U.S. patent application number 13/887767 was filed with the patent office on 2013-09-19 for intrinsically-safe battery power supply for underground mining.
This patent application is currently assigned to Caterpillar Global Mining Europe GmbH. The applicant listed for this patent is CATERPILLAR GLOBAL MINING EUROPE GMBH. Invention is credited to Norbert Schwarz, Jens Titschert, Jorg Wagener.
Application Number | 20130241473 13/887767 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40676048 |
Filed Date | 2013-09-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130241473 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Titschert; Jens ; et
al. |
September 19, 2013 |
INTRINSICALLY-SAFE BATTERY POWER SUPPLY FOR UNDERGROUND MINING
Abstract
An intrinsically safe battery power supply for electrical
equipment in underground mining includes a battery housing having a
first end with a first opening and a second end having a
pressure-resistant second opening. The battery housing defines a
first space. At least one storage battery cell is provided in the
first space, and a lid is coupled to the battery housing near the
first end providing access to the storage battery cell through the
first opening. An envelope housing is coupled near the second end
of the battery housing and has a charging socket and a consumption
socket and defines a second space. A circuit board having
intrinsically-safe circuits is provided in the second space, the
circuit board electrically coupled to the storage battery cell
through the pressure resistant second opening in the battery
housing, and electrically coupled to the charging socket and the
consumption socket on the envelope housing.
Inventors: |
Titschert; Jens; (Lunen,
DE) ; Schwarz; Norbert; (Recklinghausen, DE) ;
Wagener; Jorg; (Lunen, DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
CATERPILLAR GLOBAL MINING EUROPE GMBH |
Lunen |
|
DE |
|
|
Assignee: |
Caterpillar Global Mining Europe
GmbH
Lunen
DE
|
Family ID: |
40676048 |
Appl. No.: |
13/887767 |
Filed: |
May 6, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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12341745 |
Dec 22, 2008 |
8450004 |
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13887767 |
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11042371 |
Jan 25, 2005 |
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12341745 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
320/107 ;
29/623.1; 429/7 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01M 2/34 20130101; Y02E
60/10 20130101; H01M 2/06 20130101; H01M 10/052 20130101; H01M
10/0565 20130101; H02J 7/00 20130101; Y02E 60/122 20130101; H01M
2/0267 20130101; H01M 2/0275 20130101; Y10T 29/49108 20150115; H01M
2/32 20130101; H01M 2/1094 20130101; H01M 10/46 20130101; H01M
2/0443 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
320/107 ; 429/7;
29/623.1 |
International
Class: |
H01M 2/34 20060101
H01M002/34; H02J 7/00 20060101 H02J007/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 19, 2004 |
DE |
102004008569.2 |
Claims
1. An intrinsically safe battery power supply for electrical
equipment in underground mining, the battery power supply
comprising: a battery housing having a first end with a first
opening and a second end having a pressure-resistant second
opening, the battery housing defining a first space therein; at
least one storage battery cell disposed in the first space; a lid
coupled to the battery housing proximate the first end and
providing access to the storage battery cell through the first
opening; an envelope housing coupled proximate the second end of
the battery housing, the envelope housing having a charging socket
and a consumption socket, and defining a second space therein; and
a circuit board having intrinsically-safe circuits and disposed in
the second space, the circuit board electrically coupled to the
storage battery cell through the pressure resistant second opening
in the battery housing, and electrically coupled to the charging
socket and the consumption socket on the envelope housing.
2. The battery power supply according to claim 1, wherein the
battery housing is substantially gas-tight and resistant to
electrolyte.
3. The battery power supply according to claim 1 wherein the
lithium storage battery cells comprise at least one of lithium ion
storage battery cells and lithium polymer storage battery
cells.
4. The battery power supply according to claim 1, wherein the
battery housing includes and is housed at least partially within a
master housing or additional housing.
5. The battery power supply according to claim 4, wherein the
battery housing comprises a lightweight, stress-resistant material,
and the master housing or additional housing comprises a plastic
material.
6. The battery power supply according to claim 4, further
comprising an intrinsically safe charging circuit disposed within
the master housing or additional housing and outside of the battery
housing.
7. The battery power supply according to claim 6, wherein the
charging circuit includes control electronics to control the
charging current and charging voltage for the lithium storage
battery cells.
8. The battery power supply according to claim 4, further
comprising a charging socket coupled to the master housing or
additional housing, wherein a charging plug that can be supplied
with current from an underground power supply network can be
inserted.
