A BATTERY BOX FOR LIFE LIGHTS

Abstract: A battery box (1) for a life light (8), in particular for inflatable liferafts, contains a battery and a magnetically operable switch. Amagnet for cooperation with the switch is disposed in one end (19) of an activation grip (4, 5), said end being designed to be received in a collar (3) on the battery box closely adjacent to the switch. When the activation grip (4, 5) cooperates with the collar (3), the power to the life light is turned off, and when the activation means (4, 5) is pulled out, the power is turned off. This structure is particularly advantageous for inflatable liferafts where the battery box (1) and the activation grip (4, 5) are separately attached to the liferaft in such positions that the elements (1, 4, 5) are in engagement in the stowed condition of the raft. When the raft is inflated, the elements (1, 4, 5) can be torn away from each other without causing damage.

Description: A battery box for life lights The invention relates to a battery box for life lights, in particular for inflatable liferafts, said box con¬ taining a battery and a magnetically sensitive switch connected in series with the battery, said battery box being designed for watertight coupling to a power- consuming component. For many years this purpose has been served by salt water batteries, which have been increasingly replaced by lithium batteries in recent years. The power consuming component can typically be a lamp, which is mounted water¬ tight on the battery box or is placed exteriorly on top of the liferaft and is connected watertight with the battery box by means of a lead. It is an indispensable requirement that the lamp shall light when the liferaft is inflated, but it will at the same time be understood that it is an advantage to be able to turn-off the lamp, in particular in daylight to save power. The object of the invention is to provide a battery box with an operable switch which is particularly expedient for the above-mentioned use. This object is achieved in that the battery box is con¬ structed as stated in the characterizing portion of claim 1. There is nothing new in principle of providing a water¬ tight switch by means of e.g. a reed relay and a magnet disposed on their respective sides of a watertight barrier, but when this principle is used in connection with the other features defined in the characterizing portion of claim 1, a combination of several advantages is obtained. The quite decisive advantage is that the separate, magnetic activation means can be pulled or torn out of engagement with the battery box, which has special relation to inflatable life-saving equipment such as rafts, jackets and dresses, because the battery box and the activation means are separately attached to e.g. the liferaft so that the activation means is received in the mentioned coupling means when the raft is in the stowed condition. When the raft is inflated, the activation means is torn out of the coupling means, as intended, so that neither the battery box nor the liferaft is damaged. Since the magnetic activation means and the battery box can thus be removed completely from each other, the lamp lights with certainty, even if the activation means contains a relatively strong magnet. A relatively strong magnet is an advantage, partly because it is fully ensured that the lamp does not light when the raft is in the stowed con¬ dition, partly because this makes less stringent demands on the position of the magnetically sensitive switch with respect to the coupling means of the battery box. The structure moreover allows the coupling means and the acti- vation means to be so designed that the lamp can be turned off simply by passing the activation means closely adjacent to the coupling means without causing it to engage these, so that precise Morse signalling can easily be established since no frictional force between the activation and the coupling means has to be overcome. The battery box is preferably cylindrical with an internal diameter which fits a lithium battery, and space can therefore be saved when the switch is placed in the bottom of the cylindrical battery box, as stated in claim 2, which moreover defines a preferred embodiment of the coupling means. Claim 3 defines an expedient detail in the shaping of the plug, which contains a magnet, the magnet being automa¬ tically oriented correctly with respect to the switch in the battery box. When the switch and the magnet are positioned as stated in claim 4 or when two switches are placed in the battery box, as stated in claim 5, the above-mentioned Morse signalling can also be established by means of a relatively weak magnet. The invention will be explained more fully by the follow¬ ing description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the drawing, in which fig. 1 is an external view of the battery box of the invention, fig. 2 is a section through the embodiment of fig. 1, fig. 3 is a section through a coupling cap for the battery box, while fig. 4 shows preferred loose parts in connection with watertight mounting of an electric bulb. The embodiment of the battery box shown in fig. 1 com¬ prises a cylindrical housing 1 which is coherent with a mounting flange 2. At one end of the housing there is provided a collar 3 designed to receive a plug 4 at the end of an activation grip 5, and at the other end . of the housing there is shown a coupling cap 6, which is con¬ nected to a light 8 through a lead 7, said light 8 con¬ taining a bulb which can receive power from a battery in the housing 1 via a switch which can be activated by means of the plug 4, as will be explained below. Fig. 2 shows a section through the housing 1 and the plug 4 from fig. 1. The housing 1 accomodates a battery . , preferably a lithium battery, whose terminals 10, 11 are electrically connected to contact regions in a coupling piece 12. More particularly, the terminal 10 is connected directly with internal threads 13 of an electrically conductive material, while the terminal 11 is connected with a central, conductive member 14 via a reed relay 15, which is disposed adjacent to the opposite housing end wall with respect to the coupling piece 12. The part of the cavity of the housing 1 which is not occupied by the mentioned parts is preferably filled with a filler. Fig. 2 moreover shows a section through the plug 4, which contains a permanent magnet 16 embedded in a cast compound 17. The outer contour of the plug corresponds to the open cavity defined by the collar 3, so that the plug 4 can be received snugly, but movably in the collar 3. When the plug 4 is received in the collar 3, the magnet 16 is sufficiently close to the reed relay 15 for this relay to be activated, and in most uses the relay will be so designed as to cut off the supply of power to the