SYSTEM CONSISTING OF A STACKING AID AND A MULTIPLE OF AGM BATTERIES

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a system comprising a stacking aid and a plurality of AGM batteries arranged in the stacking aid according to claim 1. Furthermore, the invention relates to a stacking aid for receiving AGM batteries according to claim 2.

[0002] AGM batteries in general, and systems consisting of a stacking aid on the one hand and a plurality of AGM batteries on the other hand, in particular, are known from the prior art, so a separate written reference is not required here. Reference is therefore made, by way of example, to DE 20 2019 105 570 U1, which discloses a battery cabinet for accommodating AGM batteries in particular.

[0003] AGM batteries are rechargeable batteries that have electrode plates arranged in a housing. The housing is rectangular in cross-section and has parallel first side walls on one side and parallel second side walls on the other. The electrode plates accommodated by the housing are aligned parallel to the first side walls of the housing. The second side walls of the housing run perpendicular to the electrode plates.

[0004] A nonwoven fabric serving as a separator is arranged between each two adjacent electrode plates. Furthermore, the housing contains an electrolyte surrounding the electrode plates. In the case of AGM batteries, this electrolyte is in bound form and is provided by the nonwoven fabrics located between the electrode plates. The nonwoven fabrics therefore serve not only as separators but also as an electrolyte binding agent.

[0005] The bound electrolyte in AGM batteries makes it advantageously possible to store AGM batteries lying down, i.e. on one of the side walls of the housing, without there being any risk of electrolyte escaping from the housing. For AGM batteries to have a long service life, there must always be surface contact between the individual electrode plates and the electrolyte-filled fleeces arranged in between. To ensure this, plate packs consisting of the electrode plates and the fleeces arranged in between are inserted into the housing of the AGM battery in a pressed-together state. However, when used as intended, the internal pressure that builds up in the housing can lead to bulging or cracking.This can lead to bulging of the housing, which, despite previously compressed plate packs, means that the compressed arrangement of the electrode plates and mats can no longer be maintained. This has the negative effect of reducing contact between the electrode plates and the mats, significantly reducing the service life of the AGM battery. The pressure within an AGM battery housing can rise, particularly during a charging cycle, repeatedly leading to a reduction in contact between the electrode plates and mats, which reduces the service life. The stress caused by the compressed mats is therefore the main cause of housing bulging.

[0006] To address this problem, it has already been proposed to store AGM batteries horizontally on shelves, with the AGM batteries aligned relative to the shelf in such a way that the electrode plates are parallel to the shelves. In this case, the AGM batteries are essentially clamped between two shelves when used as intended, as also proposed in the aforementioned DE 20 2019 105 570 U1, to prevent unwanted bulging of battery casings.

[0007] Comparable systems are also known from US 6,641,951 B1 and EP 0 922 308 B1. Here, too, stacking aids are used to accommodate AGM batteries, which enclose the AGM batteries held therein. Supporting elements in the form of intermediate and / or insert shelves are provided, which are connected to laterally arranged cheeks in a force-transmitting manner. When used as intended, the AGM batteries are thus clamped at least between a base element and an intermediate and / or insert shelf on the one hand, and an intermediate and / or insert shelf and a cover element on the other hand, whereby the base element, the cover element, and the at least one intermediate and / or insert shelf counteract unwanted bulging of the housing of an AGM battery.In the event of a force being applied to the base element, the intermediate and / or insert floor and / or the cover element as a result of counteracting a bulging of the housing of an AGM battery, the force is dissipated via the lateral cheeks of the stacking aid, which are in operative connection with the at least one intermediate and / or insert floor in a force-transmitting manner.

[0008] Another stacking aid is known from US 6,162,559 A. This previously known stacking aid has a housing that accommodates individual battery cells stacked vertically one above the other. The housing has a base, a top wall, and side walls. A compression element in the form of a compression plate is provided to apply pressure to the individual battery cells. This compression plate rests on the battery cells arranged on top and ensures that the entire battery cell stack is pressurized. Compression means in the form of screws are provided to apply force to the compression plate. These screws are supported on the top housing wall, whereby force is dissipated via the side walls that are operatively connected to the top housing wall.

[0009] US 2002 / 0155346 A1 also discloses a lead-acid battery and a rack for accommodating a plurality of such batteries. This previously known rack has a plurality of modules arranged one above the other in the vertical direction, each module serving to accommodate lead-acid batteries. Each of the modules has a base plate, a cover plate, and lateral support struts via which the base plate is coupled to the cover plate. The batteries accommodated by the modules each have electrode plates in a conventional manner, wherein the batteries are arranged within the modules such that the electrode plates are aligned vertically. For the purpose of pressurizing the batteries, each module also has a pressure plate which is also aligned vertically, corresponding to the alignment of the electrode plates of a battery. The pressure plate of a module is supported on the module-side lateral support struts.

[0010] US 2002 / 0192543 A1 also discloses a shelf-like rack designed to accommodate lead-acid batteries. The rack has shelves that are each positively engaged with the rack's lateral support beams. For this purpose, the lateral support beams have a corresponding locking contour that provides locking grooves corresponding to the shelves. In the final assembled state, the support beams of the rack support the positively arranged shelves, including the batteries they accommodate.

[0011] US 2022 / 255173 A1 discloses a transport device for securing battery racks. The battery racks are designed for stationary use. Such battery racks are generally heavy and difficult to transport. Furthermore, such battery racks typically do not have the necessary structural strength to withstand vibrations or other forces that may occur during transport. To remedy this, US 2022 / 255173 A1 proposes a transport device comprising a first assembly and a second assembly, with a pair of lateral struts securing the first assembly to the second assembly.

