturing costs associated with addition of a fuse function and also suppress damage to a flexible circuit board.SOLUTION: A wiring module 20 attached to a plurality of power storage elements 11 includes a bus bar 21 connected to electrode terminals 12A and 12B of the plurality of power storage elements 11, a flexible substrate 30, a metal piece 22 connecting the bus bar 21 and the flexible substrate 30, and an electric wire 23, and a conductive path 39 including a first land 41 connected to the metal piece 22, a second land 42 connected to the electric wire 23, and a fuse portion 43 provided between the first land 41 and the second land 42 is formed in the flexible substrate 30, and the flexible substrate 30 includes a board body 31, and a connecting portion 33 that connects the board body 31 and the metal piece 22 while allowing displacement of the metal piece 22 with respect to the board body 31.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wiring module. [Background technology]

[0002] High-voltage battery packs used in electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and the like typically have a large number of stacked battery cells electrically connected in series or parallel by a wiring module. A conventionally known wiring module is the busbar assembly described in JP-A-2019-500736 (Patent Document 1 below). The busbar assembly described in Patent Document 1 is a busbar assembly that has electrode leads protruding from at least one side and is attached to a plurality of stacked battery cells, and is configured with a busbar frame having lead slots through which the electrode leads pass, and busbars that electrically connect the electrode leads that have passed through the lead slots. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2019-500736 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above configuration, the bus bar assembly does not have a fuse function. To provide the wiring module with a fuse function, it is possible to incorporate a circuit board with a fuse into the wiring module. However, the use of a circuit board may increase the manufacturing cost of the wiring module.

[0005] Furthermore, temperature changes that occur during vehicle use cause battery cells to expand or contract, which can damage the circuit board, primarily at the connection between the bus bar and the circuit board, and can impair the electrical connection between the bus bar and the circuit board. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The wiring module of the present disclosure is a wiring module attached to a plurality of energy storage elements, and includes: a bus bar connected to electrode terminals of the plurality of energy storage elements; a flexible substrate; a metal piece connecting the bus bar and the flexible substrate; and an electric wire; the flexible substrate has a conductive path formed thereon, the conductive path having a first land connected to the metal piece, a second land connected to the electric wire, and a fuse portion provided between the first land and the second land; and the flexible substrate includes a substrate main body and a connecting portion connecting the substrate main body and the metal piece while allowing displacement of the metal piece relative to the substrate main body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a wiring module that can suppress an increase in manufacturing costs associated with adding a fuse function and that can suppress damage to a flexible substrate. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a vehicle equipped with a power storage module according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the electricity storage module. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged plan view of the energy storage module showing the periphery of the flexible substrate. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the flexible substrate. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the connecting portion. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged plan view of the electricity storage module showing the periphery of the flexible substrate according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8]FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view of the energy storage module showing the fuse portion of the flexible substrate according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described.

[0010] (1) The wiring module of the present disclosure is a wiring module attached to a plurality of energy storage elements, and includes: a bus bar connected to electrode terminals of the plurality of energy storage elements; a flexible substrate; a metal piece connecting the bus bar and the flexible substrate; and an electric wire. The flexible substrate has a conductive path formed thereon, the conductive path having a first land connected to the metal piece, a second land connected to the electric wire, and a fuse portion provided between the first land and the second land. The flexible substrate includes a substrate body and a connecting portion connecting the substrate body and the metal piece while allowing displacement of the metal piece relative to the substrate body.

[0011] According to this configuration, the wiring module is provided with electric wires in addition to the flexible substrate, so that the amount of the flexible substrate used can be reduced compared to when no electric wires are provided, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the wiring module. Furthermore, the connecting portion allows the metal piece to be displaced relative to the substrate body, so even if the energy storage element expands or contracts due to temperature changes or the bus bar is deformed due to an external force being applied to the wiring module, the flexible substrate is less likely to be damaged and the electrical connection between the bus bar and the flexible substrate can be maintained.

[0012] (2) It is preferable that the connecting portion is configured to be expandable and contractible.

[0013] With this configuration, the connecting portion expands and contracts, making it even easier to allow the metal piece to displace relative to the substrate body.

[0014] (3) It is preferable that the connecting portion is configured in the shape of a wire spring extending from the substrate body and having at least one curved portion.

