BUS BAR AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SAME

Abstract

A bus bar formed using a metal plate is provided. The metal plate includes one or more holes extending through the metal plate on a bend line. The bus bar includes a folded part formed by bending the metal plate along the bend line through hemming. The folded part includes a first region and a second region. The first region is located between an outer edge of the metal plate and the bend line. The second region overlaps in close contact with the first region. The bus bar also includes a terminal arranged in the first region. The folded part includes one or more welds in which the first region and the second region are welded to each other.

Claims

1. A bus bar formed using a metal plate, the metal plate including one or more holes extending through the metal plate on a bend line, the bus bar comprising: a folded part formed by bending the metal plate along the bend line through hemming, the folded part including a first region and a second region, the first region being located between an outer edge of the metal plate and the bend line, and the second region overlapping in close contact with the first region; and a terminal arranged in the first region, wherein the folded part includes one or more welds in which the first region and the second region are welded to each other.

2. The bus bar according to claim 1, wherein the bend line extends through a middle of the hole in a state before the metal plate is bent.

3. The bus bar according to claim 2, wherein the hole includes two end faces that are symmetrical with respect to the bend line in a state before the outer edge of the metal plate is bent, and the two end faces are located on the same plane extending in a thickness direction of the metal plate by bending the metal plate along the bend line.

4. The bus bar according to claim 2, wherein the one or more holes include holes arranged at predetermined intervals.

5. The bus bar according to claim 1, wherein the outer edge of the metal plate, an outer edge of the folded part, and the bend line are parallel to each other.

6. The bus bar according to claim 1, wherein the one or more welds include welds arranged along the hole.

7. A method for producing a bus bar using a metal plate, the method comprising: setting a bend line for the metal plate; forming one or more holes extending through the metal plate on the bend line; forming one or more terminals in a first region, the first region being located between an outer edge of the metal plate and the bend line; forming a folded part by bending the metal plate along the bend line, the folded part including the first region and a second region, and the second region overlapping in close contact with the first region; and partially welding the first region and the second region to each other.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a bus bar according to an embodiment.

[0011] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the terminals of the bus bar in FIG. 1 and their surroundings.

[0012] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the metal plate with the outer edge prior to being bent.

[0013] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 3.

[0014] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the bus bar in FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0015] A bus bar according to an embodiment will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

[0016] FIG. 1 shows a bus bar that electrically connects electrical components to each other. The bus bar is formed using a metal plate 1. The metal plate 1 is bent along a bend line L1 through hemming. The bending forms a belt-shaped part where the metal plate 1 is overlapped. This part is referred to as a folded part 10. The folded part 10 includes a first region 11 and a second region 12. The first region 11 is located between the bend line L1 and the outer edge of the metal plate 1. The second region 12 overlaps in close contact with the first region 11. The outer edge of the folded part 10 is located at a position separated from the bend line L1 by an amount corresponding to the thickness of the metal plate 1. The outer edge of the metal plate 1, the outer edge of the folded part 10, and the bend line L1 may be parallel to each other. The bus bar includes terminals 2 in the first region 11. The terminal 2 are used to connect electrical components. Each terminal 2 protrudes upward in FIG. 1 so as to be orthogonal to the folded part 10. The terminals 2 are arranged along the outer edge of the metal plate 1 at predetermined intervals.

[0017] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the terminals of the bus bar in FIG. 1 and their surroundings. As understood from FIG. 2, the bus bar includes welds 3 arranged in a longitudinal direction of the folded part 10. In each weld 3, the first region 11 and the second region 12 are welded to each other through, for example, laser welding.

[0018] FIG. 3 shows a section in the vicinity of the outer edge the metal plate 1 prior to being bent through hemming. As understood from FIG. 3, the bend line L1 extends parallel to the outer edge of the metal plate 1. The metal plate 1 includes holes 4 on the bend line L1. The holes 4 extend through the metal plate 1 in the thickness direction. The holes 4 are arranged along the bend line L1 at predetermined intervals. In a state before the metal plate 1 is bent, the holes 4 each include two long sides and two short sides. The two long sides are symmetrical with respect to the bend line L1. The two short sides are orthogonal to the two long sides, respectively. In a state before the outer edge of the metal plate 1 is bent, the bend line L1 extends through the middle of each hole 4. More specifically, the bend line L1 intersects the center points of the two short sides.

