IE41939B1 - Accumulator batteries - Google Patents

Abstract

1528934 Battery cases COMPAGNIE EUROPEENNE D'ACCUMULATEURS 30 Oct 1975 [19 Nov 1974 1 July 1975] 45075/75 Heading H1B The plates of a battery are held in position by horizontal members 18 which are thermowelded to the case 1 or partitions in the case together with the cover 10. The members may be of T, or angle section, and they may extend across the battery in either direction (Figs. 2 to 5) in which case they have holes for electrolyte.

Description

This invention relates to accumulator batteries, and is particularly although not exclusively applicable to lead-acid accumulator batteries.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of assembling an electrical accumulator battery comprising a box and a lid each of thermoplastics material, the box being provided with internal partitions which define a plurality of accumulator cell compartments and the lid being common to all of the compartments, the method including the steps of positioning in each compartment a chock of thermoplastics material having first and second orthogonal faces which bear respectively against at least one cell component in the compartment and a wall of the compartment, welding together the lid and the box in a substantially fluid-tight manner, and simultaneously welding the or each chock to the lid.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical accumulator battery comprising: a box of thermoplastics material provided with internal partitions which define a plurality of cell compartments ; cell components in the compartments; in each compartment, a chock of the thermoplastics material having first and second orthogonal faces which bear respectively against at least one of the cell components and a wall of the compartment; and - 3 41939 a lid of thermoplastics material which is common to all of the compartments and is welded both to the box in a substantially fluid-tight manner and to the or each chock.

The said wall may be either one of the internal partitions, or an outer wall of the box.

The or each chock may be in one of several forms.

It can be of simple angle-section (i.e. substantially L-shaped), or it may be T-shaped, the bar of the T providing said second face. The said first face of the or each chock may bear against the edges of cell plates and/ or separators iq/respective compartment, or else against electrical connections connecting together cell plates having the same polarity. Each accumulator cell preferably comprises, to great advantage, two chocks which bear respectively against two opposite walls of the repective compartment, the two opposite walls possibly being parallel or perpendicular to cell plates and separators in the compartment. The two chocks can be formed integrally as a single part which can fulfill additional functions in the cell. Por example, it can fulfill the function of a spacer or distance piece between two thin transverse partitions which partially define the compartment, it then being possible to use the central portion of the single part as a reference mark for use in detecting the level of electrolyte in the cell. Moreover, the chocks can serve to centre separators in their compartments.

To assist in understanding the invention and to show how the same may be carried out, embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:Pigure la illustrates, diagrammatically, in halfcutaway view, a compartment of an accumulator or storage cell battery provided with two chocks, prior to installing a lid on the battery; Figure lb and lc illustrate respective phases of welding the lid to the compartment of Figure la; Figure 2a illustrates, diagrammatically, in a cutaway view, a chocking part installed in an accumulator cell compartment prior to welding a lid thereon; Figure 2b is a top view of an accumulator battery without its lid comprising several chocking parts as shown in Figure 2a; Figure 3 is a partial top view of an accumulator battery without its lid, provided with a chocking part; Figure 4 is a partial section on line AA of Figure 3; and Figure 5 is a partial section on line BB of Figure 3.

In the figures, like reference numerals denote like or corresponding parts.

Figure la shows a portion of an accumulator, or storage battery contained in a box 1 made of thermoplastics material having two lateral walls and a bottom 3. Inter20 nal partitions such as 11 and 12 separate the box 1 into parallel compartments each containing components of a respective storage cell. These components are for example a set of several positive plates 4, negative plates 6 and separators 9. The lugs of plates having the same polarity are welded respectively to electrical connections 5 and 7. By way of example, a terminal portion 8 of the connection 7, which is, or is to be, welded through the partition 11 to the corresponding connection situated in the adjacent compartment has been illustrated. The assembly formed by the plates and the separators rests on ribs 29 formed in the.bottom 3. In order to chock that assembly more firmly against the bottom 3 of the box 1, two T-shaped chocking parts, 13 and 17, of thermoplastics material, are arranged against the lateral walls 2 of the box 1.

The chocking parts have respective first horizontal portions 14 and 18, providing first faces which bear respectively against the connections 5 and 7, and second vertical portions 15, 16 and 19, 20, providing second faces - 5 which bear against the walls 2. The portions 15 and 20 make it possible, to great advantage, to chock laterally the separators 9, whose edges extend beyond those of the positive and negative plates, thereby positioning the separators centrally in the compartment.

When the box 1 is closed by its lid 10, which is of thermoplastics material and common to all the compartments, the ends of the walls 2, the edge of the lid 10 and, simultaneously, the ends of the two chocking parts 13 and 17 are heated. That heating can be obtained by radiation, conduction or contact of a heating plate 200 placed parallel to the surfaces to be welded. Figure lb illustrates the example in which the plate 200 softens the aforementioned ends by contact. The heating plate 200 is then removed, the surfaces to be welded are brought into contact with each other and they are pressed together to cause the interpenetration of the melted parts. At the level of the line 121 illustrated in Figure lc, there is therefore a weld between the wall 2, the portion 19 of the part 17 and the edge of the cover 10. The chocking part 17 is therefore closely connected to the enclosure containing the storage cell and the result of this is a structure capable of withstanding shocks and vibrations effectively.