[0015] According to this configuration, it is possible to allow the displacement of the metal piece relative to the substrate body with a simple configuration.

[0016] (4) The flexible substrate preferably includes a reinforcing plate attached to an area of ​​the substrate body that includes the second lands.

[0017] According to this configuration, the reinforcing plate can reinforce the connection portion of the board body between the second land and the electric wire.

[0018] (5) It is preferable that at least one of the flexible substrates has a plurality of the conductive paths formed thereon.

[0019] According to this configuration, the number of flexible substrates used in the wiring module can be reduced, thereby improving the workability of assembling the wiring module.

[0020] (6) It is preferable that the fuse portion is configured as a chip fuse connected to the conductive path by soldering.

[0021] With this configuration, when an overcurrent flows through the conductive path, the chip fuse melts, thereby protecting the conductive path from the overcurrent.

[0022] (7) The fuse portion is preferably configured as a pattern fuse.

[0023] With this configuration, the fuse portion can be formed during the manufacturing process of the flexible substrate.

[0024] (8) The above-mentioned wiring module is a wiring module for a vehicle that is electrically attached to the plurality of power storage elements mounted on the vehicle.

[0025] [Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure] The present disclosure will be described below with reference to exemplary embodiments. The present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0026] <Embodiment 1> A first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 6. A power storage module 10 including a wiring module 20 of the present embodiment is applied to a power storage pack 2 mounted on a vehicle 1, for example, as shown in Fig. 1. The power storage pack 2 is mounted on the vehicle 1, such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, and is used as a drive source for the vehicle 1. In the following description, when multiple identical members are used, reference numerals may be assigned to only some of the members, and the reference numerals of the other members may be omitted.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, an electricity storage pack 2 is disposed near the center of a vehicle 1. A PCU 3 (Power Control Unit) is disposed in the front of the vehicle 1. The electricity storage pack 2 and the PCU 3 are connected by a wire harness 4. The electricity storage pack 2 and the wire harness 4 are connected by a connector (not shown). The electricity storage pack 2 has an electricity storage module 10 including a plurality of electricity storage elements 11. The electricity storage module 10 (and the wiring module 20) can be mounted in any orientation, but in the following description, except for FIG. 1, the direction indicated by the arrow Z is assumed to be upward, the direction indicated by the arrow X is assumed to be forward, and the direction indicated by the arrow Y is assumed to be leftward.

[0028] [Electricity storage element, electrode terminal] As shown in FIG. 2, the energy storage module 10 includes a plurality of energy storage elements 11 arranged in a line in the left-right direction, and a wiring module 20 attached to the upper surfaces of the plurality of energy storage elements 11 (the left side of the energy storage module 10 is not shown). The energy storage elements 11 are in the shape of a flat rectangular parallelepiped. An energy storage element (not shown) is housed inside the energy storage element 11. The energy storage elements 11 have positive and negative electrode terminals 12A, 12B on their upper surfaces. There are no particular limitations on the energy storage elements 11, and they may be secondary batteries or capacitors. The energy storage elements 11 in this embodiment are secondary batteries.

[0029] [Wiring module] The wiring module 20 includes a bus bar 21 connected to the electrode terminals 12A, 12B, a flexible substrate 30, a metal piece 22 connecting the bus bar 21 and the flexible substrate 30, electric wires 23 connected to the flexible substrate 30, and a protector 50 that holds the bus bar 21, the flexible substrate 30, the metal piece 22, and the electric wires 23. The wiring module 20 is configured to be attached to the front and rear sides of the multiple energy storage elements 11. The configuration of the wiring module 20 arranged on the rear side will be described in detail below. Note that the wiring module 20 arranged on the front side is reversed in both the front-to-back and left-to-right directions, but in other respects, there is no difference in configuration between the wiring module 20 arranged on the front side and the wiring module 20 arranged on the rear side.

