Busbar retaining member, busbar retaining structure, and battery module

Abstract

To provide a bus bar holding member, a bus bar holding structure, and a battery module, capable of maintaining a good connection state between a bus bar and a plurality of batteries arranged in parallel.SOLUTION: A wire harness 4 is provided with: a body 51 of a mounting body that holds a bifurcated bus bar 30 having a conductor connection 34 connected to a coated wire 40 and that mounts the coated wire 40 thereon; a cover 70 assembled to the body 51 of a mounting body; and a second locking protrusion 74 and a first locking hole 521 that maintain an assembled state of the body 51 of a mounding body and the cover 70. The body 51 of a mounting body is provided with a plurality of bus bar arrangement parts 53 where the bifurcated bus bar 30 is arranged along a parallel direction L of the coated wire 40 mounted, and a waveform part 54 expanding and contracting in the parallel direction L between the bus bar arrangement parts 53. The second locking protrusion 74 and the first locking hole 521 are configured such that the body 51 of a mounting body moves relative to the cover 70 along the parallel direction L in an assembled state where the body 51 of a mounting body and the cover 70 are assembled.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to, for example, a bus bar holding member that holds a bus bar electrically connected to an electric wire, a bus bar holding structure in which the bus bar is held by the bus bar holding member, and a battery module.

Background Art

[0002] As exemplified in Patent Document 1, a battery module mounted on an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle is connected to a plurality of batteries in which a plurality of bus bars connected to covered electric wires are arranged in parallel, and can supply electric power to electronic devices connected to the covered electric wires via the bus bars.

[0003] However, since batteries may expand due to heat generation, positional displacement in the parallel direction occurs between the bus bar held by the bus bar holding member and the battery, and there is a risk that a good connected state between the bus bar and the battery cannot be maintained.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a bus bar holding member, a bus bar holding structure, and a battery module that can maintain a good connected state between a plurality of batteries arranged in parallel and a bus bar.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] This invention relates to a busbar holding member for holding a busbar having a conductor connection portion that connects to an exposed conductor, which is exposed when the insulating coating is stripped from the tip portion of a covered electric wire, the covered electric wire having a conductor covered with an insulating coating, the member comprising: a mounting body on which the covered electric wire is placed; a cover that is assembled to the mounting body to form a housing space for housing the covered electric wire; and an assembly maintenance portion that maintains the assembled state of the mounting body and the cover, wherein the mounting body is provided with a plurality of busbar arrangement portions for arranging the busbar along the longitudinal direction of the mounted covered electric wire, and an extension and retraction mechanism that extends and retracts along the longitudinal direction between the busbar arrangement portions, and the assembly maintenance portion is characterized in that, in the assembled state in which the mounting body and the cover are assembled, the mounting body moves relative to the cover along the longitudinal direction.

[0007] Furthermore, this invention is characterized in that it is a busbar holding structure comprising a busbar having a conductor connection portion that connects to an exposed conductor, which is exposed by stripping the insulating coating from the tip portion of a covered electric wire in which a conductor is covered with an insulating coating, and the busbar holding member described above, wherein the busbar is arranged in the busbar arrangement portion.

[0008] Furthermore, this invention comprises a plurality of batteries arranged in parallel, insulated wires having a conductor covered with an insulating coating and electrically connected to the batteries, busbars having a conductor connection portion to which exposed conductors, exposed by stripping the insulating coating from the tip portion of the insulated wires, are connected, and a busbar holding member that holds the busbars, wherein the busbar holding member comprises a mounting body on which the insulated wires are placed, a cover that is assembled to the mounting body to form a housing space for housing the insulated wires, and an assembly maintenance portion that maintains the assembled state of the mounting body and the cover, wherein the mounting body comprises a plurality of busbar arrangement portions for arranging the busbars along the longitudinal direction of the mounted insulated wires, and an extension / retraction mechanism that extends and retracts along the longitudinal direction between the busbar arrangement portions, and the assembly maintenance portion is characterized in that, in the assembled state in which the mounting body and the cover are assembled, the mounting body moves relative to the cover along the longitudinal direction.

[0009] The mounting body may have any configuration as long as it can support the insulated electric wire connected to the busbar, and may include, for example, a concave cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the longitudinal direction or a plate-like shape along the longitudinal direction.

[0010] The extension mechanism may be provided in one or more locations along the longitudinal direction. For example, this may include a case where one extension mechanism is provided between adjacent busbar arrangements, a case where one or more extension mechanisms are provided between each of adjacent busbar arrangements, or a case where multiple extension mechanisms are provided at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction.

[0011] This invention makes it possible to maintain a good connection between multiple batteries arranged in parallel and a busbar. More specifically, the mounting body, which is equipped with an expansion / contraction mechanism between the busbar arrangement sections, can expand and contract along its longitudinal direction. For example, even if batteries arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction undergo thermal expansion, the expansion / contraction mechanism can absorb the longitudinal displacement of the busbars connected to the batteries by expanding and contracting. Furthermore, the cover attached to the mounting body by the assembly and maintenance section can move relative to the mounting body, which expands and contracts along its longitudinal direction. Therefore, it can absorb the relative positional displacement between the cover and the mounting body caused by the expansion and contraction of the mounting body.

[0012] Therefore, even if the relative position between the batteries and the busbar changes in the longitudinal direction due to, for example, thermal expansion of multiple batteries or contraction of batteries as they cool, the displacement between the batteries and the busbar can be absorbed, and a good connection between the busbar and the batteries can be maintained.

[0013] In one aspect of this invention, the expansion / contraction mechanism may be configured in a wave shape along the longitudinal direction. The aforementioned wave shape includes not only a continuously changing, approximately sinusoidal waveform, but also a rectangular wave.

[0014] With this invention, when the distance between busbars arranged in the busbar arrangement increases due to the thermal expansion of the battery, the expansion mechanism extends so that the wavelength lengthens in the longitudinal direction, i.e., the waveform widens. On the other hand, when the thermal expansion of the battery subsides and the distance between busbars arranged in the busbar arrangement decreases, the expansion mechanism contracts so that the wavelength lengthens in the longitudinal direction, i.e., the waveform narrows. In this way, the mounting body can be easily expanded or contracted along the longitudinal direction with a simple structure such as an expandable and contractible wave shape. Therefore, a good connection between the busbars and the battery can be maintained with a simple structure.

[0015] In another aspect of this invention, the aforementioned mounting body may be made of a flat plate, the cover may have a concave cross-section having a facing portion that faces the aforementioned mounting body and a pair of side wall portions extending from the facing portion toward the aforementioned mounting body, and the assembly maintenance portion may be made of a locking portion that locks the aforementioned mounting body and the side wall portions so that the aforementioned mounting body can move relative to the cover along the longitudinal direction.

[0016] This invention makes it possible to easily position busbars connected to insulated wires placed on a mounting body in the busbar arrangement section, and to easily prevent insulated wires placed on the mounting body from falling off by locking a cover to the mounting body.

[0017] In another aspect of this invention, the locking portion is composed of a locking projection that protrudes in an intersecting direction intersecting the longitudinal direction, and a locking hole through which the locking projection is inserted in the intersecting direction, wherein the length of the locking hole along the longitudinal direction may be longer than the length of the locking projection along the longitudinal direction.

[0018] According to this invention, when the locking projection is inserted into the locking hole, a gap is formed between the locking projection and the locking hole, allowing the locking projection inserted into the locking hole to move relative to the cover in the longitudinal direction. In other words, with a simple structure, the mounting body can move relative to the cover along the longitudinal direction, so the misalignment between the cover and the mounting body can be absorbed in accordance with the expansion and contraction of the mounting body.

[0019] Further, since the length of the locking hole along the longitudinal direction is longer than the length of the locking protrusion along the longitudinal direction, the locking protrusion can be easily inserted into the locking hole, and the mounting body and the cover can be easily locked.

[0020] Further, as an aspect of the present invention, a protruding piece protruding inward may be provided in the locking hole, and the protruding piece may be configured to be elastically deformable. According to the present invention, when the locking protrusion is inserted into the locking hole, the locking protrusion interferes with the protruding piece, so that the relative movement of the mounting body with respect to the cover can be restricted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent abnormal noise from being generated due to the locking piece colliding with the locking hole.

[0021] Further, when the mounting body expands or contracts in the longitudinal direction due to, for example, thermal expansion of a battery, the protruding piece is pressed in the longitudinal direction by the locking protrusion and elastically deforms. This allows the mounting body to move relatively along the longitudinal direction with respect to the cover. Therefore, a good connection state between the bus bar and the battery can be maintained.

[0022] Further, as an aspect of the present invention, the side wall portion on the side where the bus bar arrangement portion is arranged is defined as a first side wall portion, and the side wall portion on the side opposite to the side where the bus bar arrangement portion is arranged is defined as a second side wall portion. The first side wall portion is configured to be pivotable with respect to the opposing portion, and the locking portion may include a first locking portion that locks the side where the bus bar arrangement portion is arranged on the mounting body and the first side wall portion, and a second locking portion that locks the opposite side of the mounting body and the second side wall portion.

[0023] According to the present invention, the mounting body and the cover can be locked and fixed by the first locking portion and the second locking portion. That is, the mounting body and the cover can be locked and fixed on both sides of the mounting body in the cross direction. Accordingly, the covered electric wire mounted on the mounting body can be reliably protected.

[0024] Further, since the first side wall portion is configured to be pivotable with respect to the opposing portion, after the second locking portion is locked, the first locking portion can be easily locked simply by pivoting the first side wall portion with respect to the opposing portion. Furthermore, since the position of the cover relative to the mounting body is fixed by the second locking portion, the first locking portion can be easily locked.

[0025] Further, as an aspect of the present invention, the expansion and contraction mechanism may be provided between each of the plurality of bus bar arrangement portions, and the first locking portion may be arranged between each of the plurality of provided bus bar arrangement portions. According to the present invention, thermal expansion of the batteries can be absorbed by each expansion and contraction mechanism provided between the plurality of bus bar arrangement portions, so that a good connected state between the bus bars and the batteries can be more reliably maintained. In addition, positional displacement between the cover and the mounting body due to expansion and contraction can be absorbed by each first locking portion, so that the mounting body and the cover can be reliably locked, and the first locking portion can be made more compact.

[0026] Further, since the length of the locking hole in the first locking portion along the longitudinal direction is longer than the length of the locking protrusion in the first locking portion along the longitudinal direction, the locking protrusion in the first locking portion can be easily inserted into the locking hole. Therefore, in a state where the second locking portion is locked, by pivoting the first locking portion relative to the opposing portion, the locking protrusion can be easily inserted into the locking hole in the first locking portion. Accordingly, even a compact first locking portion can be easily locked.

[0027] Further, as an aspect of the present invention, the mounting body is formed of a flat plate, the conductor connecting portion extends in a crossing direction crossing the longitudinal direction so that the exposed conductor along the longitudinal direction can be electrically connected at a plurality of locations, and the bus bar arrangement portion may arrange at least the conductor connecting portion of the bus bar along the crossing direction on the main surface of the mounting body.

[0028] The main surface is either one of the surface of the mounting body on which the covered electric wires are placed and the back surface paired with the surface.

[0029] According to this invention, exposed conductors aligned in the longitudinal direction intersecting the intersecting direction can be connected to conductor connection parts arranged on the mounting body along the intersecting direction. Therefore, by arranging the busbars in the busbar arrangement parts, the insulated wires connected to the busbars can be placed on the mounting body along the longitudinal direction without being bent. Consequently, the load on the insulated wires connected to the busbars held by the busbar holding members can be reduced.

[0030] Furthermore, the conductor connection section extends in a cross direction to allow exposed conductors to be connected at multiple locations. Therefore, by changing the connection position between the conductor connection section and the insulated wire, the insulated wires connected to each busbar can be routed on the mounting body so that they do not overlap with each other.

