JP2015153678A - Lead storage battery - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To understand the position of the liquid level of electrolyte conveniently, even if it is difficult to confirm whether the liquid level of electrolyte is appropriate from the battery jar inner wall surface side, since there is an obstacle around a battery or the battery jar inner wall surface is dirty.SOLUTION: In a lead storage battery including a battery jar 5 having an opening in the upper surface, and a battery jar lid 7 for closing the opening, the battery jar lid 7 has a plurality of liquid injection ports 10. A protrusion piece 8 is provided from the inner periphery of the liquid injection port 10 toward the inside of the battery jar. The protrusion piece 8 has such a length that the tip of which is located lower than the lowest liquid level line of an electrolyte 13 injected into the battery jar, and identification marks 14 are provided at the same height as the lowest liquid level line and the highest liquid level line of the electrolyte 13 injected into the battery jar.

Description

  The present invention relates to a lead-acid battery, and more particularly to a lead-acid battery provided with means for indicating the electrolyte liquid level in the lead-acid battery.

  A lead storage battery uses a plurality of positive electrode plates and a plurality of negative electrode plates, and a necessary number of electrode plate groups in which separators are arranged between positive and negative electrode plates are arranged in a battery case.

  Since the lead storage battery cannot perform ion transfer of the charge / discharge reaction only by arranging the electrode plate group, an electrolytic solution (diluted sulfuric acid obtained by diluting sulfuric acid with purified water) is injected into the battery case. The electrolyte is injected so that the liquid level is higher than the upper end of the electrode plate group in order to cause the charge / discharge reaction over the entire electrode plate.

  In order to grasp the height of the electrolyte liquid level, an upper level line and a lower level line are embossed or printed on the side surface of the battery case. Since milky white polypropylene (PP) is used as the battery case material, the electrolyte solution surface inside the battery can be visually recognized from the outside through the battery case.

  In lead-acid batteries, an electrolytic solution up to the maximum liquid level is injected into the battery case at the time of shipment from the factory, but the electrolytic solution decreases depending on changes over time and usage conditions. Therefore, when the electrolytic solution is reduced, purified water must be injected from the injection port arranged in the battery case lid (this is referred to as supplementary water). This is because most of the decrease in electrolyte is due to evaporation of purified water.

  If the electrolyte is injected above the maximum liquid level, there is a risk of overflowing from the liquid injection port during vibration or battery charging. Further, when the electrolytic solution decreases below the minimum liquid surface line, the connection between the electrode plates and the electrode plate group is exposed to the atmosphere and corrodes to shorten the battery life.

  Therefore, the liquid level must be managed so as to be maintained between the maximum liquid level line and the minimum liquid level line.

  However, in some lead-acid batteries, there is a shield around the installation location, and it may not be possible to confirm that the liquid level is between the highest liquid level line and the lowest liquid level line provided on the side surface of the battery case. In such a case, it is necessary to once remove the lead storage battery from the predetermined installation position, confirm the liquid level height, replenish the water if necessary, and then install it again at the original position.

  For example, since recent automobiles have been electronically controlled, the number of parts in the engine room has increased, making it difficult to easily check the side of the battery case of the lead storage battery installed in the engine room.

  Further, when the lead storage battery is used at a high temperature, the inner wall surface of the battery case becomes dirty, and it is difficult to confirm the liquid level from the side surface of the battery case even if there is no shielding around.

  As a countermeasure against this, Patent Document 1 proposes a lead storage battery in which a float body containing a fluorescent material that floats on the electrolyte surface and emits visible light when irradiated with invisible light is suspended in the electrolyte.

JP 2011-129287 A

  However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to irradiate invisible light such as ultraviolet light from the outside of the battery case to the inside of the battery case, which is troublesome for general users to manage the liquid level. Further, since a float body containing a fluorescent material is introduced, the cost is significantly increased.

  The present invention is a case where there is a shield around the battery, or the inner wall surface of the battery case is dirty, and it is difficult to confirm from the battery case side whether the electrolyte level is at an appropriate position. Another object of the present invention is to provide a lead storage battery that can easily grasp the position of the liquid level.

