GB2438509A

GB2438509A - Apparatus for recharging and topping up a battery

Info

Publication number: GB2438509A
Application number: GB0709807A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Fernand Alfred Billoir; Gerard Christian Ritzkowski
Original assignee: Enersys European Holding Co
Current assignee: Enersys European Holding Co
Priority date: 2006-05-23
Filing date: 2007-05-22
Publication date: 2007-11-28
Anticipated expiration: 2027-05-22
Also published as: GB0709807D0; ITRM20070119U1; GB2438509B; BE1017945A5; ES1066027Y; DE202007007389U1; FR2901642B1; FR2901642A1; ES1066027U

Abstract

An apparatus 1 for recharging and topping up batteries has a container 2 for containing a liquid, such as distilled water, for topping up the electrolyte of a battery, particularly a lead acid battery, a battery charger 3, and a pump 4 for pumping the liquid to the battery, all mounted in a support 6. The apparatus 1 is suitable for use with a small number of batteries, or even one battery, and is therefore suitable for domestic or light industrial use. The charger 3 should be positioned above the container 2 to prevent water spilling on the charger 3. A float valve may be provided in a removable filling plug in the battery to prevent overfilling. The container 2 should be sized to provide enough water to last a full service interval of the battery, which is typically six months, and may therefore have a capacity of 30 or 60 litres.

Description

1 2438509 Apparatus for recharging and topping-up batteries The present

invention relates to an apparatus for recharging arid topping-up batteries, especially, but not exclusively, for use by domestic or light industrial users.

It is becoming more and more desirable for environmental reasons to use electricity instead of fossil fuels as a power source. Batteries are becoming more and more common as a source of motive power in vehicles in vehicles that are powered entirely by electricity (such as fork lift trucks and golf carts) or in hybrid vehicles, such as the Toyota Prius.

The batteries used in such vehicles require regular recharging with electricity and regular topping-up with distilled water or other such suitable fluid. Charging rooms are known for heavy industrial users; the charging rooms contain large water containers and large battery rechargers which are controlled by computer to fill and recharge many batteries at a time. Such a facility would be inappropriate for domestic or light industrial users.

There are, however, several products available that help the domestic or light user to recharge or top-up batteries.

A known apparatus comprises a water container and hand-activated pump attached to a support. The pump is used to deliver distilled water to a battery. The user checks the water level in the battery periodically and tops-up the battery as required. Battery chargers, are, of course, known. Users currently have to check the batteries every two weeks or so; this is obviously undesirable because it relies on users checking the level of water in the battery.

Midac has provided a container that automatically tops-up the battery, the container merely being located on top of the battery during use. Such a container provides sufficient water for about 120 topping-up cycles; this may be insufficient for many users who would like 150 or more cycles, since this is typically the period between services of a battery. Such a container may be expensive and may be prone to dangerous leakage of water onto a battery.

The apparatus of the present invention is intended to overcome one or more of the above-mentioned problems or

limitations with the prior art.

An apparatus for the domestic or light industrial user for recharging and topping-up batteries, the apparatus comprising (i) a topping-up and recharging system comprising a container for containing liquid for topping-up batteries, a battery charger and a pump for pumping liquid from the container to a battery to be topped-up, and (ii) a support, wherein the topping-up and recharging system is supported on the support.

The apparatus is suitable for recharging and topping-up a small number of batteries (and preferably only one battery) at a time. The apparatus is therefore suitable for the domestic or light industrial user. The apparatus is therefore differentiated from those used in charging rooms that may recharge and top-up many batteries at a time.

The term "recharging" is used to denote electrical recharging of a battery and the term "topping-up" is used to denote adding water (or other suitable liquid) to a battery.

The topping-up and recharging system may comprise a controller for controlling the operation of the pump and optionally the battery charger.

The support may be readily movable. The support may be provided with wheels, castors, slides, rollers or the like to assist in movement of the apparatus. The support may be provided by a trolley or the like. A good example of such a trolley is a sack-truck or a porter's trolley.