[0031] Furthermore, since the insulated wire can be placed longitudinally on the flat mounting body with the busbars positioned, the insulated wire can be easily routed onto the mounting body. Therefore, the efficiency of the insulated wire routing work can be improved. In addition, since the conductor connection is positioned within the plane of the mounting body, the busbar can be prevented from being exposed to the outside of the mounting body. This allows for a more compact design in the crossing direction.

[0032] In another aspect of this invention, the busbar arrangement portion is provided on the back surface of the main surface of the aforementioned body, which is the main surface opposite to the surface on which the insulated electric wire is placed, and an insertion hole is provided on one side of the longitudinal direction of the busbar arrangement portion of the aforementioned body for inserting the insulated electric wire in the thickness direction of the plate, and the insulated electric wire inserted through the insertion hole may be routed along the surface on that one side. The aforementioned insertion hole may or may not communicate with the outside of the aforementioned body.

[0033] This invention allows insulated wires connected to multiple busbars arranged along the longitudinal direction to be placed on the surface of a mounting body without interfering with the conductor connections of adjacent busbars. This ensures stable conductivity and reduces the burden on the insulated wires.

[0034] In another aspect of this invention, the through hole may be inclined toward one side as it moves from the back surface toward the front surface. This invention allows insulated wires to be inserted from the back side to the front side of the mounting body without locally bending the wires. Therefore, the load on the insulated wires can be reduced.

[0035] In another aspect of this invention, the through hole may taper in the intersecting direction as it extends toward the other side along the longitudinal direction. According to this invention, the conductivity between the insulated wire inserted from the back side to the front side of the mounting body and the conductor connection part can be stabilized.

[0036] More specifically, when an insulated wire is inserted from the back side to the front side so that it is routed along one side in the longitudinal direction, the insulated wire extending from the conductor connection on the back side is caught in the tapered portion of the insertion hole. This prevents the insulated wire from moving to one side when an unintended external force is applied. Therefore, the conductivity between the conductor connection and the exposed conductor can be stabilized.

[0037] Furthermore, in an embodiment of this invention, there may be a communication opening that connects the outside of the side on which the busbar arrangement portion is provided with the insertion hole, along the intersecting direction. This invention allows for easy insertion of insulated wires into the insertion holes by passing the insulated wires connected to the conductor connection parts through the communication openings when arranging the busbars in the busbar arrangement section. This enables efficient insertion of insulated wires into the insertion holes.

[0038] Furthermore, in an embodiment of this invention, there is a communication opening that connects the outside of the side on which the busbar arrangement portion is provided with the insertion hole along the intersecting direction, and the communication opening may penetrate along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the intersecting direction.

[0039] According to this invention, the insulated wire is inserted through the insertion hole in a state where it is tilted to one side as it moves from the back surface to the front surface of the mounting body. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the insulated wire from falling out through the communication opening that penetrates in a direction intersecting the insertion hole.

[0040] In another aspect of this invention, the side on which the busbar arrangement portion is provided along the intersecting direction is designated as the busbar arrangement side, and the side opposite to the side on which the busbar arrangement portion is provided along the intersecting direction is designated as the wire routing side, and a wire regulating portion is provided on the wire routing side of the insertion hole on the surface for regulating the position of the insulated wire inserted through the insertion hole in the intersecting direction.

[0041] This invention restricts the movement of an insulated wire inserted through a through-hole toward the wire routing side, as it comes into contact with the wire restricting section when the wire moves toward the wire routing side. Therefore, the insulated wire can be routed along its longitudinal direction, eliminating the clutter of insulated wires placed on the mounting body.

[0042] In another aspect of this invention, the wire regulating portion may be provided with a regulating guide portion that guides the insulated wire, which is routed from the insertion hole located on the other side toward the one side, toward the wire routing side beyond the insertion hole.

[0043] This invention allows insulated wires inserted through through holes located on the other adjacent side to be guided towards the wire routing side of the through hole. Therefore, multiple insulated wires can be routed in an orderly manner along the longitudinal direction on the surface of the mounting body, and interference between insulated wires can be prevented.

[0044] In another aspect of this invention, the busbar arrangement portion may be provided in multiple locations along the longitudinal direction, and the multiple insertion holes may be provided in stages along the intersecting direction towards the side toward one side, on the side toward the busbar arrangement portion.

[0045] This invention makes it possible to route multiple insulated wires on the surface of a mounting body in a cross-directional manner. For example, let's consider a case where, on the other side in the longitudinal direction, a through-hole is provided on the wire arrangement side, which is opposite to the busbar arrangement side where the busbar arrangement section is located, and on one side in the longitudinal direction, a through-hole is provided on the busbar arrangement side. In this case, insulated wires inserted through the through-hole provided on the other side in the longitudinal direction can be routed on the wire arrangement side of the mounting body. Conversely, insulated wires inserted through the through-hole provided on one side in the longitudinal direction can be routed on the busbar arrangement side.

[0046] In this way, by inserting each insulated wire connected to multiple busbars arranged along the longitudinal direction into insertion holes provided in stages along the intersecting direction, multiple insulated wires can be routed in a distributed manner in the intersecting direction. This prevents interference between insulated wires and reduces the load on the insulated wires.

[0047] In another aspect of this invention, a position restricting portion may be provided on one side of a predetermined busbar arrangement portion in a plurality of busbar arrangement portions, which restricts the position of the insulated wire along the intersecting direction.

[0048] The position regulating section is a structure that allows the insulated electric wire placed on the aforementioned mounting body to be routed on the side of the busbar arrangement section where the busbar arrangement section is provided in the intersecting direction, or on the side opposite to the busbar arrangement section, and includes, for example, a columnar body or wall erected on the surface of the mounting body.

[0049] Furthermore, the position regulating portion may be provided as a single unit in the aforementioned body, or as a plurality of units along the longitudinal direction. In the case where multiple position regulating portions are provided, this may include cases where each position regulating portion is spaced at a predetermined interval or at irregular intervals.

[0050] This invention eliminates the disorder of insulated wires placed on a mounting device. More specifically, by routing the insulated wires on either the busbar side of the position-regulating section or the opposite side of the busbar section, the routing path of the insulated wires in the crossing direction can be restricted. In this way, the position of the insulated wires connected to each busbar can be restricted in the crossing direction, thus eliminating the tangled appearance of the insulated wires routed to the mounting structure. Consequently, the burden on the insulated wires can be further reduced, and the routing work for each insulated wire can be made more efficient. [Effects of the Invention]

[0051] This invention provides a busbar holding structure, a busbar holding member, and a battery module, which are held by a busbar holding member that can maintain a good connection between multiple batteries arranged in parallel and the busbar. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0052] [Figure 1] A schematic perspective view of the battery module. [Figure 2] A schematic exploded perspective view of the battery module. [Figure 3] Diagram illustrating conductive members and busbars. [Figure 4] A diagram explaining the bus bar. [Figure 5] Diagram illustrating the mounting structure. [Figure 6] Enlarged schematic bottom view of the right-side mounting unit. [Figure 7] Diagram illustrating the mounting unit on the right side. [Figure 8] Enlarged schematic plan view of the right-side mounting unit. [Figure 9] Diagram illustrating the tip of the right-side mounting unit. [Figure 10] A diagram illustrating the cover. [Figure 11] A diagram illustrating the cover. [Figure 12] A diagram illustrating how to attach the busbar to the right-side mounting unit. [Figure 13] Diagram illustrating the right-side mounting unit with the busbar attached. [Figure 14] A schematic plan view of the right-side mounting unit with the busbar attached. [Figure 15] Enlarged schematic plan view of the right-side mounting unit with the busbar attached. [Figure 16] An explanatory diagram showing how to attach a cover to a mounting body that is attached to a busbar. [Figure 17] An explanatory diagram showing the expansion and contraction of the right-side mounting element in the battery module. [Figure 18] An explanatory diagram showing the expansion and contraction of the right-side mounting element in the battery module. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0053] One embodiment of this invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 18. Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of the battery module 1, and Figure 2 shows a schematic exploded perspective view of the battery module 1. Figure 3 shows an explanatory diagram of the conductive member 3 and the bifurcated busbar 30, and Figure 4 shows an explanatory diagram of the bifurcated busbar 30. Figure 5 shows an explanatory diagram of the right mounting body 50 and the left mounting body 60, Figures 6 to 9 show explanatory diagrams of the right mounting body 50, and Figures 10 and 11 show explanatory diagrams of the cover 70.

[0054] Figure 12 shows an explanatory diagram of how to attach the bifurcated busbar 30 to which the insulated wire 40 is connected to the right mounting body 50, and Figures 13 to 15 show explanatory diagrams of the state in which the bifurcated busbar 30 to which the insulated wire 40 is connected is attached to the right mounting body 50. Figure 16 shows an explanatory diagram of how to assemble the cover 70 to the right mounting body 50 and the left mounting body 60, and Figures 17 and 18 show explanatory diagrams of the expansion and contraction state of the mounting body 51 in the battery module 1.

[0055] Figures 3 through 18 will be described in detail below. Figure 3(a) shows an enlarged schematic plan view of the front side LF of the conductive member 3, Figure 3(b) shows a schematic plan view of the bifurcated busbar 30, Figure 4(a) shows a schematic bottom view of the bifurcated busbar 30, and Figure 4(b) shows a cross-sectional view taken along arrow AA in Figure 4(a). Figure 5(a) shows schematic plan views of the right mounting body 50 and the left mounting body 60, and Figure 5(b) shows schematic bottom views of the right mounting body 50 and the left mounting body 60. Figure 6 shows an enlarged schematic bottom view of location X in Figure 5(b), Figure 7(a) shows a cross-sectional view taken along arrow BB in Figure 6, Figure 7(b) shows a cross-sectional view taken along arrow CC in Figure 6, and Figure 8 shows an enlarged schematic plan view of location X in Figure 5(a). Figure 9(a) shows an enlarged schematic side view of the front LF of the right mounting body 50, Figure 9(b) shows an enlarged view of part a in Figure 9(a), and Figure 9(c) shows a cross-sectional view taken along the DD arrow in Figure 9(a).

[0056] Figure 10(a) shows a schematic front view of the cover 70, Figure 10(b) shows a schematic side view of the front LF of the cover 70, Figure 10(c) shows an enlarged view of part b in Figure 10(b), Figure 11(a) shows a schematic side view of the front LF of the cover 70 in a state where the pivot wall 73 is pivoted to the upper HU relative to the opposing part 72, and Figure 11(b) shows a cross-sectional view taken along the EE arrow in Figure 10(b).

[0057] Figure 12(a) shows an enlarged schematic bottom view of the right-side mounting body 50 before the bifurcated busbar 30 is attached, and Figure 12(b) shows an enlarged schematic bottom view of the right-side mounting body 50 after the bifurcated busbar 30 has been attached. Note that Figure 12 shows an enlarged schematic bottom view corresponding to location X in Figure 5(b). Figures 13(a) and 13(b) show schematic cross-sectional views of the right-side mounting body 50 with the bifurcated busbar 30 attached. Figures 13(a) and 13(b) show cross-sectional views corresponding to the BB arrow cross-section and the CC arrow cross-section, respectively.

[0058] Figure 14 shows a schematic plan view of the right-side mounting body 50 with the bifurcated busbar 30 attached, and Figure 15 shows an enlarged schematic plan view of the right-side mounting body 50 with the bifurcated busbar 30 attached. Figure 15 also shows an enlarged schematic bottom view corresponding to location X in Figure 5(a). Figure 16(a) shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the state in which the support wall 71 is assembled to the locking and fixing part 52 and the locking and fixing part 62, and Figure 16(b) shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the state in which the cover 70 is assembled to the right mounting body 50. Here, Figure 16 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the cutting surface obtained by cutting the vicinity of the rear side LB of the right mounting body 50 with a plane perpendicular to the parallel direction L, as viewed from the rear side LB.

[0059] Figure 17(a) shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the front LF of the battery module 1 in the normal state of the waveform section 54, and Figure 17(b) shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the front LF of the battery module 1 in the open state of the waveform section 54. Figure 18(a) shows an enlarged schematic view of section c in Figure 17(a), Figure 18(b) shows an enlarged schematic view corresponding to section a in the battery module 1, and Figure 18(c) shows an enlarged schematic view corresponding to section b in the battery module 1.