The present invention relates to the following.
(1) The lead acid battery according to the present invention includes a battery case having an opening on the upper surface and a battery case lid that closes the opening, and the battery case cover has a plurality of liquid injection ports. A projecting piece is provided from the inner periphery of the liquid injection port toward the inside of the battery case, and the projecting piece has a length lower than the lowest liquid surface line of the electrolyte solution injected into the battery case, It is characterized by having an identification mark at the same level as the lowest liquid surface line and the highest liquid surface line of the electrolyte solution injected into the battery case.
(2) In (1), the identification mark is a step or a line.
(3) In (1) or (2), the protruding piece has a cylindrical shape, and a plurality of identification marks are provided at intervals at the same height position on the peripheral wall of the cylindrical body.

  According to the present invention, there is a shield around the battery or the inner wall surface of the battery case becomes dirty, and it is impossible to confirm whether the liquid level of the electrolyte is in the correct position from the side surface of the battery case. In addition, since the height of the electrolytic solution surface can be confirmed by looking through the injection port, the position of the electrolytic solution surface can be easily grasped, leading to appropriate liquid level management.

  Further, when the identification mark is a stepped portion or a line, it is easier to visually identify, so that the correct amount of electrolyte can be easily injected.

  Further, when a plurality of identification marks are provided at the same height position on the inner peripheral wall of the cylindrical body, which is a protruding piece, it is easy to confirm the electrolyte surface level even if the peeping direction changes.

In one Example of this invention, it is a principal part perspective view which shows the step part which has in the protrusion piece which goes into the battery case from the injection hole inner periphery of a battery case lid, and a protrusion piece. It is sectional drawing of the electrode group used for one Example of this invention. It is a perspective view of a battery case used in one example of the present invention. It is a perspective view of a battery case lid used in one example of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the electrode group by which the strap connection was used in one Example of this invention. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a lead storage battery which is an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the broken line A part of FIG.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.
<Battery case and battery case lid>
The battery case and the battery case cover described in the present invention accommodate the electrode plate group therein, and from the ease of accommodating the electrode plate group, the battery case with the upper surface opened and the upper surface closed. A battery case lid can be suitably used. The adhesion between the battery case and the battery case lid can be appropriately selected from adhesive, thermal welding, laser welding, ultrasonic welding and the like according to the type of material used.

  The shape of the battery case and the battery case lid is not particularly limited, but since the electrode plate group is usually a box-like body, a rectangular one is used so that unnecessary space is reduced when the electrode plate group is stored. It is preferable to use it.

  The material of the battery case and the battery case lid is not particularly limited, but should be resistant to the electrolytic solution (dilute sulfuric acid), specifically, polypropylene (PP), acrylonitrile-styrene. (AS) resin, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) resin, or the like can be used. In particular, PP is advantageous in terms of liquid level visibility, acid resistance, impact resistance, and cost.

  The battery case and the battery case lid may be formed of different materials or the same material, but it is preferable to use materials having the same thermal expansion coefficient because no excessive stress is generated.

The battery case described in the present invention has a structure in which the inside of the battery case is divided by a plurality of cells in order to accommodate a plurality of electrode plate groups, and the electrolyte solution cannot be transferred between the cells.
<Liquid inlet of battery case lid>
The plurality of liquid injection ports provided in the battery case lid described in the present invention communicates the inside and outside of the battery case. The liquid injection port is fitted with a screw-type liquid port stopper so that the electrolyte does not leak under normal conditions, and the liquid port plug is removed as necessary to inject or replenish the electrolyte.

At least one open liquid inlet is provided for one section called a cell described above. For example, in the case of a 12V lead-acid battery, since it has six cells, a minimum of six injection holes are provided. It will have a liquid mouth. Further, the liquid injection port has a protruding piece to be described later.
<Projection piece>
The protruding piece described in the present invention is provided from the inner periphery of the liquid injection port toward the inside of the battery case, and the protruding piece has a tip that is less than the lowest liquid level line of the electrolyte injected into the battery case. Is also a lower (lower) length.

