GB2297645A - Battery housing comprising a pair of resilient contacts - Google Patents

Abstract

A battery housing has a body (1) of insulated walls and a moveable lid (2) for closing apertures (6) into which batteries may be inserted, and there are a pair of resilient contacts eg. springs (8, 9) at opposed ends of each aperture (8, 9) for each battery to be housed. One (9) of each pair of opposing contacts is fixed to the lid (2) of the housing and the second contact (8) of each pair is fixed to the inner face of the wall (7) opposing the lid (2) such that, when a battery is placed within the housing and the lid (2) is closed, a conductive connection is formed between the pair of opposed contacts (8, 9) and the battery placed therebetween. Any vibration deforming one of the resilient contacts is compensated for by an equal and opposite deformation of the other contact.

Description

BATTERY HOUSING The present invention relates to a housing for one or more dry cell batteries, (a dry cell battery being hereinafter referred to as a "battery").

In many different situations where electric power is needed, it is standard for one or more batteries to be contained in a housing which has insulating walls and electrical contacts which contact opposite terminals of the battery(s). The housing may be an integral part of a larger structure to be powered from the battery(s), or the housing may be separable from the associated structure. Depending on the arrangement, the or each battery may be inserted terminal-first into the housing, or may be inserted sideways.

In arrangements where the or each battery is inserted terminal-first, a movable part of the housing must close any aperture in which the battery has been inserted and carry one or more contacts such that the contact makes a conductive connection with the terminal of the battery at the opposite end of the battery from the terminal which is first inserted in the housing. There will be another contact in the housing which makes electrical connection with the terminal which is inserted first into the housing.

It would be possible for all these contacts to be non-deformable, and contact the terminals of the battery when the battery or batteries were correctly placed in the housing. However, such an arrangement will not make good electrical contact if there is any manufacturing tolerance in either any battery or the housing, since good electrical connection would require the contacts to have exactly the same separation as the terminals of the corresponding battery.

Therefore, in practice, it is known for one of the contacts to be resilient. When the battery is inserted into the housing, one of the terminals bears against the resilient contact to deform it, and the resilience of that contact forces the other terminal of the battery against the other contact.

The battery is thus held in place between the resilient contact and the other contact, and any minor variations in manufacturing tolerance can be compensated for by the resilience of the resilient contact.

Where the battery(s) are to be inserted terminal-first into a housing, the resilient contact is normally within the housing, making contact with the terminal which is inserted first. The other contact may then be carried on a lid which closes over the aperture(s) into which the battery(s) is inserted. A resilient contact is also preferable for a housing in which the battery is inserted sideways, the battery then being inserted through an opening in a side-wall of the housing to deform the resilient contact, with that resilient contact then forcing the battery into abutment with the other (non-deformable) contact, which is fixed to the housing.

The present invention proposes that each of the contacts which make electrical contact with each terminal of one or more batteries are resilient.

Thus, instead of the battery(s) being held between a resilient contact and a non-deformable contact, both contacts are resilient, and the battery is held in place by the balancing of the forces on the battery due to the resilience of each contact.

It has been found that vibrations of batteries in existing housings, involving only a single resilient contact for each battery, may be sufficient to deform the resilient contact to an extent such that the battery moves out of abutment with the other contact. This then results in failure of the electrical connection, but also may cause the battery to fall out of the housing, particularly in those arrangements in which the battery is inserted sideways through an opening in the wall of the housing. If that opening is large enough to permit the battery to enter, it is also large enough to permit it to fall out if the battery is not held in place between the contacts.By using resilient contacts at each end of the battery, both of which will be deformed when the battery is inserted, any vibration which deforms one of the resilient contacts is compensated for by an equal and opposite deformation of the other contact.

Although it is possible for the present invention to be applied to a housing in which the battery is inserted sideways, this is not the optimum arrangement. In order to insert a battery in such an arrangement, one of the contacts must be deformed sufficiently to enable the other terminal of the battery to be aligned with the other contact when that contact is in a non-deformed state, or both contacts must be deformed, which is not easy to achieve. Therefore, the present invention is particularly applicable to those contacts in which the or each battery is inserted terminal-first, and the end(s) of the opening(s) of the housing into which the battery(s) is inserted is closed by a lid carrying the other contact. That lid may be detachable from the rest of the housing, but is preferably hinged thereto.

