THERMO SAC

SAC ISOLANT

English Abstract

A multi-layer cover for an electrical storage battery is formed from i) an inner acid resistant cover layer, ii) a first layer of glass fibre cloth, iii) an aluminized layer, iv) a first insulating layer which is a thermal insulator with air therein, v) a second insulating layer selected from a) an inorganic insulating material which has a high heat resistant capacity and which retains heat and b) a thermal insulator with air therein, vi) a second layer of glass fibre cloth, and vii) an outer cover layer. Preferably the multi-layer cover is secured by quilting. The cover is effective, acid resistant and has sufficient strength to resist explosion.

French Abstract

Une couverture multicouche pour une batterie de stockage électrique est formée à partir de i) une couche de couverture intérieure résistant à l'acide, ii) une première couche de tissu de fibres de verre, iii) une couche aluminisée, iv) une première couche isolante qui est un isolant thermique avec l'air contenue dans celui-ci, v) une deuxième couche isolante choisie parmi a) un matériau isolant inorganique qui présente une capacité calorifique élevée et conserve la chaleur et b) un isolant thermique ayant de l'air contenu dans celui-ci, vi) une seconde couche de tissu de fibres de verre, et vii ) une couche de couverture extérieure. De préférence, la couverture multicouche est fixée par piquage. La couverture est efficace, résiste à l'acide et a une résistance suffisante pour résister à une explosion.

Claims

-8-
CLAIMS:
1. A multi-layer cover for an electrical storage battery,
said cover having in sequence, i) an inner acid resistant
cover layer, ii) a first layer of glass fibre cloth, iii)
an aluminized layer selected from aluminum foil and
aluminized thermoplastic polymeric film, iv) a first
insulating layer which is a thermal insulation with air
therein, v) a second insulating layer selected from a) an
inorganic insulating material which has a high heat
resistant capacity and which retains heat and b) a thermal
insulator with air therein, vi) a second layer of glass
fibre cloth, and vii) an outer cover layer.
2. A cover according Claim 1 wherein the first insulating
layer is glass fibre insulation.
3. A cover according to Claim 1 wherein the second
insulating layer is selected from the group consisting of
glass fibre insulation, mineral wool, and stone wool.
4. A cover according to Claim 2 wherein the second
insulating layer is selected from the group consisting of
glass fibre insulation, mineral wool and stone wool.
5. A cover according to Claim 4 wherein there is a
separator layer between the first and second insulating
layers.
6. A cover according to Claim 5 wherein the first and
second insulating layers are glass fibre insulation.
7. A cover according to Claim 5 wherein the separator
layer is selected from a) a solar blanket and b) a sheet
of thermoplastic polymer.
8. A cover according to Claim 2 wherein the multi-layer
cover is held together by quilting.
9. A cover according to Claim 3 wherein the multi-layer
cover is held together by quilting.
10. A cover according to Claim 5 wherein the multi-layer
cover is held together by quilting.
11. A cover according to Claim 8 wherein the cover has at
least a top, two sides and two ends, and corners formed
from adjacent sides and ends, said corners being joined by
cooperating fasteners on the sides and ends.

-9-
12. A cover according to Claim 9 wherein the cover has at
least a top, two sides and two ends, and corners formed
from adjacent sides and ends, said corners being joined by
cooperating fasteners on the sides and ends.
13. A cover according to Claim 10 wherein the cover has
at least a top, two sides and two ends, and corners formed
from adjacent sides and ends, said corners being joined by
cooperating fasteners on the sides and ends.

Description

niaal~ield
The present irve~n~~.on relates to a r~stuova~ale
thermal insulator for electrical storage batteries.
Ba~r,~nad to the Inve on
8attsry l~Ia~tkete are known. Pflr exan<plar ~. &.
Eatent 4 ~'~5 502 to Tayls~r digal4s~s a flexible battery
anuer providing a h~.~tged top overlying er~clased sids~s
far securernent about the batterg. U.S. Patent 3 B25 X47
s,o to Kraals dieclos~ a .battery zover for ~laxzbly
aaclosing a battery; together with.openi~tga fax
accamrnsdating the battery eleatrioal Qonn~ctions. tf.$.
Patent 4 739 9b~ to Sanders d3acloses a batterar
cantait~er with heating rtteads and insulation. U.S.
7.5 Patent h' 054 730 to Crifasi di~~eloses an insulated
battery cover sWade from t~la.~d fibCe insulation
sandwiched between aluminuat pli$~. U.S, Eatent
4 8?0 855 to Roti et al. d~.scloses battery cover made
fsosa a durable insulating material euCh a& quilted nylon
20 fabri.e, v~ith an insulating mataxi.al ~e~ithin the quilted
fab~r3.c.
The present invention ig 3.ntecide~d ~.o provide
another means far ineulatirig $ battery.
Summary of tE~e Inve~ntidn
25 Aacnadi~gly the present invention pravidas a multi-
lager crwer xar an electrical storage batterl~, said
saver having, in sequence, i~ an inner acid re~siot~trt
aarsr 3ayar, iiy a first layer of gla8e fibre oloCh~
i,ii} an aluminised layer selected frogs alusaintxrn ~oil and
30 alum~.nxead ti~ermoplaetic lsalymeric film, ~,v~ a #irst
inauiating ~.~yex whioh is a thermal insulator with a~.ir
therein, v7 a eeaostd insulating lager eel~ctad fxw~a ap
an inorganic ineulatiag material r~hich has a high heat
resistant capacitg and ~rhich rata~.ns heat and b) a
35 thertaal insulator pith air thermin, vii a second Iayer
p~ g7.ass fibre cloth, and vi.ir an outer aovex layer.
W any embodicuent the multi-layer oo~rs~r is held
together by quilting.
In another ernbadimant the ~l,rst inBUl~tting lacer is

