Patent Grant
11811094
The technology disclosed herein relates to a wiring module.
A wiring module that is to be mounted on a power storage element group and described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014-49238 has been known. The power storage element group includes power storage elements that include electrode terminals and are arranged. The wiring module includes a first-group accommodation part, a second-group accommodation part, and a linkage part. The first-group accommodation part includes accommodation parts accommodating bus bars and the second-group accommodation part includes accommodation parts accommodating bus bars. The linkage part links the first-group accommodation part and the second-group accommodation part.
However, in the above-described technology, the linkage part liking the accommodation part of the first-group accommodation part and the accommodation part of the second-group accommodation part is made of synthetic resin integrally with the accommodation parts and is linearly disposed. As a result, the wiring module according to the related art is less likely to be deformed with warping as a whole in a direction crossing a direction in which the accommodation parts are arranged. Therefore, it was difficult to connect each of the electrode terminals to each bus bar independently as will be described below.
When one of the bus bars is connected to one of the electrode terminals, the accommodation part accommodating the one bus bar tries to approach an electrode surface. However, other accommodation parts accommodating the bus bars that are not connected to the electrode terminals stay in positions spaced away from the electrode surfaces. The wiring module that is less likely to be deformed with warping in the direction crossing the electrode surface is forced to stay in the position spaced away from the electrode surfaces as a whole as long as the bus bars include one that is not connected to the electrode terminal. Therefore, in the wiring module of the related art, the bus bars that are included in the wiring module are attached to the power storage element group at the same time. This lowers performing efficiency of attaching the wiring module to the power storage element group.
The technology described herein was made in view of the above circumstances. An object is to provide a wiring module that improves performing efficiency of attaching the wiring module to the power storage element group.
The technology described herein is related to a wiring module to be mounted on a power storage element group including power storage elements that are arranged in an arrangement direction and have electrode surfaces having electrode terminals thereon. The wiring module includes bus bars each of which is connected to at least one of the electrode terminals, a first housing section row, a second housing section row, and linking sections. The first housing section row includes first housing sections that are arranged in the arrangement direction and include the bus bars therein, respectively. The second housing section row includes second housing sections that are arranged in the arrangement direction and include the bus bars therein, respectively, and the second housing section row is disposed away from the first housing section row with respect to a crossing direction that crosses the arrangement direction. The linking sections are disposed between the first housing section row and the second housing section row and link the first housing section row and the second housing section row. The first housing sections are connected by a first warping section that can be deformed with warping and the second housing sections are connected by a second warping section that can be deformed with warping. Each of the linking sections includes a deformation portion that can be deformed with twisting.
According to the above configuration, the first warping section is deformed with warping such that the first housing section row can be warped in the direction crossing the electrode surface of the power storage element. The second warping section is deformed with warping such that the second housing section row can be warped in the direction crossing the electrode surface of the power storage element. The deformation portion of the linking section is deformed with twisting such that the warping deformation of the first housing section row and the warping deformation of the second housing section row do not interfere with each other. Accordingly, the wiring module can be easily deformed with warping as a whole in the direction crossing the electrode surface.
Embodiments of the technology described herein may preferably include configurations as follows.
The deformation portion may be contracted and expand in the crossing direction.
According to the above configuration, the deformation portion is contracted or expand in the crossing direction to deal with tolerance for a distance between the first housing section row and the second housing section row.
Each of the bus bars may include three or more connection sections that are to be connected to the electrode terminals.
The bus bars each of which includes three or more connection sections are longer than a bus bar including two connection sections with respect to the arrangement direction. Since the bus bars are made of metal, the bus bars cannot be warped in the direction crossing the electrode surface. Therefore, with the configuration in which the wiring module includes the bus bars each of which includes three or more connection sections, the wiring module is hardly warped in the direction crossing the electrode surface. The present invention is particularly effective for such a configuration.
A position of one first housing section of the first housing sections may be shifted from a position of one second housing section of the second housing sections with respect to the arrangement direction and the one second housing section may be adjacent to the one first housing sections in the crossing direction.
According to the above configuration, the position where the one first housing section is to be deformed with warping in the direction crossing the electrode surface and the position where the one second housing section is to be deformed with warping in the direction crossing the electrode surface are shifted from each other with respect to the arrangement direction. The wiring module may be less likely to be deformed with warping as a whole in the direction crossing the electrode surface. According to the technology described herein, the wiring module can be easily deformed with warping as a whole in the direction crossing the electrode surface.
Each of the linking sections may include an in-between routing section in which an electric wire is routed.
According to the above configuration, since the electric wire is routed in the in-between routing section, the electric wire can be routed in both of the first housing section row and the second housing section row. This allows the electric wire to be routed more freely in the wiring module.
