WO2007012959A1

WO2007012959A1 - Battery clamp

Info

Publication number: WO2007012959A1
Application number: PCT/IB2006/002071
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gerrit Hendrik Muller Kotze
Original assignee: Gerrit Hendrik Muller Kotze
Priority date: 2005-07-29
Filing date: 2006-07-28
Publication date: 2007-02-01
Also published as: ZA200800561B

Abstract

A battery clamp includes a split ring adapted to co-operate with a battery terminal post, the ring having two outwardly directed opposed flanges at free ends thereof; urging means co-operable with the flanges on the split ring and operable to selectively urge the flanges towards each other; and an electrically insulating cover adapted to insulate at least a portion of the split ring and/or urging means.

Description

BATTERY CLAMP

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a battery clamp and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to a battery clamp which is used in conjunction with terminal posts of a conventional lead acid battery as used, for example, in motor vehicles, power boats and the like,

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

RSA Patents Nos. 98/8613, 96/0575 and 2002/6379 disclose improvements to battery clamps and the specifications of the aforementioned patents are included herein in their entirety by reference.

The prior art battery clamps, whilst highly effective, have certain disadvantages: Some of the prior art battery clamps require the use of two spanners or other tools in order to loosen the battery clamp from a battery terminal post. This is a disadvantage. Other prior art battery clamps, although not requiring two spanners, pose certain dangers in that they are subject to short circuit in the event that one of the clamps comes loose from the battery to which it is attached or in the event that a conductor comes into contact with the battery clamp (the live contact), together with the body of a vehicle or the other batter terminal. Still further, prior art battery damps require considerable force in order to loosen or tighten the battery clamp on its associated battery terminal post, since the battery clamp must generally be deformed in order to loosen or tighten it,

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the invention to provide an improved battery clamp which is easily securable and detachable from a battery terminal post and/or provides improved safety.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

in this specification the phrase "split ring" means a ring which comprises a major arc of a circle but does not complete the circle, thus not being endless, but having a pair of opposed free ends,

According to the invention there is provided a battery clamp including a split ring adapted to co-operate with a battery terminal post, the ring having two outwardly directed opposed flanges at free ends thereof; urging means co-operable with the flanges on the split ring and operable to selectively urge the flanges towards each other; and an electrically insulating cover adapted to insulate at least a portion of the split ring and/or urging means.

The split ring may be a unitary one-piece element instead, the split ring may comprise a pair of ring segments together forming a split ring adapted to co- operate with a battery terminal post and having two outwardly directed opposed flanges at free ends thereof, Then, the ring segments may be hingedly connected to each other at a position remote from their flanges. Instead, ends of the ring segments, opposed to the ends of the split ring at which the flanges are arranged, may remain unjoined, the ring segments being held together by the urging means. The battery clamp according to these latter two aspects of the invention facilitates the loosening and tightening of the clamp about a battery terminal post, since It is not necessary to deform the metal of the clamp in order to do so.

The urging means may be operable selectively to urge the flanges away from each other (in addition to being operable to urge the flanges towards each other).

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first of the flanges of the split ring has a threaded bore defined therein and a second of the flanges of the split ring has an opening defined therein; and the urging means includes a threaded rod a first end portion of which is threadedly engageable with a threaded bore in the first flange of the split ring; and engaging means co-operable with the opening in the second flange of the split ring and the threaded rod to permit free rotation of the engaging means within the said bore and to limit axial displacement of the threaded rod with respect to the second flange.

The opening in the second flange may comprise a slot extending inwardly from an edge of the second flange, Then, the engaging means may comprise a nut having an axial shaft extending therefrom, the shaft having an axial threaded bore at its free end to co-operate with a second end of the threaded rod and a circumferential recess intermediate the nut and the free end to co-operable with the slot of the second flange to permit free rotation of the engaging means.

Instead, the opening in the second flange may comprise a bore defined therethough. Then, the engaging means may include a second end portion of the threaded rod which is non-threadedly receivable within the bore of the second flange, to permit free rotation of the second end portion of the threaded rod within the said bore.

Preferably, the threaded rod has a head at its second end and a thrust formation spaced from the head, the second flange of the split ring being sandwiched between the head and the thrust formation, thereby limiting axial displacement of the threaded rod with respect to the second flange. The thrust formation may comprise a collar defined on the threaded rod, instead, the thrust formation may comprise a thrust washer which seats in a recess defined in the threaded rod. Further instead, the thrust formation may comprise a shoulder defined on the threaded rod.

