CA1102410A - Automated battery post burn apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

AUTOMATED POST BURN STATION

Abstract of the Disclosure An automated apparatus for sequentially forming integ-rally fused battery terminals on a plurality of storage batteries is described wherein a head means having a mold means adjustably mounted thereon is automatically movable with respect to a verti-cal axis, and has slidably mounted thereon a burning means for automatically producing a variable-intensity flame for melting said battery elements to form said integrally fused battery ter-minal during a vertical stroke thereof. An automated post burn station is further described having a conveyor means for advanc-ing batteries sequentially to said burning station and for align-ing said batteries with respect to said station for the above described fusing process. A plurality of novel sensors incor-porated into the automated post burn station facilitates the rapid, automatic processing of batteries, while providing a high degree of safety and reliability.
In alternate embodiments of the present invention, members may be welded together by indirect application of heat, as for welding internal battery posts for connecting groups of plates or terminal posts electrically, through the use of a plurality of heated elements simultaneously engaging posts to be welded together, and wherein the configuration of molten metal is controlled as the weld cools, by the use of a template.
The elements are heated, preferably by application of open flame through a plurality of mixing systems for the fuel, with one system being provided for each element.

Description

In both the indirect and direct heat applications relating to welding mechanisms for forming terminal posts for batteries, a novel molding means i5 described comprising a structural member composed of aluminum or other high heat trans fer material, which is adapted to interchangeably engage an aluminum mold member which mates with the structural housing and which actually forms the voids in which th~ melting and castincJ
processes ta]ce~place. The mold members, which are aIso composed of aluminum or other high heat transfer material, are provided with a novel mold coating consisting essentially of aluminum oxide formed through an anodization process. This novel mold coating is disposed on the surfaces of the mold members which define the molding voids, and act as a thermal barrier to cause momentary delay of heat transfer from the melted terminal posts to the remainder of the mold members and their associated struc-tural housings. This novel mold coating is described as having superior release characteristics, while facilitating the forma-tion of high quality battery terminal posts.

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sackground OL -the Invention The present invention relates generally to the field of battery post forming and/or burning, and more particularly, to the field of burning battery posts with battery cover bushings for the purpose of forming an integrally fused battery terminal on the outer surface oE the battery ca.se. This invention, there-fore, relates ~o weldin~ in general, and speci~ically, for weld-ing battery terminal posts, as -Eor example, the type of battery terminals used in automobile batteries.
In welding of vaxious members together, it is common~
place to use a welding rod having flux therein, for many types of welding, such as arc welding. In other instances, particular-ly when the materials being welded together are soft, such as h those comprising pot metal, lead, lead alloys, or like materials, welding may be effected by ~pplication of open flame to members that are to be welded together. In many instances, such tech-niques are highly desired and quite meritorious, however, in some instances, as for example, when electrical conductivity is desired, it becomes paramount that the connection between members beiny welded be such as to create minimal electrical resistance.
In the manufacture of electric storage batteries, such as the lead acid batteries normally used in automobiles, groups of battery plates and separators contained in separate cells ln a battery case are placed in the case, after which time the various cells are joined in any of a number of ways to form intercellular connections therebetween. At the end of the stor-age battery, slender battery posts which will form the positive and negative terminals of the battery extend above the upper surface of ~he open battery case. These battery cases, which .

are normally composed of polypropylene or other plastic material, are adapted to receive thereon a polypropyl~ne battery cover, which has formed therein two lead bushings adapted to be pierced by the battery posts when the cover is fitted onto the top of the case. A liquid-tight seal is then formed between the battery case and battery coverl either by gluing, ultrasonic weldiny, or by heat sealing means, and the final mechanical assemhly is com-pleted by Eusing the battery post elements with the battery cov-er bushing elements to produce the desired positive and negative battery terminals.
Following the burning of the battery bushing elements and battery post elements to form positive and negative terminals on the battery, acid filling, forming and other operations~ may be conducted in order to produce a finished battery. Consequent-ly, the burning process for forming integral~ leak-proof battery terminals is only one step in the assembly of the complete electric storage battery.
The present invention also relates to the art of pro-ducing intercellular ccnnections between pluralities of cells

2~ within a battery. In each cell, there are disposed a plurality of parallel but spaced plates, each having a lug e~tending there~
from, with various lugs keing interconnected by a battery strap, by any suitable means, such as that disclosed in United States Patent No. 3~395,748. Extending from a strap of this type, which connects plates of a given cell, is a post. Adjacent cells in a given battery are separated by cell partitions. Posts or groups of plates and adjacent cells must he connected for elec-trical conductivity between the cells. Accordingly, it is also this connection of adjacent battery cell posts that is of inter-est in this application.

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Because of the presence of the cell parti~ion betweenthe posts, the posts are somewhat spaced at their upper end, in that the posts e~tend generall~ upw~rdly above the height of the cell partitions, such up~ard extensi:on or protrusion facilitating the application of heat thereto, for obtaining an eIectrical connection between the posts across the upper end o e an associ.-ated plate~ Because the necessity of o~taining good electrical conducti~ity across such post connections, the' art of ~elding battery posts has become highly de~eloped r with individuals fo~
performing the same havin~ developed a high degree of skill ~ith respect thereto.
In weIding battery post~, ei'.ther during the fusing process ~ith battery cover bus:hi:ng eIements or ~ith adjacent posts, it is possible to use a gas-~xygen torch or the like, of an intensity which will permit the delivery of sufficiently high temperature to the eIements. to be'joined, whi:le at the same time preventing the matexial at the'upper end of the posts closest to the flame rom reaching excessive temperatures, s.uch that early metal 10w from the upper ends of the posts commences, such flo~ continuing do~n into the space between the'posts and bushings and/or bet~een the two posts above the separator plates and solidifyin~ there, before lo~er ends of the posts in the vicinity of the upper end of the separator plate and/or at the base of the bushings ha~e become suicientIy heated~ thereb~
resulting in an incomplete fusi:on of metal at a locati.on corres-ponding to the base o the battery termlnal to be formed and/or at the upper edge of the cell partition. Thus, the result i5 that while a good fusion may exist at the upper ends of the weld, often, at the lowermost ends of the ~eld the fusion is imperfect, with insufficient bond to provide sufficiently low electrical resistance as a connector~ In order to avoid this, an Gperator may play the torch bet~een the ~arious elements to be welded, however, particularly in the case of the polypropylene battery cover, it is not possible to hold the torch in close proximit~
to that battery cover for fear that the battery c~ver will be~
come scorched or damaged around its junction with the bushin~.
Accordin~ly, the results of weldin~ battery terminals often results in variations Qr lack of un~formit~ in weId~ent$ t de-pending upon the particular operator or ~eIder involved~ as well as resuIting in an undes~rahle percentage of re-jects due to welds that have a sufficiently goQd " .