The resilient contacts used in the present invention are preferably springs.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a sectional view through a housing according to the embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is an end view of the housing, from one end thereof, with the lid open; and Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but from the other end of the housing.

Referring first to Fig. 1, a housing for a plurality of batteries comprises a body 1 having an open end which is covered by a lid 2. As can be seen from Fig. 2, the lid 2 is connected to the body 1 by a hinge 3. The body 1 is hollow and contains internal walls 4,5 extending in generally perpendicular directions to divide the interior of the body 1 into a plurality of compartments 6. Each of those compartments 6 is large enough to receive a suitably-sized battery.

Each compartment 6 terminates within the body 1 at an end wall 7, which supports resilient contacts 8 one contact 8 for each compartment 6. As shown in the embodiment, these contacts 8 are springs and extend into the compartment 6 away from the end wall 7. Thus, when a battery (not shown) is inserted into one of the compartments, a terminal at one end of the battery will contact the spring 8 and deform it towards the end wall 7. Resilience of the spring 8 then imposes a force on the battery tending to push it away from the end wall 7.

In a similar way, the lid 2 carries springs 9 which, when the lid is closed, will be aligned with the springs 8. Hence, if there is a battery in one or more of the compartments 6, the springs 9 will contact terminals at the end(s) of the battery(s) furthest from the end wall 7, and will be deformed as the lid 2 closes. The springs 8 and 9 are thus shaped so that their rest separation, undeformed, is less than the normal length of the battery which is to be inserted into the housing.

As a result of this, a battery in the housing is held between a pair of springs 8,9 so that forces act on it in opposed directions. Thus, if the housing is subject to vibration, that deformation can be absorbed by the springs 8,9 so that they will not break contact with the terminals of the battery.

For example, if vibration is such as to move a battery upwardly in Fig. 1, and so deform the end of the spring 8 towards the end wall 7, that movement can be compensated for by upward movement of the end of the corresponding spring 9 away from the lid 2.

A similar effect occurs when the vibration moves the battery towards the lid 2. Hence, with the present invention, good electrical contact can be maintained despite vibration moving the battery relative to the housing.

In this embodiment, the housing contains a plurality of batteries. Those batteries are to be connected in series, and hence pairs of springs 8,9 are connected together. This can be seen more clearly from Fig. 2, where the interconnections 10 and pairs of springs 8,9 extend from one compartment 6 to another and, for the connections 10 of the springs 8, extend between the dividing walls 4,5 within the body 1.

Fig. 2 shows clips 20 which holds the springs 8 in places, and abutment projections 21 may also be provided to hold the springs firmly in place.

Similar clips 22 and abutments 23 are provided on the inner surface of the lid 2, to hold the springs 9 in place.

Fig. 3 shows connectors 30 to which electrical connection can be made to derive power from the batteries in the housing. Also shown is a latch 31 which contacts a corresponding part 32 of the lid 2 when the lid is in the closed position shown in Fig.

1, to hold the lid firmly in place.

This embodiment of the present invention thus provides a housing for a plurality of batteries (6 batteries in this embodiment) which is a discrete component. In use, the housing will be connected to a device for which electrical power is needed, and suitable connection will be made to the connectors 30. However, it will be appreciated that the housing may be an integral part of a larger structure.

Claims (7)

1. A battery housing having an insulated body with an aperture for receiving at least one battery and conductive contacts at opposed ends of the aperture arranged to make contact with terminals of the at least one battery when the at least one battery is inserted in the aperture, wherein the conductive contacts are resilient.

2. A battery housing according to claim 1, wherein the body has a plurality of apertures each for receiving a corresponding battery, and each of the apertures has resilient conductive contact at opposed ends thereof.

3. A battery housing according to claim 1, wherein the aperture is arranged to receive a plurality of batteries, and has a corresponding plurality of resilient conductive contacts at each end thereof.

4. A battery housing according to claim 1, wherein the aperture is arranged to receive a plurality of batteries in series, and the conductive contacts at the ends of the aperture are arranged to make contact with end terminals of the series of batteries.

5. A battery housing according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body has a movable lid for closing one end of the aperture, the corresponding contact being carried on the lid.

6. A battery housing according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the resilient contacts are springs.

7. A battery housing substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the corresponding drawings.