The support may be provided with one or more platforms for support of one or more of the container, controller and battery charger. The support may be provided by a cabinet.

It is preferred that the battery charger is positioned above the water container during normal use of the apparatus. This reduces the chance of water coming into contact with any parts of the battery charger.

The battery may be provided with a float valve for inhibiting over-filling of the battery during the topping-up process. The float valve may be provided as part of a removable plug.

The container is preferably suitable for containing distilled water. The container is preferably sized to provide sufficient water to top-up a battery undergoing normal use for a period that is no smaller than the period between services of the battery. The period between services of the battery is typically six months or so. The container may have the capacity to contain sufficient water for at least 120 topping-up cycles. It is therefore preferred that the container has a capacity of from 10 to 70 litres, preferably from 20 to 40 litres or 50 to 70 litres, more preferably from 25 to 35 litres or 55 to 65 litre and most preferably about 30 litres or about 60 litres.

The apparatus may be provided with a connector for connecting one or both of the battery charger and the water container to a battery. It is preferred that the connector is able to connect both the battery and the water container to a battery. Such a connector is described in US5536809.

The controller may comprise a microprocessor or the like which may be programmed to control the operation of the pump and optionally the battery charger. The controller may be provided with a keyboard or other user-input interface that facilitates the programming of the controller by a user. The controller may be provided with a port or data interface to facilitate the receipt of programming information from a remote microprocessor or command module. The person skilled in the art will realize that the remote microprocessor or command module not being part of the apparatus of the present invention.

The battery charger is preferably capable of charging lead-acid batteries.

The controller may be provided with a display for displaying information to the user.

The apparatus may comprise a valve operable to inhibit flow of topping-up liquid from the container to a battery.

The apparatus may comprise a sensor for sensing the amount of topping-up liquid in the container. The sensor may be in communication with an indicator for indicating the presence of less than a predetermined amount of topping-up liquid in the container. The indicator may be in the form of a light source, such as a light-emitting diode.

The apparatus may comprise a flow sensor for sensing flow of topping-up liquid from the container to a battery. The flow sensor may be in communication with the controller (if present) . The controller may be operable to control the charging of a battery dependent upon signals received from the flow sensor. For example, the battery may not be charged in the event that the battery has previously been charged a predetermined number of times without the battery having been topped-up with water (the topping-up of the battery being sensed by the flow sensor) In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a kit for assembly into an apparatus according to the present invention, the kit comprising a container for containing liquid for topping-up batteries, a battery charger, and a pump for pumping liquid from the container to a battery, and a set of parts for assembly into a support for supporting the container, battery and controller.

The kit may comprise a controller for controlling the operation of the pump and optionally the battery charger.

The kit may further comprise means for attaching one or more of the container, battery and controller to the support.

The features of the components of the kit in accordance with the second aspect of the invention may correspond to those described above with reference to the apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention.

The present invention is now described by way of example only with reference to the following figures of which Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a first embodiment of an apparatus in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention; and Figure 2 is a schematic representation of a second embodiment of an apparatus in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the support is provided by a cabinet.

Figure 1 shows an embodiment of an apparatus in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, the apparatus (shown generally by reference numeral 1) comprising a topping-up and recharging system shown generally by reference numeral 10. The topping-up and recharging system 10 comprises a container 2 for containing liquid for refilling batteries, a battery charger 3 and a pump 4 for pumping liquid from the container to a battery to be topped-up. The apparatus 1 is further provided with a support 6 on which the topping-up and recharging system 10 is supported.

The container 2 is a 30 litre plastic water butt and is filled with distilled water. It has been found that such a volume of water is sufficient to refill or top-up a 24V battery undergoing normal use for a period of more than six months (i.e. the period between services of the battery) Such a container has the capacity to contain sufficient water to perform 150 or more topping-up cycles.

A 60 litre plastic water butt may be used to provide sufficient water to refill or top-up a 48V battery undergoing normal use for a period of more than six months (i.e. the period between services of the battery) . Such a container has the capacity to contain sufficient water to perform 150 or more topping-up cycles.