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external appearance to pass customary quality controls, but which are really poor weldments. Furthermore, since the appearance of battery terminals, unlike intercel]ular connections, are available for visual inspection by the intended consumer, even if a weld of high electrical integrity i.s formed by the process, the battery is likely to be rejected if the resulting battery terminal lacks a solid, uniform appearance.
S~mary of the Invention The present invention is directed towards overcoming the above and other dif~iculties in connecti.on with the welding of battery terminal posts, as well as with welding in general~
by providing novel apparatus whereby adjacent members, such as battery terminal posts and battery cover bushings, may be welded.
To this end the invention consists of an automated apparatus for sequentially forming integrally fused battery terminal.s on a plurality of storage batteries, each o-f which comprises at least one battery post element and adjacent battery bushing element, said apparatus comprising: (a) a frame, (b) head means associated with the frame and movable with respect to said frame along a first axis between standby and molding positions, said head means having mold means mounted thereon to matably encircle bat~ery elements of a battery in a battery fusing position when said head means is in said molding position, ~c) burning means capable of selectively producing a flame -for melting said battery elements when in a burning position, said burning means being mounted in slidable engagement along said first axis on sald head means, for movement with respect to said head means between a first pilot and a second burning position.
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the head means is movable alon~ the vertical axis, having mounted thereon the mold means which is adapted to matably encircle the battery bushing element and battery post element to be fused, and to act as a mold when the head means is in its molding position along that axis. The burning means is capable of producing a variable intensity ~lame ~or preheating, melting and post warming said battery elements and is mounted in slidable engagement on said head means. The heat which is applied thereby is automatically modulated not only by the proximity of the burning means as it moves towards and away from the battery elements to be melted, but also by a pre-selected variation o-f the intensity of the flame produced by the burning means, which variation is produced as the burning means moves between the pilot and the burning position. The _ 7a -novel flame regulation of the p~eferred embodiment of the present invention is accomplished through the use of a fixed trip member mounted on the head means, which cams with a lever means which is adapted to regulate the gas flow o-f the burner.
Consequently, by reason of movement and the variable flame intensity described above, applicant has provided modulated heat application which produces an e~tremely uni:Eorm battery terminal.
In the preferred embodiment a novel conveyor means is also provided which is adapted to sequentially store and move batteries from a first hold position to a second operating position. This conveyor means further provides clamp means for transversely forcing each of said batteies into a battery element fusing position with respect to the vertical axis of travel of said burning means and said mold means. A feed sensing means is mounted on the apparatus for sensing the longitudinal advancement of a battery from the hold position towards the operating position, and -for causing the stop means to move -from ~he normal position which does not impede the longitudinal movement of batteries to the stop position wherein batteries are halted at said hold and operating positions. The feed sensing means further causes the movement of the clamp means from its retracted to its clamped position in timed response to the sensing of the longitudinal movement of batteries. An alignment sensing means then determines the movement of the clamp means to the fully clamped position, and .

causes a cylinder means to move a head means from its standby to its molding position, wherein molds whlch are adjustably mounted on the head means, ma~ably encircle said battery elements to define a void therearound of the shape of the desired battery terminal. As the head means moves to the molding position, an abort means senses the lack oE a battery in the battery fusing position, as might occur where a battery has been manually re-moved or where the apparatus has otherw;.se malflmctioned. This abort means then overrides the rè~ai.ning portion of the operating cycle of the apparatus, preventing the flame from firing and causing the head means to return to the standby position and the stop means to move from the stopped to the normal position so that the next battery may be introduced into the apparatus.
Alternatively, battery sensing means are provided to determine the presence of a bat-tery in the fusing ~osition when the head means assumes the molding position, which battery sensing means causes a hydraulic cylinder to move the burning means from its pilot to a burning position. As described above, the burning means further comprises a lever means for contacting a trip member fixedly engaged on the head means~ thereby automat-ically regulating the intensity of the flame from a minimum pilot flame ~hen the burning means is in the pilot posi~ion to a maximum when the burning means is in the burn positiQn. As a result, as the burning means moves towards the elements to be fused, the intensity of heat administered to those elements increases as the result of the proximity of the flame to those element~, and also by reason of the intensity of that ~_ g _ z~

flame. Upon movement of the burning means to the burning position, a travel sensing means determines the presence of said burning means in that burning position and causes the aforementioned hydraulic means to immediately begin moving the burning means back to said pilot position. The afore-mentioned trip member and lever means siJnilarly respond to the retraction of the burning means by gradually reducing the intensity of the flame to its pilot condition. As a result of this novel burner action, the battery elements to be fused are preheated prior to melting, which preheating helps to eliminate the production of a cold joint such as might occur had the high intensity flame initially been directly applied to the cold battery elements. During the melting portion of the cycle, the high intensity flame is in close proximity to the elements, causing the complete melting thereof. Finally, as the torch carriage returns towards the pilot position, a post-heating phase o-f the cycle occurs which prevents the outer surfaces of the terminal from prematurely cooling, thereby creating a puddling effect on the top of the melted terminal which produces an even, uniform terminal. As a re sult, the novel burning cycle of the present invention pro-duces a fused joint which is extremely even and in which there is little or not layering or antimony precipitation.
There follows a detailed description of embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
~rief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of an apparatus for welding battery terminal posts in accordance with an embodi-ment of the present invention, showing this embodiment dis-posed above a battery that, in itself, is partially illustratedin section for clarity of illustration, with the battery being ~ . .
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disposed on a conveyor;
Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse view of a portion of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1, taken generally along the lines 2-2 of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a further enlarged fragmentary sectional view~ taken through an embodiment of the heat applying devices of this invention, taken generally along the lines 3-3 of ~ig. 2;
Fig. ~ is a perspectlve view of some of the welding apparatus illustrated in Fig. l;
Fig. 5a is a fragmentary view of a pair of upstanding battery posts with a ~ell partition between adjacent battery cells being disposed therebetween;
Fig. 5b is a fragmentary view of the pair of adjacent battery posts of Fig. 5a, with a template disposed thereover, and with a welding element received within the template, at - the lower end of its stroke of penetration of liquified post portions;
Fig. 5c is a fragmentaxy view of portions of the illustration of Fig. 5b, at a later stages 7 after withdrawal ~ -~ri ': ;

of a weldin~ element from the void in the template in which the liquid mass will be molded into solid formi Fig. 5d is a fragmentary transverse view of a completed weld of battery posts of adjacent cells, welded across a parti-tion, and with a battery cover beina fragmentally illustrated in phantom disposed thereover, in order to hest illustrate the manner in which a cover may accurately fit over an accurate and uniform battery post welded in accordance with this invention;
Fig. 6 shows an assembled view of an alternate illus-trative embodiment of the principles of the present inventionwhich features flexibly adjustable locations for the heating elements and also a flexible template system;
Fig. 7 shows a cutaway of a portion of the Fig. 6 apparatus;
Fig. 8 shows in cutaway a variab]e position template embodying the principles of the present invention;
Fig. 9 shows an overlaying plate to regulate the posi-tion of the heating elements, as desired;
Figs. lOa through lOd show the operation of the appara-tus of Figs. 6 through 9 to secure terminal posts to bushingstherefor;
Fig. 11 is a front view of an apparatus for burnin~
battery terminal posts and battery cover bushings in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 12 is a perspective vie~ of a portion of the moldin~ and burning apparatus as illustrated in Fig. 11;
Fig. 13 is a greatly enlarged cross section of the portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 12, taken as indicated by the lines and arrows 13-13 in Fig. 12; and _ ~ .

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Fig. 14 is a schematic representation o~ the various sensing means of the preferred embodiment of the present inven-tion shown in association wi~h a front elevation of an apparatus in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present inven-tion, similar to that shown in Fig. 11.

Detailed Description of the Drawings Although specific forms of the invention have been selected for illustration in the drawings~ and the follow.ing description is drawn in specific terms for the purpose of des-cribing these forms of the invention, this description is not intended to limit the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.
Referring now to the drawings in detail, reference is first made to Fig. 1, and particularly to the lower end thereof, wherein there is illustrated a battery, generally designated by the numeral 10, disposed u~on a conveyor 11l having a plurality of transverse rollers 12 for movement of the battery 10 from left to right as viewed in Fig. 1, across the rollers 12.
A plurality of cells (six in number), such as those 13 and 14, are illustrated, in which are disposed a plurality of plates 15 extending downwardly from plate straps such as those 16 and 17, the plate straps 16 and 17 having been already con-nected to the plates 15, by any suitable means, such as that described in U.S. Patent No. 3~395~748r or by any other means.
The cells 13 and 14 are separated by suitable cell par~itions 18, constructed of an inert material, such as plastic or rubber (due to the presence of battery acid within the cells 13, 14, etc.). The partition 18 extends vertically upwardly between posts 20 and 21 of adjacent cells 14 and 13, respectively, . .