[0012] The aforementioned EP 0 922 308 B1 further proposes a modular design for the stacking aid, with individual modules designed to accommodate AGM batteries. The individual modules are coupled to each other in a force-transmitting manner, with pressure elements acting on adjacent modules also being provided.

[0013] A similarly modular stacking aid design is known from EP 3 396 733 A1. This design also uses pressure elements positioned between modules arranged vertically one above the other. The particular advantage of the design proposed in EP 3 396 733 A1 is that its modularity allows for adaptations tailored to the requirements of each individual case.

[0014] Although the previously known systems and stacking aids have proven themselves in everyday practical use, there is still room for improvement. Modular systems have the inherent disadvantage of requiring a multitude of different components and individual parts, which increases production costs and complicates handling, particularly during assembly. Furthermore, all previously known systems and stacking aids have the disadvantage of being very robustly constructed using appropriate materials, particularly to ensure that forces can be dissipated via the side panels. This design-related high material usage makes these previously known stacking aids comparatively expensive to manufacture. Furthermore, the material-intensive design of the stacking aids complicates both production and assembly at the installation site.

[0015] It is the invention underlying Task, to provide a system or a stacking aid of the type mentioned above, which, due to its design, enables simplified handling, particularly during assembly, while at the same time improving operational efficiency.

[0016] To SolutionTo achieve this object, the invention proposes, among other things, a system comprising a stacking aid and a plurality of AGM batteries arranged in the stacking aid, wherein an AGM battery has a housing with first side walls and electrode plates arranged in the housing, wherein the first side walls and the electrode plates are aligned parallel, wherein the stacking aid has a U-shaped base body which has only one support element for receiving the AGM batteries and two cheeks aligned orthogonally to the support element, wherein the cheeks are arranged on the support element at one end and the other end of the support element, wherein the support element receives a plurality of AGM batteries arranged one above the other in rows, wherein both the support element and the first side walls of the housings of the AGM batteries are aligned horizontally, wherein the cheeks are designed toto serve exclusively as lateral protection for the AGM batteries held by the support element, and wherein the support element is equipped on its underside facing away from the cheeks with strip-shaped plastic insulators serving as feet, characterized in that one insulator extends over the entire width of the support element.

[0017] Furthermore, SolutionTo achieve the above object, a stacking aid for accommodating AGM batteries is proposed, comprising a U-shaped base body which has exclusively a support element for accommodating the AGM batteries and two cheeks aligned orthogonally to the support element, wherein the cheeks are arranged on the support element at one end and the other end of the support element, wherein the support element is designed to accommodate a plurality of AGM batteries arranged one above the other in rows, wherein the cheeks are designed to serve exclusively as lateral protection for the AGM batteries accommodated by the support element, and wherein the support element is equipped on its underside facing away from the cheeks with strip-shaped plastic insulators which serve as feet, characterized in that one insulator extends over the entire width of the support element.

[0018] The unique feature of both the system and the stacking aid is their simple, low-material and low-component design. This simplifies both production and assembly, while also reducing manufacturing costs. The result is simplified handling while simultaneously improving operational efficiency.

[0019] When used as intended, the stacking aid accommodates a plurality of AGM batteries arranged in rows one above the other. The AGM batteries are supported solely by a support element located at the bottom in vertical direction, thus accommodating the AGM batteries arranged in rows one above the other. In contrast to the prior art, no intermediate or insert shelves, compression elements, and / or the like are provided that rest on the sides to transmit force. Instead, only one support element is provided to accommodate the AGM batteries. The stacking aid is therefore designed free of any additional support elements arranged on the sides that accommodate AGM batteries.In its intended state, vertically aligned cheeks are provided on the sides of the support element. These cheeks serve, on the one hand, to prevent the AGM batteries stacked on top of each other from falling out, and, on the other hand, to ensure that the AGM batteries stacked on top of each other during their intended use are protected from unwanted mechanical influences from the outside. In contrast to the state of the art, no further support elements are provided, for example in the form of intermediate shelves or shelves, which serve to accommodate AGM batteries and are arranged on the cheeks in a force-transmitting manner. In this respect, the cheeks of the stacking aid do not perform a load-bearing function, but serve only as lateral protection for the AGM batteries held by the stacking aid, as explained above.

[0020] This design synergistically delivers two particular advantages. Firstly, it makes it possible to make the lateral cheeks less stable and therefore less material-intensive than in the prior art. This is because the cheeks in the inventive design do not perform any load-bearing function, but only a lateral protective function. This ultimately leads to simplified assembly and more cost-effective production. Secondly, it is further advantageous that the design as a whole has an extremely simple structure and ultimately only has three components: two cheeks and a support element arranged between them. This significantly reduces the number of components required compared to the prior art, which also reduces manufacturing costs and simplifies assembly.

[0021] The design makes use of the knowledge that the AGM batteries held by the stacking aid during intended use, due to their own weight, ensure that any unwanted bulging of individual battery housings is reliably prevented. Therefore, the invention also provides on the system side that both the support element and the first side walls of the housings of the AGM batteries are aligned horizontally, with the first side walls and the electrode plates running parallel to one another. During intended use, the AGM batteries are therefore arranged one above the other in the bulging direction, with any possible bulging being prevented by the fact that the AGM batteries stacked in rows support each other due to gravity. The support element holding the AGM batteries serves as an abutment on which the AGM batteries rest. Since no intermediate and / or insert shelves, i.e.Since no further supporting elements are provided, no force is introduced into the laterally formed cheeks, not even via compression elements, so that, in contrast to the state of the art, these do not have a supporting and / or load-bearing function.