[0030] Protector 50 is made of insulating synthetic resin and has a plate shape. Protector 50 includes busbar accommodating section 51 that accommodates busbar 21, board holding section 52 that holds flexible board 30, and electric wire routing section 53 in which electric wire 23 is routed. Busbar accommodating section 51 has a frame shape. Connection holes 51A are formed in the lower part of busbar accommodating section 51 for connecting electrode terminals 12A, 12B to busbar 21. As shown in FIG. 3, a peripheral wall of busbar accommodating section 51 is provided with locking sections 51B that hold busbar 21 within busbar accommodating section 51. As shown in FIG. 6, a side wall of busbar accommodating section 51 has a recess 51C that is partially recessed downward. Metal piece 22 that connects busbar 21 to flexible board 30 is disposed in recess 51C.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 3, the electric wire routing portion 53 has a groove shape extending in the left-right direction. The board holding portion 52 is arranged between the bus bar accommodating portion 51 and the electric wire routing portion 53. A wire insertion portion 53A is formed in a recessed shape on the groove wall of the electric wire routing portion 53 on the board holding portion 52 side. The electric wire 23 inserted into the electric wire insertion portion 53A is connected to the flexible board 30. The board holding portion 52 has a protrusion 52A that is inserted into the fixing hole 31A of the flexible board 30, and a locking claw 52B that locks the left-right center portion of the flexible board 30.

[0032] [Busbar] The busbars 21 are made of conductive metal plate material. Examples of metals that form the busbars 21 include copper, copper alloys, aluminum, aluminum alloys, and stainless steel (SUS). As shown in FIG. 2, the busbars 21 are rectangular in shape when viewed from above. The busbars 21 and the electrode terminals 12A and 12B are electrically connected by welding. There are busbars 21 that connect the electrode terminals 12A and 12B of adjacent energy storage elements 11, and busbars 21 that are connected to the total positive pole or total negative pole of multiple energy storage elements 11, but no particular distinction will be made hereinafter.

[0033] [Metal piece] The metal piece 22 is made of a conductive metal. Examples of metals that can be used to make the metal piece 22 include nickel, copper, copper alloys, aluminum, and aluminum alloys. As shown in FIG. 3, the metal piece 22 is elongated in the front-to-rear direction. One end of the metal piece 22 (the rear end in FIG. 3) is connected to the bus bar 21. In this embodiment, the metal piece 22 and the bus bar 21 are connected by welding. The other end of the metal piece 22 (the front end in FIG. 3) is connected to the flexible substrate 30. In this embodiment, the metal piece 22 and the flexible substrate 30 are connected by soldering.

[0034] [Electric wire] 3, the electric wire 23 has a core wire 23A and an insulating coating 23B that covers the core wire 23A. The core wire 23A exposed at one end of the electric wire 23 is connected to the second land 42 by soldering. The insulating coating 23B at one end of the electric wire 23 is inserted into and fixed in the electric wire insertion portion 53A. Although not shown, the other end of the electric wire 23 is connected to an external ECU (Electronic Control Unit) or the like via a connector. The ECU is equipped with a microcomputer, elements, etc., and has a well-known configuration that has functions for detecting the voltage, current, temperature, etc. of each storage element 11 and controlling the charging and discharging of each storage element 11.

[0035] [Flexible PCB] The flexible substrate 30 is a flexible circuit board, and in this embodiment, is a flexible printed circuit board. As shown in FIG. 4, the flexible substrate 30 is elongated in the left-right direction and configured symmetrically. The flexible substrate 30 includes a substrate main body 31 and a connecting portion 33 that connects the substrate main body 31 to the metal piece 22. The substrate main body 31 has fixing holes 31A and positioning holes 31B that penetrate in the up-down direction. One fixing hole 31A is provided at the left end and one at the right end of the substrate main body 31. Two positioning holes 31B are provided near the center in the left-right direction. When attaching the reinforcing plate 32 to the flexible substrate 30, the flexible substrate 30 and the reinforcing plate 32 are positioned by inserting positioning pins (not shown) into the positioning holes 31B and through holes 32A provided in the reinforcing plate 32. As shown in FIG. 3, the projections 52A of the protector 50 are inserted into the fixing holes 31A, thereby restricting the movement of the board main body 31 relative to the protector 50 in the left-right and front-rear directions.

[0036] Furthermore, protrusions 52A may be provided at positions corresponding to the positioning holes 31B and the through holes 32A, and the protrusions 52A may be inserted into the positioning holes 31B and the through holes 32A. The protrusions 52A may be provided at positions that contact the electric wires 23, and the direction in which the electric wires 23 are drawn out may be restricted by the protrusions 52A.

