US2480437A

US2480437A - Filling and vent valve

Info

Publication number: US2480437A
Application number: US748275A
Authority: US
Inventors: Berg Carl; Berg Marcus
Original assignee: Nickel Cadmium Battery Corp
Current assignee: Nickel Cadmium Battery Corp
Priority date: 1947-05-15
Filing date: 1947-05-15
Publication date: 1949-08-30
Anticipated expiration: 1966-08-30

Description

Aug. 30, 1949. c BERG T AL FILLING AND VENT VALVE 2 Sheets-Sheet} Filed May 15, 1947 Aug. 30, 1949. c. BERG ETAL 2,480,437.

FILLING VA'NDVENT VALVE v Filed May 15, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 iwliiry Mazzzzs aT WSI Patented Aug. 30, 1949 hampton, Mass assignors to Nickel Cadmium Battery Corporation, Easth'anipton, Mass, a

corporation of Delaware Application May 15, 1947,, serial No. 748,275

4 Claims.

This invention relates to gas vent valves for storage batteries and, more particularly, to vent valves of the kind that also serve as filling plug through which electrolyte or water can be introduced.

Objects of the inventionare to provide a filling plug with a vent valve which will permit the escape of gas generated within the cells of the battery through the plug, but which will prevent escape of gas-entrained liquid electrolyte by separating it from the gas and returning it to the cell; to provide such a plug which permits convenient filling as well as secure closing of the battery, and to provide a plug which is inexpensive to manufacture, and which is especially adaptable to the construction of alkaline batteries.

In one of its main aspects, the invention resides in employing a gas venting, fluid rejecting valve which is characterized by being divided into two members which fit each other and the valve seat loosely and provide a multiple gas venting path in a manner such as to break gas bubbles and drain the electrolyte back into the cell better than the conventional solid button valves.

In another aspect of the invention, a storage battery cell having a filling plug in its top wall which has an opening through it and a valve seat therein is combined with a valve cooperable with the seat and comprising a hemispherically dished lower disk adapted to rest on the seat and having radial apertures in its curved surface, and a fiat upper disk resting on the rim of the lower disk, the upper and lower disks thereby forming a hollow valve chamber into which gas and gasentrained liquid may pass through the apertures and in which the liquid is entrapped, separated by surface contact with the inner walls of plug and chamber and returned by gravity to the cell. The upper disk of the valve has a central aperture which loosely fits a guiding stem attached to the lower disk to hold the valve centered with respect to its seat but free to seat itself by gravity. The radial apertures in the hemispherical surface of the lower disk may be pear-shaped, radially of and with their broader ends towards the center of the lower disk. The upper disk may have an annular shoulder adjacent the concave surface of the lower disk below its rim for establishing a narrow annular gate; this shoulder is preferably formed by a semi-toroidal flange fitting with its concave side the rim of the lower disk for ,estab} lishing a line of contact between the upper and lower disks and a repelling surface opposite the valve seat proper. The valve may be supported and guided by a stem connected to it and to a plug. When tilted on a hinge for opening the plug, the cover withdraws the valve from its seat to an out-of-the-way position which permits filling of the cell. a I v A practical embodiment illustrating these and other aspects or features of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which I Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a fragmentary portion of the top of a battery cell illustrating the vent valve in the top wall thereof between the battery terminals;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of our improved vent valve p u Fig. 3 is an elevation of the plug;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on of Fig. 3; I a

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 5-5 o fFig. 2', looking from the front side thereof; and

Fig. 6 is a plan view from the top side of the hemispherical portion of the valve member.

Fig. 1 shows how a filling and vent plug I4 constructed in accordance with this invention is mounted in the upper wall of a cell in of a storage battery. between the usual terminals l2.

theline 4-4 The filling and vent plug M, as illustrated in Figs. 2 to 5, comprises a hollow cylindrical neck It of relatively small diameter having at its lower end an apron [8 by which it is welded or otherwise secured in an aperture, not shown, formed in the top wall of a battery cell. The upper end of the neck it has extending laterally therefrom a horizontal shoulder 20 from which rises a vertical wall 22 forming a cylindrical chamber 23 at the upper end of the neck, of sufiicient size to provide a convenient funnel for introducing electrolyte or water to the cell without spilling it. A lid or cover 24 having downturned flanges at its peripheral edge is shaped to sit on the upper edge 25 of the chamber 23 to close the same and is yieldably held thereagainst as will hereinafter appear.

