Modular, multicell lead-acid batteries
First Claim
1. A modular multicell lead-acid battery comprising a first assembly of frames, a second assembly of frames, partition means interposed between said first and second assemblies of frames for electrochemically isolating said first and second assemblies from one another so that said battery comprises a first and second multicell battery, each of said first and second assemblies of frames comprising a plurality of terminal and floating frames secured together in side-by-side relation, each frame of each assembly having space division elements defining within the perimeter of the frame a plurality of active material support areas arranged side-by-side across the width of the frame, the perimeter and division elements of the frames in the respective assemblies being secured together in sealed relation so that the perimeters form outer walls of the battery and the division elements form partitions between adjacent cells of the battery, the frame having the perimeter and division elements thereof secured in sealed relation to respective opposite sides of the partition means, an electrically conductive grid embedded in, and supported by, the frame to provide support for active material, said grid having a frame positive and negative tab extending through the perimeter of the frame, active material located in said support areas so that each support area forms a plate of the battery, said active material being selected so that adjacent areas in the same frame form plates of opposite polarity and corresponding support areas in adjacent frames of the same assembly form plates of opposite polarity, an electrolyte separator positioned between the active material of opposite polarity in said corresponding areas in adjacent frames, a positive busbar having a series of slots and said frame positive tabs protruding through said slots and electrically connected thereto, a negative busbar having a series of slots and accepting the frame negative tabs and electrically connected thereto, each of said positive and negative busbars having at least one terminal formed thereon, electrolyte fill holes allowing access for electrolyte to each cell of the battery, electrolyte contained in each cell, a cover overlying the top perimeter of the battery and being sealed to said frames, said terminals extending through said cover, and switch means electrically connected to one of said busbars for allowing current to be drawn from at least one of the first and second multicell batteries.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A modular, multicell battery comprises a plurality of terminal frames, each of which is divided into a number of side-by-side active material support areas pasted with active material to form plates with adjacent plates in each frame being of opposite polarity and adjacent plates in adjoining frames also being of opposite polarity, each terminal frame also including frame positive and negative tabs, a plurality of floating frames similar to the configuration of the terminal frames but not including frame terminal tabs, electrolyte-porous separator frames positioned between adjacent plates in adjoining frames, at least one partition frame dividing the battery into at least two batteries, a positive busbar having a series of slots for accepting the frame positive tabs and electrically connected thereto, a negative busbar having a series of slots for accepting the frame negative tabs and electrically connected to such tabs, the assembly of frames being secured together and electrolyte fill holes for allowing each cell to be filled with electrolyte and a cover secured to the assembly of frames. In one embodiment of the invention, the cover includes venting means, the partition means includes apertures positioned above the electrolyte level of the battery and the positive busbar includes a switch actuator and a switch assembly allowing one or all parts of the battery to be placed in service, and the positive and negative busbars having the desired termination formed, as by die casting, thereon.
-
Citations
46 Claims
- 1. A modular multicell lead-acid battery comprising a first assembly of frames, a second assembly of frames, partition means interposed between said first and second assemblies of frames for electrochemically isolating said first and second assemblies from one another so that said battery comprises a first and second multicell battery, each of said first and second assemblies of frames comprising a plurality of terminal and floating frames secured together in side-by-side relation, each frame of each assembly having space division elements defining within the perimeter of the frame a plurality of active material support areas arranged side-by-side across the width of the frame, the perimeter and division elements of the frames in the respective assemblies being secured together in sealed relation so that the perimeters form outer walls of the battery and the division elements form partitions between adjacent cells of the battery, the frame having the perimeter and division elements thereof secured in sealed relation to respective opposite sides of the partition means, an electrically conductive grid embedded in, and supported by, the frame to provide support for active material, said grid having a frame positive and negative tab extending through the perimeter of the frame, active material located in said support areas so that each support area forms a plate of the battery, said active material being selected so that adjacent areas in the same frame form plates of opposite polarity and corresponding support areas in adjacent frames of the same assembly form plates of opposite polarity, an electrolyte separator positioned between the active material of opposite polarity in said corresponding areas in adjacent frames, a positive busbar having a series of slots and said frame positive tabs protruding through said slots and electrically connected thereto, a negative busbar having a series of slots and accepting the frame negative tabs and electrically connected thereto, each of said positive and negative busbars having at least one terminal formed thereon, electrolyte fill holes allowing access for electrolyte to each cell of the battery, electrolyte contained in each cell, a cover overlying the top perimeter of the battery and being sealed to said frames, said terminals extending through said cover, and switch means electrically connected to one of said busbars for allowing current to be drawn from at least one of the first and second multicell batteries.
