Ni-H.sub.2 battery having improved thermal properties
First Claim
1. A battery comprising:
- a pressure vessel;
at least one thermally conductive rack disposed within said pressure vessel, said rack comprising an outer wall closely adjacent and conforming to an inner surface of a wall of said pressure vessel so as to be in close thermal contact with said inner surface of said wall of said pressure vessel whereby heat from said rack is transferred to said wall of said pressure vessel, and a plurality of fins dividing said rack into a plurality of compartments; and
a plurality of battery cells, at least one of said battery cells being disposed in each of said compartments in thermal contact with adjacent ones of said fins.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A common pressure vessel type Ni-H2 battery having a thermally conductive rack disposed within the pressure vessel and having an outer wall conforming to and in thermal contact with the inner surface of a cylindrical center wall portion of the pressure vessel and a plurality of fins dividing the rack into a plurality of compartments. A Ni-H2 battery cell is disposed in each of the compartments in thermal contact with adjacent ones of the fins. A plurality of flexure springs extend between racks, providing a radial force on the racks so as to urge the outer walls of the racks into contact with respective portions of the wall of the pressure vessel. A stopper is formed internally of the pressure vessel and a wave spring is disposed between a weld ring provided at the end of the rack opposite the stopper for forcing the racks in the longitudinal direction of the pressure vessel into contact with the stopper.
14 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A battery comprising:
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a pressure vessel; at least one thermally conductive rack disposed within said pressure vessel, said rack comprising an outer wall closely adjacent and conforming to an inner surface of a wall of said pressure vessel so as to be in close thermal contact with said inner surface of said wall of said pressure vessel whereby heat from said rack is transferred to said wall of said pressure vessel, and a plurality of fins dividing said rack into a plurality of compartments; and a plurality of battery cells, at least one of said battery cells being disposed in each of said compartments in thermal contact with adjacent ones of said fins. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A battery comprising:
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a pressure vessel; a plurality of thermally conductive racks disposed within said pressure vessel, each of said racks comprising an outer wall conforming to and in thermal contact with a respective portion of an inner surface of a wall of said pressure vessel and a plurality of fins dividing said rack into a plurality of compartments; at least one battery cell disposed in each of said racks in thermal contact with said rack; and spring means for forcing said racks into contact with said wall of said pressure vessel. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A common pressure vessel type Ni-H2 battery comprising:
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a pressure vessel having a cylindrical center portion and dome-shaped end portions; first and second battery cell racks disposed within said pressure vessel and arranged adjacent each other, each of said racks comprising a semi-cylindrical outer wall conforming to and contacting an adjacent portion of an inner surface of said cylindrical center portion of said pressure vessel, a pair of semi-circular end walls, and a plurality of semi-circular fins dividing said rack into a plurality of battery cell receiving compartments; a plurality of Ni-H2 battery cells, at least one of said battery cells being disposed in each of said compartments in thermal contact with adjacent ones of said fins; a pair of interconnecting rods for each of said racks, each of said racks interconnecting like-polarity electrode terminals of said battery cells within a respective one of said racks; a pair of positive and negative output terminals protruding from said pressure vessel; means for connecting each of said rods to a one of said output terminals; a stopper fixed to said pressure vessel at one end of said cylindrical portion; a weld ring fixed to said pressure vessel at the other end of said cylindrical portion; a wave spring disposed between said weld ring and one of said end walls of said racks for forcing said racks in a direction of said stopper; and a plurality of flexure springs extending between said racks for forcing said racks radially outward to press said outer walls of said rack against said inner surface of said cylindrical portion. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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Specification