Leak resistant battery cover
AssigneeDouglass 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.
Claims32
A leak resistant battery cover for a lead acid battery of the type including a housing having at least one cell, said cover comprising:
- a) a cover having a top cover member and a bottom cover member forming an enclosed area therebetween;
- b) an aperture in an extending through said bottom cover member into a cell of the housing, said aperture adapted to communicate gases within the cell to said enclosed area of said cover;
- c) an atmospheric vent in said cover adapted to communicate gases from within said enclosed area of said cover to atmosphere;
- d) a labyrinth of passages formed by a convoluted arrangement of vertical walls extending between said bottom cover member and top cover member within said enclosed area, said labyrinth forming a first convoluted path between said aperture and said atmospheric vent;
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- e) said labyrinth being so arranged that at least one portion of the first convoluted path thereof is at a level above the electrolyte level in said cell when the battery is rotated as much as ninety degrees from an upright position, no matter whether said battery is rotated forwardly, rearwardly, or to either side.
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) a floor including a plurality of cell vents and cell drains, a ceiling including an atmospheric vent, and a labyrinth system of passages therebetween;
- (b) a floor and ceiling forming an interior area therebetween, said floor sealably engaging the housing and partition walls;
- (c) said plurality of cell vents in and extending through said floor, each cell vent being adapted to communicate gases within a corresponding one of the cells of the battery to said interior area of said cover, wherein each cell vent is a slotted vent extending from said ceiling through a corresponding one of said cells drains in said flow, each cell vent having an opening therein to communicate gases from within a corresponding one of the cells of the battery to said interior area of said cover;
- (d) said plurality of cell drains in and extending through said floor which communicate with said passages and communicate liquid electrolytes in said passages to respective cells;
- (e) an atmospheric vent in said cover adapted to communicate gases from said interior area of said cover to atmosphere;
- (f) said labyrinth system being between said floor and said 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 of said cell vents to said atmospheric vent, wherein each said cell vent communicates substantially immediately with one said passage of said labyrinth system;
- (g) wherein an initial passageway is formed around each vent opening by walls substantially encircling and immediately adjacent each respective cell vent in which electrolyte escaping from said cell vent at times when the battery is in a non-upright position can collect, each of said initial passageways substantially encircling a corresponding vent opening and communicating with at least one first common passage, said at least one first common passage communicating with a final common passage such that said final common passage is in communication with each of said plurality of cells and with said atmospheric vent;
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- (h) said passages of said labyrinth system being so arranged that each of said convoluted paths has at least one portion above the level of the liquid electrolyte level for the corresponding cell when the battery is rotated as much as ninety degrees from an upright position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.