[0060] Figure 17 shows a cross-sectional view corresponding to the cross-sectional view taken along the CC arrow, and in order to clarify the structure in the housing space S, the battery cell 20 and wire harness 4 are not shown. Also, in Figure 18, in order to compare the normal state of the waveform section 54 and the state in which the waveform section 54 is open, the battery module 1 corresponding to the normal state of the waveform section 54 is shown with a dashed line, and the battery module 1 corresponding to the state in which the waveform section 54 is open is shown with a solid line.

[0061] Here, in Figure 1, the vertical direction is defined as the height direction H, and the direction in which the multiple battery cells 20 are arranged in parallel is defined as the parallel direction L. The height direction H and the parallel direction L are orthogonal to each other. The direction orthogonal to the parallel direction L and the height direction H is defined as the width direction W. In Figure 1, along the parallel direction L, the left side is defined as the front side LF, and the right side as the rear side LB. Along the width direction W, the left side is defined as the left side WL, and the right side as the right side WR. Also, along the height direction H, the upper side is defined as the upper side HU, and the lower side as the lower side HD. The above directions correspond to the same directions in Figures 2 to 18.

[0062] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the battery module 1 consists of a battery unit 2 in which a plurality of battery cells 20 are arranged in parallel along the parallel direction L, a plurality of conductive members 3 electrically connected to the battery cells 20, a wire harness 4 electrically connected to the conductive members 3, and a busbar holding member 5 that holds the conductive members 3.

[0063] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the battery unit 2 comprises a plurality of battery cells 20 arranged in parallel. In other words, in the battery unit 2, the battery cells 20 are stacked along a predetermined direction.

[0064] The battery cell 20 comprises a flat, roughly box-shaped battery body 21 and bolt-shaped positive terminal 22 and negative terminal 23 that protrude from the top surface of the battery body 21 toward the upper side HU. The positive terminal 22 and negative terminal 23 protrude from both ends of the width of the battery body 21, respectively.

[0065] The battery cells 20 configured in this way are stacked along a predetermined direction. More specifically, the multiple battery cells 20 are arranged so that the upper surfaces of the battery bodies 21 are on the same plane, and the positive terminals 22 and negative terminals 23 of the stacked battery bodies 21 are adjacent to each other, aligned along the stacking direction. In other words, the battery cells 20 are arranged along the stacking direction such that the positive terminals 22 and negative terminals 23 alternately face opposite directions (see Figure 2).

[0066] As shown in Figures 2 and 3(a), multiple conductive members 3 are arranged along the parallel direction L on each side in the width direction W. These conductive members 3 consist of a bifurcated busbar 30 and two single busbars 30s arranged at both ends in the parallel direction L on the left side WL. The bifurcated busbar 30 and the single busbars 30s are connected to the positive terminal 22 and negative terminal 23 of the parallel-arranged battery cells 20, respectively.

[0067] The bifurcated busbar 30 is a bifurcated busbar integrally composed of a first busbar 31, a second busbar 32 having the same shape as the first busbar 31, a conductor connecting portion 33 that connects the first busbar 31 and the second busbar 32 in a parallel direction L, and a conductor connecting portion 34 extending from the conductor connecting portion 33. A single busbar 30s is integrally formed by a first busbar 31 and a conductor connection portion 34 extending from the first busbar 31.

[0068] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the first busbar 31 is constructed by bending a conductive plate material having an appropriate width and length, and is provided in the order from the outside to the inside in the width direction W: a first connecting portion 311 which is connected to the battery body 21, a first intermediate portion 312, and a first base portion 313 to which the conductor 41 of the insulated wire 40, which will be described later, is connected.

[0069] The first connecting portion 311 and the first base portion 313 are formed in a planar plate shape along the width direction W. That is, the normal direction of the main surface of both the first connecting portion 311 and the first base portion 313 is the height direction H. The first intermediate portion 312 is formed to connect the base end (inside in the width direction W) of the first connecting portion 311 and the tip end (outside in the width direction W) of the first base portion 313 in the height direction H.

[0070] The first busbar 31, configured in this way, is formed in a stepped shape with a first connecting portion 311, a first intermediate portion 312, and a first base portion 313. A positive electrode through-hole 314 for inserting the positive electrode terminal 22 is provided in the central part of the first connecting portion 311.

[0071] As shown in Figures 3(b) and 4(a), the second busbar 32 is formed substantially symmetrically with respect to the first busbar 31, with the planes along the width direction W and the height direction H being the planes of symmetry. That is, the second busbar 32 has a second connecting portion 321 connected to the battery body 21, a second intermediate portion 322, and a placement portion 323, which are provided in this order from the outside to the inside in the width direction W.

[0072] The second connecting portion 321 and the portion to be placed 323 are formed in a substantially identical planar plate shape. That is, the normal direction of the main surface of both the second connecting portion 321 and the portion to be placed 323 is the height direction H. The second intermediate portion 322 is formed to connect the base end (inside in the width direction W) of the second connecting portion 321 and the front end (outside in the width direction W) of the portion to be placed 323 in the height direction H.

[0073] The second busbar 32, configured in this way, is formed in a stepped shape with a second connecting portion 321, a second intermediate portion 322, and a placement portion 323. A negative electrode through-hole 324 for inserting the negative electrode terminal 23 is provided in the central part of the second connecting portion 321.

[0074] The conductor connecting portion 33, which connects the first base portion 313 and the portion to be placed 323, is configured in a flat plate shape, as shown in Figures 3(b) and 4(a). In the central portion of this conductor connecting portion 33 in the width direction (parallel direction L), there is a conductor connecting portion 34 that extends in the opposite direction to the direction in which the first connecting portion 311 and the second connecting portion 321 extend, that is, toward the inside in the width direction W.

[0075] As shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b), the conductor connection portion 34 is composed of a long, flat plate that is narrower in width than the conductor connecting portion 33. More specifically, the conductor connection portion 34 is an elongated plate-like body having a length of approximately two-thirds the width (length along the width direction W) of the mounting body 51, which will be described later. On the back surface of the conductor connection portion 34, three welding points 35 for welding to the conductor 41, which will be described later, are provided at equal intervals from the base end to the tip. Here, the welding point on the base end side is called the first welding point 35a, the welding point in the middle is called the second welding point 35b, and the welding point at the tip is called the third welding point 35c (see Figures 4(a) and 4(b)). In this embodiment, there are three welding points 35, but it is not necessary to have three; there can be two or more as appropriate.

[0076] As described above, the single busbar 30s has a shape in which the conductor connection portion 34 extends from the central part in the width direction (parallel direction L) of the first base portion 313 of the first busbar 31. In other words, the single busbar 30s is a single busbar without the second busbar 32 and the conductor connection portion 33.

[0077] Here, the single busbar 30s located on the front LF is positioned to be paired with the first busbar 31 of the bifurcated busbar 30 located on the right WR. For this reason, the negative terminal 23 is connected to the positive terminal through hole 314 of the single busbar 30s.

[0078] Similarly, the single busbar 30s located on the rear LB is positioned to be paired with the second busbar 32 in the bifurcated busbar 30 located on the right WR, so that the positive terminal 22 is connected to the positive terminal through hole 314 in the single busbar 30s.

[0079] As shown in Figure 4(a), the wire harness 4 consists of a main line 4a formed by bundling multiple insulated wires 40, and multiple branch lines 4b formed by each insulated wire 40 branching off from the main line 4a. The insulated wire 40 consists of a conductor 41 located in the center and an insulating coating 42 covering the outside of the conductor 41. At the tip of the insulated wire 40, a portion of the insulating coating 42 has been stripped, exposing the conductor 41. This exposed conductor 41 is referred to as the exposed conductor 41X (see Figures 4(a) and (b)).

[0080] As shown in Figure 4(a), the exposed conductor 41X is welded to one of the multiple welding points 35 provided on the conductor connection portion 34 along a direction (parallel direction L) perpendicular to the direction in which the conductor connection portion 34 extends (width direction W). In other words, the conductor 41 is connected to the conductor connection portion 34 along the parallel direction L without bending. Furthermore, the welding method for welding the conductor 41 to the conductor connection portion 34 can be any appropriate welding method such as ultrasonic welding, vibration welding, or laser welding.

[0081] The busbar holding member 5 consists of a right-side mounting body 50 and a left-side mounting body 60 arranged along the width direction W, and a cover 70 with a concave cross-section that is assembled to the right-side mounting body 50 and the left-side mounting body 60 to form a housing space S for housing the main line 4a (see Figure 2).

[0082] As shown in Figure 5(a), the right-side mounting body 50 consists of a mounting body main body 51 which is configured as a flat plate in plan view, and locking and fixing parts 52 provided on the front side LF and rear side LB of the mounting body main body 51.

[0083] The mounting body 51 is composed of a roughly flat plate with a rectangular shape in plan view, having a longer side along the parallel direction L. On the back side of the mounting body 51, as shown in Figure 5(b), nine busbar arrangement sections 53 for arranging the bifurcated busbars 30 are provided at predetermined intervals along the parallel direction L. In addition, corrugated sections 54 are provided between adjacent busbar arrangement sections 53.

[0084] As shown in Figure 6, the busbar arrangement section 53 consists of a base end recess 531 in which the first base 313, the arrangement section 323, and the conductor connecting section 33 of the bifurcated busbar 30 can be arranged, an extension recess 532 in which the conductor connecting section 34 can be arranged, a bottom surface holding section 533 that holds the bottom surfaces of the first base 313 and the arrangement section 323, and a tip holding section 534 that holds the tip of the conductor connecting section 34.

[0085] The base end recess 531 is a recess formed by recessing the back surface of the mounting body 51 upward HU to a depth approximately equal to the plate thickness of the bifurcated busbar 30, so as to have the same shape as the first base portion 313, the mounted portion 323, and the tip side (the side where the conductor connection portion 34 is provided) of the conductor connection portion 33 of the bifurcated busbar 30. The length of this base end recess 531 along the width direction W is approximately half the length of the conductor connection portion 33 along the width direction W.

[0086] The extended recess 532 is formed by recessing the back surface of the mounting body 51 along the width direction W from the central part in the parallel direction L of the base end recess 531 to a length equal to the length of the conductor connection portion 34 along the width direction W, so that it has the same shape as the conductor connection portion 34. The depth of this extended recess 532 is the same as the plate thickness of the conductor connection portion 34.

[0087] As shown in Figures 5(b) and 6, the lower surface holding portion 533 is a pair of plate-like bodies arranged on both sides of the extension recess 532 in the width direction W, facing a part of the left WL of the base end recess 531 and in the height direction H. More specifically, the lower surface holding portion 533 is a plate-like body that extends from the back surface of the mounting body 51 to the right WR on the left WL of the base end recess 531, and is arranged to sandwich the extension recess 532. The distance between the upper surface of the lower surface holding portion 533 and the bottom of the groove in the base end recess 531 is approximately equal to the plate thickness of the bifurcated busbar 30. The tip holding portion 534 is a plate-like body that protrudes from the back surface of the mounting body 51 so as to cover the tip portion of the extended recess 532. The distance between the bottom of the groove of the extended recess 532 and the tip holding portion 534 is approximately equal to the plate thickness of the bifurcated busbar 30.

[0088] In the busbar arrangement section 53 configured in this way, the bifurcated busbar 30 can be moved along the width direction W so that the conductor connection portion 34 corresponds to the extended recess 532, thereby allowing the first base portion 313, the portion to be arranged 323, and the conductor connection portion 33 to be arranged in the base end recess 531, and the conductor connection portion 34 to be arranged in the extended recess 532. The first base portion 313 and the portion to be arranged 323, which are arranged in the base end recess 531 in this manner, are held by the lower surface holding portion 533, and the tip of the conductor connection portion 34 is held by the tip holding portion 534. Therefore, the bifurcated busbar 30 can be held on the back side of the mounting body 51.