9. The battery power supply according to claim 4, further
comprising an operating switch attached to the master housing or
additional housing.
10. The battery power supply according to claim 4, further
comprising an external protection circuit disposed within the
master housing or additional housing and outside of the battery
housing.
11. The battery power supply according to claim 10, further
comprising a charging circuit and a charging socket and a current
consumption socket, wherein the charging circuit and the protection
circuit are electrically incorporated between electrical contact
points on the battery housing for the lithium storage battery cells
and the charging and current consumption sockets.
12. The battery power supply according to claim 1, wherein the
lithium storage battery cells in the battery housing together
supply an internal operating voltage that is greater than the
external, intrinsically-safe operating voltage that can be applied
to the electrical equipment.
13. A method of making an intrinsically safe battery power supply
for electrical equipment in underground mining, the method
comprising: forming a battery housing having a first end with a
first opening and a second end having a pressure-resistant second
opening, the battery housing defining a first space therein;
installing at least one storage battery cell disposed in the first
space; coupling a lid to the battery housing proximate the first
end to provide access to the storage battery cell through the first
opening; coupling an envelope housing proximate the second end of
the battery housing, the envelope housing having a charging socket
and a consumption socket, and defining a second space therein; and
installing a circuit board having intrinsically-safe circuits in
the second space, the circuit board electrically coupled to the
storage battery cell through the pressure resistant second opening
in the battery housing, and electrically coupled to the charging
socket and the consumption socket on the envelope housing.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising housing the battery
housing in a master or additional housing.
15. The method of claim 14, further comprising installing charging
and current consumption sockets on the master or additional
housing.
16. An intrinsically safe battery power supply for electrical
equipment in underground mining, the battery power supply
comprising: a battery housing having a first end with a first
opening and a second end having a pressure-resistant second
opening, the battery housing defining a first space therein; at
least one storage battery cell disposed in the first space; a first
circuit board disposed in the first space and coupled to the
storage battery cell; a second circuit board disposed in the first
space and coupled to the storage battery cell; a lid coupled to the
battery housing proximate the first end and providing access to the
storage battery cell through the first opening; an envelope housing
coupled proximate the second end of the battery housing, the
envelope housing having a charging socket and a consumption socket,
and defining a second space therein; and a third circuit board
having a protection circuit and disposed in the second space, the
third circuit board electrically coupled to the first circuit board
through the pressure resistant second opening in the battery
housing, and electrically coupled to the charging socket on the
envelope housing.
17. The battery power supply of claim 16, wherein the second
circuit board is electrically coupled through the pressure
resistant second opening in the battery housing to the consumption
socket on the envelope housing.
18. The battery power supply of claim 16, wherein the first circuit
board comprises a charging circuit.
19. The battery power supply of claim 16, wherein the second
circuit board comprises an over-current circuit.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a Divisional of U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 12/341,745, filed Dec. 22, 2008, which is a
Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
11/042,371, filed Jan. 25, 2005, which claims priority to German
Application No. 102004008569.2, filed Feb. 19, 2004, the complete
disclosure of which are all incorporated herein by reference in
their entirety.
FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to an intrinsically-safe
battery power supply for electrical equipment in underground mining
or in other areas exposed to the danger of explosion or firedamp
ignition, with at least one chargeable storage battery cell
disposed in a battery housing.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In underground mining and in other areas exposed to the
danger of explosion or firedamp ignition, there is a need for the
supply, independently of a power supply network, of sufficient
intrinsically-safe voltage to electrical equipment. In underground
mining, for example, a chargeable battery power supply that uses
Nickel Cadmium storage battery cells (NiCad accumulators) is
utilized for support shield controllers, remote controllers,
measuring equipment in poorly-accessible areas and other electrical
equipment. The NiCad storage batteries have a low charge capacity
and poor recharging characteristics since, due to the so-called
"memory effect", reduced charging capacity results if the NiCad
storage battery was not completely discharged before being
recharged. Due to the low charging capacity of NiCad accumulators,
a great number of spare storage batteries is required in
underground mining that have to be taken underground and
temporarily stored there. Recharging of the NiCad storage batteries
takes place exclusively on the surface, wherein the transportation
of charged and discharged storage batteries (accumulators) also
represents a logistical problem.
[0004] In underground mining, power supply sources may only be used
if they are certified for use in areas that are exposed to the
danger of explosion and correspond with the ignition protection
legislation (e.g. ATEX, IEC, Eex etc.) that is applicable in the
place of utilization. Here, each approval examination is associated
with substantial cost. Hence for reasons of cost, it is hardly
possible to have repeatedly modified storage battery cells
re-certified for use in areas that are exposed to the danger of
explosion.