with the partition 18 terminating at its upper end short of the upper ends of the posts 20 and 21~ leaving a space 22 therebetween.
It is this space 22 that, upon welding by the use of open flame being applied to posts 20 and 21, may become filled with molten or liquid lead ~or other post material) from the upper ends of the posts 20 and 21, and flow downwardly to solicl ify in the space 22 just above the separator plate 18, without application of a proper amount of heat to those portions of the posts 20 and 21, below the upper ends thereof as illustrated in Fiy. 5a, in the vicinity of the upper end of the cell partition 18.
A template 23, constructed of some material ~preferably metal) having a melting point substantially in excess of that of the material of the posts 20 and 21, is provided, on the~battery-, at the upper ends thereof, as illustrated in Fig. l, with pairs of posts 20 and 21 extending upwardly through voids 24 therein~
It will be clear that the voids 24 extend entirely through the template 23, and that the voids 24 comprise central portions 25 of a desired size and configuration corresponding to the posts, to easily receive and contain the same.
The upper and lower ends of the voids 24 are counter-sunk as at 26 and 27, to permit reception of posts 20 and 21 through the lower ends 27 of the voids 24, and to provide a dished portion 26 at the upper end of each void 24, to accommo- -date the recep-tion of molten metal during the welding operation, with ~he lower countersink or cut-away portion 27 also facilitat ing the removal of the template 23 after the welding operation i5 complete~ with the weldments solidified. It will further be noted that the templete 23 is received on the upper lip of the 30 casing 28 o~ the battery 10, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

With particular reference to Fi~s. 5a, 5b and 5c, it will be seen that a heated element 30 that has been heated by means later to be described herein, to a temperature sufficient to melt the upper ends of posts 20 and 21 of ad~acent battery cells, across the top of a partition 18, is lowered into engage-ment with the upper ends of the posts 20 and 21, and proceeds .
to melt the same, into a li~uid state, and then to continue its downward movement, penetratincJ thè li~uid portions o:E the posts members 20 and 21 being pro~ressively melted as the element 30 moves downwardly, throughout a predetermined vertically downward stroke of movement of the element 30, such stroke al~o including a dwell time at the lower end thereof, as illustrated in Fig. 5b, if desired ~but such dwell not being required), followed by re-traction, or vertically upward movement of the element 30, in the direction of the arrow 31 illustrated in Fig. 5c, whereby the mass of liquid melt displaced into the zone 26 of the templet 23 during that portion of the operation illustrated in Fig. 5b, is free to fill the zone 25 of the void 24 of the templet 23, above the upper end of the partition 18, as illustrated in Fig. 5c, for cooling and solidification of the melt in the zone 25. I~ will be noted that a plurality (five in numberj of such elements 30 may be utiliz~d simultaneously, in order to simultaneously effect flve different welds, between posts of adjacent battery cells, or in fact any desired number of SllCh weldments may be effected, for battery ce].ls, or for any other purpose, by the above-men-tioned method of maintaining a constant temperature for the element 30 and delivering such temperature completely throughout the zone of the posts 20 and 21, or other members, in which the weldment is desired.
Furthermore, it will be noted that the voids 2~, and particularly the central portions 25 thereof, comprise molds for ~5 - ~6 -- ~ . .
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the welds, during solidification and cooling thereof. After the welas are solidified, the templet 23 may be removed from the casing 28 of the battery 10, for reuse, as desired.
With particular reference to Fiq. 5d, it will be apparent that a battery cover 32, having an annular cylindrical protrusion 33, for each pair o~ battery posts welded together, may be disposed over the upper end of the battery, with each weld 34 being received within a corresponding annular protrusion 33, for purpose of aligning the battery cover 32, if desired, and for facilita-ting the covering of the welds 34 and retention of the cover 32 on the battery 10.
It will further be noted that the welds 34 are simul-taneously effected, for a given battery, and are all uniform, as regards their electrical qualities, and as regards their general height and other physical charac-teristics. Particularly as regards the height of the same, it will be noted that, all being of the same general height, the battery cover 32 will more easily fit thereover, with posts having welds 34 at the upper ends there-of, all being uniformly received in uni-formly sized annular pro-trusions 33 of the covers 32.
Referring now to the welding apparatus of this inven-tion specifically illustrated in Figures 1 through 4, it will be seen that an apparatus 40 is presented, for carrying a plurality of heating elements or heat sin]cs 30 protruding outwardly (down-wardly) from the lower end thereof.
The apparatus 40 comprises a post 41 of cylindrical configuration, connected by any suitable means, such as tbreading or the like,as at 42, through a manifold head 43, and throu~h a base member 44/ to be secured by means of a nut 45 therebeneath.
The base member 44 is of channel-like construction, being gener-,y~ _ ally of inverted U~shape in transverse cross s.ectional config-uration, as best illustrated in FigsO 2 and 4. The ~anifold head 43 is secured to the upper end o the base 44, by any suit-able means, such as screws or the like. The'manifold head 43 is provided ~ith a pair of conduits 46 and 47 extending longi-tudinally therethrou~hr' each connected at one end to an associ.ated gas distri~ution conduit 4~ or 50, provided with associated on-off inlet valves 51, as desired~ The conduit~ 48 and 50 are connected to suita~le sources o~ gases-, such as natur~l gas. and oxygen, respectively, or any othex gases that will facilitate and support combustion at the desired temperatures. Thus~ ace-tylene gas may replace the natu~al gas If desired, as may a mixture of other gases, such as air, repIace the oxygen, if desired.
The le~t-most end of each.of the manifold channeIs 46 and 47 is closed, as blind conduits (.not illustrated)~
Five eIement heatIng means generally designated each by the numeral 52, are providedr each.of substantially i.dentical construction, so ~hat onl~ one need he de~scri~ed in detail ! and each of which is carried at the lower end of the base member 44, by a suitable horizontal plate.'53, secured by means o~ a cap headed scre~ 54 or the like extending therethrough, in engasement ~, ~ithin a nut 55 disposed within the hase 44~ Thus, the'pos~tlon of any given eIement heating means 52 may be altered by loosen-ing the screw 54, and r~positioning such:desired ele~ent heating means, by moving the'plate 53 longitudinally o~ the b.ase member 44.
Each of the heating means 52 is constructed as an ln-dependent torch, being provided at its upper end ~ith a mixing device 57, having upper inlets 58 and 60 for recei:vin~, for example, gas and oxygen therein from respectively asscciated LQ