- 17. A modular multicell lead-acid battery comprising a first assembly of frames, a second assembly of frames, partition means interposed between said first and second assemblies of frames for electrochemically isolating said first and second assemblies from one another so that said battery comprises a first and second multicell battery, each of said first and second assemblies of frames comprising a plurality of terminal and floating frames secured together in side-by-side relation, each frame of each assembly having space division elements defining within the perimeter of the frame a plurality of active material support areas arranged side-by-side across the width of the frame, the perimeter and division elements of the frames in the respective assemblies being secured together in sealed relation so that the perimeters form outer walls of the battery and the division elements form partitions between adjacent cells of the battery, the frame having the perimeter and division elements thereof secured in sealed relation to respective opposite sides of the partition means, an electrically conductive grid embedded in, and supported by, the frame to provide support for active material, said grid having a frame positive and negative tab extending through the perimeter of the frame, active material located in said support areas so that each support area forms a plate of the battery, said active material being selected so that adjacent areas in the same frame form plates of opposite polarity and corresponding support areas in adjacent frames of the same assembly form plates of opposite polarity, an electrolyte separator positioned between the active material of opposite polarity in said corresponding areas in adjacent frames, a positive busbar having a series of slots and said frame positive tabs protruding through said slots and electrically connected thereto, a negative busbar having a series of slots and accepting the frame negative tabs and electrically connected thereto, each of said positive and negative busbars having at least one terminal formed thereon, electrolyte fill holes allowing access for electrolyte to each cell of the battery, electrolyte contained in each cell, a cover overlying the top perimeter of the battery and being sealed to said frames, said terminals extending through said cover, said partition means having venting means positioned above the electrolyte fill level and allowing communication between each cell of said first and second batteries, said cover having venting means in alignment with the electrolyte fill holes of said second battery and allowing egress of internal gasses in said second battery, the vent means in said partition means allowing egress of gasses generated in said first battery through the venting means in the cover and switch means electrically connected to one of said busbars for allowing current to be drawn from at least one of the first and second multicell batteries.
-
19. A modular multicell lead-acid battery comprising a first assembly of frames, a second assembly of frames, partition means interposed between said first and second assemblies of frames for electrochemically isolating said first and second assemblies from one another so that said battery comprises a first and second multicell battery, each of said first and second assemblies of frames comprising a plurality of terminal and floating frames secured together in side-by-side relation, each frame of each assembly having space division elements defining within the perimeter of the frame a plurality of active material support areas arranged side-by-side across the width of the frame, the perimeter and division elements of the frames in the respective assemblies being secured together in sealed relation so that the perimeters form outer walls of the battery and the division elements form partitions between adjacent cells of the battery, the frame having the perimeter and division elements thereof secured in sealed relation to respective opposite sides of the partition means, an electrically conductive grid embedded in, and supported by, the frame to provide support for active material, said grid having a frame positive and negative tab extending through the perimeter of the frame, active material located in said support areas so that each support area forms a plate of the battery, said active material being selected so that adjacent areas in the same frame form plates of opposite polarity and corresponding support areas in adjacent frames of the same assembly form plates of opposite polarity, an electrolyte separator positioned between the active material of opposite polarity in said corresponding areas in adjacent frames, a positive busbar having a series of slots and said frame positive tabs protruding through said slots and electrically connected thereto, a negative busbar having a series of slots and accepting the frame negative tabs and electrically connected thereto, each of said positive and negative busbars having at least one terminal formed thereon, electrolyte fill holes allowing access for electrolyte to each cell of the battery, electrolyte contained in each cell, a cover overlying the top perimeter of the battery and being sealed to said frames, said terminals extending through said cover, said partition means having venting means positioned above the electrolyte fill level and allowing communication between each cell of said first and second batteries, said cover having venting means in alignment with the electrolyte fill holes of said second battery and allowing egress of internal gasses in said second battery, the vent means in said partition means allowing egress of gasses generated in said first battery through the venting means in the cover.
