The present disclosure relates to a wire routing device that is applied to a battery mounted in an electric vehicle, and more particularly to a wire routing device in which a work for providing a surplus length to a voltage detection wire is not troublesome.
<Wire Routing Device Disclosed in JP-A-2010-170884>
In the wire routing device for use in the electric vehicle having a battery mounted therein, there has been known that a wire surplus length absorption part is formed in an electric wire on each voltage detection terminal side (refer to JP-A-2010-170884).
FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams of the wire routing device disclosed in JP-A-2010-170884, in which FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the overall wire routing device, and FIG. 7B is a partial plan view illustrating a state where first hinges and second hinges are non-deformed in the wire routing device of FIG. 7A. Referring to FIG. 7A, reference numeral 100 denotes a bus module, 102 is a battery assembly, 103 is batteries, 106 is busbars, 107 is terminals, 111 is a plate, 112 is first housing parts, 113 is first hinges (first pitch adjusting units), 114 is second housing parts, 115 is second hinges (second pitch adjusting units), 116 is covers, 117 is hinges, 118 (FIG. 7B) is fixing parts, 120 is a wire housing part, 126 is third housing parts, 127 is a thermistor housing part, 131 and 132 are electrodes, and 180 is electric wires. The busbar module (wire routing device) 100 disclosed in JP-A-2010-170884 includes a plurality of the first housing parts 112 that house the respective busbars 106 and the respective terminals 107, and are aligned along a longitudinal direction of the battery assembly, a plurality of the second housing parts 114 that house the electric wires 180, and is aligned along the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of third housing parts 126 that house connection portions of the electric wire 180 and the terminals 107. The busbar module (wire routing device) 100 also includes the first hinges 113 that couple the adjacent first housing parts 112 with each other, the second hinges 115 that couple the adjacent second housing parts 114 with each other, and plural pairs of the wire fixing ribs 118 (FIG. 7B) that are paired and arranged so as to position the second hinges 115 therebetween, and fix the electric wires 180. Each of the electric wires 180 is formed with a length extending from one end of the plate 111 extended at a maximum to each of the third housing parts 126.
In this device, in order to deal with a lamination tolerance of a battery cell appearing in the longitudinal direction, and a cutoff tolerance of the electric wire, there is a need to provide a surplus length to each electric wire 180 in advance. The wire fixing ribs 118 are disposed on both sides of the second hinges 115 which are arranged on the second wire housing parts 114 at given intervals to fix each electric wire 180.
The second hinges 115 are expanded and contracted to absorb the variability of battery pitches. However, in order to prevent the electric wires 180 from being tightly stretched when the second hinges 115 are expanded, each electric wire 180 is sagged between the wire fixing ribs 118 in advance as illustrated in FIG. 7B. Conversely, even when the second hinges 115 are contracted, each electric wire 180 is held by the wire fixing ribs 118, to thereby prevent the electric wire 180 from being excessively bent or catching on another component.
<Wire Routing Device Disclosed in JP-A-2011-70846>
Also, there has been known a resin molded wire routing device having a wire housing part, terminal housing chambers, and a wire lead-out part. In the wire housing part, a plurality of elongated housing grooves are formed between two elongated walls erected at an interval where the electric wire can be inserted, the grooves are divided at a plurality of places in a longitudinal direction, and the respective ends of the divided grooves are coupled with each other by elastic coupling members. The terminal housing chambers each house a voltage detection terminal made of an electrically conductive metal which connects a positive or negative terminal of a battery to a negative or positive terminal of an adjacent battery. A plurality of the terminal housing chambers is spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction of the wire housing part. The spaced and adjacent terminal housing chambers are coupled with each other by an elastic coupling member. The wire lead-out part couples one of the housing grooves with one of the terminal housing chambers to internally lead out the electric wire from the terminal housing chambers to the housing grooves (refer to JP-A-2011-70846).
<Problems With the Invention Disclosed in JP-A-2010-170884>
In the wire routing device disclosed in JP-A-2010-170884, a dimension of the electric wire extended from the device to the external is stabilized by winding a tape around the electric wire on a tongue-shaped resin, or fixing the electric wire to the tongue-shaped resin with a band at a part A in FIG. 7A. However, when the dimension of the electric wire extended to the external is as extremely short as the tongue cannot be fitted to the electric wire from the viewpoint of layout, the dimension of the electric wire cannot be stabilized.
Also, the electric wire must be loosened for each of the wire fixing parts disposed at the given intervals, and a work for providing a surplus length to the electric wire is troublesome.
Further, the excess absorption part is required for each of the hinges, and the loosened electric wire interferes with another electric wire to increase a routing space.
<Problems With the Invention Disclosed in JP-A-2011-70846>
In the wire routing device disclosed in JP-A-2011-70846, the slight wire surplus length absorption space is structurally provided. However, the wire surplus length absorption space is not intentionally formed, and therefore is spatially insufficient.
Also, a crimping portion of the voltage detection terminal is pushed directly against a resin wall, resulting in a risk that the crimping portion is deformed.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds