Abstract:
A battery-powered mining machine comprising a battery tray and a plurality of batteries. The battery tray including at least one battery partition, the battery partition made entirely of plastic. The plurality of batteries in the battery tray to provide power to the mining machine, the plurality of batteries held in place by the battery partition.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 13/440,232 filed on Apr. 5, 2012, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/609,807 filed on Mar. 12, 2012, the entire contents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a plastic battery tray and cover for use in connection with underground mining equipment, specifically battery-powered haulers. Traditional underground mining equipment battery trays and covers are made of steel or fiberglass. The strength of the steel protects the battery from falling debris, which is encountered in underground mines. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    Traditional steel battery trays have several problems associated with them. Since steel is conductive and subject to corrosion, it must be coated with a non-conducting, non-flammable, and non-corrosive coating in order to meet Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) requirements. The coating process is expensive and not completely effective since the available coatings deteriorate with time and the battery tray must eventually be stripped and recoated. In addition, the traditional steel battery tray is heavy, weighing approximately 5185 lb, resulting in a total weight of 23,750 lb when the batteries are placed within the battery tray. This weight increases the time and effort required to service the battery. The additional weight of the traditional steel battery tray also increases the load of underground mining machine components and increases the amount of energy used by the machine. While fiberglass battery trays are lightweight, the fibers of the fiberglass battery tray covers have a potential to wick and retain acid from the batteries. Once a fiberglass battery tray retains acid from the batteries it becomes conductive. 
         [0004]    In one embodiment, the invention provides a battery-powered mining machine comprising a battery tray and a plurality of batteries. The battery tray including at least one battery partition, the battery partition made entirely of plastic. The plurality of batteries in the battery tray provide power to the mining machine, and are held in place by the battery partition. 
         [0005]    In another embodiment, the invention provides a battery tray enclosing one or more batteries and being mounted to a chassis of a battery-powered mining machine. The battery tray comprises at least one battery partition. The battery partition includes spacers and is made entirely of plastic. 
         [0006]    Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  shows a battery-powered mining hauler including a battery tray and a battery tray cover embodying the invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  shows an enlarged view of the battery tray cover, illustrating two battery tray cover panels connected together by a hinge. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a view of the bottom surface of the battery tray cover shown in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  shows a battery tray and battery tray cover in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  shows a battery tray with a portion of the battery tray cover partially removed. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  shows a close-up view of fasteners for securing the battery tray cover to the battery tray. 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  shows an enlarged view of the battery tray, including one or more battery partitions. 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  shows a battery partition of the battery tray. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein are meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. 
         [0016]    Also, although directional references, such as upper, lower, downward, upward, rearward, bottom, front, rear, etc., may be made herein in describing the drawings, these references are made relative to the drawings (as normally viewed) for convenience. These directions are not intended to be taken literally or limit the present invention in any form. In addition, terms such as “first,” “second,” and “third” are used herein for purposes of description and are not intended to indicate or imply relative importance, significance, or ordering unless otherwise indicated. 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  shows a battery-powered mining hauler  1 . The battery-powered mining hauler  1  is used to transport mined material in underground mining operations. The battery-powered mining hauler  1  generally comprises a chassis, a battery tray  5 , one or more batteries  10  (shown in  FIG. 5 ), and a battery tray cover  15 . The chassis of the mining hauler  1  contains the battery tray  5 . The battery tray  5  includes sidewalls and an upper edge or lip. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the batteries  10  are enclosed within the sidewalls of the battery tray  5  and covered by the battery tray cover  15 . The batteries  10  provide DC power to the battery-powered mining hauler  1 . 
         [0018]      FIGS. 2 and 3  show a battery tray cover  15  in accordance with the present invention. The battery tray cover  15  includes cover panels  20 . In one embodiment the cover panels  20  are made of plastic, which may include any of, or any combination of polyurethane, polypropylene, polyethylene, or similar plastic. The cover panels  20  include a top surface  25  and a bottom surface  30 . The cover panels define a continuous side surface  35  between the top surface  25  and bottom surface  30 . 
         [0019]    As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5  when the battery tray cover  15  covers the battery tray  5 , the side surface  35  defines a shroud, or overhang, around the upper lip of the battery tray  5 . The side surface  35  also acts as a lift tab to facilitate lifting the cover panels  20 . 
         [0020]    The cover panels  20  are connected by hinges  40 . In one embodiment the hinges  40  are made out of metal. The hinges  40  allow access to compartments of the battery tray  5  without the need to remove the entire battery tray cover  15 . 
         [0021]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , the battery tray cover  15  also has fasteners  45 , which attach the battery tray cover  15  to the battery tray  5 . In one embodiment, the fasteners  45  are also composed of plastic and are attached to the side surface  35 . A rubber hook  50 , which is attached to the battery tray  5 , is then used to fasten the battery tray cover  15  to the battery tray  5 . In another embodiment, the fasteners  45  are composed of metal or similar material. 
         [0022]    The cover panels  20  of the battery tray cover  15  can be created using injection molding with plastic. By using plastic, the battery tray cover  15  inherently meets Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) requirements, of being non-conductive, non-flammable, and non-corrosive. Using plastic for the entire battery tray cover  15 , rather than just a coating also prevents cracking, peeling, etc. Further, the battery tray cover  15  is light weight, because of the lightweight nature of plastics. 
         [0023]    Even though made of plastic, the battery tray cover  15  is as durable as previous metal battery covers. The battery tray cover  15  is able to withstand falling debris, and other elements frequently encountered in underground mining operations. 
         [0024]    In another embodiment, shown in  FIG. 7 , the battery tray  5  further includes battery partitions  55 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , the battery partition  55  includes spacers  60  and apertures  65 . The spacers  60  secure the batteries  10  in place within the battery tray  5 . The spacers  60  can be of variable lengths, depending on the amount of space which needs to be filled within the battery tray  5 . The apertures  65  are used to securely remove the partitions  55  when necessary. 
         [0025]    The battery partitions  55 , including the spacers  60 , can also be created using injection molding with plastic which may include any of, or any combination of polyurethane, polypropylene, polyethylene, or similar plastic. Using plastic for the battery partitions  55 , rather than just a coating also prevents cracking, peeling, etc. Further, using plastic for the battery partitions  55  reduces the overall weight of the battery tray  5 . In one embodiment, the battery tray  5 , including the battery partitions  55 , weighs approximately 20,000 lb-22,500 lb when the batteries  10  are placed within the battery tray  5 . This results in approximately a 5%-15% reduction in weight when compared to traditional steel battery trays. In a more specific embodiment, the battery tray  5 , including the battery partitions  55 , weighs approximately 21,000 lb when the batteries  10  are placed within the battery tray  5 . This results in approximately a 10% reduction in weight when compared to traditional steel battery trays. 
         [0026]    Thus, the invention provides, among other things, a plastic battery cover and plastic battery partitions for underground mining equipment. Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.