The pump 4 is located near to the bottom of the container 2 so that, in time, substantially all of the water may be removed from the container. A conduit 21 extends from the pump 4, through the lid 22 of the container 2. The end of the conduit 21 remote from the pump 4 is provided with a water connection plug or socket 23 that is connectable to a corresponding water connection socket or plug 24 of a connector 25, the connector being mountable on a battery.

The connector is similar to that described in US5538809 which is arranged to enable a battery charger and water container to be connected to a battery using one connector.

The battery charger is provided with a charging lead 26 provided with a DIN plug 27 connectable to a corresponding DIN socket 28 of the connector.

The pump 4 is a Reich 12V water pump.

The battery charger 3 is suitable for charging lead-acid batteries. An example of one such charger is a battery charger supplied as part of the Hawker Premier or Hawker Freedom battery-charger systems. Other examples are the Hawker TC1 PWT 24V series of chargers (SA Enersys NV, 1140 Brussels, Belgium) The support 6 is in the form of a shelving unit comprising a lower platform 18 and an upper platform 19, and is arranged so as to be immovable during use. The container 2 is supported on a lower platform 18, whereas the battery charger 3 is supported on an upper platform 19.

As an alternative to the shelving unit, a support may be provided that is readily movable. For example, the support may comprise a porter's trolley, which is provided with a pair of wheels which enable the apparatus to be moved readily from place to place. This may be of benefit to a domestic or light industrial user for whom it will often be desirable to move the apparatus into and out of position for recharging and topping-up batteries.

The operation of the apparatus is now briefly described with briefly described with reference to Figure 1. The connector 25 is placed on a battery (not shown), and the DIN plug 27 and water connection socket 23 are connected to th? connector 25 so that the battery may be topped-up arid recharged. The battery is then recharged by the battery charger 3 until the battery has been appropriately charged.

The battery charger is provided with an indicator (not shown) for indicating when the battery has been appropriately charged. Water is then pumped into the battery by the pump 4 for 30 seconds; the battery is provided with a float valve (not shown) that prevents overfilling of the battery. The battery charger 3 provides power to the pump 4 to enable pumping of water to the battery. Once charging and topping-up of the battery is complete, then the connector 25 may be disconnected from the battery so that the battery may be used.

The container 2, once empty, may be replaced by a full container. Given that the container holds sufficient water for 150 topping-up cycles, the emptiness of a container provides a reminder to the user that a battery should be serviced or checked by appropriate personnel.

The apparatus may be provided with a controller for controlling the operation of the battery charger and pump.

The controller may be a Hawker easyplus electronic controller (SA Enersys NV, 1140 Brussels, Belgium) that controls the operation of the pump 4 and charger 3. Other automatic controllers may be used, for example, a Crouzet Milleriium 11+ logic controller or a Crouzet timer (Crouzet, Coppel, Texas 75019 USA) A second embodiment of an apparatus in accordance with the present invention is shown in Figure 2. The apparatus is shown generally by reference numeral 101 and comprises a topping-up and recharging system shown generally by reference numeral 110. The toppingup and recharging system comprises a container 102 for containing liquid for refilling batteries, a battery charger 103 and a pump 104 for pumping liquid from the container to a battery to be topped-up. The apparatus 1 is further provided with a support 106 on which the topping-up and recharging system is supported.

The support 106 is provided by a metal cabinet. The cabinet is provided with a door 152 which, when closed, forms an enclosure with the rest of the cabinet to protect the topping-up and recharging system 110. The cabinet is provided with a lower platform 118 and an upper platform 119, and is arranged so as to be immovable during use. The container 102 is supported on the lower platform 118, whereas the battery charger 103 is supported on the upper platform 119.