[0089] Of the nine busbar arrangement sections 53 provided along the parallel direction L, the three located on the front side LF are designated as busbar arrangement section 53a, the three located in the central part are designated as busbar arrangement section 53b, and the three located on the rear side LB are designated as busbar arrangement section 53c (see Figure 5(b)).

[0090] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the waveform section 54 is formed with a wave shape that amps in a direction perpendicular to the parallel direction L (height direction H). More specifically, the waveform section 54 has a wave shape formed in a roughly isosceles triangular shape in side view, projecting to the upper side HU, and is provided from one end to the other in the width direction W. Two such waveform sections 54 are provided between adjacent busbar arrangement sections 53, separated by a predetermined distance.

[0091] Furthermore, a first projection 55 is provided between the corrugated sections 54, projecting from the end face of the mounting body 51 toward the right WR. As shown in Figures 6 and 8, the first projection 55 consists of a first shaft portion 551 with a substantially square cross-section that protrudes from the end face of the mounting body 51 toward the right side WR, and a first locking portion 552 provided at the tip of the first shaft portion 551.

[0092] The first shaft portion 551 is a rectangular prism with sides approximately the same thickness as the mounting body 51, and is roughly square in shape when viewed from the side. It protrudes toward the right WR from the central portion of two corrugated portions 54 that are provided at a predetermined distance between adjacent busbar arrangement portions 53. The first locking portion 552 is shaped like an enlarged version of the tip of the first shaft portion 551. In other words, the first locking portion 552 is a cube that is slightly larger than the first shaft portion 551 and has a roughly square shape when viewed from the side.

[0093] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 6 and 8, the mounting body 51 has wire insertion holes 56 that penetrate along the thickness direction, provided on the front LF side of each busbar arrangement section 53. In addition, cylindrical poles 57 are erected on the surface of the mounting body 51 on the front LF side of the wire insertion holes 56.

[0094] The wire insertion hole 56 is located on the front side LF of the extended recess 532 and consists of a triangular insertion hole 561 in plan view and a communication opening 562 that connects the outside of the right side WR to the insertion hole 561. In a plan view, the through-hole 561 is a roughly right-angled triangular through-hole composed of a hypotenuse that slopes toward the left WL as it moves from the rear LB to the front LF, a straight line along the parallel direction L connected to the rear LB of the hypotenuse at the right WR of the hypotenuse, and a straight line along the width direction W connected to the front LF of the hypotenuse. In other words, the through-hole 561 is a right-angled triangular through-hole that tapers toward the rear LB. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, the roughly right-angled triangular through-hole 561 slopes toward the front LF as it moves from the back surface to the front surface of the mounting body 51.

[0095] The communication opening 562 is a through-hole that extends along the height direction H, and is provided along the extended recess 532 from the insertion hole 561 to the end of the right side WR of the mounting body 51. More specifically, the communication opening 562 is provided on the back surface of the mounting body 51, from the point where the right angle of the insertion hole 561 is formed, to the outer end of the mounting body 51 in the width direction W. In other words, the communication opening 562 connects the insertion hole 561 to the outside of the right side WR of the mounting body 51. The width of the communication opening 562 (length along the parallel direction L) is approximately one-third the length of the insertion hole 561 along the parallel direction L.

[0096] Thus, while the communication opening 562 penetrates along the height direction H, the insertion hole 561 inclines towards the front side LF as it moves from the back surface to the front surface of the mounting body 51, and penetrates the mounting body 51. For this reason, on the front surface side of the mounting body 51, the end of the front side LF of the insertion hole 561 is positioned further forward LF than the end of the front side LF of the communication opening 562. On the other hand, on the back surface side of the mounting body 51, the end of the rear side LB of the insertion hole 561 is positioned further rear LB than the end of the rear side LB of the communication opening 562. In other words, near the ends of the front side LF and rear side LB of the insertion hole 561, there is no communication opening 562 on the right side WR of the insertion hole 561, and a wall exists there.

[0097] The wire insertion holes 56 configured in this way are provided in nine locations corresponding to the busbar arrangement section 53. Hereinafter, of the nine wire insertion holes 56, the three on the front side LF will be referred to as wire insertion holes 56a, the three in the central section as wire insertion holes 56b, and the three on the rear side LB as wire insertion holes 56c (see Figure 5(b)).

[0098] The lengths of the communication openings 562 in the width direction W of the wire insertion holes 56a, 56b, and 56c are each configured to be different. More specifically, the length of the communication opening 562 in the wire insertion hole 56a is approximately equal to the length from the base end of the conductor connection part 34 to the first welding point 35a, and the length of the communication opening 562 in the wire insertion hole 56b is approximately equal to the length from the base end of the conductor connection part 34 to the second welding point 35b. Similarly, the length of the communication opening 562 in the wire insertion hole 56c is approximately equal to the length from the base end of the conductor connection part 34 to the third welding point 35c. In other words, the communication opening 562 in the wire insertion hole 56b is approximately twice the length of the communication opening 562 in the wire insertion hole 56a, and the communication opening 562 in the wire insertion hole 56c is approximately twice the length of the communication opening 562 in the wire insertion hole 56b.

[0099] From this, it follows that the insertion hole 561 of wire insertion hole 56a is located to the right WR than the insertion hole 561 of wire insertion hole 56b, and the insertion hole 561 of wire insertion hole 56c is located to the left WL than the insertion hole 561 of wire insertion hole 56b. In other words, the insertion holes 561 arranged along the parallel direction L are provided in stages of three at a time on the right WR as you move from the rear side LB to the front side LF.

[0100] In the left WL of the wire insertion hole 56 configured in this way, a restrictive wall 58 is provided, which is erected on the upper HU along the slanted side of the insertion hole 561. As shown in Figures 7(a), 7(b), and 8, the restricting wall 58 is a wall erected from the mounting body 51 along the slanted edge of the insertion hole 561, and is formed at an angle with respect to the parallel direction L in a plan view. That is, the left side WL of the restricting wall 58 has a guide surface 581 that slopes toward the left side WL as it moves from the rear side LB to the front side LF. The right side WR of the restricting wall 58 is flush with the insertion hole 561.

[0101] The pole 57 provided on the front LF side of the wire insertion hole 56 is a cylindrical body erected on the upper HU side from the surface of the mounting body 51, and is provided on the left WL side of the insertion hole 561 adjacent to the rear LB side. In other words, the poles 57 lined up along the parallel direction L are provided in stages of three at a time on the right WR side as you move from the rear LB side towards the front LF side.

[0102] The locking and fixing portion 52 is a plate-shaped member that is erected from the end face of the left WL of the mounting body 51 toward the upper HU near the ends of the front LF and rear LB of the mounting body 51, and a first locking hole 521 is provided near the end of the upper HU that penetrates the locking and fixing portion 52 in the thickness direction (see Figure 9(a)).

[0103] As shown in Figure 9, the first locking hole 521 is a circular through-hole having a predetermined inner diameter when viewed from the side. On the inner circumferential surface of the first locking hole 521, which is configured to be substantially circular when viewed from the side, a plurality of elastically deformable first protrusions 522 are provided at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the first locking hole 521, as shown in Figures 9(b) and 9(c).

[0104] As shown in Figure 9(c), the first projection 522 is a projection that extends radially inward from the inner periphery of the first locking hole 521 at the end of the right WR in the first locking hole 521, and tapers in the width direction W as it extends radially inward. The first projection 522, with its thinned tip, is configured to be elastically deformable when an external force is applied. The length of the projection 522 toward the radially inward of the first locking hole 521 is approximately half the inner diameter of the first locking hole 521, forming a roughly circular through-hole in the central part of the first locking hole 521 when viewed from the side.

[0105] The left mounting body 60 is positioned to be substantially symmetrical with the right mounting body 50, with the planes along the parallel direction L and the height direction H being planes of symmetry (see Figures 2, 5(a), and 5(b)). The left mounting body 60 has substantially the same configuration as the right mounting body 50, except that it is symmetrical with the right mounting body 50. That is, the left mounting body 60 consists of a mounting body 61 which is configured as a flat plate in plan view, and locking and fixing parts 62 provided on the front side LF and rear side LB of the mounting body 61.

[0106] In the following description of the left-side mounting body 60, components similar to those of the right-side mounting body 50 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0107] The mounting body 61 is a roughly flat plate with a rectangular shape in plan view, having its longer side along the parallel direction L. On the back side of the mounting body 61, there are eight busbar arrangement sections 53 for arranging bifurcated busbars 30, spaced at predetermined intervals along the parallel direction L, and single busbar arrangement sections 63 for arranging single busbars 30s are provided adjacent to the busbar arrangement sections 53 located outside the parallel direction L of the busbar arrangement sections 53 at both ends of the parallel direction L.

[0108] The single busbar placement section 63 is a recess formed on the back side of the mounting body 61 toward the upper side HU, and consists of a base end recess 631 in which a part of the first base 313 of the single busbar 30s can be placed, an extension recess 632 in which the conductor connection portion 34 extending from the first base 313 of the single busbar 30s can be placed, a bottom surface holding portion 633 that holds the lower surface of the first base 313, and a tip holding portion 634 that holds the tip of the conductor connection portion 34.

[0109] The base-side recess 631 is formed by recessing the back surface of the mounting body 61 upward HU to a depth approximately equal to the thickness of the bifurcated busbar 30, so that it has the same shape as the tip side (the side where the conductor connection portion 34 is provided) of the first base portion 313. The length of this base-side recess 631 along the width direction W is approximately half the length of the conductor connection portion 33 along the width direction W.

[0110] The extended recess 632 has the same shape as the extended recess 532. That is, the extended recess 632 is formed by recessing the back surface of the mounting body 61 in the width direction W from the central part in the parallel direction L of the base end recess 631 for the same length as the length of the conductor connection portion 34 in the width direction W, so that it has the same shape as the conductor connection portion 34.

[0111] The lower surface holding portion 633 is a plate-like body positioned on the rear side LB of the extended recess 632, facing the left side WL of the base end recess 631. More specifically, the lower surface holding portion 633 is a plate-like body extending from the back surface of the mounting body 61 on the left side WL of the base end recess 631 toward the right side WR, and is positioned on the rear side LB of the extended recess 632. The distance between the upper surface of the lower surface holding portion 633 and the bottom of the groove of the base end recess 631 is approximately equal to the plate thickness of the single busbar 30s. The tip holding portion 634 is a plate-like body that protrudes from the back surface of the mounting body 61 so as to cover the tip portion of the extended recess 632. The distance between this tip holding portion 634 and the bottom of the groove of the extended recess 532 is approximately equal to the plate thickness of the single busbar 30s.

[0112] In the single busbar arrangement section 63 configured in this way, by moving the single busbar 30s along the width direction W from the left side WL so that the conductor connection portion 34 corresponds to the extended recess 632, the first base portion 313 of the single busbar 30s can be positioned in the base end recess 631 and the conductor connection portion 34 can be positioned in the extended recess 632. The first base portion 313 positioned in the base end recess 631 in this manner is held by the lower surface holding portion 633, and the tip of the conductor connection portion 34 is held by the tip holding portion 634. Therefore, the bifurcated busbar 30 can be held on the back side of the mounting body 61.

[0113] In the mounting body 61 configured in this way, two corrugated sections 54 are provided along the width direction W between adjacent busbar arrangement sections 53 and between a single busbar arrangement section 63 and a busbar arrangement section 53. Between the two corrugated sections 54, a first projection 55 is provided that protrudes from the end face of the mounting body 51 toward the left side WL.

[0114] Furthermore, when the right mounting body 50 and the left mounting body 60 are assembled to the cover 70, the corrugated portion 54 and the first projection 55 provided on the right mounting body 50 are offset along the parallel direction L by half the length of the bifurcated busbar 30 compared to the corrugated portion 54 and the first projection 55 provided on the left mounting body 60 (see Figure 5(a)). In other words, the corrugated portion 54 is provided at a position corresponding to the extended recess 532 with respect to the width direction W.

