Leak resistant battery cover
AssigneeDouglas Battery Manufacturing Company
InventorsRobert W. Fritts, David M. Revak
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to a leak resistant battery cover for storage batteries. The battery cover provides a labyrinth of passages which provide a path from each cell vent to the atmospheric vent. The labyrinth is configured to provide a portion of each path above a level in which the electrolyte in the respective cells attains when the battery is tipped on any one of its sides or rotated ninety (90) degrees from an upright position. The labyrinth configuration prevents electrolyte from reaching the atmospheric vent and spilling out of the battery.
Claims28
A leak resistant battery cover for a lead acid battery of the type including a housing having a plurality of cells containing electrolyte and a plurality of partition walls separating said cells, said cover comprising:
- a cover having a floor and a ceiling forming an interior area therebetween, a bottom adjacent said battery housing, said bottom sealably engaging the housing and partition walls;
- a plurality of cell vents in and extending through said bottom of said cover, each said cell vent adapted to communicate gases within the corresponding one of the cells of the battery to said interior area of said cover;
- an atmospheric vent on said cover adapted to communicate gases from within said interior area of said cover to atmosphere;
- a labyrinth system between said floor and ceiling in said interior area of said cover formed of a plurality of passages, said passages forming a plurality of convoluted paths to communicate each said cell vent to said atmospheric vent wherein each said cell vent communicates substantially immediately with one said passage of said labyrinth;
- and
- a plurality of cell drains on said floor and extending through said bottom of said cover wherein said cell drains communicate with said passages, said cell drains adapted to communicate liquid in said passages to respective cells;
- said passages of said labyrinth are so arranged that each of said paths has a branch above the electrolyte level for the corresponding cell when the battery is rotated as much as ninety degrees from an upright position.
A leak resistant battery cover for a lead acid battery of the type including a housing having a plurality of cells containing electrolyte and a plurality of partition walls separating said cells, said cover comprising:
- a cover having a floor and ceiling forming an interior area therebetween, said cover further including a bottom adjacent said battery housing, said bottom sealably engaging the housing and partition walls;
- a plurality of cell vents in and extending through said bottom of said cover, each said cell vent adapted to communicate gases within the corresponding one of the cells of the battery to said interior area of said cover;
- an atmospheric vent on said cover adapted to communicate gases from within said interior area of said cover to atmosphere;
- a labyrinth system between said floor and ceiling in said interior area of said cover formed of a plurality of passages, said passages forming a plurality of substantially convoluted paths to communicate each said cell vent to said atmospheric vent wherein each said cell vent communicates substantially immediately with one said passage of said labyrinth;
- a plurality of cell drains on said floor and extending through said bottom of said cover wherein said cell drains communicate with said passages, said cell drains adapted to communicate liquid in said passages to respective cells;
- said passages of said labyrinth are so arranged that each of said paths has a branch above the electrolyte level for the corresponding cell when the battery is rotated as much as ninety degrees from an upright position;
- and
- said passages are sloped towards respective said drains to allow liquid electrolyte in said passages to flow into the respective cells,
- said labyrinth adapted to provide for two or more of said passages communicating with each said cell vent to converge into a common passage in said labyrinth prior to said atmospheric vent, said path from each said cell vent to said atmospheric vent having a branch in common with one or more other said paths.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.