[0022] In this respect, the cheeks solely serve the function of protecting the stacked AGM batteries, namely from unwanted mechanical influences from outside on the one hand and from AGM batteries that might otherwise fall out of the stacking aid or tip over to the side, particularly in the event of a shock, on the other hand.

[0023] Furthermore, the support element is equipped with strip-shaped plastic insulators on its underside, facing away from the side walls, which serve as support feet. The support element, or the AGM batteries it accommodates, are thus ultimately supported on the ground at the stacking aid's installation site, with the insulators interposed. The insulators are made of a non-electrically conductive material, namely plastic.

[0024] The insulators not only electrically insulate the stacking aid from the ground at the installation site, they also serve as feet. This advantageously ensures secure installation of the stacking aid at the installation site. The insulators are preferably made of a flexible plastic material, ensuring leveling even on uneven ground at the installation site.

[0025] The furniture industry is familiar with the use of plate-shaped feet, which can also be height-adjustable on the piece of furniture being supported. Such height adjustment is particularly necessary when the surface at the installation site is not sufficiently level.

[0026] A disadvantage of such known feet is that, due to the possibility of adjustment, they are not designed with a larger surface area and therefore only allow force to be introduced at very specific points. In contrast, the insulators according to the invention are strip-shaped and thus have a larger surface area, which achieves force dissipation over a more extensive area. This advantageously makes it possible to design the support element to be less stable, which in turn reduces the cost of manufacturing the stacking aid and also simplifies assembly on site. In addition, the strip-shaped design of the insulators means that the total number of insulators required can be reduced to a minimum. With insulators that only dissipate force at specific points, a large number of individual insulators are required to increase the overall standing area, which is avoided thanks to the strip-shaped design according to the invention. This also makes assembly and disassembly easier.Disassembly simplified.

[0027] The disadvantage of the strip-shaped insulators, namely the lack of height adjustability, is consciously accepted, as the aforementioned advantages in terms of manufacturing and assembly outweigh this. Furthermore, practice has shown that separate height adjustment of individual insulators is only actually necessary in a few exceptional cases. Therefore, if adjustment of the stacking aid should be necessary in individual cases, this can be achieved manually by using additional shims. These shims can, for example, be individual plastic strips.

[0028] As a result, the design of the strip-shaped insulators results in simplified handling. Pre-assembly can be performed by the manufacturer, so no further assembly is required at the installation site. Due to their elasticity, the insulators according to the invention can provide a certain degree of leveling. However, this is often not necessary, so the advantages of simplified and cost-effective production and simplified handling on-site at the installation site outweigh the disadvantages.

[0029] According to the invention, an insulator extends across the entire width of the support element. The insulator is thus flush with the support element in the width direction. This ensures the stacking aid is stable and helps prevent unwanted tipping movements in the width direction of the stacking aid, even in the event of unwanted mechanical force being applied to the stacking aid.

[0030] According to a further feature of the invention, the support element has two tubes with a rectangular cross-section which are arranged parallel and aligned in the transverse direction of the tube, i.e., spaced from one another in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the tube. These two rectangular tubes serve as support beams on which stacked AGM batteries rest during normal use. In contrast to flat support elements, the use of such support beams is more resource-efficient and, in particular, less material-intensive. Rectangular tubes also prove particularly advantageous in absorbing bending and torsional stresses that occur during normal loading. The rectangular design also ensures easy stacking of the AGM batteries, which have a housing that is also rectangular in cross-section.The two tubes can have different cross-sectional areas.

[0031] According to a further feature of the invention, a spacer is arranged between the two tubes. This spacer ensures that the two tubes are permanently and securely spaced apart when the stacking aid is used as intended, thus guaranteeing that the AGM batteries are securely accommodated by the support element. The spacer also ensures a defined distance between the two tubes, which is particularly advantageous with regard to the installation of an extension of the stacking aid, as will be described in more detail below. A spacer formed between the two tubes also serves to arrange a cheek on the support element. The spacer therefore has a dual function. On the one hand, it ensures that the defined distance is maintained between the two tubes of the support element and, on the other hand, it serves as an anchor element or abutment for the arrangement of a cheek on the support element.

[0032] The insulators provided according to the invention are arranged on the underside of the support element facing away from the cheeks and are preferably coupled to both tubes of the support element. The connection of an insulator to the two tubes can be a plug-in, screw-in, and / or adhesive connection.

[0033] A support element is preferably equipped with a plurality of insulators. At least two insulators are provided, which are arranged at a distance from one another, for example, at one end and the other end of the support element. Depending on the longitudinal extent of the support element, more than two insulators can also be provided. It is preferred, however, to align the insulators equidistant from one another with regard to their respective spacing.

[0034] According to a further feature of the invention, the tubes are open at the front. Each tube of the support element thus has inlet openings at the front, i.e., a first inlet opening at one end and a second inlet opening at the other end. These inlet openings serve, as will be described in more detail below, to accommodate connecting means by which the stacking aid can be extended longitudinally if necessary. An extended stacking aid, unlike a non-extended stacking aid, can accommodate more AGM batteries.