hoses 61 and 62 that, in turn, are respec-tively connected to associated manifold ducts 46 and 47, for supplying gas and oxyyen to a chamber 63 disposed within the device 57, in which they are mixed.
Accordingly, the inlets 58 and 60 communicate respect-ively w.ith the chamber 63. A pair of needle adjustments 64 and 65 are provided~ associated with respective inlets 58 and 60, each comprising a thumb screw or the like 66, operative through . a boss 67 in threaded engagament with the device 57 at 68, for adjusting the position of a needle 70 in the associated inlet, Eor regulating the amount of gas to be mixed with oxygen, and the converse~ Upon arriving at a desirable gas-oxygen mixture, the mixture passes through the conduit 71, to discharge from the device 57, through a distribution line 72~ that in turn is con-nected to an element holder 73, by suitable nuts 74 or the like in threaded engagement with. threads 75, wherein the delivery lines 76 is bifurcated at 77, into a pair of delivery lines 78 and 80 that are inwardly bent at the lower ends, and have noz-zles 81 and 82 respectively carried thereby, in the vicinity of the upper ends of the elements 30, for heating the elements at a location spaced above the lowermost, or free ends thereof.
The elements 30 are contained within bores or recesses 83, by suitable screws 84, for eas:e of replacement.
Thus, the application of open flame due to the elimin-ation of gas and oxygen from nozzles 81 and 82, to the elements : 30, will heat the elements 30 as aforesa~d~ It will be noted that elements 30 may also be heated by induction heating (not illustrated), or by other suitable means, if desired. Tn any event7 heat is built up and ~tored in the element 30, and in order to facilitate this end the element 30 may be constructed of a high temperature alloy, ceramic, or any other suitable )~
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.3 1~ 2~ ~0 material. It will be noted that the flame may continually be applied to the element 30 during the descent thereof and its retraction, as illustrated in Figures 5b and 5c, throughout its engagement with and projection into the material of the battery ~).
posts 20 and 21, if desired, or the heat may be applied to the elements 30 only when tha same are in their uppermost or retract-ed positions, as desire.d. In any event, there will be a transfer of heat from the elements 30 to the upper ends of the battery posts 20 and 21, that will ~e constantly replenished by the application of heat to the elements 30, by virtue of the appli-cation of open flame thereto as descrihed above, or by induction heating, or the like. Furthermore, it will be noted that the heating elements or tips 30 may take on various desired physical configurations and sizes, dependin~ upon the particular appli-cation.
Another feature of this invention resides in the use of a plate 90 secured to the member 44, by a pair of screws such as 9l and 92, for eas~ of removal of the same, with the plate 90 having a plurality of openings, voids, notches or the like, disposed in a uppermost set 93, and a lowermost set 94. The lowermost set 94 i5 arranged to accommodate plates 53, in accord-ance with a desired predetermined spacing of element 30 relative to each other, as measured horizontally, and relative to posts 20 and 21 of a battery lO to be welded therebeneath, and also relative to the templet 23'mounted on:the battery lO
and disposed therebeneath. Accordingly, placement of.,the plates 53, in desired ones of the notches 94, will readily accurately position the elements 30, in accordance with the desired position for welding the posts of a given battery, for example. However, the assembly illustrated in Fig. 4 may readily accommodate an alternative placement of the elements 30, by me~ely removing the ... . _ plate 90, and in~erting the same such that the`'n~tches ~3 are disposed do~m~ardly, whe~e~y another place~ent of the element 30 relative to each other may readily be effected quickIy and economically, with minimum set-up t~me~
With particular reference to Firr. l,,it will be noted that the rod 41 is either mounted to, or comprisesj the piston rod of a piston (not-shown~, disposed within a piston cyli.nder 96, mounted on suitable :Er~me'97~ The cylinder 96 is provided ~ith suitable fluid inlets 9g and 10~, respecti~eIy, for pxovid-ing a down~ard driving force, for lowering the element~ 30, orfor retracting the same r depending upon the'p~siti.on o~ the two way valve 101. It will be noted th.at th.e fluia suppliPd through the lines 98 and 100 may ~e'any de~ixa~le hydraulic, pneumatic fluid or the like, and that the piston within the' cylindex 96 would be dri~en either upwardly or downwardly~ dependin~ upon the setting of the valve'101.
It ~ill be noted that the'stroke'of the piston con-tained within the cylindex 96 i,s. controlled to automatically re-set the valve, upon the piston disposed therein reaching, the lo~er end of a predetermined stroke, in order that th:e elements 30 may be retracted prior to strikin~ the sepa~ator plates. or partitions 18. ~Iowever, in the event oE misalignment of elements 30 relative to posts 20, 21, or rel'ative to the te~plate 23, or relative to anything else wherein it is desired t~ prevent a ~triking of the same by the eIement 30, or even i.n the e~ent that a battery 10 is raised, :Eox example r at one end~ due to the presence of a foreign item ~etween the lower end of the ~attery and the conveyor rollers 12, such that the battery is "cock.ed'l, upon the striking of the elements.30 against any solid memher, a sensor of pressure, force or the'like 102, ~hich is: particu-larly r~sponsive -to pressure required to ].ower the' piston con-tained within the cylinder 96 r and consequently responsive to resistance to vertical downward move~ent that the element~ 30 may meet, ~i,ll be operative -to actuate'the valve 101, to cause an upward movement t or retracti.on of the ass~embly 40, and con-sequently of the eIements 30 carri.ed thereby, in order to preven-t damage to the apparatus, or to b~tteries be~ng welded~
Also, ~ith reference to Fi.g. 1 r i-t ~ill be noted that the rod 41 is pro~ided with a guide, comprising a pla-te 103 havlng a boss 104 disposed a~out the'rod 41, and carried by the plate 103, and with a guide rod 109 bein~ provided, mounted in a sui.table bushing 105 carried ~y a plate'106, such that, upon downward movement of the rod 41, the'same is guided a~ainst undesirable lateral movement, due to the presence of the ~uide plate and rod 103'and 109~
It will thus ~e'seen that -the apparatus of this inven-tion is adapted toward accomplishin~ its desired end~, both in broad respects, and in specific respècts; regarding ~he con-struction of multiple-ceIl lead~acid stora~e batteries.
It ~i11 further be'noted that the particular in~ardly bent orientations of the nozzIe$ 81 and 82, present the appli-cation of heat to ad~acent areas, thereby concentrating the heat on the eIements 30 themselves~ It ~Jill also be noted that the element 30 may be adjustable posi.tioned vertically within the bli,nd hole 83 7 by merely loosening the scre~ 84 and reposi,tion-ing the element 30. Furthe'rmore,' in operation, a proper pQSi~
tioning of the battery can actuate a switch (not shown~, that in turn ~i:ll cause the piston within the c~linder 36 to be actuatedl if desired.
In view of the a~ove~discussed invention, it has been ~1 ~7 possible to cut down the time necessary for completi.ng a weld rom thirty seconds to four seconds. Accordingly, aside from accomplishing improved welds, both insofar as their physi-cal appearance and construction is concerned, and insoar as improving the uniformity and electrical conductivity of the same is enabled, the overall economics of bat~ery manufacture is greatly improved, due to the automation of what has previous-ly been a manual functionO
An additional advantage over prior techniques of bat-tery post weldment is also made possible ~^7ith weldments of this invention. Such resides in the fo.rmation of a homogenous weld ment of adjacent battery posts. Spectrographic analysis of battery posts welded by conventional application of gas and oxyyen flame directly to the post results in a tendency toward concentration of antimony from the posts at or near the bond of the weld, apparently caused by more severe heat at such locations relative to less heat applied to other areas of khe ~eld. In thermal relay welding as taught by the instant invention, spectrographic analysis will reveal similar grain structures throughout the weld, in that the entire post area is heated uniformly and therefore cools evenly, without causing an anti-mony precipitation th,at would result in an antimony concentration.
Consequently, the:possibility of eIectrolysis at the antimony interface that forms the junction of dissimilar metals upon use of the battery in an electxical circuit is avoided by this invention, a~ong with any corrosion attendant thereto. Further-more, the structural strength of the post weldment is better, kecau~e of the absence of subs~antial discontinuities that would. be formed by.such antimony precipi.tatioin.
The foregoing discussion has emphasized the structure of the heating elements and the apparatus whereby combustible ~ ,~

~ 2~

gases are delivered for the he~t,ing thereof. Figs. 6 through 9 show an alternate illustrative embodiment wherein the heating elements are integrated with the templates lowered over the battery to form molds forthe foregoing heating and melting process oE the terminal posts. Moreover, the embodimen-t of Figs. 6 thorugh 9 features the heating elements and the molds in an integral adjustable confiyuration such'that batteries having widely disparate structural characterlstics may be pxocessed efficiently ~rithout, requir~ng extensive overhaul of the processing mechanism.
In the following description, many elements are iden-tical both in structure and in function to corresponding ele ments in the foregoing discussion. Many of these are numbered similarly to the identical corresponding element, but further including a prefixed ?17i~, Thus, for example, heating elements 730 in Figs~ 6 and 7 correspond identically to the heating eIements 3~ in Figs. 1 through 5d. Unless otherwise specified, these identical elements shall not be discussed in detail~ ~ut shall be assumed to ~e disclo~ied completely in the foregoing.
In Fig. 6, a welding mechanism is set up for forming two terminal posts for batteries~ Thus, while the foregoing embodiment included six weIding mechanisms for cell to ceIl relays in batteries, the embodiment of Figs. 6 through 9 is configured only to form the positive and negative terminal posts. It is to be understood, howe~er, that any desired num~
ber of heating elements might be included in order to fulfill the desired welding re~uirement5 for given batteries. Likewiser the embodiment of Figs. 6 through'g includes several features which enhance the adaptability and therefore the utility of ,3~ thermal welding apparatus embodying the principles of the present invention.

