Battery paste hopper and tooling

A battery paste application tooling assembly includes a hopper, a connector assembly, and a clamp assembly. The battery paste application tooling assembly can be equipped in a pasting machine. The hopper receives battery paste material. The hopper has an orifice plate with an orifice therein. The connector assembly is engageable with the orifice plate and disengageable therefrom. The clamp assembly is movable between a first position and a second position. In the first position, the clamp assembly releasable secures the orifice plate to the hopper. In the second position, the clamp assembly permits removal of the orifice plate from the hopper.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to the application of battery paste material to a grid or electrode for a battery and, more particularly, to a paste hopper and tooling of a machine for applying battery paste to a grid or electrode for a battery amid battery manufacture.

BACKGROUND

Various machines for and methods of applying a viscous battery paste material to a grid or electrode for a battery are known. Some of these machines have a hopper in which battery paste material is received and applied through an orifice of a plate attached to the hopper and to a grid or electrode as it passes under the orifice plate. The orifice plate is removably attached in a fixed position on the hopper by many cap screws, bolts, or other fasteners extending through the orifice plate and threaded into the hopper. Usually, a different orifice plate having a different configuration is required for pasting each grid or electrode having a different configuration or construction. When using a pasting machine with a paste hopper, the orifice plate must be removed periodically for cleaning it and/or cleaning the paste hopper, and then subsequently reinstalled or a different orifice plate installed for pasting grids or electrodes having a different configuration or construction. The removal and reinstalling of an orifice plate or installing another different orifice plate usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes during which period of time the pasting machine cannot be used to paste grids or electrodes. In a commercial production setting of such a pasting machine, the orifice plate is typically removed for cleaning it and/or cleaning the hopper about every 4 to 5 hours of otherwise continuous operation of the pasting machine. Typically, this is a significant loss of production when pasting a series of grids or electrodes having the same configuration and or when changing to an orifice plate with a different configuration for a production run of pasting grids or electrodes with a different configuration. One such type of pasting machine is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 9,437,867 assigned to the applicant hereof, and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

SUMMARY

In at least some embodiments, a pasting machine hopper includes a mechanism by which one or more orifice plates with the same or a different orifice configuration and/or location can be readily and rapidly secured in a predetermined fixed position on, and removed from, the hopper without using any tools. In some forms, the mechanism may include a connector assembly and, desirably per an embodiment, a pivot assembly removeably connecting an orifice plate adjacent one end to the hopper and adjacent the other end may be releaseably and removeably engaged by a clamp assembly. In some forms, the clamp assembly may be manually actuated between a closed position securing the orifice plate to the hopper and an open position releasing the orifice plate so that it can be removed from the hopper. In some forms, the clamp assembly may be adjacent the upstream end of the orifice plate, the connector assembly may be adjacent the downstream end of the orifice plate, and the hopper adjacent its downstream end may be pivotally mounted in a pasting machine. The upstream end and downstream end are relative to the direction of travel of a grid or electrode across or under the orifice plate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring in more detail to the drawings,FIG.1illustrates a pasting machine10that in operation applies electrochemically active battery paste material to a strip of a plurality of serially connected battery electrodes or grids (which hereinafter may be collectively referred to as grids or battery grids). The strip of grids may be conveyed by a belt14under a paste hopper18which applies the battery paste material to them. The belt14may convey the strip of grids from an entry end20to an exit end22of the pasting machine10. The belt14may be received on one or more rollers24driven by an electric motor to move the belt14, and the rollers24may also keep the belt taut. The arrows A inFIG.1represent the movement of the belt14along an upper run26and a lower run28of the belt14. Different types and widths of belts can be used including a single width endless or circumferentially continuous belt as shown, and the belts can be composed of different materials including stainless steel, plastic, felt, rubber or various woven materials, according to different embodiments.

The paste hopper18may be supported by a frame16vertically above and overlying the upper run26of the belt14and is constructed to receive and contain battery paste material and dispense it through an orifice of an orifice plate40onto the strip of grids as it passes under the paste hopper18. The paste hopper18may have four walls30that define an interior32to receive the battery paste material. To keep the battery paste material in a mixed state and to be more readily dispensed, the paste hopper18may include several feed rollers and paddles which may be driven by a suitable electric motor. The paste hopper18may be pivotally mounted adjacent its downstream end by a shaft34journaled adjacent each end in a bearing36so that the orifice plate40and the bottom of the paste hopper18may be pivotally moved or swung away from the belt14.

As shown inFIGS.2and3, the orifice plate40may be precisely located and removeably retained on and over an open bottom portion42(FIG.5) of the paste hopper18, for dispensing paste material through an orifice opening44, by a connector assembly46adjacent one end and by a clamp assembly48adjacent the other end. This enables both the installation on, and removal from, the paste hopper18of the orifice plate40by hand and without using any tools. The connector assembly46is adjacent to the downstream end of the orifice plate40and the clamp assembly48is adjacent the upstream end of the orifice plate40relative to the direction of movement of the strip of grids relative to the orifice plate40. The connector assembly46and clamp assembly48can each have various designs, constructions, and components in different embodiments depending upon—among other possible factors—the design and construction of the associated paste hopper and that of the associated orifice plate. The figures present just one embodiment of many possible embodiments of the connector assembly46and clamp assembly48.

