Electrical connectors – With insulation other than conductor sheath – Metallic connector or contact secured to insulation
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-13
2003-04-08
Abrams, Neil (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With insulation other than conductor sheath
Metallic connector or contact secured to insulation
C174S0720TR
Reexamination Certificate
active
06544077
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a battery-connecting plate for use with a battery holder which receives a large number of cylindrical batteries and which is mounted as in an electric vehicle, a method of producing same, and a wire protector.
2. Description of the Related Art
A battery-connecting plate
100
as shown in
FIGS. 18A
,
18
B is conventionally used as a means of connecting a plurality of batteries in series or in parallel.
The connecting plate
100
includes a molded resin plate
103
, a busbar
102
for connecting two batteries
101
, fixed in the resin plate
103
by molding, the two batteries having nut-type positive and negative electrodes
101
a,
101
b,
and a hexagonal and a square windows
103
a,
103
b
in which electrode-connecting busbar holes
102
a
are exposed. The connection of the two batteries
101
is effected by fastening the busbar
102
to the nut-type positive and negative electrodes
101
a,
101
b
with the bolts
104
, at which time at the hexagonal window
103
a
a round terminal
105
, which constitutes part of a voltage detecting circuit, is concurrently connected. In other words, the wire
106
connected to the round terminal
105
has a fuse
108
interposed in series therein and extends therefrom to a not-shown ECU. The fuse
108
, which is enclosed in a fuse casing
107
, is connected at its opposite ends, via a female terminal
109
, to the wire
106
.
FIG. 19
shows another example of a conventional connecting plate.
The connecting plate
100
′ includes a molded resin plate
103
and a plurality of L-shaped busbars
102
′ fixed in the resin plate
103
by molding, the L-shaped busbars having connection legs
102
b
′ of different lengths which have one end projected at one side of the molded resin plate
103
. A wire
106
is welded at one end to the thus projected end of each L-shaped busbar and extends, via a fuse
108
′ enclosed in a fuse casing
107
′, to a not-shown ECU.
The fuse casing
107
′ includes a base plate
110
and a pair of opposed L-shaped pressure-welding terminals
111
provided on the base plate, the pair of terminals
111
each having a base plate
111
a
whereat the wire
106
is welded and a pressure-welding piece
111
b
with a slot
111
c
rising from the base plate
111
a,
and the fuse
108
having its leads
108
a
′ pressure-welded via the slots
111
c
to the respective pressure-welding pieces
111
b.
The connecting plate
100
of
FIG. 18
requires many connections in one circuit, for example, six connections in the voltage detecting circuit as shown at characters a, b . . . f, and also requires a large components count, possibly resulting in reliability in electric connection lowered. Further, the wired round terminals
105
require a manual operation one by one during their bolting, and hence as the number of wires
106
increases, it will become troublesome to bolt the round terminals
105
and to lay their wires
106
.
On the other hand, the connecting plate
100
′ of
FIG. 19
requires L-shaped busbars
102
′ of different sizes, and hence is disadvantageous in the production cost of the L-shaped busbars and their administration. Further, as is the case of the connecting plate
100
, there are required a large components count and a large connections count in one circuit (five connections of a′, b′ . . . e′), and besides difficulty is encountered in protecting the welds between the wires
106
and their corresponding connection legs
102
b′.
Further, the connection wires
106
of the connecting plates
100
,
100
′, being directly connected to the related batteries
101
, need to be properly protected. Due to the bulky member of the fuse casing
107
,
107
′ interposed, however, such a protection structure will inevitably become complicated.
FIG. 20
shows the case in which batteries are connected together not with a connecting plate, but directly with wires. In other words, each prism-shaped battery
101
′ has positive and negative electrodes
101
a
′,
101
b
′ juxtaposed at one end, a main power wire
112
is used to connect neighboring batteries to each other, and wires
106
each with a fuse casing
107
(voltage detecting circuits), as in the case of
FIG. 18
, are connected to predetermined electrodes
101
b′.
Also in this case, a large components count is required. Further, the wires are dangerously exposed at many portions. In addition, due to the intersecting main power wires
112
and voltage detecting circuit constituting wires
106
, the wiring becomes complicated so as to cause an improper wiring.
Under these conditions, it is conceived to embed the connection wires
106
of the connecting plate
100
,
100
′ in the molded resin plate
103
by insert molding.
With a conventional method of insert molding, however, as shown in
FIGS. 21A
,
21
B, the wires
113
, although firmly fixed inside the molded resin plate
114
, become free outside the plate. Consequently, concentration of stress tends to take place at the roots
113
a
of the wires
113
located at the edge of the molded resin plate
114
, so that in extreme cases the wires
113
are cut at the roots
113
a
by the action of a minimal external force. To prevent this, it is conceived to bundle the wires
113
with a band
115
or to fix the wires to a wall of the molded resin plate
114
through a fixture. The concentration of stress at the roots
113
a,
however, cannot be fully precluded, because the above operation is effected only after completion of the insert molding.
Further, there remains another cause of the cutting of the wires
113
at the roots
113
a,
which is the biting by the upper and lower dies
116
at the outlet of the wires.
Further, with a conventional method of insert molding, because, as shown in
FIG. 22
, the molten resin injected from the nozzle
119
of a molding machine into the mold
116
has a temperature higher than the heat-resisting temperature of the insulating cover
113
b
of commonly used wires
113
, it has been required to use heat-resistant wires covered as with polyimide, resulting in a cost increase.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention has been accomplished to overcome the above drawbacks and an object of this invention is to provide a battery-connecting plate which has integrally incorporated therein by insert molding battery-connecting busbars, voltage-detecting-circuit-constituting terminals and others, so that these components are less exposed to the outside, and is safe and easy to mount, and to provide a method of producing such battery-connecting plate.
Another object of this invention is to provide a battery-connecting plate which has a low parts count and low connections count, is highly reliable in electric connection, and does not cause improper connection and improper wiring to batteries.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a battery-connecting plate which does not cause concentration of stress at that part of connection wires whereat the connection wires extend out of the molded resin plate.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a method of producing a connecting plate according to which a commonly used wire covered with polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene can be used in place of a special heat-resistant wire such as polyimide-covered wire and which can thus be produced at a low cost.
A further object of this invention is to provide a wire protector which enables the production of the connecting plate as mentioned above.
In order to attain the objects, according to an aspect of this invention, there is provided a battery-connecting plate which comprises: busbars for connecting batteries together; and a wire protector which holds in a predetermined layout therein terminals and their connection wires for detecting voltage of desired ones of the batteries, the busbars and the wire protector being fixed in a resin plate by insert molding, with the busbars arranged in correspondenc
Abrams Neil
Armstrong Westerman & Hattori, LLP
Yazaki -Corporation
LandOfFree
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