~3 In the figures, a pair of heating elements represented generally as 752 are affixed to a pair of mountlng blocks 612 and 613, which in turn are slidably mounted on a transverse rod 611. This transversely movable mounting permits lateral adjustment of the heating elements 752 to accommodate batteries having terminal posts located at different points. The trans-verse rod 611 upon which the blocks 612 and 613 are mounted is terminated at either end by a pair of elements 609 and 610.
Overlaying both of the mounting blocks 612 and 613 and a~fixed to the elements 609 and 610 is a pla-te 623 whlch affords con-trol of the adjustability function and whlch shall be described in more detail hereinafter. Also mounted on the rod 611 is a fixed block 930 which is in turn connected to the piston 830 of a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder 630. Together, the blocks 609, 610, 612, 613 and 930, with the rod 611 and the plate 623r form a "carriage" to which the heating elements 752 are attached, by means of which the heating elements may be moved ~ertically ~such as shown in phantom in Fig. 7~ and upon which the respec-tive heating elements may be adjusted transversely.
The terminating blocks 609 and 610 of the carriage upon which the heating elements 752 are mounted are in turn slidably mounted on posts 607 and ~08, respectively~ by means of bearings, not shown. Thus, under the control of the cylin-der 630 and piston 83Q, the carriage arrangement including the heating elements 75~ is moved vertically on the posts 607 and 608 which are connected at their tops and bottoms, as shownl to elements 616, 617 and 631. Topmost element 631 in turn is mounted on posts 632 and 633, which con~titute part of a struc-tural frame for the mechanism.
Also fixedly mounted on the posts 607 and 608 is a 2~

manifold head 743 which defined conduits 746 and 747 fed by lines 601 and 6Q2 with a cQmbustible'gas for ~'lame heating o~
the heating elements 730.' As in the foregoing embodiments~ the gases pass through the conduits 746 and 747, through hoses 761 and 762 and into mixing devices 757, and thence down~ardly into the heating means 752. As shown~ only two sets of hose~ connect the heating means752 with the manifold head 743, hut it is clear~
that any number, as desiredl might simil~rly be connected, A1$Q
mounted on the manifold heads 743 ~s the`cylinder 630 ~hereby the mounting carriage for the'heating ~eans'752 is movable.
An aspect of the embodiment of Figs. 6 through 9 which exhi,bits substanti.al operational efficiency but w~ich was not shown in detail in the foregoing embodiments i5 the inclusion of a pair of molds 619 and 620 Which respectively are connected to the mounting blacks 612 and 613 for -the heatin~
means 752, The molds 6I9 and 620 are slidably mounted on a transverse post 618 through bearings: such as 818 and are res:pec-tively mounted on shafts 626 and 627 which are slidably movable through the blocks 612 and 613. It may therefore be seen that the molds 619 and 620 are movable as a unit with the upper mounting carriage for the heating ~eans 752 but furthermore are separately movable together by means of the sliding of shafts.
626 and 627 through the: mounting bl'ocks 612 and 613.
The molds 619 and 620 are advantageously constructed to provide superior operational efficiency~ which in turn ~s enhanced by their adaptabili;ty to process batteries of variable size. This may be appreciated by consideration of the var~ous cutaway views of Figs. 7 and 8~ The principal s~tructural member cf the ~olds 61~ includes. a hollo~ channeI 834 ~hich is fed and exhausted by a pair of lines 63~ and ~34. The channel 834 pro~

vides a circulation route for water or other similar cooling fluids to be passed through, and thereby to prevent damage due to the extreme amounts of heat applied by the heating elements 730 to make the molten terminal postsO Centrally located on the flat portion of the structural housing 619 is a mold member 621 which mates with the structural housing and which actually form.s the voids in which the melting and casting process takes place. The mold members 621 and 622 fit into a hole through the structures 619 and 620 and are locked therein by means of a slotted key 901 which locks the mold member 621 in place ~hen situated as shown in Figs. 7 and 8,but which allows for removal of member 621 when rotated 1~0 because the slot 905 then clears the outer periphery of the membér 621. Lever arm 903 on the key 901 limits the rotary motlon of the key by cooperating with extension members 902 and 904.
The mold members 621 and 622 are configured as shown to define voids 721 having an upper portion which is coun~ersun]c.
Thus, when the heating member 730 is lowered as shown in phantom in Fig. 7 to heat and melt the terminal posts as shown in F-~gs.
20 ~ l~a through lOd the level of the molten metal rises up into the countersunk portion, but when the heating element 730 is removed~
the level settles back into the lower portion of the void 721 to dry in the standard configuration of a terminal post. In accord-ance with standardized procedures, positive and r.egative termin-als of batteries are of different dimension in order to facili-tate proper connection with external apparatus. In order to accommodate the wishes of various customers, the mold members 621 and 622 may have different sized voids 721, and may be rear-ranged between the molds Sl9 and 620 as desired. Moreover, the molds 621 and 622 shown may be freeIy interchanged with other similar member~ of different inner-configuration to process bat-tery elements of varying size and configuration, as desired.
Fig. 9 shows a view of the overlYing plate 623 which is affixed in the carriage assembly to end blocks 609 and 610 by means of cam means 624 and 625l and which, when so situated, determines the lateral position of the heating means 752. More particularly, the securement means 624 and 625 fit through slots 906 and 911 in the plate 623 and screw or bolt into the termin-ating blocks 609 and 610. The face of the plate defines first and 5econd sets of openings 907 and 910, and a plurality of sets of openings such as 908 and 909 extending across the face of the plate. Once the securement members 624 and 625 mount the plate onto the carriage assemhly, set screws such as 912 through seIect ones of the end holes 907 and 910 establish the vertical location of the plate 623A Thereupon~ a position is established for the support blocks 612 and 613 because they are affixed to the plate 623 by screws 628 and 629 through appropriate ones of the holes 908 and 909. Thus, use of particular ones of the holes 907 and 910 establish which of the holes 908 and 909 lor any other such sets of holes, as desired) to which the blocks 612 613 shall be mounted. It is to be understood that by alteration of the holes such as 908 and 909, any desired position of the heating means 752 on the shaft 611 may be established. Since the molding apparatus 619 and 620 is affixed to the respective blocks by means of osts 626 and 627, similar positioning is established for the molding apparatus 619 and 620 on the lower shaft 618. Likewise, in order to accommodate different numbers of heating means 752, it would only be re~uired to establish correspondingly more sets of holes in the plate 623.
In a preferred mode of operation, the embodiment in Figs. 6 through 9 operates as sho~ in Figs. 10a through 10d.

