US 4,400,120 AGranted

Apparatus for removing temporary side terminals from batteries

AssigneeGeneral Battery Corporation

InventorWilliam J. Eberle

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Abstract

An apparatus for removing temporary side post terminals of at least one multi-celled battery case for lead acid automobile batteries is disclosed. The subject apparatus comprises a horizontal transversely reciprocating work station containing a plurality of milling heads. The work station is also designed to first sense that batteries being operated upon are in a proper position for post removal and then to clamp them in that position until the temporary side posts are machined off by said milling heads. The apparatus further comprises conveyor means adapted to bring the battery cases into the apparatus and then to remove them from the apparatus after the side terminal removal operation is completed. Another feature of the conveyor is a horizontal guide to intercept skewed and misaligned battery cases and to correctly position them against the outer sidewall of the conveyor for proper side post removal. There is also pivotal gate means adapted to stop the batteries and hold them in the apparatus while the machining operation is underway and then to release them so that they may exit the system on said conveyor. This gate is controlled by an internal programming means which also establishes the timing sequence of all of the other operations performed within said apparatus.

Claims5

Dependent claims

In an apparatus simultaneously removing temporary side post terminals from at least one multi-celled, lead acid storage battery case having a pair of said terminals, said apparatus comprising horizontally reciprocating transverse cutting means, said cutting means further comprising a plurality of multi-positionable milling heads slideably set into a work station, each of said heads further having a cutter adapted to remove a side post terminal, the method of removing said terminals, comprising:

(a) transporting said battery case into said apparatus on conveyor means to a position wherefrom said terminals may be removed wherein said transporting step further comprises:
(i) intercepting and guiding skewed or misaligned battery cases against a sidewall of said conveyor to assume a properly oriented position for said side removal operation;
(ii) periodically closing a pivotable gate to stop said battery case at a time and position within said apparatus so that said cutting means, when actuated, will properly engage said case to remove said terminals;
and
(iii) opening said gate at the completion of said side terminal removal operation, so that the finished case may be transported out of the apparatus for further processing;
(b) actuating said reciprocating cutting means so that they may advance across said conveyor to engage said battery for terminal removal;
(c) sensing that said battery case is correctly positioned on said conveyor relative to said advancing milling heads, and disengaging and reversing said advancing cutting means in the event that said case is not correctly positioned;
(d) clamping said battery case within said apparatus with spring biased buffer means so that said battery case will not move during terminal removal;
(e) machining off said temporary side terminal post, by said advancing milling heads;
and
(f) disengaging said milling heads by retracting said cutting means;
and
(g) transporting said machine battery cases out of said station.

10 more elements

An apparatus for simultaneously removing temporary side post terminals from at least one multi-celled lead acid storage battery case having a pair of said terminals, said apparatus comprising:

(a) a frame,
(b) conveyor means attached to said frame and adapted to carry said battery case into said apparatus for side terminal removal therein and further adapted to carry said battery out of said apparatus after said pair of side terminals have been removed;
said conveyor means comprising:
(i) horizontal guide means adapted to intercept skewed and misaligned batteries on said conveyor prior to their being carried into said apparatus and to redirect them to a properly oriented position for said side post removal operation;
and
(ii) pivotal gate means located at the exit of said apparatus, said gate being adapted to pivot inwardly to stop the passage of a battery case on said conveyor, said stoppage being at a place and at a time so that said case is properly positioned relative to said cutting means so that temporary side posts will be machined off when said cutting means is actuated, and further to pivot to an open position to allow said case to exit from the apparatus;
and
(iii) sidewall means associated with said conveyor and adapted to restrain said battery during said machine operation
(c) horizontal reciprocating transverse cutting means, said cutting means comprising:
(i) a horizontally disposed, transversely movable reciprocating table mounted on said frame so that it may advance over said conveyor to engage said stopped battery for said cutting operation;
(ii) separator means attached to the front of said table and forwardly directed said separator being adapted to sense if said battery case is properly positioned relative to said cutting means and further to cause said cutting means to reverse its direction so that said cutters will not contact said stop battery case, if it is not properly positioned;
and
(iii) spring biased buffer block means adapted to contact said battery and clamp them securely against said sidewall means of said conveyor means so that it will not move during said removal operation;
and
(d) controlling means adapted to control and actuate said conveyor means and cutting means.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.