Lead acid battery with self-registering grid complement and methods of making and operating same

摘要

A lead-acid battery construction comprises a casing, electrolyte means received in the casing and positive and negative electrode means mounted in the casing in contact with the electrolyte and being spaced apart by separator means. The positive electrode means includes a shaped grid structure having a top bar, a lug and depending spine portions, and further includes active material contained within tube means held in contact with the spines. An enclosure body is located around portions of the shaped grid structure in a position to selectively prevent flow of current from surfaces of the grid structure not in contact with active material. The enclosure body consists of self-registering plastic grid complement means and is formed with depending parts which are engaged inside distended upper ends of the tube means. A further inventive aspect resides in a method of engaging grid complement means with shaped grid structure means. The method is characterized by angularly displacing self-registering side portions of the grid complement as they are moved into engagement with one part of the shaped grid structure means. Thereafter, with further engagement of the grid complement means, the self-registering side portions contract and move into contact with another part of the shaped grid structure in registered relationship therewith.