In Figs~ 10a through 10d, a bushin~ 920 i.s mounted around the post hole of the battery casing 732 as is practiced in the art.
Thereupon, as the casing is assembled, a terminal post 921 fits into the metallic bushing, to be welded thereto by application of apparatus embodying the principles of the present invention.
In order to prepare the mach.inery of Figs. 6 thorugh 9 for operation, the plate 623 first is adjusted as desired to locate the heating means and the molding means appr¢priateIy over bat-teries to be processed. Once a battery is positioned beneath the Fig. 6 apparatus by means of a conveyor or the like, no-t shownr the cylinder 630 and piston 830 are energized to lower the carriage assembly and the molding apparatus downwardly onto the battery as shown in Fig. 10a. The first portion to make contact with the battery includes the molding means, ~hich seat as appropriate over the portion to be processed as shown in Fig.
10b. Thereupon, however, the cylinder 630 and piston 830 con-tinues to exert downward force upon the carriage assembly, as shown in Fig. 10b, and a sliding of the carriage over the down-ward shafts 607, 608, G26 and 627 res.ults, such as ~hown in phantom in Fig. 7. Once the heating means 752 are lowerd to the desired position, as shown in Fig. 10c, the meItin~ proce$s of bushing 920 and post 921 as described hereinbefore is conduct-ed, after which the heating means 752 first are withdrawn and sufficient -time is allowed for the molten terminal post to set~
as shown in Fig. 10d, and the entire assembly is then ~ithdrawn upwardly.
~ t may therefore be seen that the principles of the present invention provide substantial flexibility, in that vari-able numhers of heatin~ means 752 may be utilized~ but all are freely adjustable in accordance with the established structure , . . ~

``" ~l~Z~

of the plate 623, sy utili~ing associated molding mechanisms, further adaptabili~y is provided since, first, unitary mold mechanisms arc not needed, and secondly, the interchangeable mold members 621 and 622 facilitate processes of different types.
It will also be noted that, while the invention is described and illustrated ahove~ it is principally for use with multip'e-terminal applications, the same may be used for single applications, regarding the welding oE batteries, and with respect to other types of welding. The preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in a front elevational view in Fig. 11. In Fig. 11 it may be seen that the automatic post burn station of the present invention is primarily defined by vertical support members 201 and 202 whi.ch are positioned and supported by means of a transverse structural member 205 and by a bifurcated roller system including vertical supports 204 and 206. Batteries such as 218 pass along the roller system 203 for welding at the station, which weIding occurs in a position under the welding assembly 213 as~ defined by stop roller 25~.
The assembly 213 includes a plurallty of burning tips matable over the battery cover bushings of a battery such as 218. The assembly 213 is vertically ~ovable by means of rods 214 and 216/
bearing assamblies 248 and 249, a pair of ccunterweigh:ts 306 and 307, and an air cylinder and piston assembly 241 and 245.
As may be clearly understood from Fig. 11, the mechan-ism whereby a battery such as 218 is positioned for testing, and whereby other batteries are precluded fro~ interferîng with the testing process, is the use of up~ardly pivotable rollers from the conveycr which therebyserve as stop mechanisms along the conveyor~ Thus, under control of a cylinder 279 and a piston 281, through connections of lever arms 278 and 299 and ti.e rod 280, ~q rollers. 259 and 267 may be pi.v~ted upwardly and over their next adjacent rollers, thereby forming a stop for batteries.
Whenever air pressure in the cylinder 279 is increased, the piston 281 moves outwardly, along with tie rod 280 and rollers 259 and 267 again move downwardly to their normal positions~ The batteries are then free to move down the conveyor.
Once a battery such as 218 is in abutment with the pivoted roller 259, as shown, two fingers 286 and 287 are pivoted upwardly and between the rollers, against the battery 218~ and further until the battery 218 is locked into place in a predeter-mined position with respect to a horizontal axis transverse to the longitudinal a~is of advancement of the batteries. The up-ward pivoting of fingers 286 and 287 occurs by means of yet another cylinder and piston arrangement 283, energized ~y means of appropriate control systems which will be more fully described herein.
Whenever the battery 218 is positioned as shown in ~ig. 11, the welding assembly desi:gnated generally 213 will be lowered into place. This occurs chiefly by means of the cylinder 241 and the piston 245 arrangement which is connected to a shaft adaptor block 301 of the weIding assembly designated generally 213. In order to ~acilitate this opera~ion~ the welding assembly designated generally 213 includes up~ardl~
depending rods 214 and 216 which are connected, by means of lines 508 and 509, respectively, to a pair of counter~eights 306 and 307. These counterweigh.ts are located conveniently within the upper portion of vertical support members 201 and 202. In pre-ferred embodiments, the rods 214 and 216 pass through bearing assembly 248 and 249, and the lines 508 and 509 pass over pulleys located on cantilevered ~upport arms 219 and 221. sy means of ~a . ~ _ ~he counterweights 506 and 507, the ~ssembly designated generally 213 may also be kept in a nearly balanced condition/ such that minimal force is necessary from the cylinder 241 and the piston 245 for either upward or down~ard movement. ~s seen in Fig. 11, the weld ng assembly designated generally 213 is comprised of a head means movable with respect to the frame of the apparatus ` along a vertical axis by means Oe the oper~tion of the cyl.inder 241 and rod 245 as described above~, and a mold means ad~ustably mounted on said head means for slidably engaging said head means along that vertical axis. The head means of the preferred embodiment of the present inventîon comprises air cylinder 241, cylinder rod 245, shaft adaptor block 301 r shaft manifold rods 303 and 305, respectively, manifold block 307, carriage blocks 309 and 311, respectively, and upwardly depending rads 214 and 216. The mold means, which i.s adjustably mounted in said head means, is mounted on longitudinal supporting rod 313 extending between carriage blocks 309 and 3Il. The mold carriage blocks 315 ~nd 317 act as the supporting structure for molds 319 and 321, which will be more fully described hereinafter. The appar-atus shown in Fig. 11 illustrates the positi.on wherein the headmeans is in its molding position ~y means of the full extension of rod 245, as indicated by the clearance of upwardly extending rods 214 and 216 and the space di.sposed between shaft adaptor block 301 and bearing assembli.es 248 and 249. Upon activation of cylinder 241, which is a double-acting cylinder, the head means may be moved from the molding position as shown in Fig. 1 to a standby position wherein sh.aft adaptor block 301 is substan-tially contiguous to bearing assemblies 248 and 249. The burning means of the present invention is capable o~ selectively ~roducing a flame for melting the battery elements to be fused, said burn-ing means keing mounted in slidable engagement along the vertical 3l ~ Z~

axis of movement of the head means, being slidably movable in that axis ~ith respect to said head means. Hydraulic cylinder 323, which is a double-acting hydraulic cylinder, and rod 325, which is associated therewith, are actuatable to produce the movement of torch carriage 3Z7 along the lower p~rtions of manifold shaEts 303 and 305. As may be seen in E'ig. 11 t locating template 329, similar in function to the locating template des-cribed above in other embodiments of the present invention, are provided on the torch carria~e for precisely positioning the burning tips 228 and 233 within the longitudinal axis of adva~ce-ment of the batteries along conveyor 2Q3. As illustrated in Fig. 11, the torch carriage 327 is in the front burning position, as îndicated by the close proximit~ bet~een the burning tips 228 and 233 and the molds 219 and 32II respectiveIy. Movement to the burning position has been pxoduced by the extension of rod 325 in response to the acti~ration cf hydrauIic cylinder 323~
Not shown in Fig. 11l but important to the functioning of th~ ;
~orch carriage in a safe manner, is tha pro~ision of spring biased means extending bet-~leen the manifold hlock 307 and the torch carriage designated generally 327, which spring biased means act to return the toxch means to its pilot position in the event of po~er failure. In normal operatlon, however, the torch carriage is returned to its pilot position th~cugh acti-vation of hydraulic cylinder 323, which causes th~ retraction of rods 3~5 and consequantly draws torch carriage 327 towards manifold block 307, so that the torch carriage and manifold block are substantially contiguous to each other. In the burn--ing position, as shown in Fig, 11, the trip bar 340 is shown engaging and depressing trip levers 341 and 342, which are at-tached to torches 343 and 344 respectively, and which trip levers