; Figure 2a shows a cross-section of a different embodiment, having a chocking part 30. The chocking part 30 has two integrally formed lateral T-shaped chocking portions 23 and 24, similar to the parts 13, in Figure la, and at least a central portion whose width is substantially equal to that of the compartment in which it is positioned. The part 30 is made of a thermoplastics material having a sufficient thickness for it to be rigid, whereas the partitions 11 and 12 between which it is inserted are relatively thin and deformable. The chocking part 30 therefore serves as a spacer, or distance piece, to maintain a desired distance between the internal partitions 11 and 12 of the box. 41S39 The part 30 has, to great advantage, a conical central part 25 which is hollow and is drilled with a central opening 26 intended to be arranged facing an opening 27 provided in the lid 10 for the filling stopper of the respective cell compartment. It is thus possible for a user to detect the level of electrolyte in that cell compartment. As in the case of Figure la, the chocking part 30 contributes also to the proper centring of separators 9 in the compartment.

As is apparent from Figure 2b, several parts 31, and 32 similar to the part 30 can be arranged in neighbouring compartments, for example, between partitions 22 and 12, and partitions 21 and 11. These chocking parts can be connected together by connection elements inserted in grooves formed in the walls 11, 12 and 22 so as not to extend beyond the top surface of those walls. The battery of Figure 2a and 2b is assembled in a manner similar to that of Figures la to lc.

Figure 3 shows a portion of an accumulator, or storage battery contained in a box 40 made of thermoplastics material, not provided with a lid and having two lateral walls 41 and 42. Internal partitions such as 45, 46 and 47 separate the box 40 into compartments which contain the canponents respective storage cell. These components cotprise a set of several positive plates 51,separators 53 and negative plates 52.

The assembly formed by these components rests on ribs (not shown) provided on the bottom of the box. The separators 53 have larger dimensions than the plates 51 and 52 and therefore extend beyond those plates, as in 3q Figure 2a.

A chocking part 60 common to two neighbouring compartments is arranged in the middle part of the two compartments shown, in a direction orthogonal to that of the plates and of the separators. The part 60, shown in a top view in Figure 3 and in cross-section in Figures 4 and 5, straddles the partition 47 and comprises at its end two T-shaped chocking portions. The two vertical walls 61 and 62 of the T-shaped portions bear against the two - 7 walls 41 and 42. The remainder of the part 60 is constituted by an inverted trough having edges 63 and 64 which bear against the upper edges of the separators 53. The trough is provided, to great advantage, with openings 65 and 66, making it possible to examine the level of electrolyte in the compartments situated on either side of the partition 47. The middle portion of the part 60 has two inclined portions 67 and 69, drilled with holes 68 permitting the removal of gases, and ending in two vertical portions 71 and 72 which bear against opposite faces of the partition 47. The assembly of the battery is carried out generally as for the battery of Figure la.

It will be appreciated that the provision of chocking parts or portions in the illustrated embodiments assist in overcoming the effects of shocks and vibrations on the batteries, which effects are amongst the main factors of ageing and even destruction in accumulator cells.

It will be appreciated, of course, that the illustrated embodiments may be varied in a number of ways. For example, the chocking parts need not be Tshaped, but may be simply angled (L-shaped), having one face bearing against components of the respective storage cell and a second face bearing against a well of the respective compartment. That wall oan be a portion of the lateral wall of the box or a transverse internal partition, that partition also being thermowelded to ribs with which the internal wall of the lid is provided in order to ensure the fluid-tight sealing of each compartment.

Claims (14)

CLAIMS:

1. A method of assembling an electrical accumulator battery comprising a box and a lid each of thermoplastics material, the box being provided with internal 5 partitions which define a plurality of accumulator cell compartments and the lid being common to all of the compartments, the method including the steps of position· ing in each compartment a chock of thermoplastics material having first and second orthogonal faces which 10 bear respectively against at least one cell component in the compartment and a wall of the compartments, welding together the lid and the box in a substantially fluid-tight manner, and simultaneously welding the or each chock to the' lid. 15

2. An electrical accumulator battery comprising: a box of thermoplastics material provided with internal partitions which define a plurality of cell compartments; cell components in the compartments: 20 in each compartment, a chock of thermoplastics material having first and second orthogonal faces which bear respectively against at least one of the cell components and a wall of the compartment; and a lid of thermoplastics material which is common 25 to all of the compartments and is welded both to the box in a substantially fluid-tight manner and to the or each chock.

3. An accumulator battery according to claim 2, wherein the chock, or at least one of the chocks, is 30 substantially L-shaped.

4. An accum υltor battery according to claim 2, wherein the chock, or at least one of the chocks, is substantially T-shaped.

5. An accumulator battery according ot claim 2, 3 or 4 35 wherein there are provided in at least one compartment - 9 two chocks which bear respectively against two opposite walls of the compartment.

6. An accumulator battery according to claim 5, wherein said two opposite walls are substantially orthogonal to cell plates and separators in the respective compartment.

7. An accumulator battery according to claim 5, wherein said two opposite walls are substantially parallel to cell plates and separators in the respective compartment.

8. An accumulator battery according to claim 5, 6 or 7, wherein said two chocks are formed integrally as a single part.

9. An accumulator battery according to claim 8, wherein said single part serves as a distance piece between two walls of the respective compartment other than said two opposite walls.

10. An accumulator battery according to claim 8 or 9, wherein said single part is formed at the centre thereof with means for detecting the level of electrolyte in the respective compartment.

11. An accumulator battery according to any one of claims 2 to 10, wherein the chock, or at least one of the chocks, serves to position separators centrally in the respective compartment.

12. An accumulator battery according to any one of claims 2 to 11, wherein at least two chocks of two neighbouring cells are formed integrally as a single part.

13. A method of assembling an accumulator battery, the methos being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures la to lc, with reference to Figures 2a and 2b, or with reference to Figures 3 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.

14. An accumulator battery substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures la to lc, with reference to Figures 2a and 2b, or with reference to Figures 3 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.