[0005] For this reason, intrinsically-safe battery power supplies
are often used in underground mining that do not technologically
correspond to the latest state of the art and whose basic structure
is disclosed in DE 30 15 751 C2 from 1980. The battery power
supplies comprise NiCad storage battery cells that are disposed in
a battery housing and electronics, that are not intrinsically-safe,
cast in silicon rubber and embedded in an electronics housing,
wherein the two housings are inserted together in a master housing.
Alternatively, the storage battery cells can be cast together with
a necessary protection circuit to comply with the ignition
protection class that is applicable to gain certification. Repair
of such battery power supplies, especially the replacement of
storage batteries within such battery power supplies, is not
possible without unacceptable cost.
[0006] Outside the field of underground mining, especially in the
field of the communications and entertainment industries, lithium
storage battery cells (lithium accumulators) are increasingly
replacing the lead-containing batteries and NiCad storage battery
cells that have previously been used. Fundamental efforts are
therefore being made to be able to use lithium storage battery
cells in other areas of technology, as can be seen, for example, in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,475 that relates to chargeable, aqueous lithium
hydrogen ion batteries. There are, however, substantial safety
problems associated with the use of lithium storage battery cells
regarding possible explosion of the storage battery cells, as can
be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,475. Up to now, lithium storage
battery cells have therefore not been used in underground mining
and other areas that are exposed to the danger of explosion.
SUMMARY
[0007] One embodiment of the disclosure relates to an intrinsically
safe battery power supply for electrical equipment in underground
mining, and includes a battery housing having a first end with a
first opening and a second end having a pressure-resistant second
opening. The battery housing defines a first space. At least one
storage battery cell is provided in the first space, and a lid is
coupled to the battery housing near the first end providing access
to the storage battery cell through the first opening. An envelope
housing is coupled near the second end of the battery housing and
has a charging socket and a consumption socket and defines a second
space. A circuit board having intrinsically-safe circuits is
provided in the second space, the circuit board electrically
coupled to the storage battery cell through the pressure resistant
second opening in the battery housing, and electrically coupled to
the charging socket and the consumption socket on the envelope
housing.
[0008] Another embodiment of the disclosure relates to a method of
making an intrinsically safe battery power supply for electrical
equipment in underground mining, where the method includes forming
a battery housing having a first end with a first opening and a
second end having a pressure-resistant second opening, the battery
housing defining a first space therein; installing at least one
storage battery cell disposed in the first space; coupling a lid to
the battery housing proximate the first end to provide access to
the storage battery cell through the first opening; coupling an
envelope housing proximate the second end of the battery housing,
the envelope housing having a charging socket and a consumption
socket, and defining a second space therein; and installing a
circuit board having intrinsically-safe circuits in the second
space, the circuit board electrically coupled to the storage
battery cell through the pressure resistant second opening in the
battery housing, and electrically coupled to the charging socket
and the consumption socket on the envelope housing.
[0009] Another embodiment of the disclosure relates to an
intrinsically safe battery power supply for electrical equipment in
underground mining, and includes a battery housing having a first
end with a first opening and a second end having a
pressure-resistant second opening, the battery housing defining a
first space therein. At least one storage battery cell is provided
in the first space and a first circuit board and a second circuit
board are provided in the first space and coupled to the storage
battery cell. A lid is coupled to the battery housing near the
first end providing access to the storage battery cell through the
first opening. An envelope housing is coupled near the second end
of the battery housing, the envelope housing having a charging
socket and a consumption socket, and defining a second space
therein. A third circuit board having a protection circuit is
provided in the second space, the third circuit board electrically
coupled to the first circuit board through the pressure resistant
second opening in the battery housing, and electrically coupled to
the charging socket on the envelope housing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a battery power supply
for underground mining.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of another battery power
supply for underground mining.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] According to one aspect, an intrinsically-safe battery power
supply is provided for electrical equipment that can be used in
underground mining and other areas that are exposed to the danger
of explosion. The battery power supply can comprise storage battery
cells that correspond with the latest technical state of
development and for which a certification examination for the
respective ignition protection class can be provided at minimum or
no additional cost.