[0115] Furthermore, the mounting body 61, like the mounting body 51, is provided with a busbar arrangement section 53 and a wire insertion hole 56 that penetrates along the plate thickness direction (height direction H) on the front side LF of the single busbar arrangement section 63, and a cylindrical pole 57 is provided on the surface of the mounting body 61 on the front side LF of the wire insertion hole 56. In addition, a regulating wall 58 is provided on the right side WR of the wire insertion hole 56, erected along the slanted side of the insertion hole 561. Since the locking and fixing part 62 has the same configuration as the locking and fixing part 52, its explanation is omitted here.

[0116] As shown in Figure 10(a), when the cover 70 is assembled to the right mounting body 50 and the left mounting body 60, the cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the parallel direction L is configured to be concave. More specifically, the cover 70 comprises a support wall 71 erected along the height direction H, a pair of opposing parts 72 pivotally connected to the upper end of the support wall 71, and a pivot wall 73 pivotally connected to each of the pair of opposing parts 72.

[0117] The support wall 71 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a thickness greater than the plate thickness of the right-side mounting body 50. The length of the support wall 71 along the parallel direction L is approximately the same as the length of the mounting body 51 along the parallel direction L, and the length of the support wall 71 along the height direction H is approximately the same as the length of the locking and fixing part 52 along the height direction H.

[0118] At both ends of the support wall 71 in the parallel direction L, four second locking projections 74 are provided near the ends of the upper HU on the main surface of the support wall 71, which can be inserted into and locked into the first locking holes 521. As shown in Figures 10(a), 11(a), and 11(b), the second locking projection 74 consists of a second shaft portion 741 that protrudes outward in the width direction W from the main surface of the support wall 71, and a second locking portion 742 provided at the tip of the second shaft portion 741.

[0119] The second shaft portion 741 is a substantially cylindrical body that protrudes from the main surface of the support wall 71 along the width direction W. The length of this second shaft portion 741 along the width direction W is approximately the same as the plate thickness of the locking fixing portion 52, and the outer diameter of the second shaft portion 741 is two sizes shorter than the inner diameter of the first locking hole 521. In other words, the second shaft portion 741 is shorter than the first locking hole 521 in the parallel direction L and the height direction H. Therefore, when inserted into the first locking hole 521, a gap is created between the outer circumferential surface of the second shaft portion 741 and the inner circumferential surface of the first locking hole 521.

[0120] The second locking portion 742 is a disc-shaped projection that is roughly circular in side view, formed by expanding the diameter of the tip portion of the second shaft portion 741. The outer diameter of this second locking portion 742 is slightly shorter than the inner diameter of the first locking hole 521 and is approximately 1.5 times the length of the first projection 522 along the inner diameter. In other words, the outer diameter of the second locking portion 742 is shorter than the inner diameter of the first locking hole 521 and longer than the circular outer diameter formed by the first projection 522 in the central part of the first locking hole 521.

[0121] The opposing portion 72 is a flat plate having the same width as the width of the mounting body 51 (length along the width direction W), and is pivotally connected to the upper end of the support wall 71 along the parallel direction L (see Figures 10(a) and 11(a)). The pivot wall 73 is a substantially flat plate having approximately the same height as the support wall 71, and is pivotally connected to the tip portion of the opposing portion 72 along the parallel direction L (see Figure 10(a)).

[0122] At the lower end of the pivot wall 73, side wall penetrations 75 are provided along the parallel direction L, corresponding to the number of first projections 55, penetrating the pivot wall 73 in the thickness direction. As shown in Figures 10(b) and 10(c), the side wall penetration portion 75 is formed in a roughly square shape, slightly larger than the side shape of the first locking portion 552, when viewed from the side. That is, the length of the side wall penetration portion 75 along the parallel direction L is longer than the outer diameter of the first shaft portion 551. In addition, near the outer end of the side wall penetration portion 75 in the width direction W, a plurality of elastically deformable second protruding pieces 751 are provided at equal intervals along the inner circumferential surface of the side wall penetration portion 75.

[0123] The second projection 751 is a projection that protrudes from the inner circumferential surface of the side wall penetration 75, from the side opposite to the side where the support wall 71 is positioned relative to the pivot wall 73, toward the through hole formed by the side wall penetration 75, and tapers toward the through hole (see Figure 11(b)). The second projection 751, with its thinned tip, is configured to be elastically deformable when an external force is applied. The second projection 751, provided in the circumferential direction of the side wall penetration 75, forms a substantially circular through hole in the central part of the through hole formed by the side wall penetration 75, which is slightly larger than the side shape of the first shaft portion 551 and smaller than the side shape of the first locking portion 552.

[0124] The side wall penetration portion 75, configured in this way, is positioned to correspond to the first projection 55 when the cover 70 is assembled to the right mounting body 50 and the left mounting body 60, and the first projection 55 can be inserted into it. When the first projection 55 is inserted into the side wall penetration portion 75, a gap is created between the outer circumferential surface of the first shaft portion 551 and the inner circumferential surface of the side wall penetration portion 75.

[0125] Next, the method and structure for attaching the conductive member 3 to which the branch wire 4b is connected to the right mounting body 50 and the left mounting body 60, and the method and structure for assembling the cover 70 to the right mounting body 50 and the left mounting body 60 will be briefly explained using Figures 12 to 18. Since the method and structure for arranging the conductive member 3 for the right mounting body 50 and the left mounting body 60 are substantially the same, the method and structure for arranging the bifurcated busbar 30 for the right mounting body 50 will be explained, and the explanation for arranging the conductive member 3 for the left mounting body 60 will be omitted.

[0126] First, the insulated wire 40 is positioned in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction (width direction W) of the conductor connection part 34 (parallel direction L), and the conductor 41 is welded to the welding point 35 (see Figure 12(a)). Here, the bifurcated busbar 30 to which the conductor 41 is connected at the first welding point 35a is designated as the front busbar 30a, similarly, the bifurcated busbar 30 to which the conductor 41 is connected at the second welding point 35b is designated as the central busbar 30b, and the bifurcated busbar 30 to which the conductor 41 is connected at the third welding point 35c is designated as the rear busbar 30c.

[0127] Next, the bifurcated busbar 30 to which the insulated wire 40 is connected is positioned on the outside in the width direction W of the busbar arrangement section 53, such that the conductor connection section 34 faces the extended recess 532. Specifically, the front busbar 30a is positioned corresponding to the busbar arrangement section 53a, the central busbar 30b is positioned corresponding to the busbar arrangement section 53b, and the rear busbar 30c is positioned corresponding to the busbar arrangement section 53c.

[0128] Then, the bifurcated busbar 30 is moved inward in the width direction W so that the conductor connection portion 34 is inserted into the extended recess 532, and the first base portion 313, the portion to be placed 323, and the conductor connecting portion 33 are placed in the base end recess 531 and held by the lower surface holding portion 533, while the tip portion of the conductor connection portion 34 is placed in the extended recess 532 and held by the tip holding portion 534. In this way, the bifurcated busbar 30 can be held in the busbar placement portion 53.

[0129] In this case, the insulated wire 40 connected to the conductor connection part 34 is raised along the height direction H and passed through the communication opening 562 from the outside of the mounting body 51, thereby allowing the insulated wire 40 to be inserted into the insertion hole 561 (see Figure 13). This allows the insulated wire 40, which is connected to the conductor connection part 34 on the back surface of the mounting body 51, to be placed on the surface of the mounting body 51. Similarly, the conductive member 3 to which the insulated wire 40 is connected is placed on the left-side mounting body 60.

[0130] The mounting body 51, which holds the bifurcated busbar 30 on the back side and places the insulated electric wire 40 on the front side, is constructed in a plate shape. Therefore, for example, there are no walls along the parallel direction L at both ends of the mounting body 51 in the width direction W, and the insulated electric wire 40 can be easily placed on the mounting body 51. Thus, the efficiency of the wiring work for the insulated electric wire 40 can be improved.

[0131] Furthermore, the insertion holes 561 through which the insulated wires 40 routed along the parallel direction L are inserted are inclined toward the front side LF as you move from the back side to the front side of the mounting body 51. As a result, the insulated wires 40 can be inserted along the inclined insertion holes 561 from the back side (lower HD) to the front side (upper HU) of the mounting body 51 (see Figure 13). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the insulated wires 40 from bending locally when being inserted through the insertion holes 561.

[0132] Furthermore, the communication opening 562, which communicates with the insertion hole 561, penetrates along the height direction H (see Figure 13(b)). Therefore, near the front LF and rear LB of the insertion hole 561, the insertion hole 561 does not communicate with the outside of the mounting body 51, thus preventing the insulated electric wire 40 inserted along the insertion hole 561 from falling out through the communication opening 562.

[0133] Furthermore, the insertion hole 561 has a roughly right-angled triangular shape in plan view, tapering towards the rear side LB. As a result, when the insulated wire 40 is inserted through the insertion hole 561, the insulated wire 40 is sandwiched in the tapered portion of the insertion hole 561 on the back side of the mounting body 51. This prevents the insulated wire 40 from moving toward the front side LF when an unintended external force is applied toward the upper side HU or the front side LF. Therefore, a good connection between the conductor 41 and the conductor connection part 34 can be maintained.

[0134] Furthermore, the insertion hole 561 in the wire insertion hole 56a is positioned closer to the busbar arrangement section 53 (outside the width direction W) than the insertion hole 561 in the wire insertion hole 56b. Similarly, the insertion hole 561 in the wire insertion hole 56b is positioned closer to the busbar arrangement section 53 (outside the width direction W) than the insertion hole 561 in the wire insertion hole 56c. In other words, the insertion holes 561, which are arranged at predetermined intervals along the parallel direction L, are arranged in stages along the width direction W.

[0135] As a result, as shown in Figure 14, the insulated wire 40 inserted through the insertion hole 561 of the wire insertion hole 56c can be routed to the inside in the width direction W, the insulated wire 40 inserted through the insertion hole 561 of the wire insertion hole 56b can be routed to the central part of the mounting body 51, and the insulated wire 40 inserted through the insertion hole 561 of the wire insertion hole 56a can be routed to the outside in the width direction W.

[0136] As described above, the insulated wires 40 connected to the front busbars 30a, central busbar 30b, and rear busbar 30c, which are positioned in the busbar arrangement sections 53a, 53b, and 53c respectively, are routed at different positions in the width direction W. This allows them to be routed along a desired routing path and prevents interference with each other (see Figure 14). This reduces the burden on the insulated wires 40 and ensures stable conductivity of the insulated wires 40.

[0137] Furthermore, by providing a regulating wall 58 on the left side WL of the insertion hole 561 on the surface of the mounting body 51, it is possible to restrict the insulated wire 40 inserted through the insertion hole 561 from moving inward in the width direction W. This ensures that the insulated wire 40 is routed reliably along the parallel direction L.

[0138] Furthermore, since the restricting wall 58 has a guide surface 581 that slopes toward the left WL as it moves from the rear side LB toward the front side LF, it is possible to guide the insulated wire 40 that passes through the insertion hole 561 on the rear side LB, one of the three insertion holes 561 that are lined up at the same position in the width direction W, toward the inside in the width direction W (see Figures 14 and 15).

[0139] In addition, since a pole 57 is erected on the front side LF of the wire insertion hole 56, the insulated wires 40 can be routed either inside or outside the width direction W of the pole 57, and the position of the insulated wires 40 can be restricted with respect to the width direction W, thus eliminating the disorder of the insulated wires 40 routed to the mounting body 51.

[0140] Next, the covers 70 are attached to the right-side mounting body 50 and the left-side mounting body 60, on which insulated wires 40 are routed along the surfaces of the mounting body main body 51 and the mounting body main body 61. More specifically, the opposing portion 72 and the pivot wall 73 are positioned on the upper HU of the support wall 71, and the opposing portion 72 is pivoted relative to the support wall 71. The right mounting body 50 and the left mounting body 60 are positioned on the outside of the width direction W of the support wall 71 such that the first locking hole 521 is positioned corresponding to the second locking projection 74.

