BATTERY PARTS AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20100116455A1
• Filed: 07/31/2009
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Water Gremlin Company (Okabe Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Water Gremlin Company (Okabe Company Limited)
• Inventors: Ratte, Robert W., Peterson, Norman E., Cain, Tracy L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,701,743 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 164/120
• CPC Class Codes: B22D 25/04 Casting metal electric battery plates or the like manufacture thereof by multi-step processes H01M4/82
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/561 Hollow metallic terminals, e.g. terminal bushings
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/562 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49108 Electric battery cell making

Abstract

Battery parts, such as battery terminals, and associated systems and methods for making same. In one embodiment, a battery part has a sealing region or sealing bead located on a lateral face of an acid ring for increasing resistance to leakage therepast as the battery container shrinks. Another embodiment includes a forming assembly for use with, for example, a battery part having a bifurcated acid ring with spaced apart lips. The forming assembly can include movable forming members that can be driven together to peen, crimp, flare or otherwise form the lips on the bifurcated acid ring.

Claims

1. An apparatus for forming acid rings on battery terminals, the apparatus comprising:

a first forming member movable back and forth along an axis, the first forming member having a first forming portion with a first protrusion; and

a second forming member movable back and forth along the axis, the second forming member having a second forming portion facing the first forming portion, the second forming portion having a second protrusion aligned with the first protrusion,

wherein the first and second forming portions are configured to move toward each other and compress at least a first acid ring on a battery terminal between the first and second protrusions to form a portion of the acid ring.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first and second forming portions are configured to compress at least the first acid ring between the first and second protrusions to flare a lip on the first acid ring.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a part holder positioned between the first and second forming members, wherein the part holder is configured to support the battery terminal;

a first driver operably coupled to the first forming member to move the first forming member in a first direction along the axis and drive the first protrusion against a first portion of the acid ring; and

a second driver operably coupled to the second forming member to move the second forming member in a second direction opposite to the first direction along the axis and drive the second protrusion against a second portion of the acid ring.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the first driver includes a hydraulic device that drives the first forming member toward the second forming member.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the first driver includes a first hydraulic device and the second driver includes a second hydraulic device, and wherein the first and second hydraulic devices are configured to simultaneously drive the first and second forming members toward each other to compress at least the first acid ring on the battery terminal.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the first forming member has a first face adjacent to the first forming portion and the second forming member has a second face adjacent to the second forming portion, wherein the first driver includes a first hydraulic device and the second driver includes a second hydraulic device, and wherein the first and second hydraulic devices are configured to simultaneously drive the first and second faces against each other to compress at least the first acid ring on the battery terminal.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a base, wherein the first and second forming members are slidably coupled to the base.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second forming portion is the mirror image of the first forming portion.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first protrusion is positioned on a first semicircular recess in the first forming member and the second protrusion is positioned on a second semicircular recess in the second forming member, and wherein the first and second semicircular recesses define a circular opening configured to receive the battery terminal when the first forming member is driven against the second forming member.

10. A battery terminal manufacturing system comprising:

a tool assembly including;

a base;

a first forming member movably coupled to the base and having a first recess with at least a first protrusion extending from an interior surface thereof;

a second forming member movably coupled to the base and having a second recess with at least a second protrusion extending from an interior surface thereof; and

a part support fixedly attached to the base and positioned between the first and second forming members; and

an unfinished battery terminal removable positioned on the part support, wherein the battery terminal includes at least one annular ring protruding from an exterior surface thereof, wherein the first and second forming members move toward each other along an axis to receive the battery terminal in the first and second recesses, whereby the first and second protrusions cooperate to compress and deform at least a portion of the annular ring.

11. The manufacturing system of claim 10 wherein the at least one annular ring of the unfinished battery terminal is a bifurcated acid ring having a first lip portion spaced apart from a second lip portion, and wherein the first and second protrusions are driven against the unfinished battery terminal between the first and second lip portions to flare the lip portions away from each other.

12. The manufacturing system of claim 10:

wherein the first forming member further includes a third protrusion extending from the interior surface of the first recess, and the second forming member further includes a fourth protrusion extending from the interior surface of the second recess;

wherein the unfinished battery terminal further includes at least a second annular ring offset from the first annular ring, wherein the first annular ring is a first bifurcated acid ring having a first lip portion spaced apart from a second lip portion, wherein the second annular ring is a second bifurcated acid ring having a third lip portion spaced apart from a fourth lip portion;

wherein the first and second protrusions are driven against the first and second lip portions to flare the first and second lip portions away from each other; and

wherein the third and fourth protrusions are driven against the third and fourth lip portions to flare the third and fourth lip portions away from each other.

13. The manufacturing system of claim 10, further comprising means for moving the first and second forming members toward each other along the axis to drive the first and second protrusions against at least a portion of the annular ring.

14. A method of making a battery part, the method comprising:

casting a battery part having an annular acid ring extending around an exterior portion thereof;

positioning the battery part between a first forming member and a second forming member;

driving the first forming member in a first axial direction against a first portion of the acid ring; and

while driving the first forming member toward the first portion of the acid ring, driving the second forming member in a second axial direction opposite the first axial direction against a second portion of the acid ring opposite the first portion of the acid ring to shape the acid ring.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein casting a battery part includes casting an acid ring having at least a first lip, and wherein driving the first forming member in a first axial direction and the second forming member in a second axial direction includes shaping the first lip.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein casting a battery part includes casting an acid ring having a first lip spaced apart from a second lip, and wherein driving the first forming member in a first axial direction and the second forming member in a second axial direction includes flaring the first and second lips outwardly and away from each other.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein casting a battery part includes casting an acid ring having at least a first lip with a side surface and an end surface, wherein the end surface forms an acute angle relative to the side surface, and wherein driving the first and second forming members against the battery part includes driving the first and second forming members against the end surface of the lip to flare the lip.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein casting a battery part includes casting an acid ring having a first lip spaced apart from a second lip by a V-shaped groove therebetween, and wherein driving the first and second forming members against the battery part includes driving first and second wedge-shaped protrusions into the V-shaped groove to flare the first and second lips apart from each other.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein the acid ring is a first acid ring, and wherein casting a battery part further includes casting a second acid ring spaced apart from the first acid ring, and wherein driving the first and second forming members against the battery part includes flaring at least a portion of the first acid ring to form an undercut region between the first and second acid rings.