CA 02294623 1999-12-31
_ 2 _
glass fibre insulation.
In yet another embodiment there is a separator
layer between the first and second insulating layers.
In a further embodiment the second layer is
selected from the group consisting of glass fibre
insulation, mineral wool or stone wool.
In yet another embodiment there is a separator
layer in a location selected from i) between the first
and second insulation layers, ii) between the first
layer of glass fibre cloth and the aluminized layer,
iii) between the aluminized layer and the first
insulation layer and iv) between the second insulation
layer and the second layer of glass fibre cloth.
In another embodiment the outer cover is selected
from a canvas cover, a fabric cover, a thermoplastic
polymeric film cover and a rigid plastic cover. The
fabric cover is preferably a high heat resistant cover.
In yet another embodiment the first and second
insulation layers are glass fibre insulation and are
separated by a~separator layer.
In a further embodiment the separator layer is
selected from a) a solar blanket and b) a sheet of
thermoplastic polymer, e.g. polypropylene, polyester,
nylon, an aluminized sheet of thermoplastic polymer or
metal foil.
In yet another embodiment the cover has at least a
top, two sides and two ends, and corners formed from
adjacent sides and ends, said corners being joined by
cooperating fasteners on the sides and ends.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Figure 1 shows a cross-section of a wall of a
battery cover of the present invention.
Figure 2 shows a cross-section of a wall of a
second battery cover of the present invention.
Figure 3 shows a battery with one embodiment of a
cover of the present invention.
Figure 4 shows the battery cover of Figure 3, prior

CA 02294623 1999-12-31
- 3 -
to fitting over battery.
Figure 5.shows a battery with a another embodiment
of a cover of the present invention.
Figure 6 shows a battery cover of Figure 5, prior
5 to fitting over a battery.
Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments
As indicated hereinabove, the battery cover is a
multi-layer,,cover. As will be seen from Figure 1, the
mufti-layer cover ll has an inner cover layer 12, a
10 first glass fibre cloth layer 13,- an aluminized layer
14, insulation layers 15 and 16, a second glass fibre
cloth layer 17 and an outer cover layer 18.
The cover of Figure 2 is similar to that of Figure
1 except that there is an intermediate separator layer
15 19 sandwiched between insulation layers 15 and 16.
The inner cover layer 12 is preferably made from a
.fabric coated with an acid resistant material, e.g.
polyethylene, vinyl polymer, rubber.
First and second glass fibre cloth layers 13 and 17
20 may be of any suitable weave construction and weight. A
simple weave, having a weight of from 4 to 9 oz,
preferably about 6 oz, has been found to be suitable and
is easily available. Because of the strength of the
glass fibre cloth, such cloth tends to prevent rupture
25 of the cover in the event of an explosion adjacent the
battery, inside the cover.
The first insulating layer 15 is an insulating
layer with a substantial volume of air, which provides
the insulating medium. A particulary suitable material
30 for this layer is made with glass fibre insulation.
Preferably the glass fibre insulation has a thickness of
from 4 millimetres to 20 millimetres, especially from 5
to 15 millimetres. The aluminized layer 14 may be
aluminum foil or aluminized film, e.g. aluminized
35 polyester film, which is preferably adhered to first
insulating layer 15.
The second insulating layer 16 may either be an