3~
. ~ _ act to control the intens,ity of the flame produced at burning tips 228 and 233 respectiveIy. Oxygen and' combustible gas are provided to torches 343 and 344 by means of gas supply line 345 and 346, which are ln communication with suitable sources of oxygen and other combustible gases.
Referring now to Fig~ 12, wh~ch is a perspective view of thè weIdin~ assembly designated generally 213 r the. operation of the preferred embodiment of the present invention can best be explained. As seen in Fig. 12, the torch carriage designated generally 327 is in its pilot position, at which time the flames emanating from burning tips 228 and 233 would be of the minimum itensity~ Carriage blocks 3I5 and 3~7 are seen to be mounted in sliding engagement alo~g a longitudinal axis on longitudinal bar 313, ~hich is supported at either end by carriage hlocks 309 and 311. Torches 343 and 344 are mounted at an acute angle with respect to the`vertical axes of radial symmetry of burning tips 228 and 233 so that torch'levers. 341 and 342 are disposed over trip bar 340. L bracket~.371 and 372'are fixedly attach.ed to manifold shafts 303 and 3~5 respec~ ely by means of U bolts 373 and 374. Trip har 340 is he.ld in rotati.ng engagement be~
tween L brackets 371 and 372 by means of cotter pi.ns pi.ercing said trip bar 340, which engagement allows trip bar 340 to rotate upon engagement ~ith torch'levers 341. and 342. ~s $een in Figs. 12 and 13, as the torch.caxriage designated generally 327 moves from its pilot position to the ~urning positlon ! as shown in phantom in Fig. 13, the torch. 344 and torch lever 342 are brought down to engage the trip ~ar 340,. shbwn ~n cross section in Fig. 13.' Since the' torch lever 342 is adapted to control the intensity of the flame produced at the burning tip 233, it may be seen that as the torch carriage designated qen-z~

erally 327 move5 in the di.recti.on of the: arro~r sh~wn in Fig~ 13from the pilot to the burning positionr the itensity of the flame produced at the burning tip Z33 is correspondingly increased. As may cl.early be seen in Fig. 13, the disposition of the hurning tip 233 with res.pect to mold 32~ allows the flame produced at burning tip 233 when the to`rch carriaye is near the pilot position to preheat in a yentle manner the bushing and battery terminal posts which would normally be disposed within the mold 320 when the head means was in the molding position~ l'he mold carriage block 317 which acts as a support for mold 320 is seen to h.ave disposed therewithin at least one circulating chamber having cooling fluid 397 disposed therei.n for cooling the mold carriage block 317 during the molding process. Furthermore, the block itself is selec-ted for its high. heat transfer capacity, and is therefore composed of aluminum or other high.heat trans.fer mat-erial. Similarly, and in di.rect opposition to the prior art teaching ~ith respect to lead molds, the mold 32Q i5 itself composed of aluminum or other high heat transfer materi.al. ~5 seen in Fig. 13, the enga~ement of mold 320 with mold carriage 2Q hlock 317 i5 tight, therefore allowing good heat transfer between these elements and coolin~ fluid 3g7 which is constantl~ bein~
circulated therethrough. The interior surfaces 396, 395 and 39 ofi mold 320 have dlsposed thereon an aluminum oxide coating or, that is, the interior surfaces 394, 355 and 396 are anodi~ed in order to create a thermal ~arrier ~et~ee:n the mold void defined by the mold 320 and the solid aluminum which composes the mold.
The remainder of the apparatus of the head means and burning means may be seen in Fig~ 13 to compri~e vertical guide rods 399 and 4Q0, which.transverséIy allgn the mold 32Q with the ~urni.n~ tip 233 as that ~urning tip moves from the pilot to 3~

2~

the burning position. Longitudinal guide xod 393 for allowing longitudinal adjustment of the posltion of the burniny tips with respect to the longi-tudinal axis of the batteries is seen in cross section in Fig. 13, as is a cut away portion of the torch carriage designated generally 327 to reveal conduit 392 having a threaded bushing 391 and 390 attached to tubing`398. Tubing 389 provides a gaseous conduit Eor the mix-ture of oxygen and combustible gas which is produced upon activatioll of the lever 342 within torch 344. Bushing means 388 are provided for interconnecting the tubing 389 with the torch 344~ ~long the lower surface of the torch carriage designated generally 327 and disposed between the torch carriage 327 and the burning tip 233'is seen ta he a ~arrel on which the burning tip may easily removably be mounted. The gas supply conduit 346 is seen to ~e attached to the remote end of tcrch 344, enter and are disposed ~ithin manifold block 307~
and are seen to emerge from manifold block 3Q7 in Fig. 12, from whence they will be connected to suitable oxygen and combustible gas sources.
Having described the apparatus Oc the preferred em~odi-ment of the present invention/ the operation of that apparatusin fusing battery cover bushings to ~attery terminal posts may be described as follows:
F.igure 14 is a schematic representation of the va~ious sensing means of the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in association ~ith. a front ele~a-tion of an apparatus in accordance ~ith the preferred embodiment of the invention similar to that sho~n in Figure 11. Figure 14 shows and is intended to highlight the automated features of the preferred embodiment which, under normal operating conditions, will function entirely without an operator being present~ The conveyor means in Figure .~

291~0 14 is shown with the battery 218 in the fusing position. The battery 218 is brought in -to the fusing position by its in-tro-duction from the hold position, shown in phantom in Figure 1~ to its operating position. Upon the longi,-tudinal advancement of the battery 218 from the hold position to the operating position, movable rollers are in the normal position, feed sensing means Sl as shown in Figure 14 is activated by the passage of the battery thereby. Consequently, the feed ~ensing means Sl is mounted on the apparatus for sensing the longitudinal advancement of a battery from the hold position towards the operating position, and for causing the stop means to move from the normal position which does not impede the longitudinal advancement of batteries to the stop position wherein the batteries are held at the hold and operating positions. The feed sensing means further causes the delayed activation of clamp means comprising hydraulic cylln-der 283 and fingers 286 and 287 which are pivoted upwardly and be-tween the rollers against battery 218 and are further driven by cylinder 283 until battery 218 is locked into place in a predeter-mined position with respect to a horizontal axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of' advancement of the batteries. In the pre-ferred embodiment of the present invention the feed sensing means is adapted to actlvate tha clamp means including cylinder 283 in a timed response interval which is between 0.2 and 5 seconds after the sensing of the passage of battery 218 from the hold to the operating positi,on. This time delay interval is selected to allow battery 218 to abut roller 259 prior to the activation of the clamp me~ans. Aliynment sensing means S2 is provided to sense the full extension of fingers 286 and 287 either directly, or indirectly as shown in Figure 14 by sensing th~ degree of rotation of a protrusion mounted on a shaft which rotation corresponds to the rotation of fingers 286 and 287.

Once the alignment sensing means S2 ~eter~,ines the full moveme~t 3,~

~"

~2f~

of the clamp means to the ~fully clamped posi:tion~ i,ndicating that the battery has been forced ~rom the, operating tr~ the fus~ng position, cylinder 241 is th~n activated to mave th.e head means, which comprise~: the weIdlng assembly desïgnated generally 213 in the direction as indicated by arro~ A. Since the battery 218 is in precise alignment with.'res.pect to the weldin~ assembly 213, the mold carriage blocks 315 and 3I7, and the` corresponding molds contained therein will matabl~ encircle the battery bushing elements and battery post eIements protruding rom the top o;E
battery 218. In the event that battery 2I8 has been remo~ed from the apparatus or, in the'event that no battery has been in-troduced into the apparatus due to machine malfunctIon, abort means S7 will be activated by the'tra~eI of the weld~ng assembly, and particularly, by the travel of rod 214 beyond the noxmal molding position. Upon the act~vation of ah~rt mean~ S7 caused by the absence of a battery in the fusing pos~tion, the remaining portion of the operating cyc]e of the apparatus is the`n overxidden, preventing the` actiVatiQn of the b.uxning or torch carriage ~nd causing the im~ediate return o the hbad means and ~eIding as$em~
'oly to the standby position, and further cauSing the's-top mean$
to move from the stop to the. normal po$ition so that the'next battery may be introduced into the apparatus. If a battery r 5uch as battery 218 shown ln Piyure'14, is present when th.e welding assembly designated generally 213 moves from the standby to the molding position, ~attery sensin~ means S3 ~ill ~ense'the presence of a battery in the fusing position and ~i11 thereb~ activate h,y-draulic cylinder 323 to produce movement of the':torch.'carriage 327 along the lower portions of mani.fold shafts 303 and 305, As hereinabove described, the burnin~ means m~unted Qn the torch carriage comprises lever means for contacting a trip member which automatically regulates the intcnsity of the flame from a minimum pllot flame when the burning means is in the pilot position to a maximum when the burning means is in the burn posi-tion as shown in Figure 14. Consequently/ the battery sensing means produces a movement of the torch carriage designated gen-erally 327 in the direction as indicated by arrow B in Figure 14 to a point as shown in Figure 14 in the burning position wherein a maximum flame intensity is directed at the battery bushing ele-ment and battery post element encircled by each mold.
UPOI1 movement of the torch carriage designated generally 327 to its fully extended burning position, a travel sensing means S4, which is mounted on the head means as shown in Figure 14 senses the presence of the burning means in that burning posi~
tion and causes the aforementioned hydraulic cylinder 323 to immediately begin moving the burning means back to the pilot position, as designated in Figure 14 by arrow C. ~he aforemen-tioned trip member and lever means respond to this retraction by reducing the intensity of the flame until, when the torch car-riage reaches the pilot position, a return sensing means S5 which is mounted on the torch carriage designated generally 327 deter-mines the return of the burning means to the pilot position and causes cylinder 241 to move the head means to the standby posi-tion as indicated by arrow D in Figure 14 in timed response thereto.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, cylinder 241 is activated hy a delay interva~ of between 0.2 to 5 seconds, which time period creates a post chill time following the return of the torch carriage to the pilot position which is sufficient to allow at least partial solidification of the battery terminal posts. Activation of cylinder 241 to return the head means along the direction of arrow D shown in Figure 14 causes the head means to re-turn to the standby position. Reset sensing means S6 mounted on the head means, or alternatively, on the transverse structural 3~