Each of the linking sections may include a wire stopper portion that holds the electric wire to suppress the electric wire from going out from the in-between routing section.
According to the above-described configuration, the electric wire is less likely to go out from the in-between routing section. The linking section can be deformed with twisting at the deformation portion and this may let the electric wire go out more easily. Therefore, the above configuration is particularly effective.
According to the technology disclosed herein, performing efficiency of attaching the wiring module to the power storage element group is improved.
A first embodiment of the technology disclosed herein will be described with reference to
Power Storage Element 11
The power storage element 11 in this embodiment is a secondary battery. The power storage element 11 includes therein a power storage component, which is not illustrated. The power storage element 11 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. As illustrated in
The power storage element group 12 includes groups 50 of power storage elements 11 that are arranged in the left-right direction. Each of the groups 50 includes three power storage elements 11 arranged such that the adjacent electrode terminals 14 have the same polarity. The groups 50 of the power storage elements 11 are arranged such that the adjacent electrode terminals 14 included in the adjacent groups 50 of the power storage elements 11, respectively, have different polarities. For example, when the anode terminals are on the front side and the cathode terminals are on the rear side in one of the two adjacent groups 50 of the power storage elements 11, the cathode terminals are on the front side and the anode terminals are on the rear side in another one of the two adjacent groups 50 of the power storage elements 11.
As illustrated in
Wiring Module 10
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
First Housing Section Row 61
The first housing section row 61 includes the first housing sections 60 (four first housing sections 60 in this embodiment) that are made of insulating synthetic resin and connected to each other by first warping sections 65. Each of the first housing sections 60 has a box shape opening upward. The first housing section 60 includes stopper projections 51 on an inner wall thereof and the stopper projections 51 hold the connection bus bar 17 from the above and the connection bus bar 17 is arranged in the first housing section 60 so as not to be dropped therefrom. The connection bus bar 17 has a narrow rectangular shape elongated in the left-right direction seen from the above. The first housing section 60 has a shape that is slightly greater than that of the connection bus bar 17.
The first warping section 65 has a plate shape and is integrally formed with each of the first housing sections 60. The first warping section 65 is elastically deformable and is elastically deformed to adjust a space between the adjacent first housing sections 60. The first warping sections 65 are elastically deformed and the first housing section row 61 can be warped as a whole in the direction crossing the electrode surface 41.
Second Housing Section Row 63
The second housing section row 63 includes second housing sections 62 (five second housing sections 62 in this embodiment) that are made of insulating synthetic resin and connected to each other by second warping sections 66. The second housing section row 63 is disposed away from the first housing section row 61 with respect to the front-rear direction (one example of a direction crossing the arrangement direction).
The output bus bar 18 is arranged in each of the second housing sections 62 that are disposed in left and right end portions of the second housing section row 63, respectively. The output bus bar 18 is bent in an L-shape seen from the above. The connection bus bar 17 is arranged in each of the three second housing sections 62 of the second housing section row 63 except for the left and right end ones. The second housing section 62 has a box shape opening upward. The second housing sections 62 include the stopper projections 51 on inner walls thereof and the stopper projections 51 hold the connection bus bar 17 and the output bus bar 18 from the above and the connection bus bar 17 and the output bus bar 18 are arranged in the respective second housing sections 62 so as not to be dropped therefrom.
The second warping section 66 has a plate shape and is integrally formed with each of the second housing sections 62. The second warping section 66 is elastically deformable and is elastically deformed to adjust a space between the adjacent second housing sections 62. The second warping sections 66 are elastically deformed and the second housing section row 63 can be warped as a whole in the direction crossing the electrode surface 41.
Connection Bus Bar 17
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
According to the above structure, the group 50 of the three power storage elements 11 that are connected in parallel and the adjacent group 50 of the three power storage elements 11 that are connected in parallel are connected in series by the connection bus bars 17.
Output Bus Bar 18
As illustrated in
In the first housing sections 60 and the second housing sections 62, voltage detection terminals 22 are disposed on the connection bus bars 17 and the output bus bars 18, respectively. The voltage detection terminal 22 is held by the stopper projection 51 from the above so as not to be dropped therefrom toward the upper side.
Voltage Detection Terminal 22
As illustrated in
The voltage detection terminal 22 includes a through hole 30 through which a stud bolt 40 is inserted. The voltage detection terminal 22 is sandwiched between the nut and one of the connection bus bar 17 and the output bus bar 18 so as to be electrically connected to the electrode terminal 14.
The voltage detection terminal 22 includes a barrel portion 27 that is crimped to one end portion of a voltage detection wire 16 (one example of an electric wire). Another end portion of the voltage detection wire 16 is connected to an external connection device (not illustrated) such as an electronic control unit (ECU).
