JP3227867B2 - Indicator for battery - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an indicator used for detecting a state of charge of a battery and a shortage of an electrolyte.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the use of a battery indicator has made it possible for a battery user to easily know the state of charge and a shortage of electrolyte, thereby improving maintenance workability and improving the added value of the battery. Widely used for the purpose.

A conventional battery indicator generally has an indicator body having a circular horizontal cross section and a hollow portion into which an electrolytic solution is introduced, and an electrolytic solution disposed in the hollow portion and having a discharged state. Using a first float having a specific gravity smaller than the specific gravity, and a second float having a specific gravity larger than the first float but smaller than the electrolyte in a charged state, and changing the colors of these floats, In many cases, a type in which the color of the float is displayed on the display surface on the upper surface of the indicator body by a light reflecting layer provided at a predetermined position in accordance with the position of the float.

At this time, as means for introducing or discharging the electrolytic solution into or from the cavity where the float floats,
A bottom opening formed in the bottom wall of the lower end of the cavity, and a portion of the outer wall around the cavity corresponding to an upper portion and a lower portion of the cavity so as to extend radially inward and outward through the outer wall, respectively. An upper passage space and a lower passage space that are formed are provided. It is preferable that the bottom opening is smaller than the diameter of the float so that the float does not drop, and has a shape provided at the center of the bottom wall.

An electrolyte is introduced or discharged from the cavity through the bottom opening, the upper passage space, and the lower passage space. This indicator
The float operating part is disposed at the prescribed minimum liquid level of the battery. In this state, when the specific gravity changes due to charging / discharging of the electrolytic solution inside the cavity, the two floats move up and down according to their characteristics. Then, when the battery is in charge / discharge state, when the electrolyte is no longer present in the cavity 4, both floats sink, and the shortage of the electrolyte is notified.

[0006]

However, in the case of the above-mentioned conventional structure, especially when the indicator is re-inserted into the battery, the float is completely sunk, and the sunk float is lowered by the bottom opening or the bottom. When the air bubbles enter the bottom opening, the lower passage space, or the like, the air bubbles enter the bottom opening, the lower passage space, or the like. And the float does not operate. The bubbles are generated at the time of discharge or self-discharge, or are generated by vibration.

[0007] The above-mentioned problem is caused by the floater moving up and down when the electrolytic solution shakes due to vibration or the like, or the electrolytic solution is temporarily stored in the hollow portion due to the inclination of the electrolytic solution accompanying the inclination of the battery. It is also caused by the absence of liquid and the float settling.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a battery indicator which solves the above-mentioned problems and can always operate in a preferable state.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a float which floats and sinks depending on the specific gravity and presence or absence of an electrolytic solution in a battery, and a part of an indicator main body which is surrounded by an outer wall and floats and floats. In the battery indicator having the cavity, the bottom bottom surface of the cavity is completely closed, and the outer wall has an upper passage space and a position corresponding to an upper portion and a lower portion of the cavity, respectively. A lower passage space is formed so as to extend inward and outward through the outer wall, and supplies and discharges or refluxes the electrolytic solution to the inside of the hollow portion. And an outer opening facing the outside of the indicator is open in different axial directions.

Preferably, a stopper member is provided at a lower portion of the hollow portion so as to prevent the float from coming into contact with the inner opening when the float is sunk.

The top surface of the lower passage space is preferably formed as a slope rising from the inner opening toward the outer opening.

It is desirable that the opening width of the inner opening is set to 2 mm or less.

[0013]

In the battery indicator according to the present invention, the bottom surface of the lower end of the cavity is completely closed, and the inner opening and the outer opening of the lower passage space are opened in different axial directions. Therefore, even if bubbles are present in the electrolytic solution, introduction of the bubbles into the interior of the cavity is suppressed as much as possible, and the above-described problems caused by the bubbles of the conventional battery indicator can be prevented.

Such an effect is achieved by forming the top surface of the lower passage space as a slope rising from the inner opening toward the outer opening, or reducing the opening width of the inner opening by two.
By setting it to be equal to or less than mm, it can be further improved.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a battery indicator according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings .
You.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a battery indicator according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. FIG. 4
Is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 3, and FIG.
It is sectional drawing which follows -D.

The battery indicator has an indicator body 1, which comprises an upper holder part 2 and a lower holder part 3. These upper portion holder part 2 and the lower holder part 3
By combining them, constitute the indicator body 1 so as to form a cavity 4 therein. The cavity 4 has a structure surrounded by an annular outer wall 5.

A lower passage space 6 and an upper passage space 7 extend through the outer wall 5 from inside to outside at positions corresponding to the lower part and the upper part of the hollow part 4 of the outer wall 5, respectively. It is formed as described above. The lower passage space 6 extends in a tangential direction of an outer circle of the cavity 4, and an opening communicating with the cavity 4, that is, an inner opening 8 is formed at a center side of the lower passage space 6. The outside of the indicator main body 1 is communicated at its end by an outer opening 9 that opens to the outer peripheral surface of the outer wall 5. Due to the structure of the lower passage space 6, the inner opening 8 and the outer opening 9 are opened in different axial directions from each other, and it is difficult to introduce air bubbles along the lower passage space 6. The width or diameter of the inner opening 8 is set to 2 mm or less, thereby further preventing bubbles from being introduced into the cavity 4. The lower limit of the width or diameter of the inner opening 8 is set so as not to hinder the flow of the electrolytic solution in the inner opening 7.