The container 102 and pump 104 are substantially as described with reference to the apparatus of Figure 1. For example, the pump 104 is located near to the bottom of the container 102 so that, in time, substantially all of the water may be removed from the container. A conduit 121 extends from the pump 104, through the lid 122 of the container 102. The end of the conduit 121 remote from the pump 104 is provided with a water connection plug or socket 123 that is connectable to a corresponding water connection socket or plug 124 of a connector 125, the connector being mountable on a battery. The connector is similar to that described in US5538809 which is arranged to enable a battery charger and water container to be connected to a battery using a single connector. The battery charger is provided with a charging lead 126 provided with a DIN plug 127 connectable to a corresponding DIN socket 128 of the connector. Those skilled in the art will realize that the DIN plug may be replaced by other well-known electrical fittings. The connector 125 may be a Schaltbau connector, such as an LV-80, LV-160 or LV-320 connector (Schaltbau GmbH, Munich, Germany) The container 102 has a different volume from the container of the apparatus of Figure 1. The container 102 has a volume of 22 litres, which has been found to be a sufficient volume of distilled water to top-up a 24V battery over a six month period. A container with a volume of 44 litres is conveniently used to top-up a 48V battery.

The apparatus is further provided with a flow sensor (not shown) arranged so as to monitor the flow of topping-up liquid through conduit 121 to a battery.

The battery charger in the present embodiment acts as a controller for controlling the operation of the pump 104.

The battery charger (Hawker Powertech, Hawker SARL, France) is in communication with the flow sensor and the pump 104.

The battery charger stores data collected from the flow sensor (these data being indicative of the flow or otherwise of topping-up liquid) and also stores data in relation to the operation of the pump. The operation of the battery charger may be made dependent on the data obtained from the flow sensor. For example, the charger will not charge the battery if the battery has previously been charged a predetermined number of times without the battery having been topped-up with water.

The apparatus is also provided with a water level probe 150 located in the container 102. If the level of water in the container is below a predetermined level, an indicator (not shown) indicative of a low level of topping-up liquid in the container 102 is illuminated on a control panel (not shown) on the front of the cabinet.

The apparatus is further provided with a valve (not shown) in the fluid path between the container 102 and a battery to be charged. The operation of the valve is controlled by the battery charger. The valve is used in conjunction with the pump 104 to control flow of the water from the container 102 to a battery. The valve is used to stop water circulating when the battery is disconnected from the topping-up and recharging system.

The apparatus 101 of Figure 2 operates generally as described with reference the apparatus of Figure 1, with the added functional features of the valve, flow sensor and water level probe.

Claims

Claims 1. An apparatus for the domestic or light industrial user for

recharging and topping-up batteries, the apparatus comprising (i) a topping-up and recharging system comprising a container for containing liquid for topping-up batteries, a battery charger, a pump for pumping liquid from the container to a battery to be topped-up, and (ii) a support, wherein the topping-up and recharging system is supported on the support
2. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the topping-up and recharging system comprises a controller for controlling the operation of the pump.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the controller is operable to control the operation of the battery charger.

4. An apparatus according to any one preceding claim wherein a battery is provided with a float valve for inhibiting over-filling of a battery during topping-up.

5. An apparatus according to any one preceding claim wherein the support is provided with wheels, castors, slides, rollers or the like to assist in movement of the apparatus.

6. An apparatus according to any one preceding claim wherein the battery charger is positioned above the water container during normal use.

7. An apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the container has the capacity to contain sufficient water for at least 120 topping-up cycles.

8. An apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the container has a capacity of from 20 to 40 litres or from 50 to 70 litres.

9. An apparatus according to any preceding claim further provided with a connector for connecting both the battery charger and the water container to a battery.

10. An apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the support is provided by a cabinet.

11. An apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the support is provided with one or more platforms for support of one or more of the container, controller (if present) and battery charger.

12. A kit for assembly into an apparatus according to claims 1 to 11, the kit comprising a container for containing liquid for topping- up batteries, a battery charger, a pump for pumping liquid from the container to a battery, and a set of parts for assembly into a support for supporting the container, battery and controller.

13. A kit according to claim 12 comprising a controller for controlling the operation of the battery charger and the pump.

14. A kit according to claim 12 or claim 13 further comprising means for attaching one or more of the container, battery and controller (if present) to the support.