Patent Application
20080164706
The present teachings relate to a device, or mechanism, for lifting and moving vehicle batteries for installation, removal and storage.
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art
Known automobiles, trucks, boats, trains, aircraft and light-weight utility vehicles, such as small cargo/maintenance vehicles, shuttle vehicles or golf cars, typically utilize one or more batteries to provide an electrical power source for operation of the vehicle and various vehicle systems. For example, most all automobiles and trucks utilize one or more 12 volt lead-acid batteries to provide electrical power for operating ignition, lighting and various accessory systems. Additionally, most electrically powered utility vehicles employ one or more 6 volt and/or 12 volt lead-acid batteries that deliver electrical power used to drive electric motors that provide motive forces for operation of the vehicle.
Such batteries can typically weigh between 40 and 70 pounds, or more, making them very cumbersome, difficult and laborious to lift and move during installation, removal and storage processes.
A battery lifting device is provided. In various embodiments, the battery lifting device includes an expandable retention subassembly, a shaft and a handle. The expandable retention subassembly is adapted to engage lifting tabs of a battery to be lifted and the shaft is pivotally coupled to the retention subassembly. The handle is connected to the shaft such that a lifting force applied to the handle utilizes the weight of the battery to expand the retention subassembly. Expansion of the retention subassembly, via the weight of the battery as the battery is lifted, firmly engages the retention subassembly with the battery lifting tabs such that the battery will not become dislodged or disconnected until the lifting force is removed.
Further areas of applicability of the present teachings will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present teachings.
The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present teachings in any way.
The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present teachings, application, or uses. Throughout this specification, like reference numerals will be used to refer to like elements.
Referring to
The retention subassembly 14 includes one or more A-frame linkage 34, as illustrated and described below with regard to
The lift tabs 26 and the tab catches 54 can be any cooperatively mating components suitable for interconnecting and supporting the suspended weight of the battery 30. For example, the lift tabs 26 can comprise stirrups, loops or hooks connected to or integrally formed with the battery 30 and the tab catches 54 can comprise pins, posts, hooks or feet extending from the A-frame leg distal ends 58. Accordingly, the tab catches 54, e.g., the pins, posts, hooks or feet extending from the A-frame leg distal ends 58, interconnect with the respective lift tabs 26, e.g., the stirrups, loops or hooks as the A-frame legs distal ends 58 expand in the X directions when the lifting force is applied to the shaft, as described further below.
Each A-frame 34 additionally includes a pair of cross-arms 62 having proximal ends 66 pivotally linked at a lift joint 70. The lift joint 46 generally includes a pin, rivet, nut and bolt fastener, or any other suitable pivot joint fastener 74 inserted through apertures (not shown, but readily understood by one skilled in the art) in the proximal ends 66 and fastened to pivotally couple the A-frame cross-arms 62 at their proximal ends 66. Each cross-arm 62 additionally includes a distal end 78 pivotally coupled to a respective one of the A-frame legs 38 at a respective lever joint 82. Each lever joint 82 generally includes a pin, rivet, nut and bolt fastener, or any other suitable pivot joint fastener 86. The lever joint pivot fasteners 86 are inserted through apertures (not shown, but readily understood by one skilled in the art) in the cross-arm distal ends 78 and respective A-frame legs 38, and fastened to pivotally couple the A-frame cross-arms 62 at their distal ends 78 to a mid-portion of the respective A-frame leg 38.
Referring now to
In various embodiments, the lift bar 22B includes a pair opposing arms 90 that extend outwardly from a lift bar hub 94 on opposing side of the shaft 90. The hub 94 is coupled to the shaft 18 such that a lifting force applied to one or both of the arms 90 will apply the lifting force to the shaft 18. In various implementations, the lift bar hub 94 includes a set screw 98 that can be loosened and tightened to position the lift bar 22B at any desirable location along the shaft 18. Thus, the lift bar arms can be grasped by a person or hoist to apply the lifting force to the shaft 18, which in turn, interconnects the A-frame tab catches 54 with the battery lift tabs 26 to lift the battery 30 from a present location. The battery 30 can then be moved and relocated or repositioned, e.g., installed into or removed from an electric vehicle battery bank.
