Patent Publication Number: US-2007117471-A1

Title: Battery connection systems and methods for use thereof

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      The present application claims benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/597,268, filed Nov. 19, 2005, the contents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
      Not applicable.  
     REFERENCE TO APPENDIX  
      Not applicable.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      This disclosure relates generally to battery systems, and more particularly, to systems for connecting leads to battery terminals.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      To provide continuous power to a load in applications that require continuity of power, such as in hospitals and critical processes in both industrial and commercial settings, a UPS system is typically used to switch between a primary and one or more alternate power sources in the event of failure or instability of the primary source.  FIG. 1  illustrates portions of a typical UPS system  10 . As illustrated therein, one or more input power lines are connected to a UPS module  12 , and one or more battery modules  14  are connected to the UPS module. Interconnection cables  16  connect the appropriate inputs of the USP module  12  to the battery terminals (not shown) on battery module  14 . If the input power fails, the battery module  14  provides power to the UPS module  12 . Such battery back-up power may be required when, for example, power from the AC power sources are performing outside of acceptable limits or fail completely.  
      Thus, it is essential that the battery systems perform as designed or serious consequences could result because of failure or partial failure of the battery system. Battery monitoring systems are often employed to monitor the battery modules and insure that viable back-up power exists. As also illustrated in  FIG. 1 , with typical battery monitoring systems, a battery monitoring system  18  has a cable  20  with leads connected to the terminals of the battery  14  to receive signals from the cells of the batteries  14 . The monitoring system  18  interprets the signals received by the cable  20  to monitor the condition of the battery  14 .  
      For ease of installing the monitoring system  18 , quick-connect leads are used to connect the cable  20  to the battery terminals.  FIG. 2  illustrates a typical, prior art battery connection assembly that uses a quick-connect system for connecting the sensing leads to the battery terminals. The battery  14  includes a terminal  30  to which the interconnect cable  16  attaches. An externally threaded terminal bolt  32  extends through central openings in a lock washer  34 , a washer  36  and a terminal opening  38  of the interconnect cable  16 . The terminal bolt  32  is received by an internally threaded opening  40  in the battery terminal  30  to secure the interconnect cable  16  to the battery terminal  30 .  
      Additionally, as shown in  FIG. 2 , one or more tab washers  50   a,    50   b  having tabs  52  may be attached to the terminal  30  by the terminal bolt  32 . The number of tab washers  50  required depends on, for example, the number of connections to the monitoring system  18  required for each particular terminal  30 . Some terminals require a single connection to the monitor system  18  and others require two connections, for example, a sense lead and a load lead may interconnect a battery terminal to the monitor system  18 .  
      The requirement for either one or two tab washers  50  adds complexity to the installation of the UPS and monitoring system. Installers must keep track of which individual terminals require one tab washer and which terminals require two tab washers. Additionally, when two tab washers  50   a  and  50   b  are situated about the terminal bolt  32 , the tab washers  50   a,    50   b  can rotate such that the tabs  52  on the exterior of the two washers  50   a  and  50   b  become aligned or too close together to allow connection of quick connect leads to the terminal.  
      This application for patent discloses a quick-connect battery connection system, and methods for connecting a battery monitoring system to a battery using such a connection system.  
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a battery connection system is described, the connection system comprising a quick-connect washer defining a central opening therethrough and having first and second tabs extending from an outer periphery thereof for attaching to terminal ends of monitor cables, and a fastening device extending through the central opening for fastening the quick connect washer to a battery terminal. In accordance with further aspects of this embodiment, the battery connection system may further comprise an interconnect cable having a terminal end, such that the fastening device extends through an opening in the terminal end of the interconnect cable for fastening the interconnect cable to a battery terminal.  
      In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of connecting a battery monitoring system to a battery terminal is described, the method comprising the steps of fastening a quick connect washer having first and second tabs extending outwardly from an outer periphery thereof to a battery terminal, and connecting first and second cables of the battery monitoring system to the first and second tabs, respectively. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The following figures form part of the present specification and are included to further demonstrate certain aspects of the present invention. The invention may be better understood by reference to one or more of these figures in combination with the detailed description of specific embodiments presented herein.  
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating portions of an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system.  
       FIG. 2  illustrates portions of a prior art battery connection system.  
       FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary battery connection in accordance with teachings of the present disclosure.  
       FIG. 4  illustrates a further exemplary battery connection in accordance with teachings of the present disclosure.  
       FIG. 5  illustrates a detailed top view of an exemplary quick-connect washer in accordance with teachings of the present disclosure.  
       FIG. 6  illustrates a detailed top view of an alternative, exemplary quick-connect washer in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure.  
       FIG. 7  illustrates a further exemplary, alternative quick-connect washer in accordance with teachings of the present disclosure.  
       FIG. 8  illustrates a side view of the quick-connect washer of  FIG. 7 .  
       FIG. 9  illustrates a top view of a further exemplary quick-connect washer in accordance with teachings of the present disclosure.  
       FIG. 10  illustrates a side view of the quick-connect washer of  FIG. 9 . 