The head of the rod may be provided by a nut which is threadedly received on the second end of the rod. Further, the head of the rod may have a lever attached thereto, to facilitate rotation of the rod by hand, Preferably, the lever is slidingly received within a radial passageway defined in the head of the rod. The head of the rod and the lever may be of a non-conductive material. The non- conductive material may be a plastics material, Further, the head and/or lever may be coloured to indicate whether the battery clamp is intended for connection to the positive or negative terminal of a battery.

in another embodiment of the invention, the second end of the threaded rod stops short of the inner surface of the second flange and an axial bore is defined within the second end of the rod, a machine screw being non-threadedly and rotatably received within the bore of the second flange and threadedly engages with the threaded bore in the second end of the rod, and in which a thrust formation is provided on the threaded rod for abutment against an inner surface of the second flange, the second flange being sandwiched between the head of the machine screw and the thrust formation to limit axial displacement of the threaded rod with respect to the second flange, The thrust formation may comprise the second end of the threaded rod, the diameter of the bore in the second flange being smaller than the diameter of the threaded rod at its second end. Instead, the thrust formation may comprise a collar defined on the threaded rod. Further instead, the thrust formation may comprise a thrust washer which seats in a recess defined in the threaded rod.

In one embodiment of the invention, the bores of both flanges are of the same diameter and are threaded with the same thread, to enable the rod to be operable from either side of the clamp. Further, the rod and bores may have reverse (non-conventional) handed threads, to enable the clamp to be tightened by clockwise rotation of the rod and loosened by anti-clockwise rotation of the rod.

The electrically insulated cover may comprise a casing. Preferably, the casing is of a plastics material. The casing may have a casing IId, which may be opened to reveal the split ring and urging means, or closed,

The battery clamp may include a spacer intermediate the two flanges of the split ring to provide a corrosion seal against a battery terminal post, in use. Preferably, the seal is resiliency deformable.

The casing may contain an inhibitor for inhibiting the formation of corrosive residue on the clamp and battery terminal post. Then, the inhibitor may be a petrochemical grease. It will be appreciated that such corrosive residue results from the electro-chemical reaction between such connections in atmosphere, The build up of a corrosive residue is a major disadvantage in the use of lead acid batteries, being messy, dangerous and resulting in difficulty in removing and connecting battery cables from and to battery terminals. It will be appreciated that the casing and spacer serve to encapsulate the inhibitor. The casing may be coloured to indicate whether the battery clamp is intended for connection to the positive or negative terminal of a battery. Further, the casing may have apertures for to permit a battery terminal connection to be received therethrough and/or the head of the threaded rod to protrude therethrough to enable the battery clamp to be loosened or tightened.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION QF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of an improved battery clamp in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 shows a sectional side view of the battery clamp of Figure 1 ; Figure 3 shows a sectional plan view of the battery clamp of Figure 1 ; Figure 4 shows a side view of the battery clamp of Figure 1 showing one embodiment of a cable attachment;

Figure 5 shows a side view of the battery clamp of Figure 1 showing a second embodiment of a cable attachment;

Figure 6 shows a partly sectional plan view of a second embodiment of the battery clamp;

Figure 7 shows a plan view of a third embodiment of the battery clamp; Figures 8(a) and 8(b) show plan views of the embodiment of the previous figure in use;

Figure 9 shows a plan view of a fourth embodiment of the battery clamp; Figure 10 shows a plan view of a fifth embodiment of the battery clamp; and Figure 11 (a), 11 (b) and 11 (c) show a plan view of sixth embodiment of the battery clamp, together with plan views showing the battery clamp in operation;

Figure 12 shows a plan view of a seventh embodiment of the battery clamp; and;

Figure 13 shows an exploded perspective view of the battery clamp of Figure 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally refers to a battery clamp in accordance with the invention. Further, In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like components, unless otherwise specified.

in Figures 1 to 5 and 13, the battery clamp 10.1 comprises a split ring 11 of cast brass which is adapted to co-operate with a battery terminal post 12 of a conventional lead-acid motor vehicle battery 14. The split ring 11 has two outwardly directed flanges 16 at Its free ends 18 and urging means in the form of a threaded rod 20 is threadedly engaged at a first end 21 thereof with a threaded bore 22 (shown in Figure 13) in a first flange 16.1. The rod 20 engages with a hexagonal nut 24 at its second end 25 (shown in Figure 13). A series of radial passageways 28 are defined in the hexagonal . nut 24, to permit a manually operated lever 30 to be inserted through the nut 24, as shown in Figures 4, 5 and 13, This facilitates tightening and loosening of the clamp 10.1. Preferably, the lever is of a non-conductive material, such as a plastics material. With reference to Figure 13, the nut 24 has an axial shaft 33 extending therefrom and the shaft 33 has an axial threaded bore (not shown) defined at Its free end 35 to engage with the second end 37 of the rod 20. Further, the shaft 33 has a circumferential slot 39, which is shaped to engage freely rσtatably with a slot 41 defined in the flange 16,2. An end portion of the shaft 33 of the nut 24 provides a thrust collar 32, the collar 32 bearing against an inner surface 34 of the second flange 16.2, Thus, once engaged with the nut 24, thθ rod 20 can rotate freely with respect to the second flange 16.2, but is limited in its axial displacement with respect to the second flange 16.2 by the head 24 and collar 32. It will be appreciated that the rod 20 may have a narrow portion at Its second end where it co-operates with the bore of the shaft 33.