[0141] Then, by moving the right mounting body 50 and the left mounting body 60 toward the support wall 71, the second locking projection 74 is inserted into the first locking hole 521 (see Figure 16(a)). Here, since the inner diameter of the first locking hole 521 is larger than the outer diameter of the second locking portion 742, even if the positions of the right mounting body 50 and the left mounting body 60 and the cover 70 are slightly misaligned along the parallel direction L, the second locking portion 742 can be easily inserted into the first locking hole 521. In addition, the tip of the second locking portion 742 inserted into the first locking hole 521 is guided by the first projection 522, so that the second locking projection 74 can be inserted into the first locking hole 521 more reliably.

[0142] On the other hand, since the outer diameter of the second locking portion 742 is larger than the inner diameter of the circular through hole formed by the first protruding piece 522, the second locking portion 742 is locked to the first protruding piece 522 in the width direction W. In this way, the second locking projection 74 and the first locking hole 521 are locked together, preventing the second locking projection 74 from falling out of the first locking hole 521. Therefore, the right mounting body 50 and the left mounting body 60, which are arranged in parallel in the width direction W, can be connected by the cover 70.

[0143] In this configuration, with the right-side mounting body 50 and the left-side mounting body 60 arranged in parallel, outlets for leading out the main line 4a are formed at the ends of the front LF of both the right-side mounting body 50 and the left-side mounting body 60.

[0144] Next, the opposing portion 72 is pivoted relative to the support wall 71 so that it faces the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61, and the pivot wall 73 is pivoted downward HD relative to the opposing portion 72. As a result, the lower end of the pivot wall 73 is positioned on the outer end surface in the width direction W of the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61, so that the first projection 55 can be inserted into the side wall penetration portion 75 (see Figure 16(b)).

[0145] Here, since the side wall penetration portion 75 is larger than the outer shape of the first locking portion 552, even if the positions of the right mounting body 50 and the left mounting body 60 and the cover 70 are slightly misaligned along the parallel direction L, the first locking portion 552 can be easily inserted into the second projection piece 751. In addition, since the tip of the first locking portion 552 inserted into the side wall penetration portion 75 is guided by the second projection piece 751, the first projection piece 55 can be inserted into the side wall penetration portion 75 more reliably. As a result, the mounting body 51 and the pivot wall 73 are locked and fixed together.

[0146] In this way, the first locking hole 521 and the second locking projection 74 are locked on the inside in the width direction W, and the first projection 55 and the side wall penetration portion 75 are locked on the outside in the width direction W. Therefore, the cover 70 can be assembled to the right mounting body 50 and the left mounting body 60, and a housing space S can be formed through which the insulated electric wires 40 placed on the mounting body body 51 and the mounting body body 61 can be inserted (see Figure 16(b)). This ensures that the insulated electric wires 40 (main wires 4a) placed on the mounting body body 51 and the mounting body body 61 are reliably protected.

[0147] In this way, the busbar holding structure 7 can be constructed with the conductive member 3 and the busbar holding member 5, which accommodates the insulated wire 40 connected to the conductive member 3 and can also hold the conductive member 3 (see Figure 16(b)). Then, the battery module 1 can be manufactured by connecting the battery cells 20 to each of the conductive members 3 in the busbar holding structure 7.

[0148] Incidentally, the battery cells 20, which are connected to electrical equipment via the conductive member 3 and the insulated wire 40, may expand due to heat generation or other reasons. This expansion of the battery cells 20 can cause, for example, the two-pronged busbars 30 connected to the battery cells 20, or the two-pronged busbars 30 and the single busbars 30s, to separate slightly.

[0149] Due to the separation between the bifurcated busbars 30 and other components, the corrugated sections 54 provided between the busbar arrangement sections 53 that hold the bifurcated busbars 30 and single busbars 30s connected to the insulated wires 40 in the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 will bend and expand along the parallel direction L, as shown in Figures 17(a), 17(b), and 18(a). As a result, the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 will expand along the parallel direction L, absorbing the separation between adjacent bifurcated busbars 30 and between the bifurcated busbars 30 and single busbars 30s. Therefore, the displacement of the conductive member 3 connected to the battery cell 20 can be absorbed, and the connection between the battery cell 20 and the conductive member 3 can be stabilized.

[0150] Furthermore, when the battery cells 20 shrink due to cooling, the corrugated portion 54 provided between the busbar arrangement portions 53 will bend and shrink so that the waveform narrows along the parallel direction L. As a result, the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61 will bend along the parallel direction L, absorbing the proximity of adjacent bifurcated busbars 30.

[0151] The stretching or bending of the corrugated portion 54 causes the position of the cover 70 relative to the right mounting body 50 to change. Here, since the first locking hole 521 has a plurality of elastically deformable first protrusions 522 provided at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the first locking hole 521, for example, when the first locking hole 521 moves along the front side LF relative to the second locking projection 74, the second shaft portion 741 comes into contact with the first protrusion 522 located on the rear side LB, causing the first protrusion 522 to elastically deform and move the first locking hole 521 along the front side LF. This allows the position of the second locking projection 74 relative to the first locking hole 521 to be absorbed while maintaining the locking between the first locking hole 521 and the second locking projection 74 (see Figure 18(a)).

[0152] Similarly, even if the position of the first projection 55 relative to the side wall penetration portion 75 changes due to the stretching or bending of the corrugated portion 54, the first projection 55 comes into contact with the second projection 751, causing the second projection 751 to elastically deform and absorb the change in the position of the first projection 55 relative to the side wall penetration portion 75 (see Figure 18(b)).

[0153] Furthermore, since the first projection 55 and the side wall penetration 75 are provided between adjacent busbar arrangement sections 53, the positional displacement along the parallel direction L caused by the expansion of individual battery cells 20 can be absorbed between the busbar arrangement sections 53. For this reason, the first projection 55 and the side wall penetration 75 can be made more compact than the first locking hole 521 and the second locking projection 74, which absorb the positional displacement along the parallel direction L caused by the expansion of all parallel-arranged battery cells 20.

[0154] The busbar holding member 5 configured in this way holds a bifurcated busbar 30 and a single busbar 30s, each having a conductor connection portion 34 that connects to an exposed conductor 41X, which is obtained by stripping the insulating coating 42 from the tip portion of a covered electric wire 40, which has a conductor 41 covered with an insulating coating 42. The busbar holding member 5 is provided with a mounting body 51 and a mounting body 61 on which the covered electric wire 40 is placed, a cover 70 that is assembled to the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61 to form a housing space S for housing the covered electric wire 40, and a second locking projection 74, a first locking hole 521, a first projection 55, and a side wall penetration portion 75 that maintain the assembled state of the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61 and the cover 70. The mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 are provided with a plurality of busbar arrangement sections 53 and single busbar arrangement sections 63 for arranging bifurcated busbars 30 and single busbars 30s along the parallel direction L of the mounted insulated electric wire 40, and between the busbar arrangement sections 53 and between the busbar arrangement sections 53 and single busbar arrangement sections 63 (between the busbar arrangement sections 53, etc.), there are corrugated sections 54 that expand and contract along the parallel direction L, and the second locking projection 74, the first locking hole 521, the first projection 55 and the side wall penetration section 75 move relative to the cover 70 in the assembled state in which the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 are assembled with respect to the cover 70, along the parallel direction L.

[0155] The busbar holding structure 7 consists of a bifurcated busbar 30 and a single busbar 30s, each having a conductor connection portion 34 that connects to an exposed conductor 41X, which is obtained by stripping the insulating coating 42 from the tip of a covered electric wire 40, which has a conductor 41 covered with an insulating coating 42, and the aforementioned busbar holding member 5, with the bifurcated busbar 30 and the single busbar 30s arranged in the busbar arrangement portion 53.

[0156] The battery module 1 is composed of a plurality of battery bodies 21 arranged in parallel, insulated wires 40 having conductors 41 covered with insulating coating 42 that are electrically connected to the battery bodies 21, a bifurcated busbar 30 and a single busbar 30s having a conductor connection portion 34 to which exposed conductors 41X, which are exposed by stripping the insulating coating 42 from the tip portion of the insulated wire 40, are connected, and a busbar holding member 5 that holds the bifurcated busbar 30 and the single busbar 30s.

[0157] This ensures a good connection between the multiple battery bodies 21 arranged in parallel and the bifurcated busbars 30 and single busbars 30s. More specifically, the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61, which are equipped with a corrugated section 54 between the busbar arrangement section 53 and the like, can expand and contract along the parallel direction L. For example, even if the battery bodies 21 arranged in parallel along the parallel direction L undergo thermal expansion, the positional displacement of the bifurcated busbars 30 and single busbars 30s connected to the battery bodies 21 along the parallel direction L can be absorbed by the expansion and contraction of the corrugated section 54. In addition, the cover 70 assembled to the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 by the second locking projection 74 and the first locking hole 521 and the first projection 55 and the side wall penetration section 75 can move relative to the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 which expand and contract along the parallel direction L. Therefore, it can absorb the positional displacement of the relative position to the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 due to the expansion and contraction of the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61.

[0158] Therefore, even if the relative position between the battery body 21 and the bifurcated busbar 30 and single busbar 30s changes in the parallel direction L due to, for example, thermal expansion of multiple battery bodies 21 or contraction of the battery body 21 as it cools, the misalignment between the battery body 21 and the bifurcated busbar 30 and single busbar 30s can be absorbed, and a good connection state between the bifurcated busbar 30 and single busbar 30s and the battery body 21 can be maintained.

[0159] Furthermore, the waveform section 54 is configured with a wave shape along the parallel direction L. As a result, when the distance between the bifurcated busbars 30 and single busbars 30s arranged in the busbar arrangement section 53 increases due to the thermal expansion of the battery body 21, the waveform section 54 extends so that the wavelength becomes longer in the parallel direction L, that is, the waveform expands (see the solid line in Figure 18(a)).

[0160] On the other hand, when the thermal expansion of the battery body 21 subsides and the distance between the bifurcated busbar 30 and the single busbar 30s arranged in the busbar arrangement section 53 becomes close, the waveform section 54 contracts so that the wavelength becomes shorter in the parallel direction L, that is, the waveform narrows (see the dashed line in Figure 18(a)).

[0161] Thus, with a simple structure such as an expandable and contractible wave shape, the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61 can be easily expanded and contracted along the parallel direction L. Therefore, a good connection between the bifurcated busbar 30 and the single busbar 30s and the battery body 21 can be maintained with a simple structure.

[0162] Furthermore, the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 are made of flat plates, and the cover 70 has a concave cross-section with an opposing portion 72 that faces the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61, and a pair of support walls 71 and pivot walls 73 that extend from the opposing portion 72 toward the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61. The second locking projection 74, the first locking hole 521, the first projection 55, and the side wall penetration portion 75 lock the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 with the support walls 71 and pivot walls 73 so that the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 can move relative to each other along the parallel direction L with respect to the cover 70.

[0163] This allows the bifurcated busbars 30 and single busbars 30s, which are connected to the insulated wires 40 placed on the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61, to be easily positioned in the busbar arrangement section 53, and the cover 70 can be locked to the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61 to easily prevent the insulated wires 40 placed on the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61 from falling off.

[0164] Furthermore, the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 and the cover 70 are locked together by the second locking projection 74 and the first projection 55 that project in the width direction W intersecting the parallel direction L, and by the first locking hole 521 and the side wall penetration portion 75 through which the second locking projection 74 and the first projection 55 are inserted in the width direction W. The length of the first locking hole 521 and the side wall penetration portion 75 along the parallel direction L is longer than the length of the second locking projection 74 and the first projection 55 along the parallel direction L.

[0165] As a result, when the second locking projection 74 and the first projection 55 are inserted into the first locking hole 521 and the side wall penetration 75, a gap is formed between the second locking projection 74 and the first projection 55 and the first locking hole 521 and the side wall penetration 75 (see dashed lines in Figures 18(b) and 18(c)). Therefore, the locking pieces inserted into the first locking hole 521 and the side wall penetration 75 can move relative to each other in the parallel direction L (see solid lines in Figures 18(b) and 18(c)). In other words, with a simple structure, the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61 can move relative to the cover 70 along the parallel direction L, so that the positional displacement between the cover 70 and the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61 can be absorbed in accordance with the expansion and contraction of the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61.