    
    
      While the inventions disclosed herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, only a few specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail below. The figures and detailed descriptions of these specific embodiments are not intended to limit the breadth or scope of the inventive concepts or the appended claims in any manner. Rather, the figures and detailed written descriptions are provided to illustrate the inventive concepts to a person of ordinary skill in the art and to enable such person to make and use the inventive concepts.  
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      One or more illustrative embodiments incorporating the invention disclosed herein are presented below. Not all features of an actual implementation are described or shown in this application for the sake of clarity. It is understood that in the development of an actual embodiment incorporating the present invention, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer&#39;s goals, such as compliance with system-related, business-related, government-related and other constraints, which vary by implementation and from time to time. While a developer&#39;s efforts might be complex and time-consuming, such efforts would be, nevertheless, a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill the art having benefit of this disclosure.  
      In general terms, Applicants have created quick-connect washer systems, or battery connection systems, for use in simply and rapidly connecting a battery to an appropriate system. Such a battery connection system may comprise a quick connect washer defining a central opening therethrough and having first and second tabs extending from an outer periphery thereof for attaching to terminal ends of monitor cables, and a fastening device extending through the central opening for fastening the quick connect washer to a battery terminal. Typically, the fastening device includes a bolt extending from the battery terminal and through the tab washer with a nut threaded onto the bolt to fasten the tab washer to the battery terminal. The battery connection system may further comprise an interconnect cable having a terminal end, the fastening device extending through an opening in the terminal end of the interconnect cable for fastening the interconnect cable to the battery terminal. The first and second tabs on the outer periphery of the washer of the system may be disposed to each other at an angle ranging from about 5° to about 180°, and/or may be bent at an angle away from the plane of the washer, the angle of bend ranging from about 5° to about 75°. Additionally, the quick connect washer may comprise a flat side generally opposite the first and second tabs.  
      Turning now to the figures,  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4  illustrate systems  100  and  101  for attaching cables to a battery terminal  30 . These systems can provide, for example, a simple and rapid means to connect a battery  14  to a UPS module  12  and a battery monitoring system  18  as shown in  FIG. 1 . For simplicity, a single battery  14  is shown in  FIG. 1 , though typically several batteries may be connected to the UPS module  12  and the monitor  18 . The systems  100 , 101  include a quick connect washer  110  that has first and second tabs  111  and  112  extending from the outer periphery of the washer  110 . The tabs  111  and  112  allow for easy connection of one or two monitoring cables as may be required for the specific application. A fastening device such as a terminal bolt  32  extends through the central opening of the washer  110  to attach it to the battery terminal  30 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the terminal bolt  32  is received by a threaded opening  40  in the terminal  30 . In  FIG. 4 , the battery terminal includes a flag post  42  and the terminal bolt  32  extends from the flag post  42 , with a nut  44  threaded onto the bolt  32  to attach the quick connect washer  110  to the terminal.  
      As shown in the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the terminal bolt  32  further extends through an opening  38  in the terminal end of the interconnect cable  16  to fasten it to the battery terminal  30 . Additional fastening hardware, such as a lock washer  34  and flat washer  36  may be further provided, as in the illustrated exemplary embodiments shown, in order to more securely fasten the interconnect cable  16  and quick connect washer  110  to the battery terminal  30 .  
       FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6  illustrate details of exemplary quick connect washers  110 A and  110 B. In  FIG. 5 , the body of the washer  110 A is shown to be generally annular with the tabs  111 ,  112  extending from the outer periphery  114  of the washer  110 , and generally in the same plane as the top surface  116  of the washer. In the aspect of the disclosure shown in  FIG. 6 , a portion of the outer periphery of the washer  110 B defines a flat side  120  generally opposite the tabs  111 ,  112 , and perpendicular to top surface  116  of the washer. The flat side  120  may be included to help prevent the quick connect washer  110 B from rotating about the terminal bolt  32 , thereby keeping the tabs  111 , 112  in the desired position for attachment of the monitor cables. Similar to  FIG. 5 , the aspect of the disclosure illustrated in  FIG. 6  has tabs  111  and  112  located in the same plane as the top surface  116  of the washer. In both  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , tabs  111  and  112  extend outward from the periphery  114  of the washer  110 , and are oriented at an angle α relative to each other, the angle α ranging from about 5° to about 180°, and more preferably from about 5° to about 120°. Suitable values for the orientation angle α described herein include, but are not limited to, about 10°, about 15°, about 20°, about 25°, about 30°, about 35°, about 40°, about 45°, about 50°, about 55°, about 60°, about 65°, about 70°, about 75°, about 80°, about 85°, about 90°, about 95°, about 100°, about 105°, about 110°, about 115°, and about 120°, as well as values falling within any two values in this range, e.g., from about 15° to about 45°. In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, the orientation angle α is preferably about 60°.  