light 8 in the activated condition. It will then be appreciated that when the plug 4 is removed sufficiently far away from the relay 15 by means of the activation grip 5, the relay 15 will be deactivated and cut in current to the light 8. The arrangement of the activation means of the invention as described in the foregoing is particular expedient in connection with inflatable life-saving equipment. In case of e.g. an inflatable liferaft, the flange 2 and the activation grip 5 are attached to such locations on the liferaft that the plug 4 is received in the collar 3 in the stowed condition of the raft, and so that the plug 4 is torn out of engagement with the collar 3 when the raft folds out. In this context it is important that the plug 4 can be torn completely out of engagement with the collar 3 so that the members are not destroyed when the raft is inflated. Also, the position of the housing 1 and the activation grip 5 is not critical in the stowing of the raft. A battery box of the described type will usually be placed internally in the raft so that those in distress can release the activation grip 5 from the raft and insert the plug 4 into the collar 3, permitting the light 8 to be turned off in daylight to save power. However, it is important that the light 8, which is mounted on the out¬ side on top of the raft, always lights in connection with the inflation, so that the raft " automatically serves as a reliable piece of life-saving equipment, because it cannot be expected that those in distress, at any rate not for some time, ' will remember to turn on the life light. The activation means have other advantages as well. As appears from the figures, the collar 3 and the plug 4 are substantially cylindrical, but have a flattened portion 18, 19, respectively, ensuring that the magnet 16 is positioned correctly with respect to the relay 15. Further, the flattened portions entail that the relay 15 and the magnet 16 can be replaced relatively closely to the respective flat walls 18, 19, so that the relay 15 can be activated by a relatively strong magnet when the plug 4 is held manually in the position shown in broken lines in fig. 2. Further, a relatively strong magnet will be advantageous because this provides full certainty of activation of the relay when the plug 4 is received in the collar 3, and at the same time deactivation is also ensured because the plug 4 can be torn completely out of and away from the collar 3. The activation position shown in broken lines in fig. 2 entails that the plug is readily movable with a view to Morse signalling, which cannot be performed precisely when the plug 4 is reciprocated inside the collar 3 because of relatively great friction. If the distance between the relay 15 and the magnet 16 is too large in the position shown in broken lines, the housing 1 may alternatively contain an additional reed relay 20, which is shown in broken lines in fig. 2, and which is connected in series with the relay 15. The coupling piece 12 is cylindrical and, as previously mentioned, provided with internal, electrically conductive threads and has moreover external threads 21. By means of this structure it is possible either to attach the coupling cap 6 or to attach a bulb directly, as will be described in the following. Fig. 3 shows a section through the coupling cap 6, which is conical and has a cavity 22; electrically conductive threads 23 and a contact point 24 electrically insulated with respect to the threads are embedded in the cavity, the threads and the contact point being connected to their respective conductors in a lead 7 which extends outwardly from the coupling cap. The threads 23 are designed to co¬ operate with the threads 13 in the coupling piece 12 so that the coupling cap can be screwed down over the coupling piece 12, with the internal wall 25 of the coupl¬ ing cap clearing the external threads 21 on the coupling piece. The housing 1 is moreover provided with a bead 26 which is concentric with respect to the coupling piece 12 and which, upon engagement with the ring-shaped end face of the coupling cap, ensures watertight connection when the coupling cap is screwed on to the housing 1. Fig. 4 shows a foot member 27, an electric bulb 28 and a cap 29, which in combination constitutes the light 8 from fig. 1. The foot member 27 is connected with the lead 7 and comprises external and internal threads as well as an annular bead of the same structure as described in the foregoing in connection with the coupling piece 12. The cap 29 is provided with internal threads 30 to cooperate with the external threads of the foot member 27. However, the threads 30 also fit the threads 21 on the coupling piece 12, and it will therefore be appreciated that the bulb 28 can be screwed directly down into the coupling piece 12 and then the cap 29 can be screwed on to the coupling piece to provide an alternative, watertight structure. The latter alternative constructure is of interest as an orientation light in a liferaft. It will moreover be appreciated that lead assemblies with a plurality of coupling caps may be provided, so that it is possible e.g. to connect several batteries in series with a view to increased operational voltage for the life light.

Claims: P a t e n t C l a i m s 1. A battery box for a life light, in particular for inflatable liferafts, said box containing a battery and a magnetically sensitive switch connected in series with the battery, said battery box being designed for water¬ tight coupling to a power-consuming component, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the battery box has coupling means on the outside, said coupling means being disposed closely adjacent to the switch and designed to receive a separate, magnetic activation means in a position in which the activation means cooperates magnetically with the switch and so that the activation means can easily be drawn out of engagement with and away from the battery box. 2. A battery box according to claim 1, said battery box being cylindrical, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the magnetically sensitive switch is placed in the bottom of the cylinder, and that the bottom has a collar on the outside to receive a plug, which contains a magnet and which, coherent with an activation grip, constitutes the activation means. 3. A battery box according to claim 2, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the plug is cylindrical and has a cross-section in the shape of a segment of a circle. 4. A battery box according to claim 2 or 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the magnet is disposed closely adjacent to the periphery of the plug.

Inventors: HANSEN KJELD, HANSEN, KJELD
Applicants: BH IND, BH-INDUSTRI
Application year: 1985
Main classification: B63B45
IPC codes: B63C9, H01M2