[0037] [Reinforcing plate] As shown in FIG. 4, a reinforcing plate 32 is attached to the underside of the central portion of the board body 31. In this embodiment, the reinforcing plate 32 is an insulating member. For example, the reinforcing plate 32 is formed by impregnating glass fiber cloth with epoxy resin and then curing the resin. Unlike this embodiment, the reinforcing plate may be a metal plate, for example, an aluminum plate. The central portion of the board body 31 reinforced by the reinforcing plate 32 is designated as a reinforcing portion 31C. As shown in FIG. 3, a second land 42 connected to the electric wire 23 is disposed in the reinforcing portion 31C. The reinforcing portion 31C and the reinforcing plate 32 are engaged from above by a locking claw 52B of the protector 50. In this manner, the reinforcing plate 32 can also be used to hold the board body 31 relative to the protector 50.

[0038] [Connecting parts, curved parts] The connecting portion 33 is configured to be displaceable to some extent in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions. As shown in FIG. 4 , the connecting portion 33 of this embodiment includes a first linear portion 34 extending in the left-right direction from the substrate main body 31, a curved portion 35 curved in a substantially U-shape at the extending end of the first linear portion 34, a second linear portion 36 extending in the left-right direction from the extending end of the curved portion 35, and a connecting end portion 37 formed at the extending end of the second linear portion 36 and connected to the metal piece 22. That is, the connecting portion 33 is configured as a wire spring as a whole. This allows the connecting portion 33 to expand and contract in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions. The folded curved portion 35 is disposed between the first linear portion 34 and the second linear portion 36, so that the first linear portion 34 and the second linear portion 36 are arranged parallel to each other in the front-rear direction in a plan view. In this embodiment, a pair of left and right connecting portions 33 is provided on one flexible substrate 30.

[0039] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the configuration around the connecting portion 33, and some of the configuration is omitted in FIG. 6 to make the connecting portion 33 easier to see. As shown in FIG. 6, in the wiring module 20, the metal pieces 22 connected to the bus bars 21 are connected to the substrate main body 31 held by the protector 50 via the connecting portions 33. The extension and contraction of the connecting portions 33 allows the bus bars 21 (and the metal pieces 22) to be displaced to some extent in all of the following directions: the arrangement direction of the bus bars 21 (left-right direction), the direction in which the bus bars 21 move away from or approach the substrate main body 31 (front-rear direction), and the thickness direction of the substrate main body 31 (up-down direction). Therefore, even if the temperature changes during use of the vehicle 1 in which the energy storage module 10 is mounted, causing the energy storage elements 11 (and the bus bars 21) to expand or contract, the extension and contraction of the connecting portions 33 makes it difficult for the connection between the flexible substrate 30 and the metal pieces 22 to be damaged, and makes it easier to maintain the electrical connection between the bus bars 21 and the flexible substrate 30 via the metal pieces 22.

[0040] [Conductive path] As shown in FIG. 5, the flexible substrate 30 includes a base film 38, a conductive path 39 arranged on the surface of the base film 38, and a coverlay film 40 that covers the conductive path 39. The base film 38 and the coverlay film 40 are made of synthetic resin such as polyimide, which has insulating properties and flexibility. The conductive path 39 is made of a metal foil such as copper or a copper alloy. As shown in FIG. 3, the flexible substrate 30 of this embodiment includes two separate conductive paths 39 that are not electrically connected. One conductive path 39 includes a first land 41 connected to the metal piece 22, a second land 42 connected to the electric wire 23, and a fuse portion 43 provided between the first land 41 and the second land 42.

[0041] [Land 1, Land 2] As shown in Fig. 4, the first land 41 is formed on the connection end 37 of the coupling portion 33 and is disposed at one end of the conductive path 39. The second land 42 is formed on the reinforcing portion 31C and is disposed at the other end of the conductive path 39. As shown in Fig. 3, the first land 41 is electrically connected to the bus bar 21 via the metal piece 22. The second land 42 is connected to the core wire 23A of the electric wire 23 by soldering.