      Turning to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , a quick-connect washer  210 A in accordance with further aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. As described with regard to quick-connect connect washer  110 A above, the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8  also include a circular central opening  122 , through which the terminal bolt  32  may extend. Quick-connect washer  210 A has a body that is generally annular in shape, with the tabs  211  and  212  extending from the outer periphery  214  of the washer  210 A. Similar to the aspect shown in  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , tabs  211  and  212  are oriented at an angle α relative to each other, the angle α ranging from about 5° to about 180°, more preferably from about 5° to about 120°, and even more preferably from about 10° to about 60°. In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, the tabs  211  and  212  are oriented at an angle α of about 30°. Tabs  211  and  212  are also upwardly offset from the plane defined by the top surface  216  of the washer  210 A. This is shown more clearly in the side profile view of  FIG. 8 , wherein tabs  211  and  212  are illustrated to be upwardly offset by an angle β as shown, wherein the angle β is measured from the plane defined by the bottom surface  218  of washer  210 A to the bottom face of tab  211  or  212 . In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, the angle β may range from about 1° to about 60°, more preferably from about 5° to about 50°. Suitable values for the offset angle β described herein include, but are not limited to, about 5°, about 10°, about 15°, about 20°, about 25°, about 30°, about 35°, about 40°, about 45°, about 50°, about 55°, and about 60°, as well as values falling within any two values in this range, e.g., from about 15° to about 45°. In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, the tabs  211  and  212  are upwardly offset by an angle β of about 30°. The inclusion of the offset for tabs  211  and  212  is that in some instances, during installation, it becomes necessary to raise the tabs in order to insert the female connector onto the tab. With the inclusion of the upward offset of the tabs, the connector may be inserted with no preliminary adjustment of the tabs on the washer being necessary. Regardless of the angle β selected, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, the angle β is selected so as to produce as low a profile as possible, in order to give the wiring itself a low profile.  
       FIGS. 9 and 10  illustrate a quick-connect washer  210 B in accordance with yet another aspect of the present disclosure, wherein a portion of the outer periphery of the washer  210 B defines a flat side  220  generally opposite the tabs  211  and  212 , and perpendicular to the top surface  216  of the washer. The flat side  220  may be included to help prevent the quick-connect washer  210 B from rotating about the terminal bolt  32 , thereby keeping the tabs  211  and  212  in the desired position for attachment of the monitor cables. Similar to the aspect shown in  FIG. 7 , tabs  211  and  212  are oriented at an angle α relative to each other, the angle α ranging from about 5° to about 180°, more preferably from about 5° to about 120°, and even more preferably from about 10° to about 60°. In the side profile illustrated in  FIG. 10 , it can be seen that tabs  211  and  212  are also upwardly offset by an angle β, the angle β having been described above in accordance with the aspect of  FIGS. 7 and 8 . In accordance with one preferred aspect of the present disclosure, the quick-connect washer  210 B comprises a flat side  220  and two tabs  211  and  212 , the tabs having an orientation angle α of about 30°, and an upward offset angle β of about 30°.  
      The embodiments shown in  FIGS. 5-10  include a circular central opening  122  having a diameter d 1  through which the terminal bolt  32  extends. Diameter d 1  of opening  122  may be of any appropriate distance, and will depend largely upon the diameter of the terminal bolt  32  or other suitable protrusion that is to extend therethrough. For example, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, and without limitation, central opening  122  has a diameter d 1  that is at least ½ of the outer diameter d 2  of the quick-connect washer itself, regardless of the exterior shape of the washer.  
      The quick connect washers  110  and  210  as described herein can be manufactured from a number of appropriate materials. For example, in accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, stainless steel is a suitable material for the quick connect washer  110  in battery applications, although any appropriate material may be used in the manufacture of quick-connect washers  110  and  210 . Such suitable materials include but are not limited to steel; aluminum; brass; bronze; copper; molybdenum; tungsten; titanium; zinc; alloys; plastics, such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride); and materials which comprise one or more of the transition metal elements in the Periodic Table of Elements. Additionally, in accordance with further aspects of the present disclosure, the quick-connect washers  110  and  210  described herein may be coated with any desirable, and appropriate, coating material, such as those materials useful in preventing corrosion and extending the life of the quick-connect washer.  
      In accordance with further aspects of the present disclosure, while the washers  110 A,  110 B,  210 A and  210 B have been generally illustrated as having an annular (circular) periphery, or optionally an annular periphery comprising a flat side  120 , those of skill in the art will realize that the quick-connect washers described herein may have a periphery of any desired geometric shape, including but not limited to square, hexagonal, trigonal, heptagonal, octagonal, and the like. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the quick-connect washers of the present disclosure preferably have a hexagonal shaped periphery. Similarly, the quick-connect washers of the present disclosure have been described to have two tabs extending from the periphery of the washer. However, it is envisioned that the washers described herein could have more than two tabs extending from the periphery of the washers, the tabs being oriented spatially as appropriate.  
      The invention has been described in the context of preferred and other embodiments and not every embodiment of the invention has been described. Obvious modifications and alterations to the described embodiments are available to those of ordinary skill in the art. The disclosed and undisclosed embodiments are not intended to limit or restrict the scope or applicability of the invention conceived of by the Applicants, but rather, in conformity with the patent laws, Applicants intends to protect all such modifications and improvements to the full extent that such falls within the scope or range of equivalent of the following claims.