[0013] In one embodiment, at least one storage battery cell
comprises a chargeable lithium storage battery cell (lithium
accumulator) and a battery housing is configured to receive all
lithium storage battery cells and to be explosion-proof and
pressure resistant. According to the same or other aspect, an
intrinsically-safe battery power supply comprises a battery housing
that is configured to be pressure-resistant in such a way that all
lithium storage battery cells disposed therein do not present a
danger of explosion to their environment. Advantageously, only the
pressure-resistant battery housing will be subjected to
certification for the respective ignition protection class and the
specified internal resistance against pressure need only be
equivalent to an internal pressure that could possible be generated
by an explosion of a lithium storage battery cell. Therefore,
exchanging the actual lithium storage battery cells that are
disposed in the certified, pressure-resistant battery housing does
not cause the certification of the battery power supply to be
invalidated. Due to the pressure-resistant configuration of the
battery housing, it will now be possible to use lithium storage
battery cells in underground mining. These are not susceptible to a
noticeable "memory effect", they have a substantially longer
service life and with a substantially higher charging capacity,
they also allow a significantly longer operating phase
underground.
[0014] In one embodiment, the battery housing is pressure-resistant
and gas-tight. The battery housing can be configured to be
resistant to electrolyte. The aforementioned measures ensure that
different storage battery technologies can be used for the lithium
storage batteries without requiring renewed certification for the
ignition protection class. This is especially advantageous in that
smaller alterations to the cell structure, to the actual
composition of the lithium storage battery cell and to the housing
of the lithium storage battery cell do not require renewed ignition
protection certification. New storage battery technology can
therefore be integrated immediately into the intrinsically-safe
battery power supply described herein.
[0015] The lithium storage battery cells can basically function in
accordance with any possible storage battery or accumulator
technology. In one embodiment, these can be lithium ion storage
battery cells, lithium polymer storage battery cells or lithium
storage battery cells with a fluid electrolyte. By way of example,
reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,475, herein incorporated
by reference.
[0016] In order to guarantee electrically faultless functioning of
lithium storage battery cells that are installed in
pressure-resistant battery housings, independent of the
technological structure of the lithium storage battery cells, an
intrinsically-safe circuit can be disposed together with the
lithium storage battery cells in the battery housing to limit
overcurrent and/or overvoltage. By use of this circuit, the current
and the voltage that is present at the contact terminals or
contacts of the pressure-resistant battery housing can always be
limited at the storage battery side to specified maximum electrical
parameters, independent of the type of storage battery used.
[0017] In another embodiment, a charging circuit is also disposed
in the battery housing in addition to the storage batteries. This
allows the lithium storage battery cells to be charged via a
charging plug that is connected to the underground,
intrinsically-safe power supply network. In one embodiment,
however, the battery housing is housed in a master housing or is
provided with an enveloping or additional housing so that the
intrinsically-safe battery power supply can be substantially
constructed in accordance with a modular principle in that lithium
storage battery cells, encapsulated so as to be explosion-proof,
are disposed in the pressure-resistant battery housing and can be
combined with all necessary or desired circuits in enveloping or
master housings. In addition, with this embodiment the battery
housing can comprise a lightweight, pressure-resistant material
such as a light metal, in particular an aluminum sheet, while the
master housing is formed from a suitable plastic.
[0018] The battery power supply can include a charging circuit, in
particular an intrinsically-safe charging circuit being disposed
within the master housing and outside of the battery housing. Here,
it is advantageous if the charging circuit comprises control
electronics to control the charging current and charging voltage
for the lithium storage battery cells. With regard to the
embodiment with the master housing, it is especially advantageous
if a charging socket is attached to the master housing in which a
charging plug that can be supplied with current from the
underground power supply network can be inserted. The charging and
current consumption sockets and/or operating switch and/or on/off
switch can be attached to the master housing. With this embodiment,
an external protection circuit can be disposed within the master
housing and outside of the battery housing. The charging circuit
and the protection circuit can then expediently be electrically
incorporated between electrical contact points or connection lines
on the pressure-resistant battery housing for the lithium storage
battery cells and the charging and current consumption sockets.
[0019] In one embodiment, the lithium storage battery cells in the
pressure-resistant battery housing together supply an internal
operating voltage that is greater than the external, intrinsically
safe operating voltage that can be applied to the electrical
equipment. In order to obtain a sufficiently high voltage
potential, several lithium storage battery cells can be disposed in
series. In order to carry out charging with the intrinsically-safe
underground power supply network in spite of the higher internal
voltage potential without causing an excess voltage at the end
consumer, the charging circuit and/or the current limiting circuit
can be provided with direct current transformers to transform the
voltage potentials to the corresponding higher internal operating
voltage or lower external operating voltage. DC/DC transformers can
be used for this transformation.