[0035] According to a further feature of the invention, the support element is formed from two detachably connected support element sections. A support element is thus formed in two parts and has a first support element section on the one hand and a second support element section on the other. These two support element sections are arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the support element and are detachably connected to one another.

[0036] This design of the support element offers two essential advantages. Firstly, it simplifies transport and assembly. This is because the two-part support element can be disassembled into its two sections and transported to the installation site as intended, where they can be assembled as intended. Assembly of the two support element sections is extremely simple, as they can be assembled simply by plugging them together using self-clamping fasteners. Since the design according to the invention only results in compressive loading on the support element, and the cheeks only perform a protective function rather than a load-bearing function, no force acts on the plug-in connection that detachably connects the two support element sections. Therefore, no additional securing of the plug-in connection is required.

[0037] A further advantage of the two-part design of the support element is that the stacking aid is variable in size in the longitudinal direction. In particular, more than just two support element sections can be combined with one another. In this context, it is also advantageous that a stacking aid can be easily extended in the longitudinal direction. The tubes of a support element of an existing stacking aid are accessible from the front and have inlet openings as described above. These inlet openings serve, as described above, to accommodate connecting elements designed as plug-in elements. Overall, this makes it possible to extend an existing stacking aid by adding additional support element sections to the front. This easily creates the possibility of expanding the battery capacity provided by a system according to the invention if necessary.

[0038] According to a further feature of the invention, in this context, the U-shaped base body is composed of two L-shaped base bodies, each base body having a support element section and a cheek arranged at one end thereof. According to this preferred embodiment, the invention proposes a modular principle. "Modular principle" in the sense of the invention means that base bodies are provided by the user, which, depending on the individual battery capacity requirements, are detachably connected to one another to form a correspondingly large stacking aid. In the simplest embodiment, two such base bodies are provided. In this case, the base bodies are each facing one another with their ends remote from the cheeks and are detachably coupled to one another via connecting means.In this way, a U-shaped base body is created in the manner already described, which has a support element consisting of two support element sections and has two cheeks, with one cheek being provided for each support element section.

[0039] Additional base elements can now be arranged on both the left and right sides of such a U-shaped base element as needed and detachably connected to the U-shaped base element. The stacking aid can thus be enlarged by half the size of a base element as needed. Thus, if an existing base element is extended by one base element each on both the left and right sides, the enlarged stacking aid can accommodate twice the number of AGM batteries compared to a simple stacking aid.

[0040] According to a further feature of the invention, the tubes have channels accessible via end-face openings for receiving connecting means. As already described above, a detachable connection of adjacent base bodies is possible. For this purpose, connecting means designed as plug-in means are preferably used. To arrange these connecting means on the respective support element or support element section, the tubes forming the support element or the support element section are equipped with channels in which the connecting means are located in the final assembled state. These channels are accessible via end-face openings in the tubes.

[0041] According to a further feature of the invention, two support element sections are detachably connected to one another by means of two connecting means, wherein the connecting means are each U-shaped in cross section and designed to correspond to the end openings of the tubes. The U-shaped cross-section of the connecting means enables simple assembly and disassembly, and this can advantageously be carried out without the need for tools. The connecting means are designed to be oversized compared to the channels provided by the tubes of the support elements or support element sections. By gently pressing them together during assembly, the outer geometric shape of the connecting means can be reduced in size and thus pushed into the corresponding channels of the tubes. There, the connecting means spread out again and, under spring preload, lie force-fitting and form-fitting against the inner wall of the tubes. This thus creates a system that is easy to assemble and disassemble.A connection that is easy to disassemble is provided, which nevertheless ensures a secure connection and thus also allows for the safe installation of AGM batteries. It is important in this context that the flanges do not have to absorb any transverse force, i.e., they do not have to absorb any force component perpendicular to the vertical, thus preventing any force being applied to the plug-in connections connecting the pipes. This also ensures a permanently secure connection design.

[0042] According to a further feature of the invention, the system according to the invention has a positioning aid. This positioning aid is arranged in the final assembled state between two vertically successive rows of AGM batteries.

[0043] The positioning aid provided according to the invention serves to align the AGM batteries in the stacking aid as intended. The positioning aid aligns the AGM batteries both relative to each other and relative to the stacking aid. As a result, the AGM batteries are aligned as intended and thus easily accessible to the user if necessary, both in rows relative to each other and in their row arrangement relative to the stacking aid.

[0044] It is preferable to provide a positioning aid for each row of AGM batteries, with the exception of the lowest row of AGM batteries supported by the stacking aid. The lowest row of AGM batteries thus rests on the support element. This is followed by alternating rows of AGM batteries and a positioning aid. As a result of this configuration, all AGM battery rows are aligned with the stacking aid, and the AGM batteries in one AGM battery row are also aligned relative to each other.

[0045] Alternatively, a positioning aid can be placed on the bottom of the support element. In this case, the bottom row of AGM batteries is placed on the support element with a positioning aid in between.

[0046] The positioning aid is not connected to the stacking aid's sides in a force-transmitting manner. In contrast to the state of the art, the positioning aid does not serve as an intermediate floor and / or compression element. Its sole purpose is to precisely align the AGM batteries held by the stacking aid. Each positioning aid is arranged in a floating manner between two rows of AGM batteries, meaning it is not supported by the sides in the direction of gravity.