The ECU includes a microcomputer and elements and has a known configuration for detecting voltages, currents, and temperatures of the power storage elements 11 and controlling charging and discharging of each power storage element 11.
First Wire Routing Section 67
As illustrated in
Second Wire Routing Section 68
The second housing section row 63 includes a second wire routing section 68 on a front side of each of the second housing sections 62. The second wire routing section 68 extends in the left-right direction and has a groove shape opening upward. The voltage detection wire 16 is routed in the second wire routing section 68 and the voltage detection wire 16 is connected to the voltage detection terminal 22 that is arranged in the second housing section 62.
Bridge Section 69
Bridge sections 69 are disposed between the first wire routing section 67 and the second wire routing section 68. The bridge section 69 includes a first bridge section 70 that extends rearward from the first wire routing section 67 and a second bridge section 71 that extends frontward from the second wire routing section 68. A rear end portion of the first bridge section 70 and a front end portion of the second bridge section 71 are overlapped with respect to the front-rear direction and the upper-lower direction. The bridge section 69 has a groove shape opening upward and the voltage detection wire 16 is arranged therein. Accordingly, the voltage detection wire 16 that is arranged in the first wire routing section 67 can be routed to the second wire routing section 68 and the voltage detection wire 16 that is arranged in the second wire routing section 68 can be routed to the first wire routing section 67.
Linking Section 64
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The first linking section 72 and the second linking section 73 have a groove shape opening upward. The first linking section 72 and the second linking section 73 that are fitted together with the locking portion 74 and the locking receiving portion 75 define an in-between routing section 77 in the linking section 64. The in-between routing section 77 has a groove shape opening upward. The voltage detection wire 16 is routed in the in-between routing section 77. The in-between routing section 77 allows the voltage detection wire 16 arranged in the first wire routing section 67 to be routed to the second wire routing section 68 and the voltage detection wire 16 arranged in the second wire routing section 68 to be routed to the first wire routing section 67. Accordingly, the voltage detection wire 16 can be routed freely in the wiring module 10.
As illustrated in
Operations and Advantageous Effects of the Present Embodiment
Next, operations and advantageous effects of the present embodiment will be described. The wiring module 10 according to the present embodiment is to be mounted on the power storage element group 12 including the power storage elements 11 that are arranged in the arrangement direction. The power storage elements 11 include the electrode surfaces 41, respectively, on which the respective electrode terminals 14 are disposed. The wiring module 10 includes the connection bus bars 17, the output bus bars 18, the first housing section row 61, the second housing section row 63, and the linking sections 64. Each of the connection bus bars 17 and the output bus bars 18 is connected to one of the electrode terminals 14. The first housing section row 61 includes the first housing sections 60 in which the respective connection bus bars 17 are arranged and that are arranged in the arrangement direction. The second housing section row 63 includes the second housing sections 62 in which the connection bus bars 17 and the output bus bars 18 are arranged, respectively, and that are arranged in the arrangement direction. The second housing section row 63 is disposed away from the first housing section row 61 with respect to the crossing direction that crosses the arrangement direction. The linking sections 64 are disposed between the first housing section row 61 and the second housing section row 63 to link the first housing section row 61 and the second housing section row 63. The first housing sections 60 are linked together by the first warping sections 65 that are deformable with warping and the second housing sections 62 are linked together by the second warping sections 66 that are deformable with warping. Each of the linking sections 64 includes the deformation portions 76 that are deformable with twisting.
According to the above configuration, the first warping sections 65 are deformed with warping such that the first housing section row 61 can be warped in the direction crossing the electrode surface 41 of the power storage element 11. The second warping sections 66 are deformed with warping such that the second housing section row 63 can be warped in the direction crossing the electrode surface 41 of the power storage element 11. The deformation portions 76 of the linking sections 64 are deformed with twisting such that the warping deformation of the first housing section row 61 and the warping deformation of the second housing section row 63 do not interfere with each other. Accordingly, the wiring module 10 can be easily deformed with warping as a whole in the direction crossing the electrode surface 41.
According to the present embodiment, the deformation portions 76 are able to expand and to be contracted in the crossing direction.
According to the above configuration, the deformation portions 76 are contracted or expand in the crossing direction to deal with tolerance for a distance between the first housing section row 61 and the second housing section row 63.
According to the present embodiment, each of the connection bus bars 17 and the output bus bars 18 includes three or more connection sections 52 that are to be connected to the electrode terminals 14, respectively.