[0020] By way of example, FIG. 1 shows a battery power supply for
underground mining, indicated by reference number 10. In the
illustrated exemplary embodiment, the battery power supply
comprises a pressure resistant battery housing 1 and an enveloping
or additional housing 2. The battery housing 1 comprises a battery
box 3, in the receiving space 4 of which is disposed a lithium ion
storage battery cell 5, which can comprise several lithium ion
storage battery cells connected in series. The battery box 3 is
closed, for example by use of several bolted connections 7
indicated in the drawing, in a pressure resistant manner by a
battery box lid 6, through which the lithium ion storage battery
cells can be installed in the receiving space 4. The strengths of
the surrounding walls of the battery box 3 and the lid 6 and the
bolted connections 7 are configured in such a way that the battery
housing 1 remains closed in a pressure proof and gas-tight manner
even if an explosion with a specified maximum explosion pressure
occurs in the interior space 4. Here, the resistance to pressure of
the battery housing 1 is adapted to the maximum burst pressure that
is to be expected in the case of lithium storage battery cells 5.
The material of the battery housing 3 and the lid 6, and the seals
disposed between the two, is selected so that the battery housing 1
is gas-tight and resistant to those electrolytes that are used by
chargeable lithium storage battery cells 5 for the movement and
conduction of ions in order to provide an energy supply with the
lithium storage battery cell or cells 5 for intrinsically safe
equipment in underground mining.
[0021] In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the enveloping
housing 2 is bolted on a front side of the battery box 3, opposite
the lid 6, by means of a bolted connection 8. The battery box 3 and
the lid 6 can be formed of a light metal, such as aluminum and the
additional housing 2 can be formed of a suitable plastic. The
embodiment example only serves to schematically explain the
structure of the battery power supply, since in one embodiment (not
shown) the battery box 3 and its lid 6 comprise a light metal such
as aluminum, while the enveloping housing 2 comprises a suitable
plastic and completely encloses the battery box and the lid 6, so
that the battery power supply 10 does not have any metallic
surfaces. In the illustrated embodiment, on the other hand, if
comprising an aluminum plate, the surface 3' of the battery box 3
and the surface 6' of the lid 6 could be provided with a plastic
coating to achieve the same effect, though this is not
required.
[0022] A multi-function circuit is shown schematically with a
circuit board 9 in the enveloping housing 2. All circuits on the
circuit board 9 are preferably intrinsically safe. The circuit 9 is
connected with the corresponding contact points on the lithium
storage battery cell 5 via electrical connections 11, 12 or
connection lines and at least one sensor line 13 for a temperature
sensor. The lines 11, 12, 13 penetrate an opening 14 in the base of
the battery box 3, wherein the opening 14 is configured as a
pressure-resistant opening 15 and is closed in a suitable manner by
means of installed parts adhesives and or stability supports. On
the circuit board 9 there is both an intrinsically-safe charging
circuit and an intrinsically-safe protection circuit disposed. The
protection circuit is switched electrically between the lines 11,
12, 13 and a schematically-illustrated current consumption socket
16 that is certified for use in underground mining, to which a
consumer can be connected. A charging socket 17 is also disposed in
the enveloping housing 2 in addition to the current consumption
socket 16. The circuit board 9 contains a charging circuit that is
integrated between the charging socket 17 and the connection lines
11, 12 for the lithium storage battery cell 5, so that the lithium
storage battery cell of the intrinsically-safe battery power supply
10 can be recharged underground via a charging plug, not
illustrated, that is connected to the underground power supply
network. In particular, in FIG. 1, charging circuit and overcurrent
circuit, integrated in circuit 9, are both electrically
incorporated between electrical contact points 11, 12 on the
battery housing 3 for the lithium storage battery cells 5 and the
charging and current consumption sockets 16, 17.
[0023] In one embodiment, the lithium storage battery cells 5 have
a voltage potential at both connection terminals 11, 12 that is
greater than the voltage potential required for operation of
controllers, extraction controllers, measuring equipment and other,
portable, electrical equipment without the possibility of
connection to the underground energy supply network. Both the
charging and the protection circuit on the circuit board 9 then
have direct current transformers (DC/DC transformers) to transform
the internal operating voltage of the storage battery cells 5 to
the external operating voltage required at the current consumption
socket 16 or to transform the operating voltage at the charging
socket 17 to the required higher operating voltage.