At the upper end of the neck IS the junction between it and the lateral horizontally extending shoulder zll provides an annular rounded edge 26 which constitutes a valve seat.

For engagement with the seat 26 there is provided in accordance with this invention a valve membervor body 28 comprised of lower and upper valve plates ordisks30 and 32 hereinafter referred to as disks. The lower disk 3!! is hemispherical in shape, that is, substantially bowl shaped, and of such diameter that when resting on the seat 26 its upper edge or run 34 projects upwardly beyond the valve seat. In this hemispherical disk or bowl 30 are formed radially extending pearshaped apertures 36 not extending beyond the line of contact 26 between the disk 30 and the shoulder and a central aperture 38 the purpose of which will appear hereinafter. The upper disk 32 is substantially fiat and circular in form but has an annular shoulder 40 of somewhat smaller diameter than the diameter of the hemispherical disk at its rim 34 so that the disk 32 sets into the upper portion of the hemispherical disk 30, with the shoulder spaced from the inner concave surface thereof and below the rim. Rising upwardly from the shoulder 40 of the upper disk 32 and extending laterally therefrom is an annular concavo-convex or hollow semi-toroidal flange 42 which is of a somewhat larger diameter than the rim of the bottom disk 30 so that it overlies the rim 34 and contacts the same, thereby establishing a line of contact between the disks 30 i;

The upper disk 32 has a central aperwhich is supported and guided by a valve stem 46 so that it is centered with respect to the valve seat. To this end that portion of the valve stem 46 which passes through the upper disk 32 is of somewhat smaller diameter than the aperture 44 so that there is an annular space 45 provided between the periphery of the aperture 44 and the stem 45, allowing the disk 32 to move on valve stem 46. The lower end of the valve stem is reduced in diameter and is firmly riveted into the aperture 38; a head 48 formed integral with the lower end of the valve stem 46 and of larger diameter than the aperture 38 retaining the disk 30 on the stem. The valve member 28 is thus free to rotate on the stem 46 to tilt somewhat with respect thereto, and to move an appreciable amount longitudinally thereof.

The upper end of the valve stem 46 is threaded at and the stem is passed through a correspondingly threaded portion 52 of a depending sleeve 54 having a flange 56 at its upper end by which it is riveted or otherwise fastened at 58 to the under side of the cover 24. Hence, with the threads wholly disengaged, the stem 45 is free to move longitudinally in the sleeve 54 and to rotate freely therein, but is retained in the sleeve when the cover 24 is tilted back owing to its threaded portion being unable to pass the threaded portion of sleeve 54.

The cover 24 is mounted so that it may be tilted upwardly and backwardly from the mouth of the chamber 23 to permit filling the battery with electrolyte or water, the swinging back of the cover 24 simultaneously withdrawing the valve 28 from its seat to an out-of-the-way position. To this end there is formed integral with the cover 24 and extending laterally and downwardly therefrom at one side a tailpiece 50 (Fig. 2) having spaced parallel walls 62 (Fig. 3) through which are formed aligned apertures 54. Welded to the vertical wall 22 of the chamber 23 by means of tabs 53 formed integral therewith is a substantially rectangular bearing bracket 56 which embraces the tailpiece and has aligned apertures 68 formed in its opposite walls which are in alignment with the apertures 64. Through the aligned apertures 68 goes a pintle 65, joining the cover to the bracket 66 that it may be tilted about the pintle, a finger hold 1B being provided for that purpose. In order to retain the cover 24 against the upper edge 25 of the chamber and positively to hold it in either a closed or open position, the bearing bracket 65 has downwardly projecting spaced wall portions 12 (Fig. 3) having formed integral with their inner surfaces inwardly extending ledges 14. The ledges 14 are adapted to receive and support spaced tongue-like projections T6 formed at one end of a U-shaped spring 18, the opposite end of which is provided with spaced bearing sleeves Bl! which receive a pin 82 the ends of which are set into apertures in the spaced walls 62 of the tailpiece 80. As illustrated, the axis of the pin 82 is oiiset in the tailpiece rearwardly with respect to the axis of the pintle 65 so that when the cover is in a closed position the spring acts by reason of its offset position to bias the cover to a closed position. When the cover is open, however, the tailpiece moves about the pintle 65 in a clockwise direction, as illustrated in Fig. 3, to a position on the opposite side thereof and offset forwardly with respect thereto so that the cover in this position is biased to an open position. Four small holes 2! are drilled in the vertical wall 22 near the rim thereof to permit escape of the evolved gas to the atmosphere.