[0047] The design of the positioning aid offers several advantages. Firstly, it ensures the correct alignment of the AGM batteries, which is beneficial for their accessibility. In particular, standardized cable lengths can be used for the electrical contact of the individual AGM batteries, as the spacing between the AGM batteries is always identical, not only within a stacking aid, but also between identically constructed stacking aids. Thus, the same connecting cables can be used for different stacking aids. This is a significant advantage with regard to warehousing, storage, and assembly / disassembly.

[0048] By spacing the AGM batteries using the positioning aid, a gap is created between adjacent AGM batteries, which allows for improved cooling of the individual AGM batteries through air circulation. The service life of a system according to the invention is thus increased.

[0049] Another advantage is that the initial loading of a stacking aid with AGM batteries is simplified. This is because, for the stacking aid to be loaded with AGM batteries as intended, it is not necessary to manually align each individual AGM battery. After the stacking aid has been loaded with a positioning aid as intended, the next row of AGM batteries can be stacked on top of it. Thanks to the positioning aid provided according to the invention, this row of AGM batteries is aligned and positioned as intended without any further action, both among the individual AGM batteries in this row and in relation to the stacking aid.

[0050] A further positioning aid can then be placed on such a properly equipped AGM battery row, which then serves to properly align the AGM batteries of the subsequent AGM battery row.

[0051] Since, as described above, the vertical force applied to the side panels is eliminated due to the design, AGM battery rows and positioning aids can be easily stacked one on top of the other. This allows for quick initial assembly and equipping of a stacking aid according to the invention and also allows easy access to individual AGM batteries at a later date, for example, for maintenance purposes.

[0052] According to a further feature of the system according to the invention, the positioning aid is a plate equipped with an extension serving as a stop.

[0053] The positioning aid is preferably designed as a plate and rests on the housings of the AGM batteries. The AGM batteries are positioned so that they are accessible from the lid on the front of the stacking aid. The AGM batteries are thus held horizontally by the stacking aid, so that their terminals are accessible to the user from the front of the stacking aid. The plate of the positioning aid rests on the first side walls of the housings of the AGM batteries belonging to a row.

[0054] The plate of the positioning aid features a projection that acts as a stop. The AGM batteries rest against this stop when in a row with their housing bottoms when used as intended. As a result, all AGM batteries arranged on a positioning aid are aligned in the same way and are protected from being pushed beyond the stop, especially during installation. The stop thus ensures secure positioning on the positioning aid and, at the same time, the uniform alignment of all AGM batteries belonging to a row.

[0055] According to a further feature of the system according to the invention, it is provided that the extension is provided by an edge formed integrally with the plate.

[0056] The edge of the positioning aid forming the stop is preferably located at the rear of the stacking aid. The AGM batteries can thus be inserted into the stacking aid from the front until the AGM batteries' housing bases rest against the rear edge of the respective positioning aid. They are thus aligned in the manner described above and safely protected from being pushed through too far or accidentally falling backwards out of the stacking aid.

[0057] According to a further feature of the system according to the invention, the positioning aid cooperates with projections provided by the cheeks. This ensures alignment of the positioning aid relative to the stacking aid, which ensures the proper alignment of a row of AGM batteries relative to the stacking aid.

[0058] The stack-side extensions are provided by the cheeks of the stacking aid, with one extension being provided for each cheek. Such an extension can, for example, be formed by a web running in the longitudinal direction of a cheek, which runs vertically when the stacking aid is set up as intended. The positioning aid must be inserted into the stacking aid until it stops against these extensions provided by the cheeks. As a result, the positioning aid is positioned precisely and correctly in relation to the stacking aid. When a positioning aid is equipped with AGM batteries in the manner described above, this results in the AGM batteries in each row being aligned relative to the positioning aid, with the positioning aid itself being aligned relative to the stacking aid, so that the AGM batteries are ultimately aligned as intended both relative to one another and relative to the stacking aid.

[0059] Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the figures. Fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a stacking aid according to the invention; Fig. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of the base body of a stacking aid according to the invention; Fig. 3 shows a schematic perspective view from above of a support element section according to the invention; Fig. 4 shows a schematic perspective view from below of the support element section according to Fig. 3 without insulators; Fig. 5 shows a schematic perspective view of an insulator according to the invention; Fig. 6 shows a schematic perspective view from below of a support element section according to the invention with insulators arranged thereon; Fig. 7 shows a schematic perspective view of a stacking aid according to the invention according to an alternative embodiment; Fig. 8 shows a detailed view of the stacking aid according to Fig. 7; Fig. 9 in schematic perspective view the stacking aid according to Fig. 7 with AGM batteries accommodated therein, Fig. 10 shows a schematic representation of a positioning aid according to the invention according to a first embodiment and Fig. 11 shows a schematic perspective view of a positioning aid according to the invention according to a second embodiment.

[0060] Fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a stacking aid 1 according to the invention, which, when used as intended, serves to accommodate a plurality of AGM batteries, which are not shown in detail in the figures for the sake of clarity.

[0061] The stacking aid 1 has a U-shaped base body 2. This in turn has a support element 3 and two cheeks 4 and 5, wherein the cheeks 4 and 5 are arranged on one end and the other end of the support element 3 on the support element 3.

[0062] When used as intended, the support element 3 accommodates a plurality of AGM batteries arranged one above the other in rows. Both the support element 3 and the first side walls of the AGM battery housings are aligned horizontally, so that the electrode plates of the AGM batteries, which are each held by the AGM battery housings and aligned parallel to the first side walls of the housings, are also aligned parallel to the support element 3 and thus horizontally.