As shown inFIGS.3,4,6, and7the connector assembly46may be a pivotal assembly which may have at least one and, per an embodiment, multiple spaced-apart bars or pivot brackets50each attached to the downstream end of the orifice plate40by suitable fasteners such as machine screws52or bolts with heads recessed into the pivot brackets50with each bracket50having a semicircular surface or recess54which is complementary to, engageable with, disengageable from and pivotally rotatable or slideable on a cylindrical surface of a rod or shaft58carried by axially spaced-apart mounting brackets60attached to the paste hopper18by suitable fasteners such as machine screws threaded into the paste hopper18. The semicircular surface54of the pivot brackets50may have an arcuate extent of not more than, and desirably per an embodiment slightly less than 180°, so that the pivot brackets50may be readily disengaged or removed from engagement with the shaft58to facilitate removal of the orifice plate40from the paste hopper18. The semicircular surface54may have an arcuate extent of at least 90°.

The mounting brackets60are spaced apart so that, in assembly, the mounting brackets60may be disposed adjacent the ends of, and between, the pivot brackets50. If desired, the pivot brackets50may be made as an integral part of the orifice plate40. If desired, the pivot shaft58may be slidably received through bores through the mounting brackets60and retained therein such as by retaining rings62received in grooves adjacent the ends of the pivot shaft58and outboard of their associated adjacent mounting brackets60. Other constructions for removeably connecting and disconnecting an end of the orifice plate40to the paste hopper18will occur to skilled artisans such as a finger or projection attached to, or integral with, one of the orifice plate40or paste hopper18, and which is slideably receivable in a recess or pocket of a bracket attached to, or integral with, the other of the orifice plate40or paste hopper18. The projection or recess or both may include a tapered surface which urges the orifice plate40into engagement with the paste hopper18as the projection is advanced into the recess or pocket.

As shown inFIGS.3-5, the clamp assembly48may have at least one and, desirably per an embodiment, a plurality of spaced-apart clamp fingers70pivotally movable to a first position shown inFIG.4engaging and clamping the orifice plate40to the paste hopper18, and pivotally moveable to a second position shown inFIG.5disengaged from and releasing the orifice plate40so that the orifice plate40can be removed from the paste hopper18. The clamp fingers70may be moved to their first and second positions by at least one and, desirably per an embodiment, at least two push-pull clamps72operably connected to the clamp fingers70. As shown inFIGS.2and3, each clamp finger70may be pivotally received on a cylindrical carrier shaft74and, desirably per an embodiment, received between a pair of tines or forks76of a yoke mounting bracket78attached to the paste hopper18by suitable fasteners such as machine cap screws80. The carrier shaft74may be slidably received through coaxial bores through the tines76of the mounting brackets78and retained therein by snap rings82received in a groove adjacent each end of the carrier shaft74and disposed outboard of an adjacent tine76. The clamp fingers70may also be connected to a connector shaft84received through a bore through each clamp finger70, spaced from the carrier shaft74and adjacent the other end of each clamp finger70and retained therein such as by snap rings86received in a groove adjacent each end of the connector shaft84and disposed outboard of an adjacent clamp finger70. If desired, the connector shaft84may be rotatable with respect to the clamp fingers70.

As shown inFIGS.2and8, each push-pull clamp72is operably connected with the connector shaft84by a link88pivotally connected adjacent one end with the connector shaft84, received through a bore through the link88and adjacent its other end pivotally connected by a pin90with a clamp bracket92to which each of a pair of rods94is attached. Between its ends, each link88is pivotally connected by a pin96to a mounting bracket98attached to the paste hopper18by fasteners such as machine cap screws100. Each rod94adjacent one end may be threadably attached to an associated clamp bracket92and adjacent the other end to its associated push-pull clamp72.

Each push-pull clamp72may have a lever102with a handle portion104adjacent one end and adjacent the other end be pivotally connected to a base bracket106attached to the paste hopper18by suitable fasteners such as machine cap screws108. The base brackets106are attached to one of the walls30of the paste hopper18. Between its ends the lever102may be pivotally connected by a pin110to each of an associated pair of the rods94received through a bore through the pin110. The effective axial length of each rod94may be adjustable by nuts112threaded on the rod94and, in assembly, bearing on opposed sides of the pin110. Each push-pull clamp72may include a latch lever114pivotally carried by the handle lever102and releaseably engageable with the base bracket106to releaseably retain the push-pull clamp72in its closed first position. In an example, suitable clamps are commercially available as model number 51335A68 from McMaster-Carr of Aurora, Ohio USA; still, other clamp products from other companies are possible in other examples.

In use, an orifice plate40may be installed on the paste hopper18by pivotally moving the paste hopper18to a position providing access to the bottom thereof, moving both push-pull clamps72to their open, second position and thus the clamp fingers70to the position shown inFIG.5, engaging the pivot brackets or bars50on the orifice plate40with the shaft58carried by the paste hopper18, moving an upper face116of the orifice plate40into engagement with a complementary bottom surface118of the paste hopper18as shown inFIG.4, and moving both push-pull clamps72to their closed first position to move the clamp fingers70into firm engagement with the orifice plate40and secure the orifice plate40to the paste hopper18. The paste hopper18may then be moved to its operating position for discharging battery paste material through the orifice44of the orifice plate40and onto a strip of battery grids as the strip is advanced relative to the orifice plate40and relative to the paste hopper18. As will be apparent to skilled persons, the orifice plate40may be disengaged and removed from the paste hopper18by generally reversing these steps for installing and securing the orifice plate40on the paste hopper18.