The split ring 11 and rod 20 and nut 24 assembly is encased in a casing 38 of an insulating plastics material. The casing 38 has a rounded first end 40 and an opposed flat end 42. The casing 38 has a hinged top 44 to provide an openable cover for the casing 38 (as shown in Figure 1). An opposed operatively underside 45 of the casing 38 has a circular aperture 46 defined therein for receiving the battery terminal post 12. An aperture 48 is defined in a side wall 50 of the box for receiving the nut 24. A further aperture, in the form of a slot 52, is defined in the wall 50 of the casing 38 for receiving a battery cable connector 54, Various forms of battery cable connector may be accommodated, in Figure 4, the connector 54.1 is of a side-engaging type and is inserted into the casing 38 from above, while in Figure 5 the cable connector 54,2 is of an end-engaging type and is inserted from the flat end 42 of the casing 38. Since the casing has an openable cover 44, either form of connector 54 may be conveniently accommodated. As shown in Figure 3, the cable connector 54 is conveniently connected to the clamp 10,1 intermediate the nut 24 and the second flange 16.2. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a deformable seal 56 may be included intermediate the two flanges 16,1,16.2 of the clamp 10.1 to seal against the battery terminal post 12. Preferably, the seal 56 is resiliently deformable. The insulating casing 38 may be filled with an inhibitor, in liquid or gel form, such as grease 58, to inhibit the formation of corrosive residue on the clamp 10.1 and battery terminal post 12. The inhibitor may be of any suitable composition, preferably a non-flamable or flame retardant composition. It will be appreciated that the build up of corrosive residue is a major disadvantage in the use of lead acid batteries, being messy, dangerous and resulting in difficulty in removing and connecting battery cables from and to battery terminals. The present invention inhibits the build up of corrosive residues by providing a casing 38 for the battery terminal post 12 and split ring 11, which casing 38 may be filled with an inhibitor, such as grease. A further major advantage of the present invention is that the conductive elements of the terminal and clamp 10.1 may be entirely encased in the non-conductive casing 38. Conveniently, the casing 38 and/or the lever 30 are coloured to indicate that the associated connection is the live or earth connection. A yet further advantage of the invention is that the split ring 11 may be made of any suitable conductive material, and need not necessarily be of brass, since corrosion of the split ring is inhibited. Thus, cheaper methods of manufacture and materials than are used in the casting of brass may be used for the manufacture of the split ring 11.

in Figure 6, a further embodiment 10.2 of the battery clamp is shown. The embodiment is similar to that shown in Figures 1 to 5, with the exception the casing 38 is rectangular and a battery terminal connector 60 for a clamp 10.2 is provided by means of a shaft 62 extending from the split ring 11 of the battery clamp 10.2 in a position opposed to the flanges 15 via an aperture 64 in an end wall 66 of the casing 38 and carrying a nut 67, which has passageways for receiving a lever 30, as with the clamp 10.1 The battery cable connector 54 is then attached to the clamp 10,2 by means of the shaft 62 and nut 67. The major components of the clamp 10.2 remain encased in the insulating casing 38 similar to that described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. Again, the casing 38 may have an inhibitor contained therein for inhibiting the formation of corrosive residues. The shaft 62 may be replaced by a metal strip having one or more holes defined proximate its free end for attachment to a battery terminal cable.