[0063] The cheeks 4 and 5 are designed exclusively to serve as lateral protection for AGM batteries held by the support element 3. Therefore, the cheeks 4 and 5 of the stacking aid 1 do not perform a load-bearing function, but serve only as lateral protection for the AGM batteries held by the stacking aid 1, in particular as protection against unwanted mechanical influences from outside.

[0064] The support element 3 has rectangular tubes 10 and 11 in cross-section. These tubes are aligned parallel to each other and spaced apart in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the tubes. To maintain the distance, a spacer 14 is arranged between the two tubes 10 and 11, with several spacers 14 being provided in the illustrated embodiment.

[0065] The support element 3 has two support element sections 16 and 17 which are detachably connected to one another. These sections are identical to one another and are arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction 8 of the support element 3. The connection between the two support element sections 16 and 17 is detachable, namely by a plug connection, as will be explained below with reference to Fig. 2 will be described.

[0066] The stacking aid 1 also has insulators 7. These are strip-shaped and serve as feet. They are arranged on the support element 3, specifically on its underside 6, facing away from the side walls. They are made of plastic, preferably a flexible plastic material.

[0067] Preferably, a plurality of insulators 7 are provided, which are arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction 8 of the support element 3, leaving a respective spacing between them. In the illustrated embodiment, two insulators 7 are provided for each support element section 16 or 17, whereby the support element 3 has a total of four insulators 7.

[0068] The insulators 7 extend over the entire width of the support element 3 in the width direction 9. Thus, the insulators 7 with the respective associated tubes 10 and 11 close with reference to the plane of the drawing Fig. 1both front and back flush. This factual connection is particularly evident from the illustration according to Fig. 6 .

[0069] The Fig. 1 The base body 2 shown is composed of two L-shaped base bodies 18. Such a base body 18 is in Fig. 2 shown.

[0070] As can be seen from the illustration Fig. 2 , a base body 18 has a support element section 16 or 17 and a cheek 4 or 5 arranged on one end thereof. The U-shaped base body 2 is therefore designed in two parts and consists of two base bodies 18, which are detachably coupled to one another in the final assembled state of the U-shaped base body 2, as can be seen from a synopsis of the Fig. 1 and 2 results.

[0071] The tubes 10 and 11 of the support element sections 16 and 17 or of the support element 3 formed from the support element sections 16 and 17 are open at the end faces and each provide openings 12 and 13, respectively. The channels provided by the respective tubes 10 and 11 are accessible via these openings 12 and 13, respectively. A connecting means 19 is inserted into each of these channels for the purpose of detachably connecting two base bodies 18, as can be seen in particular from the illustration according to Fig. 2 results. How Fig. 2 As can be seen in this context, two connecting means 19 are provided, each of which is half received by the respective tube 10 or 11 of the base body 18. In the final assembled state, the connecting means 19 engage with their Fig. 2 still free ends into the channels of the adjacent base body 18, that is, in the direction with respect to the plane of the drawing Fig. 1 left base body 18.

[0072] In the illustrated embodiment, the connecting elements 19 are U-shaped in cross-section. For proper assembly, they are to be grasped by their legs and pressed together in a spring-elastic manner. They are designed to be oversized with respect to the channels provided by the tubes 10 and 11, so that they can be inserted into the respective channels of the tubes 11 and 12 in a slightly compressed state. As soon as they relax and spring back to their original position, the connecting elements 19 rest against the inner wall of the associated tubes 10 and 11 under spring force. This creates a positive and non-positive connection that permanently and securely, yet detachably, connects the two base bodies 18 to one another.

[0073] Fig. 3shows a schematic perspective view of a support element section 16 or 17. As can be seen from this illustration, spacers 14 are arranged between the two tubes 10 and 11 at one end and the other end. These ensure a defined and permanently secure spacing of the two tubes 10 and 11.

[0074] Each spacer 14 is also assigned an extension 15, which is located on the other end of the Fig. 1 front tube 11 on the front tube 11. Both the spacers 14 and the extensions 15 have bores 20 which, in the final assembled state, serve to receive fastening means, which are in particular screws 21, as can be seen from Fig. 2 visible.

[0075] The spacers 20 and the extensions 15 serve as anchor points or abutments for the detachable arrangement of the cheeks 4 and 5 on the respective associated support element section 16 and 17, as can be seen in particular from a summary of the Fig. 1 and 2 Each cheek 4 or 5 has shoes 22 on the supporting element side, corresponding to the spacers 14 or the extensions 15. These shoes are also equipped with corresponding bores, so that in the final assembled state, the shoe-side bores on the one hand and the bores 20 of the spacers 14 or the extensions 15 are penetrated by the screws 21. This ensures a simple to construct, yet permanently secure and stable arrangement of the cheeks 4 and 5 on the supporting element 3.

[0076] As the representation according to Fig. 4As can be seen, a support element section 16 or 17 has holes 23 on its underside 7 facing away from the cheek. These serve to securely arrange the previously described insulators 7.

[0077] Fig. 5 shows a separately illustrated insulator 7. This has a strip body 24 made of a plastic material. The strip body 24 is equipped with pins 25, which, in the final assembled state, engage in corresponding bores 23 of the support element sections 16 and 17, respectively. The pins 25 can be designed as threaded pins and / or can be used for bonding to a support element section 16 and 17, respectively.

[0078] A support element section 16 or 17, which is fully equipped with insulators 7, is shown Fig. 6 in a schematic perspective view from below.