[0042] [Fuse section] As shown in Fig. 4, a fuse portion 43 is provided in the conductive path 39 in a portion midway between the first land 41 and the second land 42. The fuse portion 43 is disposed on the substrate main body 31. As shown in Fig. 5, the fuse portion 43 of this embodiment has a chip fuse 44, and the chip fuse 44 and the conductive path 39 are connected by solder S1. In detail, one of a pair of electrodes 45 of the chip fuse 44 is connected to the conductive path 39A on the first land 41 side, and the other is connected to the conductive path 39B on the second land 42 side.

[0043] By providing the fuse section 43, even if a malfunction occurs in the external circuit to which the storage module 10 is connected, causing the conductive paths 39 to short-circuit and generate an overcurrent, the chip fuse 44 will melt, thereby limiting the flow of overcurrent from the storage element 11 to the conductive path 39.

[0044] 5, in this embodiment, the connection portion between the chip fuse 44 and the conductive path 39 is covered with a sealing portion 46. Here, the connection portion between the chip fuse 44 and the conductive path 39 includes at least the entire chip fuse 44, the solder S1, and the end of the conductive path 39 connected to the electrode 45 of the chip fuse 44 that is not covered with the coverlay film 40. The sealing portion 46 is made of a curable insulating resin. Because the sealing portion 46 covers the connection portion between the chip fuse 44 and the conductive path 39, it is possible to prevent a short circuit of the conductive path 39 even if water droplets or the like form on the flexible substrate 30 due to condensation.

[0045] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, the flexible substrate 30 is formed with the minimum dimensions required to form the first land 41, the fuse portion 43, and the second land 42. Also, as shown in Fig. 3, an inexpensive electric wire 23 is used as a conductor that connects the flexible substrate 30 to a connector on the ECU side (not shown). Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in the manufacturing cost of the wiring module 20 that would be required to provide the fuse function.

[0046] The wiring module 20 of this embodiment includes a flexible substrate 30 configured with two conductive paths 39. This allows the number of flexible substrates 30 in the wiring module 20 to be reduced compared to when only one conductive path 39 is formed on one flexible substrate 30, thereby making it possible to efficiently arrange the flexible substrates 30 in the protector 50.

[0047] 3, in the flexible substrate 30, two first lands 41 are arranged on both the left and right sides of the flexible substrate 30, and two second lands 42 are arranged in the middle between them in the left-right direction. This configuration makes it easy to arrange the flexible substrate 30 in the middle in the left-right direction between two adjacent bus bars 21. It is also easy to make the flexible substrate 30 smaller in size to match the spacing between the bus bars 21 in the left-right direction.

[0048] [Manufacturing method of wiring module] The configuration of the wiring module 20 has been described above. An example of a method for manufacturing the wiring module 20 will now be described. First, the flexible substrate 30 is manufactured using printed wiring technology. The connecting portions 33 are formed by cutting notches into the individual pieces of the punched flexible substrate 30. A reinforcing plate 32 is attached to the flexible substrate 30 with an adhesive or the like. The chip fuse 44 and the metal piece 22 are soldered to the flexible substrate 30 by reflow soldering.

[0049] Next, a sealing portion 46 is formed to seal the chip fuse 44. Liquid insulating resin before hardening is dropped onto the connection portion between the chip fuse 44 and the conductive path 39 on the flexible substrate 30 using a dispenser or the like, and is applied in a dome shape. The applied insulating resin is hardened by a known method. Any method can be appropriately selected to harden the insulating resin, such as cooling, mixing a curing agent, or irradiating with light.

[0050] The bus bar 21 is accommodated in the bus bar accommodating portion 51 of the protector 50. The bus bar 21 is held in the bus bar accommodating portion 51 by the locking portion 51B. Next, the flexible substrate 30 is placed in the substrate holding portion 52 of the protector 50. The protrusions 52A are inserted into the fixing holes 31A, and the reinforcing portions 31C and the reinforcing plate 32 are locked by the locking claws 52B. The lower surface of the metal piece 22 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the bus bar 21, and welding is performed.

[0051] The electric wire 23 is routed in the electric wire routing portion 53, and the end of the electric wire 23 with the core wire 23A exposed is inserted into the electric wire insertion portion 53A. The core wire 23A of the electric wire 23 is connected to the second land 42 by soldering. This completes the manufacture of the wiring module 20.