~2~

member 205 senses and determines the movement of said head means to said standby position causing the stop means ~o move -from the stop to the normal position, thereby allowing the passage of the battery which terminals were fused out o~ the fusing position while simultaneously allowing for the intro-duction of the next battery to be processed into the operating positioll as hereto~ore described. In order to facilitate this longitudinal advancement of batteries, the clamp means is similarly caused to move to the retracted positon by t~le reset means S6 thereby causing ~ingers 286 and 287 to withdraw to the retracted position, thereby also resetting alignment sensing means S2.
As a result o-f the above description, it is apparent that the apparatus o~ the present in~ention is -fully automated facilitating the rapid and reliable production of batteries incorporating high quality integrally fused battery terminals.
It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials and arrangement o~ parts which have been described and illustra~ed in order to explain the nature of this invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

,~.

Claims (21)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows.

1. An automated apparatus for sequentially forming integrally fused battery terminals on a plurality of storage batteries, each of which comprises at least one battery post element and adjacent battery bushing element, said apparatus comprising:
(a) a frame, (b) head means mounted on said frame movable along an axis with respect to said frame and having a trip member fixedly attached thereto, said head means being movable along said axis between standby and molding positions, (c) mold means mounted on said head means and being adapted to matably encircle said battery elements when said head means is in the molding position, (d) burning means capable of selectively producing a flame for melting said battery elements, said burning means being mounted for movement along said axis and with respect to said head means, between a first pilot and a second burning position, and said burning means further com-prising a lever means for contacting said trip member for camming thereagainst, thereby auto-matically regulating the intensity of said flame from a minimum pilot flame when the burn means is in the pilot position to a maximum when the burn means is in the burn position.

2. The invention of Claim 1 wherein said burning means further comprises a gas burner, a gas feed line, and a gas valve disposed in said feed line, and wherein said lever means comprises a lever connected to said gas valve, said lever camming against said trip member to control the gas flow through said valve, thereby regulating the intensity of said flame.

3. An automated apparatus for sequentially forming inte-grally fused battery terminals on a plurality of storage batteries, each of which comprises at least one battery post element and adjacent battery bushing element, said apparatus comprising:
(a) a frame, (b) head means associated with the frame and movable with respect to said frame along a first axis be-tween standby and molding positions, said head means having mold means mounted thereon to matably encircle battery elements of a battery in a battery fusing position when said head means is in said molding position, (c) burning means capable of selectively producing a flame for melting said battery elements when in a burning position, said burning means being mounted in slidable engagement along said first axis on said head means, for movement with respect to said head means between a first pilot and a second burning position.

4. The invention of Claim 3 wherein said automated apparatus apparatus further comprises:
(a) conveyor means associated with said frame for advancing said batteries along an axis transverse with respect to said first axis, and (b) stop means associated with said conveyor means movable between a normal position wherein the ad-vancement of said batteries along said transverse axis is unimpeded and a stop position for halting said batteries in each of at least two predetermined positions along said transverse axis, a first hold position and a second operating position.

5. The invention of Claim 3 wherein said automated apparatus further comprises:
(a) conveyor means associated with said frame for advancing said batteries along an axis transverse with res-pect to said first axis, (b) stop means associated with said conveyor means movable between a normal position wherein the advancement of said batteries along said transverse axis is unimpeded and a stop position for halting said batteries in each of at least two predetermined positions along said transverse axis, a first hold position and a second operating position, and (c) clamp means associated with said conveyor means movable between a retracted position and a clamped position for forcing each of said batteries along a third axis into a battery element fusing position with respect to said first axis.

6. The invention of Claim 4 wherein said automated apparatus further comprises an abort means associated with said head means for determining the absense of a battery in said battery operating position when said head means is in the molding position; said abort means causing said head means to move to said standby position in response to said determination.

7. The invention of Claim 6 wherein said abort means further causes said stop means to move to said normal position in response to said determination.

8. The invention of Claim 3 wherein said automated apparatus further comprises a feed sensing means associated with said conveyor means for sensing the advancement of a battery from said hold position toward said operating position along said transverse axis, and for causing said stop means to move from said normal position to said stop position in response thereto.

9. The invention of Claim 5 wherein said automated apparatus further comprises a feed sensing means juxtaposed to said conveyor for sensing the advancement of a battery from said hold position toward said operating position along said transverse axis, and for causing said stop means to move from said normal position to said stop position in response thereto, said feed sensing means further causing the movement of said clamp means from said retracted to said clamped position in timed response to said sensing of the advancement of a battery.

10. The invention of Claim 9 wherein said timed response occurs between 0.2 and 5 seconds after said sensing.

11. The invention of Claim 5 wherein said automated apparatus further comprises an alignment sensing means associ-ated with said clamp means for determining the movement of said clamp means to said clamped position, said alignment sensing means further causing said head means to move from said standby to said molding position in response to said determination.

12. The invention of Claim 11 wherein said alignment sensing means is mounted on said conveyor means.

13. The invention of Claim 3 wherein said apparatus further comprises a battery sensing means for sensing the presence of a battery in the fusing position when said head is in the molding position, and for causing said burning means to move from said pilot to said burning position in response thereto.

14. The invention of Claim 3 wherein said automated apparatus further comprises a travel sensing means associated with said burning means for determining the presence of said burning means in said burning position and for causing said burning means to move to said pilot position in response to said determination.

15. The invention of Claim 3 wherein said automated apparatus further comprises a return sensing means associated with said burning means for determining the return of said burning means to said pilot position and for causing said head means to move to said standby position in delayed response to said determination.

16. The invention of Claim 15 wherein said delayed response is of sufficient duration to allow said battery elements melted by said burning means to at least partially solidify.

17. The invention of Claim 16 wherein said delayed response is from 0.2 to 5 seconds in duration.

18. The invention of Claim 4 wherein said automated apparatus further comprises a reset sensing means associated with said head means for determining the movement of said head means to said standby position and for causing said stop means to move to said normal position in response to said determination.

19. The invention of Claim 5 wherein said automated apparatus further comprises a reset sensing means associated with said head means for determining the movement of said head means to said standby position and for causing said clamp means to move to the retracted position in response to said determination.

20. The invention of Claim 3 wherein said mold means has disposed on at least one of the surfaces thereof an aluminum oxide mold coating.

21. The invention of Claim 20 wherein said mold means is composed of aluminum having at least one anodized molding surface disposed thereon.