[0079] As a summary, especially after the Fig. 1 and 2As can be seen, the stacking aid 1 according to the invention is constructed and expandable according to the modular principle. Thus, two identically designed base bodies 18 according to Fig. 2 to a stacking aid 1 after Fig. 1 by detachably combining the two base bodies 18 to form a U-shaped base body 2 using the connecting means 19.

[0080] The stacking aid 1 designed in this way according to Fig. 1 can be extended if necessary, in the longitudinal direction 8, by adding further base bodies 18 with reference to the drawing plane Fig. 1 either on the left and / or right side. To make this possible, the tubes 10 and 11 of the support element 3 are each open at the front, which allows the inclusion of connecting means 19 in the manner already described. A base body according to Fig. 2 can therefore be easily adjusted with reference to the drawing plane Fig. 1be flanged to the left and / or right side of the stacking aid 1. The Fig. 1 The stacking aid 1 shown can therefore be expanded as required and can accommodate the desired number of AGM batteries if necessary, thus providing the desired battery capacity. A base body 18 flanged to a stacking aid 1 for the purpose of expanding the same can also be extended by another base body 18 by forming a detachable plug connection of the type already described in the same way.

[0081] The overall design offers the advantage that only the single support element 3 provided, or the support element sections 16 and 17 forming the support element 3, provide force-transmitting support for the AGM batteries accommodated by the stacking aid 1 during its intended use. The cheeks 4 and 5 do not perform a load-bearing function and serve only to provide lateral protection for the AGM batteries accommodated by the stacking aid 1. The stacking aid is electrically insulated from the ground at the installation site via the insulators 7 arranged on the underside of the cheeks on the support element 3. The insulators 7 also serve as feet, ensuring that the stacking aid 1 remains permanently stable on the ground at the installation site.

[0082] The insulators 7 are strip-shaped so that they do not allow point-like but rather area-wide force transmission into the subsoil at the installation site, which increases stability.

[0083] Fig. 7 shows a schematic perspective view of a stacking aid 1 according to the invention according to an alternative embodiment.

[0084] The stacking aid 1 after Fig. 7 is formed from two base bodies 2, which are arranged one above the other in the vertical direction 26. The open sides of the U-shaped base bodies 2 face each other, resulting in an overall rectangular, closed design.

[0085] According to the alternative embodiment according to Fig. 7the support element of the base body 2 arranged uppermost in the height direction 26 serves as the roof element 27. Since the two base bodies 2 arranged one above the other in the height direction 26 are identically designed, the support element of the upper base body 2 serving as the roof element 27 is also identical to the support element 3 of the lower base body 2 and has two interconnected roof element sections 28 and 29, which are identical to the support element sections 16 and 17.

[0086] In contrast to the supporting element 3, the roof element 27 does not serve to accommodate AGM batteries, but rather as a closing element, so that an overall closed, and therefore rectangular, stacking aid 1 is provided.

[0087] The roof element 27 also serves to accommodate a wall attachment 30 if necessary. For such a wall attachment 30, for example, angle elements can be provided, which are arranged on the one hand on the stacking aid 1 and on the other hand on a wall at the installation site, for example a housing wall. The connection of such angle elements to a roof element 27 arranged uppermost in the vertical direction 26 provides the particular advantage of effectively counteracting a possible tipping movement of the stacking aid 1. In the final assembled state, corresponding angle elements are therefore provided as wall attachments 30 for connecting the roof element 27 to a building wall.

[0088] Although the support element of the base body 2, which is arranged at the top in the vertical direction 26, is used as a roof element 27 and is not intended to accommodate AGM batteries, the use of a roof element 27 identical to the lower support element 3 is preferred for reasons of simplified handling, particularly with regard to storage and assembly or disassembly. Because the stacking aid 1 according to Fig. 7 is formed in a simple manner by two base bodies 2 according to the embodiment according to Fig. 1 in the vertical direction 26. On the user side, the storage capacity of a stacking aid 1 can be doubled by using two base bodies 2 in the configuration according to Fig. 1are arranged one above the other. For secure fixation of the base bodies 2 arranged one above the other in the vertical direction 26, plug-in elements are used, for example in the form of tubes or open, U-shaped profiles, which are inserted into the tubes forming the cheeks 4 and 5, respectively. In this respect, a plug-in connection is used, as already explained above with reference to the support element sections 16 and 17.

[0089] The inventive design of the stacking aid 1 provides a flexible system that allows the user a variety of possible setup variants.

[0090] In the simplest case, a base body 2 can be used as a stacking aid 1, as shown in Fig. 1 This basic body 2 can be positioned with reference to the drawing plane Fig. 1 be supplemented on the left and / or right side by a base body 18 as shown in Fig. 2Furthermore, it is permitted to arrange two base bodies 2 one above the other in the height direction 26, which alternative design is shown in Fig. 7 is shown. A topmost base body 2 can also be supplemented on the left and / or right side by a base body 18, provided, of course, that the lower base body 2 in the vertical direction 26 is correspondingly supplemented by a base body 18. In this case, the base bodies 2 on the one hand and the supplementary base bodies 18 on the other hand lie one above the other in the vertical direction 26.

[0091] The connection of both the support element sections 16 and 17 and the roof element sections 28 and 29 is achieved using the plug-in system described above. Stacked base bodies 2 and base bodies 18 are connected to each other in the same way, ensuring an overall simple and tool-free assembly of the stacking aid 1, regardless of the desired setup variant.