CA 02294623 2005-12-30
- 4 -
insulating layer with a substantial volume of air or a
layer which retains heat and has a high heat resistant
capacity. Glass fibre insulation is a preferred
insulating layer with a substantial volume of air. One
such insulation is sold under the trade mark FIBERGLAS.
Suitable materials with high heat resistant capacity are
inorganic materials such as mineral wool or stone wool.
One such second layer is available in Canada under the
trade mark ROXUL. Suitable thicknesses for the second
insulating layer 16 is from 4 to 20 millimetres,
especially from 6 to 15 millimetres. When the second
insulating layer is a high heat resistant capacity
material, it is intended to slowly heat while the
battery is in use and yet is slow to lose heat, e.g.
when power is not being drawn. As the battery is most
often placed in an engine compartment, where it is warm,
the high heat resistant capacity material will be heated
in the engine compartment. When the engine is shut off
and the engine compartment becomes cold, second
insulating layer 16 will give off heat slowly, by
radiation. Some of the heat will be radiated into the
first insulating layer 15, thus tending to slow the rate
of temperature drop of the battery. As will be apparent
this is of particular importance in cold climates for
vehicular batteries such as in cars and trucks.
The outer cover 18 is preferably a flexible material
such as canvas, thermoplastic polymeric film, or
fabric. The flexibility is useful in making the cover
fit snugly around the battery. Preferably the outer
cover is fire retardant or flameproof.
The outer cover may be made of rigid plastic,
for example polypropylene, for covers that are not
intended to be removed frequently.
As indicated, there may be a separator layer 19.
Preferably it is between first and second insulating
layers 15 and 16, as shown in Figure 2. One such

CA 02294623 1999-12-31
- 5 -
separator layer is a solar blanket. Other such layers
are a thermoplastic polymeric film, e.g. polyester film,
aluminized films and metal foil, e.g. aluminum foil.
The separator layer tends to keep heat from being drawn
from the battery to the outside.
The layers are preferably held together by
quilting. The multi-layer cover may be made by cutting
the various layers in a shape necessary to make the
cover, e.g. as shown in Figures 4 and 6. It is
preferred that the glass fibre insulation layers have
an R-rating from R-12 to R-30 prior to being quilted.
Such insulation may be from 20 millimetres to
10 centimetres thick before quilting. After quilting
the glass fibre insulation is generally compressed to a
thickness from 4 to 20 millimetres. This allows the
cover to be compact and yet provide the necessary
insulating value. The battery cover is preferably made
in a cruciform shape such as shown in Figures 4 and 6.
The side walls or end walls have securement devices to
hold the cover .in place when placed around the battery.
The securement devices may be loop and hook fasteners,
e.g. available under the trade mark Velcro, or by other
fasteners such as snap press fasteners. The fasteners
may be of metal or a non-corroding material such as
polypropylene, polyethylene or nylon.
As will be seen in Figure 3, the battery 21
comprises a case (not shown) which contains the
necessary chemicals, anodes and cathodes. Battery 21
has two posts 23, one positive and one negative for
connection to electrical devices, e.g a starter and
distributor (not shown), by electrical wires 24.
Battery 21 is blanketed with cover 25 which has
apertures 26 to permit posts 23 to be connected with
wires 24. Side panel 27 and end panel 28 are secured by
flaps 29 with fasteners attached.
Figure 4 shows one configuration for the battery
cover. It comprises a top panel 30 and two side panels

CA 02294623 2006-04-07
- 6 -
27 and two end panels 28. Depending on the type of
battery, apertures 26 may be in the top panel as shown
in Figure 4, or may be in one of the side panels. The
apertures are preferably circular. The side or end
panels 27 and 28 may have flaps 29 upon which at least
one fastener, e.g. 37, 28 is secured. After
installation on a battery (not shown) the side and end
panels may be joined together with fasteners 37 and 38.
Fasteners 37 and 38 may be clip and loop, snap press
fasteners, hook and loop (e. g. Velcro~ fasteners).
In Figure 5, it will be seen that the battery wires
40 exit from the battery cover 41 between end panel 42
and flaps 43. Battery cover 41 has a top panel 44 and
side panels 45. Figure 6 shows a configuration for
battery cover 41. It comprises a top panel 44, two side
panels 45, two end panels 42 and bottom 46. The side or
end panels 42 and 45 and bottom may have flaps 43 upon
which at least one part of fasteners 48 are secured.
After installation on a battery (not shown)the side and
end panels may be joined together with fasteners 48.
Fasteners 48 may be clip and loop, snap press fasteners,
hook and loop (e. g. Velcro~ fasteners).
The present invention provides a cover which assists
in increasing battery life from less exposure to ambient
temperature fluctuations, sustaining better cold cranking
temperatures. In one experiment, a battery cover was
made with an acid resistant fabric inner cover and a fire
retardant fabric outer cover. Between the inner and
outer covers was a glass fibre cloth envelope with
insulating material inside. The insulating material was
one layer of glass fibre insulation backed with
aluminized film and another layer of glass fibre
insulation. The battery cover was quilted. The battery
cover was used in the engine compartment of an automobile
over a one week period when ambient temperatures were
below -10°C. From 4-8 hours after the

CA 02294623 1999-12-31
automobile had been left without the motor running the
temperature inside the cover was from 5 to 10°C higher
than in the engine compartment.

Representative Drawing