If the battery is jolted or otherwise moved around so as to cause slopping of the electrolyte in the individual cells, or if there is a large amount of gas generated within the cells which tends to entrain in bubbles of liquid electrolyte, the gas or gas-entrained liquid is divided so that part of it is turned back by the line of contact between the lower disk 3!) and the valve seat 26 and part is permitted to enter the valve chamber through th pear-shaped apertures 36 in the lower disk which act as a bafile retarding in some degree the egress of the liquid so that it is turned back. By reason of the seal between the upper and

lower disks

32 and 36 of the valve, the inclined surface of the lower disk and the tight fit at 44, 45, the electrolyte will be prevented from seeping out from between the valve disks at their lines of contact. At the lines of comparatively tight contact, namely 26, 34 and 45, the fiuid will be separated from the gas and drain back through and along the aperture 36 into the cell. Since the central aperture 44 in the upper disk 32 is offset with respect to the apertures 36, the gas can escape through this opening with a minimum of danger that the liquid will follow it. The liquid-free gas may then escape through the holes 2! formed in the wall 22.

By reason of the loose attachment of the valve disk 32 to the valve stem 46, and the loose fit of the latter in the sleeve 54, these disks can find their own fit in the seat in relation to each other by gravity and the valve 28 is permitted freely to find a seat on the upper edge of the neck l6. Hence there is less chance of improper seating of the valve elements with respect to the seat and on each other.

Pear-shaped apertures 36 with the wider ends near aperture 38, as shown in Fig. 6, were found to be particularly suitable for the purpose of passing gases while permitting drainage of fluid back into the cell without permitting fluid to accumulate in the chamber 23.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A gas vent valve for a battery of the type wherein a filling plug having an opening with an annular valve seat carries a valve on the seat-said valve comprising a dished lower valve disk having approximately radial apertures therein, a fiat upper valve disk resting on the rim of said lower disk, said upper disk having a central aperture therein and forming a chamber into which gas and gas-entrained liquid may pass through the radial apertures of the lower disk and in which the liquid is entrapped, separated from gas at the rim and the inner walls of the chamber and returned through the apertures, and a guiding stem to hold the disks approximately aligned but free to seat themselves, said guide stem being fastened at its upper end to the plug passing loosely through the central aperture of the upper disk and having fixed to its lower end the lower disk.

2. A gas vent valve for a battery of the type wherein a filling plug having an opening with an annular valve seat carries a valve on the seat-said valve comprising an upwardly concave,

and the upper ends of said apertures an upper valve disk resting on said rim, said upper and lower disks forming a chamber into which gas and gas-entrained liquid may pass through said apertures and wherein the liquid is entrapped, separated from gas Within the chamber and returned through the aperture, and a guide fastened to the plug and attached to said disks to hold them approximately centered but free to seat themselves.

3. A battery filling and venting device having a hollow plug forming a valve seat and supporting a lid which carries a valve guiding stem extending from the closed lid into the plug and on the stem a valve body, said valve body comprising a valve bowl attached to the lower end of said stem for contacting said seat along a line below its rim and having drainage openings below said contact line, and a valve disk surrounding said stem and extending over and contacting said rim with an edge portion concavely drawn below the rim, part of the liquid and gas rising through said conduit entering through said openings into the space between said bowl and said disk and another part encountering said contact line and said edge portion, the fluid being rejected and separated from the gas at the circumferential lines of contact between said seat and the outside surface of said bowl below its rim as well as between the rim of said bowl and said disk.

4. A battery filling and venting device comprising a hollow plug having an outer funnel portion, a narrower conduit portion and a valve seat therebetween, a lid which is hinged to said plug and carries a valve guiding stem loosely sliding on said lid substantially normally thereto, and a valve body attached to said stem for contacting said seat with the lid closed but clearing the funnel portion when the lid is opened, said valve body including a valve bowl attached to the lower end of said stem and having substantially pearshaped drainage openings, and a valve disk having a central opening loosely surrounding said stem, and extending over the rim of said bowl with an edge portion concavely contacting the rim above the line of contact of the outer bowl surface with said seat.

CARL BERG. MARCUS BERG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Sweden Mar. 10, 192%