  Further, the protruding piece has an identification mark at the same height as the lowest liquid surface line and the highest liquid surface line of the electrolyte injected into the battery case. Even if the operator does not see the lowest and highest liquid level lines on the side of the battery case, he or she can inject an appropriate amount of electrolyte using this identification mark visible from the injection port as an index. Or it can be refilled.

  The projecting piece can be integrally formed with the battery case lid when the battery case lid is produced, but the separately produced projecting piece can also be fixed after the battery case lid is produced.

Note that the protruding piece can have a cylindrical shape.
<Identification mark>
The identification mark described in the present invention is provided at the same level as the lowest liquid level line and the highest liquid level line, and any mark may be used as long as it can be visually recognized.

  More specifically, the identification mark includes a stepped portion on the protruding piece, a line with a color different from the protruding piece, a protrusion on the protruding piece, a zone below the minimum liquid level on the protruding piece, and the lowest liquid. It is possible to use a method of performing color classification indicating the height of each zone, such as a zone that is greater than or equal to the surface line and less than or equal to the maximum liquid surface line, and a zone that exceeds the maximum liquid surface line.

  FIG. 1 is an enlarged view showing a protruding piece 8 (having a cylindrical shape) and an identification mark 14 provided from the inner periphery of the liquid injection port 10 toward the inside of the battery case in the embodiment of the present invention. In the same figure, (a) shows that the identification mark 14 is provided at one position at the same height position on the inner peripheral wall of the protruding piece 8, and (b) shows the identification mark 14 at the same height on the inner peripheral wall of the protruding piece 8. FIG. 4C shows a case where the identification mark 14 is provided all around the same height position of the inner peripheral wall of the protruding piece 8.

  Since the viewing direction of the liquid injection operator looking into the liquid injection port changes from time to time, the identification mark 14 is not shown in FIG. 1 (b) as shown in FIG. It is preferable to provide a plurality of identification marks 14 at the same height position as shown in FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
<Expanded grid electrode>
(Preparation of positive electrode plate)
The manufacturing method of the expand type electrode will be described in detail. First, a predetermined amount of Ca and Sn is dissolved in lead so as to have a predetermined alloy composition, and cast into a mold to prepare a positive electrode casting sheet.

  The casting sheet for positive electrode is continuously rolled until the thickness reaches 1.0 mm, and a rolled sheet having a thickness of 1.0 mm and a width of 78 mm is produced.

  Next, slits are sequentially formed at both left and right end portions excluding the central portion in the width direction of the rolled sheet, and development processing is performed in the width direction of the rolled sheet to form a mesh-like lattice. Then, an expanded lattice body is obtained by punching out the current collecting ear portion from the non-deployed portion of the sheet.

On this expanded lattice, a lead paste kneaded with lead powder, dilute sulfuric acid and water is filled, and after aging and drying, a positive electrode plate is prepared.
(Preparation of negative electrode plate)
For the negative electrode plate, a lead rolled sheet having a thickness of 0.6 mm and a width of 55 mm is produced in the same process as the positive electrode plate.

  Next, slits are sequentially formed at both left and right end portions excluding the central portion in the width direction of the rolled sheet, and development processing is performed in the width direction of the rolled sheet to form a mesh-like lattice. Then, an expanded lattice body is obtained by punching out the current collecting ear portion from the non-deployed portion of the sheet.