[0052] The above is just one example of a method for manufacturing the wiring module 20, and the order of the steps may be changed. For example, the electric wire 23 may be soldered in the step of soldering the chip fuse 44 and the like to the flexible substrate 30. Furthermore, the bus bar 21 may be welded to the electrode terminals 12A and 12B, and then the bus bar 21 and the metal piece 22 may be welded to each other.

[0053] [Effects of the First Embodiment] According to the first embodiment, the following actions and effects are achieved. The wiring module 20 of embodiment 1 is a wiring module 20 attached to a plurality of energy storage elements 11, and comprises a bus bar 21 connected to electrode terminals 12A, 12B of the plurality of energy storage elements 11, a flexible substrate 30, a metal piece 22 connecting the bus bar 21 and the flexible substrate 30, and an electric wire 23. The flexible substrate 30 has a conductive path 39 formed thereon, the conductive path 39 having a first land 41 connected to the metal piece 22, a second land 42 connected to the electric wire 23, and a fuse portion 43 provided between the first land 41 and the second land 42. The flexible substrate 30 comprises a substrate main body 31 and a connecting portion 33 connecting the substrate main body 31 and the metal piece 22 while allowing displacement of the metal piece 22 relative to the substrate main body 31.

[0054] According to this configuration, the wiring module 20 is provided with the electric wires 23 in addition to the flexible substrate 30, so that the amount of the flexible substrate 30 used can be reduced compared to when the electric wires 23 are not provided, and therefore the manufacturing cost of the wiring module 20 can be reduced. Furthermore, connecting portion 33 allows displacement of metal piece 22 relative to substrate body 31. Therefore, even if energy storage element 11 expands or contracts due to a temperature change, or even if external force is applied to wiring module 20 and bus bar 21 deforms, flexible substrate 30 is less likely to be damaged, and electrical connection between bus bar 21 and flexible substrate 30 can be maintained.

[0055] In the first embodiment, the connecting portion 33 is configured to be extendable and contractible.

[0056] With this configuration, the connecting portion 33 expands and contracts, and thus the displacement of the metal piece 22 relative to the substrate body 31 can be more easily tolerated.

[0057] In the first embodiment, the connecting portion 33 extends from the substrate body 31 and is configured in the form of a wire spring having at least one curved portion .

[0058] According to this configuration, it is possible to allow displacement of the metal piece 22 relative to the substrate body 31 with a simple configuration.

[0059] In the first embodiment, the flexible substrate 30 includes a reinforcing plate 32 attached to an area of ​​the substrate body 31 where the second lands 42 are included.

[0060] With this configuration, the reinforcing plate 32 can reinforce the connection portion of the board body 31 between the second land 42 and the electric wire 23 .

[0061] In the first embodiment, at least one flexible substrate 30 has a plurality of (two) conductive paths 39 formed thereon.

[0062] According to this configuration, the number of flexible substrates 30 used in the wiring module 20 can be reduced, and therefore the workability of assembling the wiring module 20 can be improved.

[0063] In the first embodiment, the fuse portion 43 is configured as a chip fuse 44 connected to the conductive path 39 by solder S1.

[0064] With this configuration, when an overcurrent flows through the conductive path 39, the chip fuse 44 melts, thereby protecting the conductive path 39 from the overcurrent.

[0065] The wiring module 20 according to the first embodiment is a wiring module 20 for a vehicle that is electrically attached to a plurality of energy storage devices 11 mounted on a vehicle 1.

[0066] <Embodiment 2> A second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 7. The configuration of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, except that it includes a flexible substrate 130. Hereinafter, the same components as those in the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and a description of the same configurations, functions, and effects as those in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0067] The wiring module 120 (power storage module 110) according to the second embodiment includes a flexible substrate 130. Only one conductive path 39 is formed on the flexible substrate 130. When such a flexible substrate 130 is used, for example, when the flexible substrate 130 is disposed at the left and right ends of the wiring module 120, it may be possible to eliminate the extra conductive path 39 and reduce the size of the flexible substrate 130. Other effects are the same as those of the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described.

[0068] <Embodiment 3> A third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 8. The wiring module 220 (power storage module 210) of the third embodiment has the same configuration as the first embodiment, except for the fuse portion 243 of the flexible substrate 230. Hereinafter, a description of the same configuration, functions, and effects as the first embodiment will be omitted, and only the fuse portion 243 of the flexible substrate 230 will be described.