[0166] Furthermore, since the length of the first locking hole 521 and the side wall penetration portion 75 along the parallel direction L is longer than the length of the second locking projection 74 and the first projection 55 along the parallel direction L, the second locking projection 74 and the first projection 55 can be easily inserted through the first locking hole 521 and the side wall penetration portion 75, making it easy to lock the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61 with the cover 70.

[0167] Furthermore, the first locking hole 521 and the side wall penetration 75 are provided with a first protruding piece 522 and a second protruding piece 751 that project inward, and the first protruding piece 522 and the second protruding piece 751 are configured to be elastically deformable. As a result, when the second locking projection 74 and the first projection 55 are inserted through the first locking hole 521 and the side wall penetration 75, the second locking projection 74 and the first projection 55 interfere with the first protruding piece 522 and the second protruding piece 751, thereby restricting the relative movement of the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61 with respect to the cover 70. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the locking pieces from colliding with the first locking hole 521 and the side wall penetration 75 and generating abnormal noise.

[0168] Furthermore, if the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 expand or contract in the parallel direction L due to, for example, thermal expansion of the battery body 21, the first protruding piece 522 and the second protruding piece 751 are pressed in the parallel direction L by the second locking projection 74 and the first projection 55, causing them to elastically deform (see solid lines in Figures 18(b) and 18(c)). This allows the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 to move relative to the cover 70 along the parallel direction L. Therefore, a good connection between the bifurcated busbar 30 and the single busbar 30s and the battery body 21 can be maintained.

[0169] Furthermore, the pivot wall 73 on the side where the busbar arrangement section 53 is located is configured to pivot freely with respect to the opposing section 72, and the first projection 55 and the side wall penetration section 75 engage the pivot wall 73 with the side of the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 where the busbar arrangement section 53 is located. In addition, the first locking hole 521 and the second locking projection 74 engage the support wall 71 with the opposite side of the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61.

[0170] This allows the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 and the cover 70 to be locked and fixed together by the first projection 55 and the side wall penetration portion 75, the first locking hole 521 and the second locking projection 74. In other words, the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 and the cover 70 can be locked and fixed together on both sides in the width direction W of the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61. This ensures that the insulated electric wires 40 placed on the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 are reliably protected.

[0171] Furthermore, since the pivot wall 73 is configured to pivot freely relative to the opposing portion 72, the first projection 55 and the side wall penetration portion 75 can be easily locked by simply pivoting the pivot wall 73 relative to the opposing portion 72 after locking the first locking hole 521 and the second locking projection 74. Moreover, since the position of the cover 70 relative to the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61 is fixed by the first locking hole 521 and the second locking projection 74, the first projection 55 and the side wall penetration portion 75 can be easily locked.

[0172] Furthermore, the corrugated portion 54 is provided between each of the multiple busbar arrangement portions 53, and the first projection 55 and the side wall penetration portion 75 are positioned between each of the multiple busbar arrangement portions 53. As a result, the thermal expansion of the battery body 21 can be absorbed by each corrugated portion 54 provided between the multiple busbar arrangement portions 53, and a good connection state between the bifurcated busbar 30 and the single busbar 30s and the battery body 21 can be maintained more reliably.

[0173] Furthermore, the positional displacement between the cover 70 and the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 due to expansion and contraction can be absorbed by the first projection 55 and the side wall penetration portion 75, respectively. This ensures that the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 are securely locked to the cover 70, while also allowing for a more compact design of the first projection 55 and the side wall penetration portion 75.

[0174] Furthermore, since the length of the first projection 55 and the first locking hole 521 and the side wall penetration 75 along the parallel direction L is longer than the length of the second locking projection 74 and the first projection 55 along the parallel direction L, the second locking projection 74 and the first projection 55 can be easily inserted into the first locking hole 521 and the side wall penetration 75. Therefore, with the first locking hole 521 and the second locking projection 74 locked, the first projection 55 can be easily inserted into the side wall penetration 75 by pivoting the pivot wall 73, on which the side wall penetration 75 is provided, relative to the opposing portion 72. Thus, even a compact first projection 55 and side wall penetration 75 can be easily locked.

[0175] Furthermore, in the busbar holding structure 7, the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61 are made of flat plates, and the bifurcated busbar 30 and the single busbar 30s have conductor connection portions 34 that are connected to exposed conductors 41X that are exposed by stripping the insulating coating 42 from the tip portion of the insulated wire 40, and the conductor connection portions 34 extend in the width direction W intersecting the parallel direction L so that the exposed conductors 41X along the parallel direction L of the insulated wire 40 can be electrically connected at multiple locations, and the busbar arrangement portion 53 arranges at least the conductor connection portions 34 of the bifurcated busbar 30 and the single busbar 30s along the width direction W on the main surfaces of the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61.

[0176] This allows exposed conductors 41X along the parallel direction L, which intersects the width direction W, to be connected to conductor connection parts 34 arranged along the width direction W on the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61. Therefore, by arranging the bifurcated busbars 30 and single busbars 30s in the busbar arrangement part 53 and single busbar arrangement part 63, the insulated wires 40 connected to the bifurcated busbars 30 and single busbars 30s can be placed on the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 along the parallel direction L without the insulated wires 40 being bent. Consequently, the load on the insulated wires 40 connected to the bifurcated busbars 30 and single busbars 30s held by the busbar holding member 5 can be reduced.

[0177] Furthermore, the conductor connection portion 34 extends in the width direction W so that exposed conductors 41X can be connected at multiple locations. Therefore, by changing the connection position between the conductor connection portion 34 and the insulated wire 40, the insulated wires 40 connected to each bifurcated busbar 30 and single busbar 30s can be routed to the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 so that they do not overlap with each other.

[0178] Furthermore, with the bifurcated busbar 30 and single busbar 30s positioned on the flat mounting body 51 and mounting body 61, the insulated wires 40 can be routed in parallel direction L, making it easy to place the insulated wires 40 on the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61. Therefore, the efficiency of the routing work for the insulated wires 40 can be improved.

[0179] In addition, since the conductor connection portion 34 is positioned within the plane of the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61, the exposure of the bifurcated busbar 30 and the single busbar 30s to the outside of the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61 can be suppressed. This makes the busbar holding structure 7 more compact in the width direction W.

[0180] Furthermore, the busbar arrangement section 53 is provided on the back surface of the main surfaces of the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61, which is the main surface opposite to the surface on which the insulated electric wire 40 is placed. An insertion hole 561 is provided on one side (front side LF) of the parallel direction L of the busbar arrangement section 53 in the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61 for inserting the insulated electric wire 40 in the thickness direction, and the insulated electric wire 40 inserted through the insertion hole 561 may be routed along the surface on the front side LF.

[0181] As a result, the insulated wires 40 connected to the multiple bifurcated busbars 30 and single busbars 30s arranged along the parallel direction L can be routed on the surface of the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 without interfering with the conductor connection portions 34 of adjacent bifurcated busbars 30 and single busbars 30s. This ensures stable conductivity and reduces the burden on the insulated wires 40.

[0182] Furthermore, because the insertion hole 561 is inclined toward the front side LF as it moves from the back side to the front side, the insulated wire 40 can be inserted from the back side to the front side of the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 without locally bending the wire 40. Therefore, the load on the insulated wire 40 can be reduced.

[0183] Furthermore, the insertion hole 561 tapers in the width direction W as it moves along the parallel direction L toward the other side (rear side LB), thereby stabilizing the conductivity between the insulated wire 40 inserted from the back side to the front side of the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61 and the conductor connection part 34.

[0184] More specifically, when the insulated wire 40 is inserted from the back side to the front side of the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 so as to be routed toward the front side LF, the insulated wire 40 extending from the conductor connection part 34 on the back side is caught in the tapered portion of the insertion hole 561. This prevents the insulated wire 40 from moving to one side in the event of an unintended external force. Therefore, the conductivity between the conductor connection part 34 and the exposed conductor 41X can be stabilized.

[0185] Furthermore, it has a communication opening 562 that connects the outside of the side where the busbar arrangement section 53 is provided along the width direction W to the insertion hole 561. This allows the insulated wire 40 connected to the conductor connection section 34 to be easily inserted into the insertion hole 561 by passing it through the communication opening 562 when arranging the bifurcated busbar 30 and the single busbar 30s in the busbar arrangement section 53. This allows the insulated wire 40 to be efficiently inserted into the insertion hole 561.

[0186] Furthermore, the busbar arrangement section 53 is provided along the width direction W, and the busbar arrangement section 561 is connected to the outside of the busbar arrangement section 53. The busbar arrangement section 562 may also penetrate along the parallel direction L and the direction perpendicular to the width direction W (height direction H).

[0187] As a result, the insulated wire 40 passes through the insertion hole 561 at an angle toward the front side LF as it moves from the back surface to the front surface of the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61. In other words, since the insulated wire 40 is not inserted through the insertion hole 561 along the height direction H, it is possible to prevent the insulated wire 40 from falling out of the communication opening 562 that penetrates in a direction intersecting the insertion hole 561.

[0188] Furthermore, the side on which the busbar arrangement section 53 is provided along the width direction W is designated as the busbar arrangement side (outside in the width direction W), and the side opposite to the busbar arrangement section 53 along the width direction W is designated as the wire routing side (inside in the width direction W). A regulating wall 58 is provided on the wire routing side (inside in the width direction W) of the insertion hole 561 on the surface of the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61 to regulate the position of the insulated wire 40 inserted through the insertion hole 561 in the width direction W.

[0189] As a result, when the insulated wire 40 inserted through the insertion hole 561 moves toward the wire routing side (inward in the width direction W), it comes into contact with the restricting wall 58, thus restricting the inward movement of the insulated wire 40 inserted through the insertion hole 561 toward the width direction W. Therefore, the insulated wires 40 can be routed along the parallel direction L, and the disorder of the insulated wires 40 placed on the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 can be eliminated.

[0190] Furthermore, the restrictive wall 58 is provided with a guide surface 581 that guides the insulated wires 40 routed from the insertion hole 561 on the rear side LB toward the front side LF to an area in the width direction W relative to the insertion hole 561, thereby enabling multiple insulated wires 40 to be routed in an orderly manner along the parallel direction L.

[0191] More specifically, by guiding the insulated wire 40 that passes through the insertion hole 561 of the adjacent rear side LB along the guide surface 581, it can be guided to the inside of the insertion hole 561 in the width direction W. As a result, multiple insulated wires 40 can be routed in an orderly manner along the parallel direction L on the surface of the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61, and interference between the insulated wires 40 can be prevented.

[0192] Furthermore, multiple busbar arrangement sections 53 are provided along the parallel direction L, and the multiple insertion holes 561 are provided in stages along the width direction W towards the front side LF, so that multiple insulated wires 40 can be routed on the surface of the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61 in the width direction W.

[0193] Specifically, on the other side in the parallel direction L, the insertion hole 561 is provided on the inside in the width direction W, and on the one side in the parallel direction L, the insertion hole 561 is provided on the outside in the width direction W. In this case, the insulated wire 40 inserted through the insertion hole 561 provided on the rear side LB can be routed on the inside in the width direction W of the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61. In contrast, the insulated wire 40 inserted through the insertion hole 561 provided on the front side LF can be routed on the outside in the width direction W.

[0194] In this way, by inserting each insulated wire 40 connected to multiple bifurcated busbars 30 and single busbars 30s arranged along the parallel direction L into insertion holes 561 that are provided in stages along the width direction W, the multiple insulated wires 40 can be routed in a distributed manner along the width direction W. This prevents the insulated wires 40 from interfering with each other and reduces the burden on the insulated wires 40.