Each expandable retention subassembly 14 additionally includes an upper cross-bar 102 rotationally connected to the vertex joint 46 of the one or more A-frames 34. Furthermore, in various embodiments, each expandable retention subassembly 14 additionally includes a lower cross-bar 106 rotationally connected to the lift joint 70 of the one or more A-frames 34.
Referring now particularly to
Referring now particularly to
Referring again to
More particularly, when the tab catches 54 are engaged with the battery lifting tabs 26 and the lifting force is applied to the shaft 18, the resulting expansion forces causes the tab catches 54 to firmly engage the lifting tabs 26 until the lifting force is removed. Even more particularly, once the battery 30 is lifted and is suspended from the lifting device 10, it is the weight of the battery 30 that maintains the lifting force on the shaft 18 and the resulting expansion forces on the A-frame legs 38. Thus, the weight of the battery 30 maintains engagement of the tab catches 54 with the lifting tabs 26 such that the battery can not be dislodged or disconnected from the lifting device 10 until the battery 30 is relocated and the lifting force removed.
In various embodiments, the battery lifting device 10 additionally includes a biasing device 114 that is cooperatively operable with the shaft 18. The biasing device 114 applies a preliminary expansion force to the A-frame legs 38, thereby initially engaging the tab catches 54 with the battery lifting tabs 26 prior to the lifting force being applied to the shaft 18. More specifically, the biasing device is cooperatively operable with the shaft 18 and located between upper cross-bar 102 and the lift bar hub 94, or in the absence of the lift bar 22B a collar, similar to the hub 94, coupled to the shaft 18. The biasing device 114 exerts an equal and opposite force on the hub 94 (or collar) and the upper cross-bar. Thus, relative to the upper cross-bar, the hub 94 (or collar), and therefore the shaft 18, is pushed in the Y direction simulating a lifting force. Accordingly, the distal ends 58 of the A-frame legs 38 are expanded and the tab catches 54 are engaged with the battery lifting tabs 26 prior to the lifting force being applied to the shaft 18.
Referring particularly to
Referring particularly to
Referring to
As described above, when the lifting force is applied to the shaft 18, the lift joint 70 is moved toward the vertex joint 46. Therefore, when the lifting force is applied to the shaft 18, the lower cross-bar 106 is moved toward the upper cross-bar 102. Accordingly, the stop tube 118 limits the distance the lower cross-bar 106 can travel toward the upper cross-bar 102 when the lifting force is applied to the shaft 18 and the battery 30 is lifted and suspended. More particularly, since the stop tube 118 limits the distance the lower cross-bar 106 can travel toward the upper cross-bar 102, the stop tube 118 limits the distance the tab catches 54 can travel in the X directions when the lifting force is applied to the shaft 118. Therefore, the weight of the battery 30 can not produce excessive expansion forces, described above, on the A-frame legs 38 that could damage or break the battery lift tabs 26 and create a potentially dangerous situation should the lift tabs 26 break while the battery 30 is being lifted, suspended and/or moved.
Additionally, in various embodiments, the vertex joint 46, the lift joint 70 and the lever joints 82 of each A-frame linkage 34 include a dielectric bushing and washer assembly 122. The dielectric bushing and washing assemblies 122 are fabricated from an electrically non-conductive, i.e., dielectric, material, such as plastic, nylon, silicone or rubber. The dielectric bushing and washer assemblies 122 are located within each vertex, lift and lever joint 46, 70 and 82 to electrically isolate all components of the expandable retention subassembly 14 from each other. That is, the dielectric bushing and washer assemblies 122 electrically isolate each of the A-frame legs 38 from each other and from the cross-arms 62, which are also electrically isolated from each other by the dielectric bushing and washer assemblies 122. Furthermore, in the embodiments that include a pair of A-frame linkages 34, the dielectric bushing and washer assemblies 122 electrically isolate the A-frame linkages 34 from the upper and lower cross-bars 102 and 106. Therefore, the A-frame linkages 34 are electrically isolating them from each other. Further yet, the dielectric bushing and washer assemblies 122 electrically isolate the shaft 18 and the handle 22, i.e., the lift receptacle 22A and/or the lift bar 22B, from all other components of the battery lifting device 10. Thus, the dielectric bushing and washer assemblies 122 provide protection from the danger of shorting the electrical terminals of the battery 30 that could damage the battery 30 and/or harm a person operating the battery lifting device 10.
The description herein is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of that which is described are intended to be within the scope of the teachings. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the teachings.
