In-vehicle wiring module and flexible substrate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12224455-B2
Application number	US-202118020374-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2021
Priority date	Aug 27, 2020
Publication date	Feb 11, 2025
Grant date	Feb 11, 2025

Abstract

Provided is an in-vehicle wiring module that is attached to a plurality of power storage elements that include electrode terminals, and includes a busbar that is connected to the electrode terminals, and a flexible substrate that is electrically connected to the busbar, the flexible substrate has a folded-over structures where the flexible substrate is folded along folding portions, the folded-over structure includes protrusions that protrude from outer edges of the flexible substrate in an expanded state before the flexible substrate is folded along the folding portions, and slits into which the protrusions are to be inserted, the folding portions are disposed between the protrusions and the slits of the flexible substrate in the expanded state, and, as a result of the protrusions being inserted into the slits, the flexible substrate is kept from deforming so as to return to the expanded state from a state of being folded along the folding portions.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An in-vehicle wiring module that is to be attached to a plurality of power storage elements that include electrode terminals, the in-vehicle wiring module comprising:
a busbar that is connected to the electrode terminals; and
a flexible substrate that is electrically connected to the busbar,
wherein the flexible substrate has a folded-over structure where the flexible substrate is folded along a folding portion,
the folded-over structure includes a protrusion that protrudes from an outer edge of the flexible substrate in an expanded state before the flexible substrate is folded along the folding portion, and a slit into which the protrusion is to be inserted,
the folding portion is disposed between the protrusion and the slit of the flexible substrate in the expanded state, and
as a result of the protrusion being inserted into the slit, the flexible substrate is kept from deforming so as to return to the expanded state from a state of being folded along the folding portion.

2. The in-vehicle wiring module according to claim 1 , wherein
one folded-over structure is provided with a pair of protrusions and a pair of slits.

3. The in-vehicle wiring module according to claim 2 , wherein
the flexible substrate has a shape that is elongated in a first direction,
the folded-over structure includes a pair of length portions that extend in parallel in the first direction in the expanded state, a coupling portion for coupling the pair of length portions, and a pair of folding portions,
the protrusions are provided on one of the pair of length portions,
the slits are provided on the other of the pair of length portions, and
creases of the pair of folding portions of the folded-over structure are disposed perpendicular to each other.

4. The in-vehicle wiring module according to claim 3 , wherein
the pair of length portions are disposed at the same position in a short-side direction of the flexible substrate that is orthogonal to the first direction, and are aligned on the same line extending in the first direction.

5. The in-vehicle wiring module according to claim 1 , wherein
the flexible substrate has a shape that is elongated in a first direction,
the slit is formed to be elongated in the first direction, and
a length in the first direction of the slit is larger than a length in the first direction of the protrusion.

6. A flexible substrate that is to be incorporated in an in-vehicle wiring module in a state of being folded along a folding portion, the flexible substrate comprising:
a protrusion that protrudes from an outer edge of the flexible substrate in an expanded state before the flexible substrate is folded along the folding portion; and a slit into which the protrusion is to be inserted,
wherein the folding portion is disposed between the protrusion and the slit in the expanded state, and
as a result of the protrusion being inserted into the slit, the flexible substrate is kept from deforming so as to return to the expanded state from the state of being folded along the folding portion.

Assignees

• Autonetworks Technologies Ltd
• Sumitomo Wiring Systems
• Sumitomo Electric Industries

Inventors

• Matsumura Nobuyuki

Classifications

• H01M2220/20

  Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• H01M50/553 Primary

  Terminals adapted for prismatic, pouch or rectangular cells · CPC title

• H01M50/209

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

• B60L50/64

  Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles · CPC title

• H01M50/507 Primary

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