초록 ▼

An apparatus and method for fusing the ends of battery cell terminal posts and the ends of hollow bushings fixed in the plastic cover of a battery being assembled and within which the terminal posts are concentrically disposed. The apparatus includes a pair of induction heating coils which each conc

An apparatus and method for fusing the ends of battery cell terminal posts and the ends of hollow bushings fixed in the plastic cover of a battery being assembled and within which the terminal posts are concentrically disposed. The apparatus includes a pair of induction heating coils which each concentrically support a mold cavity insert adapted to receive the ends of the terminal posts and bushings to be fused and a ferrite insert adapted to concentrate induced current in the ends of the terminal post and bushings upon energization of the coils. An electrical control is provided for selectively generating a radio-frequency oscillating current in the coils to effect heating, melting, and fusion of the ends of the terminal posts and bushings to consistent fusion depths while the plastic battery case remains substantially uneffected. The control is adapted to substantially instantaneously energize the inductance heating coils to a first power level, maintain such power level for a first predetermined period for melting the ends of the terminal posts and bushings, and then gradually decrease the power level in a substantially uniform controlled manner for a second predetermined period to produce finished fused terminals with good surface appearance.

대표청구항 ▼

An apparatus for fusing lead components of a battery being assembled comprising a frame, an induction heating coil, means for fixedly supporting said induction heating coil in predetermined orientation with respect to said frame, a mold insert disposed in concentric relation to said induction heatin

An apparatus for fusing lead components of a battery being assembled comprising a frame, an induction heating coil, means for fixedly supporting said induction heating coil in predetermined orientation with respect to said frame, a mold insert disposed in concentric relation to said induction heating coil, said mold insert having a mold cavity for receiving said battery components to be fused, means for automatically locating said battery components to be fused in position below said mold, means for automatically raising said battery components into said mold cavity and into operative relation to said induction heating coil, means for generating high frequency oscillating current in said coil, induced current concentrating means disposed in concentric relation to said induction heating coil for concentrating an induced current flow in said battery components positioned in operative relation to said coil for heating, melting and fusing said battery components together and molding said components in finished fused form in response to the generation of a high-frequency oscillating current in said coil while the surrounding non-lead components of the battery being assembled remain substantially unaffected, said induction heating coil including a plurality of vertically arranged turns, said mold insert being supported by at least one of the turns of said coil, and said induced current concentrating means being supported by at least one other of said turns, and means for automatically lowering and removing said battery components from said mold cavity following fusing and molding thereof to finished form.