[0024] While not shown in FIG. 1, an additional circuit to limit
overcurrent and/or overvoltage can be disposed in the interior
space 4 of the battery housing 1 in an alternate embodiment, via
which the maximum value of the voltage supplied by the lithium
storage battery cells 5 can be limited. In addition, the charging
circuit can comprise control electronics to control the charging
current and voltage for the lithium storage battery cells.
[0025] FIG. 2 shows an alternate battery power supply for
underground mining indicated by reference number 100. Except as
indicated below, the battery power supply illustrated in FIG. 2 is
generally similar to that illustrated in FIG. 1 and thus like
reference numerals are used to identify like components. The
battery supply of FIG. 2 comprises a pressure resistant battery
housing 102 and an enveloping or additional housing 104 which can
be formed the same or similar to battery housing 1 and additional
housing 2, respectively. The battery housing 102 comprises a
battery box 3, in the receiving space 4 of which is disposed a
lithium ion storage battery cell 5, which can comprise several
lithium ion storage battery cells connected in series.
[0026] The battery box 3, which can be formed from a material that
is suitably resistant to electrolyte, is closed, for example by use
of several bolted connections 7, in a pressure resistant manner by
a battery box lid 6', through which the lithium ion storage battery
cells can be installed in a receiving space 4. The strength of the
surrounding walls of the battery box 3 and the lid 6 and the bolted
connection 7 are configured in such a way that the battery housing
102 remains closed in a pressure proof and gas-tight manner even if
an explosion with a specified maximum explosion pressure occurs in
the interior space 4. Here, the resistance to pressure of the
battery housing 102 is adapted to the maximum first pressure that
is expected in the case of lithium storage battery cells 5. The
material of the battery housing and the lid 6, and the seals
disposed between the two, is selected so that the battery housing
102 is gas-tight and resistant to those electrolytes that are used
by chargeable lithium storage battery cells 5 for the movement and
conduction of ions in order to provide an energy supply with the
lithium storage battery cell or cells 5 for intrinsically safe
equipment in underground mining.
[0027] In the illustrated exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2, the
enveloping housing 104 is bolted on a front side of the battery box
3, opposite the lid 6, by means of a bolted connection 8. Like the
embodiment of FIG. 1, the embodiment of FIG. 2 only serves to
schematically explain the structure of the battery supply. If
desired, surface 3' of the battery box 3 and surface 6' of the lid
6 could be provided with a plastic coating. The enveloping housing
102 can be formed from a suitable plastic. Also if desired, the
battery box 3 and its lid 6 can comprise a light metal such as
aluminum. Alternatively, though not shown, the enveloping housing 2
can completely enclose the battery box 3 and the lid 6.
[0028] One or more circuits can be provided in the illustrated
battery power supply 100, and all such circuits can be
intrinsically safe. In FIG. 2, circuit board 9 is a protection
circuit disposed within the additional housing 104. In addition to
the circuit board 9, circuit or circuit board 106 can be a charging
circuit and circuit or circuit board 108 can be an overcurrent
circuit. In this arrangement, the intrinsically-safe circuits 106,
108 are each disposed in the battery housing 3 together with the
storage battery cells 5. The overcurrent circuit 108 is
particularly disposed in the battery housing 3, specifically in the
receiving space 4, together with the storage battery cells 5
between the storage battery cells 5 and a consumption socket 16.
The charging circuit 106 is particularly disposed in the battery
housing 3, specifically in the receiving space 4, together with the
storage battery cells 5 between the storage battery cells 5 and a
charging socket 17, and more specifically between the storage
battery cells 5 and the protection circuit 9. The circuit 108 can
limit overcurrent and/or overvoltage on the consumption socket 16,
whereas the charging circuit 106 can comprise control electronics
to control the charging current and voltage for the storage battery
cells 5 disposed in the battery housing 3.
[0029] Accordingly, the charging circuit 106 of FIG. 2 differs from
the circuit 9 of FIG. 1, which can include a charging circuit, in
that the charging circuit 106 is disposed within the battery
housing 3 in the receiving space 4, whereas the circuit 9 of FIG. 1
is disposed within the additional housing 2 and outside the battery
housing 3.
[0030] Numerous modifications will be apparent to the person
skilled in the art which modifications should fall within the scope
of protection of the appended claims. The illustrated embodiments
are purely schematic and should not limit the scope of protection
of the appended claims.
[0031] The exemplary embodiment has been described with reference
to the preferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and
alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the
preceding detailed description. It is intended that the exemplary
embodiment be construed as including all such modifications and
alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended
claims or the equivalents thereof.
* * * * *