[0069] 8, flexible substrate 230 according to the third embodiment includes fuse portion 243. Fuse portion 243 is configured as pattern fuse 244 provided by forming conductive path 239 thin. Since pattern fuse 244 is formed thin, it generates heat and melts when an overcurrent flows, thereby making it possible to limit the flow of overcurrent through conductive path 239.

[0070] In this embodiment, the pattern fuse 244 (fuse portion 243) can be formed when forming the conductive path 239 in the normal manufacturing process of the flexible substrate 230. Therefore, the process of forming the fuse portion 43 in the first embodiment, i.e., the process of connecting the chip fuse 44 to the end of the conductive path 39, can be omitted.

[0071] [Effects of the Third Embodiment] According to the third embodiment, the following actions and effects are achieved. In the third embodiment, the fuse portion 243 is configured by a pattern fuse 244 .

[0072] With this configuration, the fuse portion 243 can be formed during the manufacturing process of the flexible substrate 230.

[0073] <Other embodiments> (1) In the above embodiment, the connecting portion 33 has one curved portion 35, but this is not limitative, and the connecting portion may have two or more curved portions. (2) In embodiment 1, one flexible substrate 30 has two conductive paths 39, and in embodiment 2, one flexible substrate 130 has one conductive path 39, but this is not limited to this, and one flexible substrate may have three or more conductive paths. (3) In the first and second embodiments, the connection portion between the chip fuse 44 and the conductive path 39 is configured to be sealed in the sealing portion 46, but this is not limited to this, and the chip fuse may be configured not to be sealed in the sealing portion. (4) In the above-described embodiments, the wiring modules 20, 120, and 220 are provided with the protector 50. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the wiring modules do not necessarily have to be provided with a protector. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1: Vehicle 2: Energy storage pack 3: PCU 4: Wire harness 10,110,210: Energy storage module 11: Energy storage element 12A,12B: Electrode terminal 20,120,220: Wiring module 21: Busbar 22: Metal piece 23: Electric wire 23A: Core wire 23B: Insulation coating 30,130,230: Flexible PCB 31: Board body 31A: Fixed hole 31B: Positioning hole 31C: Reinforcement part 32: Reinforcement plate 32A: Through hole 33: Connection part 34: 1st straight section 35: Curved section 36: 2nd straight section 37: Connection end 38: Base film 39,239: Conductive path 39A: Conductive path on the first land side 39B: Conductive path on the second land side 40: Coverlay film 41: First Land 42: Second Land 43,243: Fuse section 44: Chip fuse 45: Electrode 46: Sealing part 50: Protector 51: Busbar housing 51A: Connection hole 51B: Locking part 51C: Recess 52: Board holding part 52A: Protrusion 52B: Locking claw 53: Wire routing section 53A: Wire insertion part 244: Pattern fuse S1: Solder

Claims

1. A wiring module attached to a plurality of energy storage elements, a bus bar connected to the electrode terminals of the plurality of energy storage elements; A flexible substrate; a metal piece connecting the bus bar and the flexible substrate; an electric wire; a conductive path is formed on the flexible substrate, the conductive path having a first land connected to the metal piece, a second land connected to the electric wire, and a fuse portion provided between the first land and the second land; the flexible substrate includes a substrate body and a connecting portion that connects the substrate body and the metal piece while allowing displacement of the metal piece relative to the substrate body, The wiring module, wherein the connecting portion is configured to be expandable and contractible.

2. The wiring module according to claim 1 , wherein the connecting portion is configured in the shape of a wire spring extending from the substrate body and including at least one curved portion.

3. The wiring module according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible substrate includes a reinforcing plate attached to an area of ​​the substrate body that includes the second lands.

4. The wiring module according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the conductive paths are formed on at least one of the flexible substrates.

5. The wiring module according to claim 1 , wherein the fuse portion is configured as a chip fuse connected to the conductive path by soldering.

6. The wiring module according to claim 1 , wherein the fuse portion is formed of a pattern fuse.

7. The wiring module according to claim 1 , wherein the wiring module is for a vehicle and is electrically attached to the plurality of power storage devices mounted on the vehicle.

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