In Figure 7 and 8, a further embodiment 10.3 of the clamp is illustrated, showing, in detail, a novel urging assembly 70 for the clamp 10.3. The clamp 10.3 in

Figures 7 and 8 is similar to that described with respect to the embodiment of

Figure 1, However, the urging assembly 70 comprises a threaded rod 72 which is threadedly engaged with the flret flange 16.1 via a threaded bore (not shown), A first end 71 of the rod 72 has a head 73 rotatably fast therewith and β free end 74 of the rod 72 has a threaded bore 76 in which is received a threaded machine screw 78. The head 73 has a passageway (not shown) therein in which is received a lever 30. The screw 78 is freely rotatably received through a bore 77 in the second flange 16.2 of the clamp 10.3 and tightened into the bore 76, The bore 77 may be smooth, instead, the bore 77 may be of the same size as the threaded bore 76 and may be similarly threaded, enabling the rod 72 to be inserted from either side of the split ring 11. The shaft of the screw 78 is dimensioned for free rotation within the bore 77. An urging device, in the form of a washer 80, is positioned between the free end 74 of the rod 70 and the inner surface 34 of the second flange 16.2. A further washer 82 is inserted between the head of the screw 78 and an outer surface 84 of the flange 16.2. It will be appreciated that a screw having an integral washer and head may also conveniently be used. The battery cable connector 54 is entrapped between the washer 82 and the second flange 16.2 of the clamp 10.3. By means of this arrangement, the clamp 10.3 may be tightened about a battery terminal post (not shown) by rotating the rod 72, by means of the lever 30, as shown in Figure 8(b). Turning the lever 30 in the opposite direction, results in urging apart of the flanges 16 of the clamp 10.3, as Illustrated in Figure 8(a). In order to achieve a tightening of the clamp 10.3 when the rod 72 is rotated clockwise and a loosening when the rod 72 is rotated aπtl-clockwiβe, as is conventional with threaded devices, the rod 72 may have a left-handed thread, Ie its thread may be of opposite hand to a standard thread. It will be appreciated that instead of the washer 80, the bore 77 may have a smaller diameter than the rod 72 and the free end 74 of the rod 72 may bear on the flange 16.2.

in Figures 9 and 10, further embodiments, 10.4 and 10.5 respectively, of the clamp are illustrated, The embodiments 10.4,10.5 are similar to the clamp 10.3 illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, with the exception that their spilt rings, 88.1 and

88.2 respectively, comprise two ring segments 86, which, when they meet end- to-end form a split ring 88.1, 88.2, In the clamp 10.4 of Figure 9, ends 90 of the ring segments 86, opposed to the ends 18 at which the flanges 16 are arranged, remain unjoined. The split ring 88,1 is held together by the urging assembly 70. in the clamp 10.5 of Figure 10, the ring segments 86 are hingedly attached to one another at their opposed ends 90 by means of a hinge 92. The embodiments 10,4,10.5 of Figures 9 and 10 facilitate the loosening and tightening of the clamp about a battery terminal post (not shown), since it is not necessary to deform the metal of the clamp in order to do so,

In Figures 11 (a) to (c), a further embodiment 10.6 of the clamp, including a variation 94 of the urging assembly, is illustrated. The clamp 10.6 is similar to the embodiment illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, with the exception that the urging device of the clamp 10.6 comprises a split washer 96, which is received in a recess 98 in the rod 72. The flanges 16 are also reversed with respect to the embodiment of Figures 9 and 10, illustrating that the rod 72 may be operated by means of the lever 30 from either side of the clamp 10.6. Indeed, by making the bores in the flanges the same, it is possible to make the clamp in such a way that the rod 72 may be reversed and the clamp operated from either side. This is an advantage in that there is then no need to make separate right and left-handedly operable clamps.

A yet further embodiment 10.7 of the clamp is shown in Figure 12. This embodiment 10.7 is similar to the clamp 10.1, with the exception that the entire split ring 11, rod 20 and nut 24 are contained within the casing 38. Accordingly, a lever 30 is not provided, but may be inserted into a passageway 28 of the nut 24, as and when required, In this embodiment 10.7 of the clamp, the entire clamp assembly and the battery terminal post 12 are insulated, in use.

It will be appreciated that numerous variations of the abovementioned embodiments are possible, without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, clamps of the present invention readily facilitate the attachment of more than one battery cable attachment without the need for additional formations. Further, the various embodiments of the urging means may be used interchangeably on any of the embodiments of the battery clamp described herein.

Claims

1. A battery clamp including a split ring adapted to co-operate with a battery terminal post, the ring having two outwardly directed opposed flanges at free ends thereof; urging means co-operable with the flanges on the split ring and operable to selectively urge the flanges towards each other; and an electrically insulating cover adapted to insulate at least a portion of the split ring and/or urging means.

2, The battery clamp as claimed in claim 1 in which the split ring is a unitary one-piece element.

3, The battery clamp as claimed in claim 1 1n which the split ring comprises a pair of ring segments together forming a split ring adapted to co-operate with a battery terminal post and having two outwardly directed opposed flanges at free ends thereof,

4, The battery clamp as claimed in claim 3 in which the ring segments are hingedly connected to each other at a position remote from their flanges.