On this expanded lattice, a lead paste kneaded with lead powder, dilute sulfuric acid and water is filled, and after aging and drying, a negative electrode plate is prepared.
(Production of electrode group)
As shown in FIG. 2, the electrode plate group 4 is prepared using the above-described positive electrode plate 1 and the negative electrode plate 2 inserted into the bag-shaped separator 3. The electrode plate group 4 is composed of six positive electrode plates 1 and seven negative electrode plates 2 such that the positive electrode plates 1 and the negative electrode plates 2 inserted into the separators 3 are alternately arranged. The outermost electrode plate group 4 is the negative electrode plate 2 inserted into the bag-like separator 3 on both sides.
<Example 1>
(Production of battery case)
PP is used as the battery case material, and a battery case 5 as shown in FIG. 3 is produced using an injection molding machine. The outer dimensions are length: 230 mm, width: 170 mm, height: 192 mm, and the inside of the battery case is divided into six by partition walls 6. On the long side surface, the highest liquid level line is displayed at a height of 165 mm from the bottom surface of the battery case, and the lowest liquid level line is displayed at a height of 145 mm.
(Production of battery case lid)
PP is used for the lid material, a lead member is used for the terminal portion, and the battery case lid 7 having the liquid injection port 10 as shown in FIG.

A protruding piece 8 is formed on the battery case lid 7 as a part of the battery case lid 7. The protruding piece 8 is arranged in a cylindrical shape having a length of 60 mm from the upper surface of the lid from the inner periphery of the liquid injection port 10 toward the inside of the battery case. The outer dimensions of the battery case cover are 230 mm in length, 170 mm in width, and 15 mm in height excluding protruding pieces.
(Production of lead-acid battery)
A battery composed of four electrode plates as described above is also called a single cell, and the voltage (electromotive force) is 2V. By arranging six electrode plate groups 4 in series, a lead-acid battery having a voltage of 12V is formed.

  The current collectors of the positive electrode plate 1 and the negative electrode plate 2 of the electrode plate group 4 described above are connected by a strap 9 as shown in FIG. 5 in a cast-on-strap (hereinafter referred to as “COS”) method. . Further, in the battery case 5 described above, a through hole is made in a partition wall corresponding to the position of the strap 9 of the electrode plate group 4. After arranging six electrode plate groups 4 in series in the battery case 5, the straps 9 are resistance-welded through the through holes of the partition walls.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the battery case lid 7 and the battery case 5 are heat-welded. An electrolyte solution 13 having a specific gravity of 1.230 (converted to 20 ° C.) is injected from the liquid injection port 10 so that the liquid surface comes between the highest liquid surface line 11 and the lowest liquid surface line 12, and a direct current is applied. Then, a battery case was formed, and a lead storage battery was produced by fitting a liquid stopper (not shown).

The produced lead-acid battery has an internal configuration as shown in FIG. 7, and identification of the protruding piece 8 disposed at a height position equal to the height of the highest liquid level line 11 and the lowest liquid level line 12 shown in FIG. By looking into the mark 14 from the liquid inlet 10, it is possible to confirm whether or not the liquid level of the electrolytic solution 13 is appropriate.
(Evaluation)
The battery of Example 1 was mounted on an automobile, and the battery level was regularly checked and water was replenished when the electrolyte was reduced. By removing the liquid stopper and confirming the electrolytic solution level from the injection port 10 using the identification mark as an index, appropriate liquid level management could be performed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Positive electrode plate, 2 ... Negative electrode plate, 3 ... Separator, 4 ... Electrode board group, 5 ... Battery case, 6 ... Bulkhead, 7 ... Battery case cover, 8 ... Projection piece, 9 ... Strap, 10 ... Injection hole, 11: upper level line, 12: lower level line, 13: electrolyte, 14: identification mark

Claims (3)

  A battery case having an opening on the upper surface and a battery case lid for closing the opening, the battery case cover having a plurality of liquid injection ports, and from the inner periphery of the liquid injection port toward the inside of the battery case A protruding piece is provided, and the protruding piece has a length lower than the lowest liquid level line of the electrolytic solution injected into the battery case, and the lowest liquid level line of the electrolytic solution injected into the battery case. And a lead-acid battery having an identification mark at the same height as the highest liquid surface line.   2. The lead acid battery according to claim 1, wherein the identification mark is a stepped portion or a wire.   3. The lead-acid battery according to claim 1, wherein the protruding piece has a cylindrical shape, and a plurality of identification marks are provided at the same height position on the peripheral wall of the cylindrical body with an interval.