[0019] To produce the bus bar, the bend line L1 is first set for the metal plate 1. Subsequently, one or more holes 4 extending through the metal plate 1 are formed on the bend line L1. The one or more holes 4 are formed through, for example, pressing.

[0020] Further, one or more terminals 2 are formed in the first region 11, which is located between the outer edge of the metal plate 1 and the bend line L1. The terminals 2 are formed so as to protrude downward in FIG. 3 through, for example, pressing. More specifically, the quadrilateral region defining each terminal 2 is downwardly punched from above in FIG. 3 with one side of the quadrilateral left. This forms the terminals 2 protruding downward in FIG. 3.

[0021] After the holes 4 and the terminals 2 are formed, the metal plate 1 is bent upward along the bend line L1 as shown in FIG. 4. This forms the folded part 10 in which the metal plate 1 is overlapped as shown in FIG. 5. In the folded part 10, the first region 11 and the second region 12 are in close contact with each other. Subsequently, the first region 11 and the second region 12 of the folded part 10 are partially welded to each other through, for example, laser welding. This provides the welds 3 along the outer edge of the metal plate 1. The bus bar shown in FIG. 1 is thus produced.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bus bar includes notches at the outer edge of the folded part 10. Each notch is rectangular in plan view. Each notch includes two end faces 4a that extend along the bend line L1. The end faces 4a are the long sides of each hole 4. The two end faces 4a are located on the same plane extending in the thickness direction of the metal plate 1. This is because the bend line L1 passed through the middle of each hole 4 before the metal plate 1 was bent and thus deformed as shown in FIG. 3.

[0023] Thus, the outer edge of the folded part 10 is partially notched by the holes 4, which are arranged on the bend line L1. The notches are the holes 4 that have been deformed by bending the metal plate 1 along the bend line L1. The welds 3 may be arranged along portions of the outer edge of the folded part 10 that have been notched by the holes 4, that is, along the end faces 4a.

[0024] The operation of the bus bar according to the present embodiment will now be described.

[0025] The metal plate 1, formed as the bus bar, includes elongated holes 4 on the bend line L1. The extension of the bent metal plate 1 is reduced by an amount corresponding to the elongated holes 4. This allows the metal plate 1 to be easily bent. Accordingly, when the metal plate 1 is bent, the force that acts on the metal plate 1 to return to its original shape (hereinafter referred to as spring back) is reduced. A large spring back would create a gap between the first region 11 and the second region 12, which overlap each other in the thickness direction. The formation of such a gap is limited by reducing the spring back.

[0026] Further, the outer edge of the metal plate 1 includes the welds 3 arranged along the bend line L1. The arrangement of the welds 3 limits the formation of the above-described gaps more effectively.

[0027] When there is a gap resulting from the spring back, welding is difficult to be performed. The formation of a gap between the first region 11 and the second region 12 is limited by reducing the spring back. This allows welding to be easily performed.

[0028] The present embodiment described above in detail provides the following advantages.

[0029] (1) No gap is created between the first region 11 and the second region 12 that are overlapped with each other through hemming Thus, a decrease in the performance of energizing the bus bar is limited.

[0030] (2) As shown in FIG. 4, the bend line L1 passes through the middle of each hole 4. As shown in FIG. 5, when the metal plate 1 is bent along the bend line L1, the two end faces 4a are located on the same plane.

[0031] If the bend line L1 does not pass through the middle of each hole 4, the first region 11 and the second region 12 overlapping each other in the thickness direction are shifted in the left-right direction in FIG. 5 from the state shown in FIG. 5. This creates a step at a portion corresponding to each of the end faces 4a overlapping with each other in the thickness direction. The formation of such a step narrows a weldable region.

[0032] In the present embodiment, the bend line L1 passes through the middle of each hole 4. This avoids situations in which the above-described step is created when the metal plate 1 is bent along the bend line L1. In other words, the two end faces 4a, which are the two long sides of each hole 4, are located on the same plane. This avoids situations in which the weldable region of the metal plate 1 is narrowed by the above-described step.

[0033] Each of the above-described embodiments may be modified as follows. The above-described embodiments and the following modifications can be combined as long as the combined modifications remain technically consistent with each other.

[0034] The end faces 4a overlapping with each other in the thickness direction do not necessarily have to be located on the same plane. In other words, the bend line L1 may pass through a position shifted from the middle of each hole 4.

[0035] The terminals 2 may be formed using a method other than pressing.