5, The battery clamp as claimed in claim 3 in which ends of the ring segments, opposed to the ends of the split ring at which the flanges are arranged, remain unjoined, the ring segments being held together by the urging means.

6, The battery clamp as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the urging means is operable selectively to urge the flanges away from each other.

7. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 1 in which a first of the flanges of the split ring has a threaded bore defined therein and a second of the flanges of the split ring has an opening defined therein; and the urging means includes a threaded rod a first end portion of which is threadedly engageable with a threaded bore in the first flange of the split ring; and engaging means co-operable with the opening in the second flange of the split ring and the threaded rod to permit free rotation of the engaging means within the said bore and to limit axial displacement of the threaded rod with respect to the second flange,

8. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 7 in which the opening in the second flange comprises a slot extending inwardly from an edge of the second flange.

9. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 8 in which the engaging means comprises a nut having an axial shaft extending therefrom, the shaft having an axial threaded bore at its free end to co-operate with a second end of the threaded rod and a clrcumferencial recess intermediate the nut and the free end to co-operable with the slot of the second flange to permit free rotation of the engaging means.

10. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 7 in which the opening in the second flange comprises a bore defined therethough.

11. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 7 Sn which the engaging means includes a second end portion of the threaded rod which is non-threadedly receivable within the bore of the second flange, to permit free rotation of the second end portion of the threaded rod within the said bore,

12. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 11 in which the threaded rod has a head at its second end and a thrust formation spaced from the head, the second flange of the split ring being sandwiched between the head and the thrust formation, thereby limiting axial displacement of the threaded rod with respect to the second flange.

13. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 12 in which the thrust formation comprises a collar defined on the threaded rod.

14. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 12 in which the thrust formation comprises a thrust washer which seats in a recess defined in the threaded rod.

15. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 12 in which the thrust formation comprises a shoulder defined on the threaded rod.

16. The battery clamp as claimed In claim 12 in which the head of the rod is provided by a nut which is threadedly received on the second end of the rod.

17. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 12 in which the head of the rod has a lever attached thereto, to facilitate rotation of the rod by hand,

18. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 17 in which the lever is slidingly received within a radial passageway defined in the head of the rod.

19. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 18 in which the head of the rod and the lever are of a non-conductive material.

20. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 19 in which the non-conductive material is a plastics material.

1. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 20 in which the head and/or lever are coloured to indicate whether the battery clamp is intended for connection to the positive or negative terminal of a battery.

22. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 7 in which the second end of the threaded rod stops short of the inner surface of the second flange and an axial bore is defined within the second end of the rod, a machine screw being non-threadedly and rotatably received within the bore of the second flange and threadedly engages with the threaded bore in the second end of the rod, and in which a thrust formation is provided on the threaded rod for abutment against an inner surface of the second flange, the second flange being sandwiched between the head of the machine screw and the thrust formation to limit axial displacement of the threaded rod with respect to the second flange,

23. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 22 in which the thrust formation comprises the second end of the threaded rod, the diameter of the bore in the second flange being smaller than the diameter of the threaded rod at its second end.

24. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 22 in which the thrust formation comprises a collar defined on the threaded rod.

25, The battery clamp as claimed in claim 22 in which the thrust formation comprises a thrust washer which seats in a recess defined in the threaded rod,

26, The battery clamp as claimed in claim 7 in which the bores of both flanges are of the same diameter and are threaded with the same thread, to enable the rod to be operable from either side of the clamp.

27. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 26 in which the rod and bores have reverse (non-conventional) handed threads, to enable the clamp to be tightened by clockwise rotation of the rod and loosened by anti-clockwise rotation of the rod,

28. The battery clamp as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the electrically insulated cover comprises a casing.

29. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 28 in which the casing is of a plastics material.

30. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 29 in which the casing has a casing lid, which may be opened to reveal the split ring and urging means, or closed.

31. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 30 which includes a spacer intermediate the two flanges of the split ring to provide a corrosion seal against a battery terminal post, in use.

32. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 31 in which the seal is reslllently deformable.

33. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 25 in which the insulating casing contains an inhibitor for inhibiting the formation of corrosive residue on the clamp and battery terminal post.

34. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 30 in which the inhibitor is a petrochemical grease.

35. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 28 in which the casing is coloured to indicate whether the battery damp is intended for connection to the positive or negative terminal of a battery.

36. The battery clamp as claimed in claim 28 as dependent on claim 7 in which the casing has apertures for to permit a battery terminal connection to be received therethrough and/or the head of the threaded rod to protrude therethrough to enable the battery clamp to be loosened or tightened.