Bus bar module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11515604-B2
Application number	US-201916506480-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2019
Priority date	Jul 10, 2018
Publication date	Nov 29, 2022
Grant date	Nov 29, 2022

Abstract

A bus bar module includes a circuit body, a bus bar, a holder, and a cover configured to be assembled to the holder to protect the circuit body and the holder. The circuit body includes a belt-like main line that extends in a first direction, a belt-like branch line that extends from the main line so as to branch from the main line, and a connection portion provided in a position closer to a distal end of the branch line than a folded portion the branch line. The cover is structured so as to be stretchable and shrinkable in the first direction in accordance with a stretching and a shrinking of the holder in the first direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A bus bar module configured to be attached to a battery assembly having a plurality of single cells which are assembled to each other along a first direction, the bus bar module comprising:
a circuit body configured by a flexible board on which a wiring pattern is provided;
a bus bar configured to be connected to an electrode of each of the single cells;
a holder configured to hold the bus bar and being extendible and retractable in the first direction; and
a cover that has a first portion and a second portion, the first portion of the cover has an engagement hole, and the second portion of the cover has a projection that is located and movable in the engagement hole, wherein:
the cover is assembled to the holder to protect the circuit body and the holder,
the cover is structured so as to be extendable and retractable in the first direction in accordance with an extending and retracting of the holder in the first direction such that the first and second portions of the cover are movable relative to each other in a movable range between an extended position and a retracted position,
the projection abuts a rear surface of the first portion of the cover that extends along the engagement hole when the first and second portions of the cover are in the extended position,
an end portion of the first portion, which is located at a side of the second portion in the first direction, has a first coupling plate portion and a second coupling plate portion,
the first coupling plate portion is located at a first position on the first portion and the second coupling plate portion is located at a second position on the first portion that is offset to one side of the first position in each of a width direction of the cover and a thickness direction of the cover, the width direction intersects the thickness direction,
an end portion of the second portion, which is located at a side of the first portion in the first direction, has a third coupling plate portion and a fourth coupling plate portion,
the third coupling plate portion is located at a third position on the second portion and the fourth coupling plate portion is located at a fourth position on the second portion that is offset to one side of the third position in each of the width direction of the cover and the thickness direction of the cover,
the first coupling plate portion and the third coupling plate portion overlap with each other and the second coupling plate portion and the fourth coupling plate portion overlap with each other when the first portion and the second portion are in the extended position and in the retracted position and when the first portion and the second portion move relative to each other,
the holder is stacked on the battery assembly in the thickness direction of the cover,
the cover and the holder enclose a space, the bus bars are contained in the space, and the circuit body is located in the space,
the holder is configured to move between and an expanded position of the holder and a retracted position of the holder and the cover moves between the extended position of the cover and the retracted position of the cover when the holder moves between the expanded position of the holder and the retracted position of the holder, respectively,
the first portion includes a top plate portion that has a flat surface that covers a first portion of each of the holder, the bus bars, and the circuit body in the first direction and width direction when viewed in the thickness direction of the cover,
the second portion includes a respective top plate portion that has a respective flat surface that covers a second portion of each of the holder, the bus bars, and the circuit body in the first direction and width direction when viewed in the thickness direction of the cover,
the first and third coupling plate portions cover a first intermediate portion of each of the of the holder, the bus bars, and the circuit body in the first direction and width direction when viewed in the thickness direction of the cover when the first portion and the second portion move in the movable range between the extended position and the retracted position, and
the second and fourth coupling plate portions cover a second intermediate portion of each of the of the holder, the bus bars, and the circuit body in the first direction and width direction when viewed in the thickness direction of the cover when the first portion and the second portion move in the movable range between the extended position and the retracted position.

2. The bus bar module according to claim 1 , wherein
first portion of the cover has a stopper wall that is spaced away from the engagement hole, and
the second portion of the cover has a tongue-shaped piece with an upper surface, the projection protrudes upward from the upper surface of the tongue-shaped piece, and the tongue shaped-piece abuts the stopper wall when the first and second portions of the cover are in the retracted position.

3. The bus bar module according to claim 2 , wherein
the tongue shaped piece is spaced away from the stopper wall when the first and second portions of the cover are in the extended position, and
the projection is located in the hole and spaced away from the surface of the first portion of the cover when the first and second portions are in the retracted position.

4. The bus bar module according to claim 1 ,
wherein the circuit body includes at least one resilient arcuate portion.

5. The bus bar module according to claim 1 , wherein
the end portion of the first portion, which is located at the side of the second portion in the first direction, has a fifth coupling plate portion,
the fifth coupling plate portion is located at a fifth position on the first portion that is offset to another side of the first position in each of the width direction of the cover and the thickness direction of the cover,
the end portion of the second portion, which is located at the side of the first portion in the first direction, has a sixth coupling plate portion,
the sixth coupling plate portion is located at a sixth position on the second portion that is offset to another side of the third position in each of the width direction of the cover and the thickness direction of the cover,
the fifth coupling plate portion and the sixth coupling plate portion overlap with each other when the first portion and the second portion are in the extended position and in the retracted position and when the first portion and the second portion move relative to each other,
the fifth and sixth coupling plate portions cover a third intermediate portion of each of the of the holder, the bus bars, and the circuit body in the first direction and width direction when viewed in the thickness direction of the cover as the first portion and the second portion move in the movable range between the extended position and the retracted position,
the first intermediate portion, the second intermediate portion and the third intermediate portion are aligned with each other in the width direction of the cover, and
the first intermediate portion, the second intermediate portion, and the third intermediate portion of the holder, the bus bars, and the circuit body collectively include all of the holder and all of the bus bars.

Assignees

• Yazaki Corp

Inventors

• Ichikawa Yoshiaki
• Makino Kimitoshi
• Kobayashi Makoto
• Yasuda Tomoji
• Takamatsu Masahiro

Classifications

• H01M10/482 Primary

  for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• H01M50/209

  adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells (H01M50/216 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M50/507 Primary

  comprising an arrangement of two or more busbars within a container structure, e.g. busbar modules · CPC title

• H05K1/028

  Bending or folding regions of flexible printed circuits (H05K1/0283 takes precedence) · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title