The connection bus bar 17 and the output bus bar 18 each of which includes three or more connection sections 52 are longer than a bus bar including two connection sections 52 with respect to the arrangement direction. Since the connection bus bars 17 and the output bus bars 18 are made of metal, the connection bus bars 17 and the output bus bars 18 cannot be warped in the direction crossing the electrode surface 41. Therefore, with the configuration in which the wiring module 10 includes the connection bus bars 17 and the output bus bars 18 each of which includes three or more connection sections 52, the wiring module 10 is hardly warped in the direction crossing the electrode surface 41. The present invention is particularly effective for such a configuration.
According to the present embodiment, the position of one of the first housing sections 60 is shifted from the position of one of the second housing sections 62 with respect to the arrangement direction and the one of the second housing sections 62 is adjacent to the one of the first housing sections 60 in the crossing direction.
According to the above configuration, the position where the one first housing section 60 is to be deformed with warping in the direction crossing the electrode surface 41 and the position where the one second housing section 62 is to be deformed with warping in the direction crossing the electrode surface 41 are shifted from each other with respect to the arrangement direction. The wiring module 10 may be less likely to be deformed with warping as a whole in the direction crossing the electrode surface 41. According to the technology described herein, the wiring module 10 can be easily deformed with warping as a whole in the direction crossing the electrode surface 41.
According to the present embodiment, each of the linking sections 64 includes the in-between routing section 77 in which the voltage detection wire 16 is arranged.
According to the above configuration, since the voltage detection wire 16 is routed in the in-between routing section 77, the voltage detection wire 16 can be routed in both of the first housing section row 61 and the second housing section row 63. This allows the voltage detection wire 16 to be routed more freely in the wiring module 10.
In the present embodiment, each of the linking sections 64 includes the wire stopper portions 78 that hold the voltage detection wire 16 so as not to let the voltage detection wire 16 go out from the in-between routing section 77.
According to the above-described configuration, the voltage detection wire 16 is less likely to go out from the in-between routing section 77. The linking sections 64 can be deformed with twisting at the deformation portions 76 and this may let the voltage detection wire 16 go out more easily. Therefore, the above configuration is particularly effective.
The technology disclosed herein is not limited to the embodiment described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments will be included in the technical scope of the technology.
(1) The power storage element 11 may be a capacitor.
(2) In the present embodiment, three adjacent power storage elements 11 that are connected in parallel configure a group and two adjacent groups of the power storage elements 11 are connected in series. However, the connection configuration is not limited to the above one and two adjacent power storage elements 11 that are connected in parallel may configure a group or four or more adjacent power storage elements 11 that are connected in parallel may configure a group. The adjacent power storage elements 11 may be connected in series.
(3) In the present embodiment, the linking section 64 includes the in-between routing section 77. However, the in-between routing section 77 may be included in a position different from the linking section 64.
(4) In the present embodiment, the connection bus bar 17 includes six through holes 23. However, the configuration is not limited to the above one. The connection bus bar may include two to five through holes or seven or more through holes.
(5) In the present embodiment, the connection bus bar 17 includes the through holes 23. However, the configuration is not limited to the above one and the connection bus bar 17 may have no through holes. In such a configuration, the connection bus bar 17 may be connected to the electrode terminals 14 with welding or soldering.
(6) The number of the power storage elements 11 included in the power storage element group 12 may be any number.
(7) In the present embodiment, the voltage detection wire 16 is used as the electric wire. However, the electric wire is not limited to the voltage detection wire 16. An electric wire that is connected to a thermistor for detecting temperatures of the power storage element 11 or an electric wire that is connected to other device may be used as the electric wire.
(8) In the present embodiment, the linking section 64 includes the first linking section 72 and the second linking section 73 that are integrally fitted to each other. However, the configuration of the linking section is not limited to the above one. The linking section 64 may be molded integrally with the first housing section row 61 and the second housing section row 63.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-106029 | Jun 2018 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2019/020384 | 5/23/2019 | WO |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2019/230542 | 12/5/2019 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9601743 | Ogasawara | Mar 2017 | B2 |
| 10020484 | Nakayama | Jul 2018 | B2 |
| 11322802 | Yanagida | May 2022 | B2 |
| 20020102457 | Oogami | Aug 2002 | A1 |
| 20110076521 | Shimizu et al. | Mar 2011 | A1 |
| 20140370342 | Nakayama | Dec 2014 | A1 |
| 20210098848 | Takase | Apr 2021 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2011-076936 | Apr 2011 | JP |
| 2013-54997 | Mar 2013 | JP |
| 2014-049238 | Mar 2014 | JP |
| 2015-159024 | Sep 2015 | JP |
| Entry |
|---|
| International Search Report (ISR) issued in International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2019/020384, dated Aug. 27, 2019, along with an English translation thereof. |
| Written Opinion (WO) issued in International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2019/020384, dated Aug. 27, 2019, along with an English translation thereof. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20210210822 A1 | Jul 2021 | US |