The lower passage space 6 further includes a top surface 6a.
Has a slope inclined upward from the inside opening 8 to the outside opening 9. This structure also minimizes the introduction of bubbles into the cavity 4 through the lower passage space 6. It is supposed to be.

In the cavity 4, a first float 10 having a specific gravity smaller than the specific gravity of the electrolyte in a discharged state, and a second floater having a specific gravity larger than that of the first float but smaller than the electrolyte in a charged state. A float 11 is arranged. These two floats are colored differently from each other.

On the bottom wall 12 of the indicator body 1,
A stopper 13 is formed as a conical projection for preventing the float, especially the second float 11, from contacting the inner opening 8. Further, it is preferable that a projection 14 extending downward is provided also in the upper part of the cavity 4 to restrict the upward movement of the floater by a predetermined amount or more.

[0022] Incidentally, in FIG., Floating in a certain position
The color of the brush is reflected and displayed on the display surface on the upper surface of the indicator body to inform the charge / discharge state and the presence or absence of the electrolyte.

Next, an experiment for confirming the effect of the indicator having the above structure was performed as follows.

In this experiment, the transparent case was filled with the electrolyte, the indicator was slightly immersed in the electrolyte, and the float was not floated. After the bubbles were forcibly attached, the indicator was further immersed further in the electrolytic solution, and the operation state of the float due to the presence of the bubbles was observed.

According to the result, in the indicator of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG.
Although the bubble P adheres to the lower surface of the substrate, the opening is not formed in the bottom wall as in the related art, so that the introduction of the bubble P into the cavity 4 from this location is prevented. Further, even if air bubbles enter the lower passage space 6, immediately the top surface 6a
And was discharged from the lower passage space 6. However, there was a very small probability that the bubble P1 entered the lower passage space 6, but did not enter the cavity 4, and as shown in FIG. Does not come into contact with the inner opening 8 even if it is located at the lowermost position, so that the air bubbles P1 do not cause the second float 11 to be caught and cause a malfunction in operation. .

When the same experiment as above was carried out by changing the width of the inner opening 8 variously, no malfunction was found. However, when the width was 2 mm or more,
Intrusion of minute bubbles into the cavity 4 was observed. Therefore, the width of the inner opening 8 is desirably 2 mm or less as described above.

The lower passage space may be a maze-like lower passage space 20 as shown in FIG. That is,
Like the lower passage space 20, a partition wall 21 is provided, the inner opening 22 and the outer opening 23 are formed so as to be shifted from each other by 90 degrees, and the length of the passage space is increased, thereby increasing the penetration resistance of bubbles. This may prevent air bubbles from entering the cavity 4.

The lower passage space 2 having the structure shown in FIG.
The same bubble test as above was performed on the battery indicator provided with 0, and the same result was obtained.

[0029]

As described above, in the battery indicator according to the present invention, the bottom of the lower end of the cavity where the float operates is closed, and the shape of the lower passage space provided on the outer wall is changed to a special shape such as a maze. By doing so, entry of air bubbles into the inside of the indicator via the lower passage space is prevented. Further, in the present invention, the top surface of the lower passage space is selectively inclined upward from the inside to the outside of the indicator main body, and the air bubbles that have entered the lower passage space are utilized by the inclined top surface. By reducing the width or diameter of the inner opening opening into the cavity of the lower passage space to 2 mm or less, bubbles can be prevented from entering the cavity, and the above-described bubble entry prevention effect is increased. This prevents the indicator from malfunctioning due to bubbles.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a battery indicator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line DD of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4, showing a bubble test state of the indicator shown in FIGS.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE of FIG. 6 (note that hatching is omitted for clarity).

FIG. 8 is a horizontal sectional view showing a modified example of the lower passage space of the indicator.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Indicator main body 2 Upper holder part 3 Lower holder part 4 Cavity part 5 Outer wall 6 Lower passage space 7 Upper passage space 8 Inside opening 9 Outside opening 6a Top surface 10 1st float 11 Second float 12 Bottom wall 13 Stopper 14 stopper 20 lower passage space 21 partition wall 22 inner opening 23 outer opening P bubble P1 bubble

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A 52-155927 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01M 10/42-10/48

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A float that floats and sinks depending on the specific gravity and presence or absence of an electrolyte in a battery, and a part of an indicator body,
And a cavity formed by an outer wall and having a cavity in which the float floats. The bottom surface of the lower end of the cavity is completely closed, and the outer wall has an upper part of the cavity. An upper passage space and a lower passage space are formed so as to extend through the outer wall inward and outward, respectively, at positions corresponding to the lower part and the lower part, so that the electrolyte is supplied to and discharged from the inside of the cavity or refluxed. Wherein the inner opening facing the cavity side of the lower passage space and the outer opening facing the indicator outside are open in different axial directions from each other for a battery. indicator. 2. The battery according to claim 1, wherein a stopper member is provided at a lower portion of the hollow portion so as to prevent the float from contacting the inner opening when the float is sunk. Indicator. 3. The battery indicator according to claim 1, wherein a top surface of the lower passage space is formed as a slope rising from the inner opening toward the outer opening. 4. The battery indicator according to claim 1, wherein an opening width of the inner opening is set to 2 mm or less.