[0195] Furthermore, the insertion holes 561 do not necessarily need to be provided in stages on the outside in the width direction W as you move from the rear side LB to the front side LF; they may be provided in stages on the inside in the width direction W. However, by providing the insertion holes 561 in stages on the outside in the width direction W as you move from the rear side LB to the front side LF, it is possible to suppress the clumping of insulated wires 40 on the outside in the width direction W, and to arrange the insulated wires 40 placed on the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61 more neatly.

[0196] Furthermore, by providing poles 57 that restrict the position of the insulated wires 40 along the width direction W at the front LF of a predetermined busbar arrangement section 53 in multiple busbar arrangement sections 53, the disorder of the insulated wires 40 placed on the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61 can be eliminated. More specifically, by routing the insulated wires 40 either inside or outside the width direction W of the pole 57, the routing path of the insulated wires 40 in the width direction W can be restricted. In this way, the position of the insulated wires 40 connected to each bifurcated busbar 30 and single busbar 30s can be restricted in the width direction W, thus eliminating the disorder of the insulated wires 40 routed to the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61. Therefore, the burden on the insulated wires 40 can be further reduced, and the efficiency of the routing work for each insulated wire 40 can be improved.

[0197] In the correspondence between the structure of this invention and the embodiments described above, The conductor of this invention corresponds to conductor 41, and similarly, The insulating coating corresponds to insulating coating 42. The insulated wire corresponds to the insulated wire 40. The exposed conductor corresponds to the exposed conductor 41X. The conductor connection part corresponds to the conductor connection part 34, The busbars are compatible with bifurcated busbars 30 and single busbars 30s. The busbar retaining member corresponds to the busbar retaining member 5. The mounting body corresponds to the mounting body main body 51 and the mounting body main body 61. The longitudinal direction corresponds to the parallel direction L, The cover is compatible with cover 70. The assembly maintenance portion corresponds to the second locking projection 74, the first locking hole 521, the first projection 55, and the side wall penetration portion 75. The busbar arrangement section corresponds to the busbar arrangement section 53. The telescoping mechanism corresponds to the waveform section 54, The opposing part corresponds to the opposing part 72, The side wall portion corresponds to the support wall 71 and the pivot wall 73, The locking portion corresponds to the second locking projection 74, the first locking hole 521, the first projection 55, and the side wall penetration portion 75. The intersection direction corresponds to the width direction W. The locking projections correspond to the second locking projection 74 and the first projection 55. The locking holes correspond to the first locking hole 521 and the side wall penetration portion 75. The protruding pieces correspond to the first protruding piece 522 and the second protruding piece 751, The first side wall corresponds to the pivot wall 73, The second side wall corresponds to the support wall 71, The first locking portion corresponds to the side wall penetration portion 75 and the first projection 55, The second locking portion corresponds to the first locking hole 521 and the second locking projection 74. The busbar retaining structure corresponds to the busbar retaining structure 7. The insertion hole corresponds to the insertion hole 561. The communication port corresponds to communication port 562. The power line regulation section corresponds to the regulation wall 58, The regulatory guidance section corresponds to the guidance surface 581, The position regulating unit corresponds to pole 57, The battery corresponds to battery cell 20, The battery module corresponds to battery module 1, but this invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and many other embodiments can be obtained.

[0198] For example, in this embodiment, the busbar arrangement section 53 is provided on the back surface of the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61, but it may also be provided on the front surface of the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61. In this case, it is preferable to position, for example, the pole 57 or the regulating wall 58 in an appropriate location so that the insulated wire 40 does not come into contact with the welding point 35.

[0199] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the waveform section 54 is provided between each of the adjacent busbar arrangement sections 53. However, for example, a single waveform section 54 may be provided between the wire insertion holes 56b, or multiple waveform sections 54 may be provided between the busbar arrangement sections 53 located at both outer ends in the parallel direction L, spaced apart at predetermined intervals along the parallel direction L.

[0200] Furthermore, although the waveform section 54 is composed of a waveform that is roughly triangular in side view along the parallel direction L, it may also be, for example, a continuously changing, roughly sinusoidal waveform or a rectangular wave waveform that can be stretched or compressed along the parallel direction L.

[0201] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the through-hole 561 communicates with the outside of the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61 via the communication opening 562, but a configuration without the communication opening 562 is also possible. That is, it may be just a through-hole that penetrates the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61 in the thickness direction. The through-hole 561 may also be formed along the height direction H.

[0202] The pole 57 only needs to be able to restrict the position of the insulated electric wires 40 placed on the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61 to inside or outside the width direction W, and is not particularly limited to a cylindrical shape. That is, the pole 57 may be a wall or the like erected on the surface of the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61. Furthermore, one pole 57 may be provided on the mounting body 51 and the mounting body 61, or multiple poles 57 may be provided at irregular intervals.

[0203] Furthermore, the mounting body 51 and mounting body 61, for example, which are provided with the corrugated portion 54, are not limited to a plate shape as long as they can support the insulated wires 40 connected to the bifurcated busbar 30 and the single busbar 30s. For example, the cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the parallel direction L may be concave. [Explanation of symbols]

[0204] 1…Battery module 4…Wire harness 7…Busbar connection structure 20…Battery cells 30... Bifurcated bus bar 30s… Single busbar 34...Conductor connection 40...Insulated wire 41... Conductor 42...Insulating coating 41X…Exposed conductor 51…Main body of the mounting unit 53...Bus bar arrangement section 54...Waveform section 55...first protrusion 57... Paul 58... Barrier wall 61... Mounting body 63...Single busbar configuration section 70...cover 71…Supporting wall 72... Opposite section 73... Pivot Wall 74...Second locking protrusion 75... Through edge 521...First locking hole 522...First protruding piece 561... Through hole 562... Connecting port 581... Guide surface 751...Second protruding piece L…Parallel direction W...Width direction

Claims

1. A busbar holding member that holds a busbar having a conductor connection portion which is connected to an exposed conductor obtained by stripping the insulating coating from the tip portion of an insulated wire, the insulated wire having a conductor covered with an insulating coating, A mounting body on which the insulated electric wire is placed, A cover that is assembled to the mounting body to form a housing space for housing the insulated electric wire, An assembly maintenance unit is provided to maintain the assembled state of the mounting body and the cover, The aforementioned mounting body, A plurality of busbar arrangement sections for arranging the busbars along the longitudinal direction of the insulated electric wire that is placed there, Between the busbar arrangement sections, there is an expandable / contractable mechanism that expands and contracts along the longitudinal direction. The assembly maintenance unit ensures that, in the assembled state in which the aforementioned body and the cover are assembled, the aforementioned body moves relative to the cover along the longitudinal direction. Busbar retaining member.

2. The aforementioned telescopic mechanism is Composed of a wave shape along the longitudinal direction The busbar holding member according to claim 1.

3. The mounting body is made of a flat plate, The cover has a concave cross-section and comprises a portion facing the aforementioned body and a pair of side wall portions extending from the facing portion toward the aforementioned body. The assembly maintenance portion is configured with a locking portion that locks the aforementioned mounting body and the side wall portion so that the aforementioned mounting body can move relative to the cover along the longitudinal direction. A busbar holding member according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The aforementioned locking portion is, A locking projection that protrudes in an intersecting direction that intersects the longitudinal direction, It consists of the aforementioned locking projection and a locking hole through which the locking projection is inserted in the intersecting direction, The length of the locking hole along the longitudinal direction is longer than the length of the locking projection along the longitudinal direction. The busbar holding member according to claim 3.

5. In the locking hole, a protruding piece is provided that protrudes inward, The aforementioned protruding piece is configured to be elastically deformable. The busbar holding member according to claim 4.

6. The side wall portion on the side where the busbar arrangement portion is located shall be designated as the first side wall portion, and the side wall portion on the opposite side of where the busbar arrangement portion is located shall be designated as the second side wall portion. The first side wall portion is configured to be pivotable with respect to the opposing portion, The aforementioned locking portion is, A first locking portion locks the side of the mounting body on which the busbar arrangement portion is located with the first side wall portion, It is composed of a second locking portion that locks the opposite side of the mounting body with the second side wall portion. The busbar holding member according to claim 4.

7. The aforementioned telescopic mechanism is provided between each of the multiple busbar arrangement sections, The first locking portion is positioned between each of the multiple busbar arrangement portions. The busbar holding member according to claim 6.

8. A busbar having a conductor connection portion that connects to an exposed conductor, which is exposed by stripping the insulating coating from the tip of an insulated wire whose conductor is covered with an insulating coating, It is composed of the busbar holding member described in claim 1, The busbar is positioned in the busbar arrangement section. Busbar retaining structure.

9. The mounting body is made of a flat plate, The aforementioned conductor connection part is In order to enable the exposed conductor along the longitudinal direction to be electrically connected at multiple locations, it extends in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction, The busbar arrangement portion is arranged on the main surface of the aforementioned assembly such that at least the conductor connection portion of the busbar is arranged along the intersecting direction. The busbar holding structure according to claim 8.

10. The busbar arrangement section is provided on the back surface of the main surface of the aforementioned mounting body, which is the main surface opposite to the surface on which the insulated electric wire is placed. An insertion hole is provided on one side in the longitudinal direction of the busbar arrangement portion of the mounting body for inserting the insulated electric wire in the thickness direction of the plate. The insulated wire that passes through the insertion hole is routed along the surface on one side. The busbar holding structure according to claim 9.

11. The insertion hole is, As you move from the back surface toward the front surface, you will be inclined toward one side. The busbar holding structure according to claim 10.

12. The insertion hole tapers in the direction of the intersection as it extends toward the other side along the longitudinal direction. The busbar holding structure according to claim 10.

13. The busbar arrangement section has a communication opening that connects the outside of the busbar arrangement section to the insertion hole along the aforementioned intersecting direction. The busbar holding structure according to claim 10.

14. It has a communication opening that connects the outside of the side where the busbar arrangement portion is provided with the insertion hole, along the aforementioned intersecting direction, The aforementioned communication opening penetrates in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the intersecting direction. The busbar holding structure according to claim 11.

15. The side on which the busbar arrangement section is provided along the aforementioned crossing direction is referred to as the busbar arrangement side, and the side opposite to the side on which the busbar arrangement section is provided along the aforementioned crossing direction is referred to as the wire routing side. On the surface, on the wire routing side of the insertion hole, a wire restricting portion is provided to restrict the position of the insulated wire inserted through the insertion hole in the crossing direction. The busbar holding structure according to claim 10.

16. The aforementioned wire regulation section is, A regulating guide is provided to guide the insulated electric wire, which is routed from the insertion hole located on the other side toward the one side, toward the electric wire routing side beyond the insertion hole. The busbar holding structure according to claim 15.

17. Multiple busbar arrangement sections are provided along the longitudinal direction. The multiple insertion holes are arranged in stages toward the side toward the one side, along the intersecting direction, toward the side where the busbar arrangement portion is provided. The busbar holding structure according to claim 10.

18. In one of the multiple busbar arrangement sections, a position regulating section is provided on one side of a predetermined busbar arrangement section to regulate the position of the insulated electric wire along the intersecting direction. The busbar holding structure according to claim 16.

19. Multiple batteries arranged in parallel, A covered wire, which has a conductor covered with an insulating coating, is electrically connected to the aforementioned battery. A busbar having a conductor connection portion to which an exposed conductor, obtained by stripping the insulating coating from the tip portion of the insulated wire, is connected, It consists of a busbar holding member that holds the busbar, The busbar holding member is A mounting body on which the insulated electric wire is placed, A cover that is assembled to the mounting body to form a housing space for housing the insulated electric wire, An assembly maintenance unit is provided to maintain the assembled state of the mounting body and the cover, The aforementioned mounting body, A plurality of busbar arrangement sections for arranging the busbars along the longitudinal direction of the insulated electric wire that is placed there, Between the busbar arrangement sections, there is an expandable / contractable mechanism that expands and contracts along the longitudinal direction. The assembly maintenance unit ensures that, in the assembled state in which the aforementioned body and the cover are assembled, the aforementioned body moves relative to the cover along the longitudinal direction. Battery module.

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