# US 12,224,455 B2 · In-vehicle wiring module and flexible substrate > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,224,455 B2 - Document ID: US12224455B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/020,374 - Filed: 2021-07-28 - Published: 2023-09-28 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2020-08-27 - Assignees: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd.; Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd.; Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. - Applicants: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd.; Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd.; Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. - Inventors: Nobuyuki Matsumura - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12224455B2 ## CPC - H01M 50/507: comprising an arrangement of two or more busbars within a container structure, e.g. busbar modules - B60L 50/64: Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles - H01G 2/06: specially adapted for mounting on a printed-circuit support - H01G 4/38: Multiple capacitors, i.e. structural combinations of fixed capacitors - H01M 50/209: adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells (H01M50/216 takes precedence) - H01M 50/249: specially adapted for aircraft or vehicles, e.g. cars or trains (constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles B60L50/64) - H01M 50/284: with incorporated circuit boards, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB] - H01M 50/298: characterised by the wiring of battery packs - H01M 50/50: Current conducting connections for cells or batteries - H01M 50/519: comprising printed circuit boards [PCB] - H01M 50/553: Terminals adapted for prismatic, pouch or rectangular cells - H05K 1/02: Details - H01M 2220/20: Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane - Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - H01G: CAPACITORS; CAPACITORS, RECTIFIERS, DETECTORS, SWITCHING DEVICES, LIGHT-SENSITIVE OR TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE DEVICES OF THE ELECTROLYTIC TYPE (selection of specified materials as dielectric H01B3/00; capacitors having potential barriers H10D1/62, H10K10/10) - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## 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. ## Claims ### Claim 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. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) 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. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) 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. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) 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. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) 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. ### Claim 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.