- 20. A modular multicell lead-acid battery comprising a first assembly of frames, a second assembly of frames, partition means interposed between said first and second assemblies of frames for electrochemically isolating said first and second assemblies from one another so that said battery comprises a first and second multicell battery, each of said first and second assemblies of frames comprising a plurality of terminal and floating frames secured together in side-by-side relation, each frame of each assembly having space division elements defining within the perimeter of the frame a plurality of active material support areas arranged side-by-side across the width of the frame, the perimeter and division elements of the frames in the respective assemblies being secured together in sealed relation so that the perimeters form outer walls of the battery and the division elements form partitions between adjacent cells of the battery, the frame having the perimeter and division elements thereof secured in sealed relation to respective opposite sides of the partition means, an electrically conductive grid embedded in, and supported by, the frame to provide support for active material, said grid having a frame positive and negative tab extending through the perimeter of the frame, active material located in said support areas so that each support area forms a plate of the battery, said active material being selected so that adjacent areas in the same frame form plates of opposite polarity and corresponding support areas in adjacent frames of the same assembly form plates of opposite polarity, an electrolyte separator positioned between the active material of opposite polarity in said corresponding areas in adjacent frames, a positive busbar having a series of slots and said frame positive tabs protruding through said slots and electrically connected thereto, a negative busbar having a series of slots and accepting the frame negative tabs and electrically connected thereto, each of said positive and negative busbars having at least one terminal formed thereon, electrolyte fill holes allowing access for electrolyte to each cell of the battery, electrolyte contained in each cell, a cover overlying the top perimeter of the battery and being sealed to said frames, said terminals extending through said cover, said partition means having venting means positioned above the electrolyte fill level and allowing communication between each cell of said first and second batteries, said cover having venting means in alignment with the electrolyte fill holes of said second battery and allowing egress of internal gasses in said second battery, the vent means in said partition means allowing egress of gasses generated in said first battery through the venting means in the cover and switch means electrically connected to one of said busbars for allowing current to be selectively draws from at least said first battery or from both said first and second batteries.
- 28. A modular multicell lead-acid battery comprising an assembly of frames, said assembly of frames comprising a plurality of terminal and floating frames secured together in side-by-side relation, each frame having spaced division elements defining within the perimeter of the frame a plurality of active material support areas arranged side-by-side across the width of the frame, the perimeter and division elements of the frames being secured together in sealed relation so that the perimeters form outer walls of the battery and the division elements form partitions between adjacent cells of the battery, an electrically conducted grid embedded in, and supported by, the frame to provide support for active material, said grid having a frame positive and negative tab extending through the perimeter of the frame, active material located in said support areas so that each support area forms a plate of the battery, said active material being selected so that adjacent areas in the same frame form plates of opposite polarity and corresponding support areas in adjacent frames of the same assembly form plates of opposite polarity, an electrolyte separator positioned between the active material of opposite polarity in said corresponding areas and adjacent frames, a positive busbar having a series of slots and said frame positive tabs protruding through said slots and electrically connected thereto, a negative busbar having a series of slots and accepting the frame negative tabs and electrically connected thereto, each of said positive and negative busbars having at least one terminal formed therein, electrolyte fill holes allowing access for electrolyte to each cell of the battery, electrolyte contained in each cell, a cover overlaying the top perimeter of the battery and being sealed to said frames, said terminals extending through said cover.
Specification