[0092] Fig. 8 A detailed view shows the angle elements serving as wall fastenings 30, which in the illustrated embodiment are arranged on the roof element 27. Such wall fastenings 30 can of course also be arranged on the cheeks 4 and 5 of both the upper and lower base body 2.

[0093] Fig. 9 Finally, a stacking aid 1 equipped with AGM batteries 32 is shown Fig. 7. As can be seen from this illustration, the AGM batteries 32 are each aligned such that they are aligned horizontally with their first side walls, so that the electrode plates provided by the AGM batteries 32 are aligned parallel to the support element 3 of the lower base body 2.

[0094] As a summary of the Figures 7 and 9 Furthermore, according to a further proposal of the invention, floor fastenings 31 can be provided as a further option. These floor fastenings 31 can also be angular, whereby it is preferred to arrange them on the cheeks 4 and 5 of the lower base body 2 of the stacking aid 1 in the vertical direction 26, on the one hand, and on the floor at the installation site, on the other hand.

[0095] Such a floor fastening 31 serves in particular to ensure that the stacking aid 1 remains stable even in the event that larger mechanical forces act on the stacking aid 1 from the outside, for example in the event of an earthquake or a collision of a vehicle with the stacking aid 1.

[0096] The Figures 10 and 11 show a perspective view of a positioning aid 33 according to the invention. The positioning aids 33 are arranged according to the Figures 10 and 11 are of varying sizes in the longitudinal direction. Figure 10 The positioning aid 33 shown is adapted in its size to a support element 3, which is composed of two support element sections 16 and 17. The positioning aid 33 according to Figure 11is adapted with regard to its longitudinal extension in the longitudinal direction 8 to the geometric design of a support element section 16 or 17. The positioning aid 33 according to Fig. 10 comes with a U-shaped base body Figure 1 In contrast, the positioning aid 33 serves Figure 11 in the case of extension of the stacking aid 1, the use together with an L-shaped base body 18 according to Figure 2 .

[0097] The positioning aid 33 has a plate 34, preferably made of plastic. This plate is equipped with a longitudinally extending edge 35, which is angled to the plane of the plate 34. This edge 35 serves to securely position the positioning aid 33 within the stacking aid 1.

[0098] For this purpose, the stacking aid 1 has extensions 36, as can be seen from Fig. 1These extensions 36 are formed on the cheek side and have the shape of webs running in the longitudinal direction of the cheeks 4 and 5. In the intended use, the extensions 36 are aligned vertically, as shown in Figure 1 When the positioning aid 33 is correctly positioned in the stacking aid 1, the positioning aid 33 is positioned with its Figure 1 rear edge 35 on the extensions 36 of the cheeks 4 and 5. In this position, the positioning aid 33 is precisely aligned with the stacking aid 1 in relation to the stacking aid 1.

[0099] The edge 35 of the positioning aid 33 also serves to precisely position AGM batteries on the positioning aid 33. For this purpose, AGM batteries are placed horizontally on the positioning aid 33, specifically such that their respective housing bases rest against the edge 35. The positioning aid 33 thus serves to align the AGM batteries held by the positioning aid 33 in relation to one another, as well as to align the entire row of AGM batteries held by a positioning aid 33 in relation to the stacking aid 1.

[0100] For a spaced arrangement of adjacent AGM batteries, the positioning aid 33 has spacers 37. These are designed as wooden dowels and inserted into corresponding holes in the plate 34 of the positioning aid 33. As an alternative to the design of spacers 37 in the form of wooden dowels, strips can also be provided, in particular plastic strips, which are either formed integrally with the plate 30 of the positioning aid 33 or are glued to the plate 30 of the positioning aid 33. Reference symbol

[0101] 1 Stacking aid 33 Positioning aid 2 Basic body 34 plate 3 supporting element 35 edge 4 cheek 36 appendage 5 cheek 37 spacers 6 bottom 7 insulator 8 Longitudinal direction 9 Latitude direction 10 Pipe 11 Pipe 12 opening 13 opening 14 spacers 15 appendage 16 Load-bearing element section 17 Load-bearing element section 18 Base body 19 connecting devices 20 drilling 21 screw 22 shoe 23 drilling 24 inguinal body 25 Pen 26 Altitude direction 27 roof element 28 Roof element section 29 Roof element section 30 Wall mounting 31 Ground fixing 32 AGM battery

Claims

1. System consisting of a stacking aid (1) and a plurality of AGM batteries arranged in the stacking aid (1), wherein an AGM battery comprises a housing with first side walls and electrode plates arranged in the housing, wherein the first side walls and the electrode plates are aligned parallel to each other, wherein the stacking aid (1) hat a U-shaped base body (2) which has only one supporting element (3) for receiving AGM batteries and two side pieces (4, 5) orthogonally aligned to the supporting element (3), wherein the side pieces (4, 5) are arranged on the support element (3) at one end and at the other end of the supporting element (3), wherein the supporting element (3) receives a plurality of AGM batteries arranged one above the other in rows, wherein both the supporting element (3) and the first side walls of the housings of the AGM batteries are horizontally aligned, wherein the side pieces (4, 5) are configured to serve exclusively as a lateral protection for the AGM batteries received by the supporting element (3) and wherein the supporting element (3) is provided on its underside (6) facing away from the side pieces with strip-like insulators (7) made of plastic and serving as feet, characterized in that an insulator (7) extends over the entire width of the supporting element (3).

2. Stacking aid for receiving AGM batteries, the stacking aid comprising a U-shaped base body (2), which has only one supporting element (3) for receiving AGM batteries and two side pieces (4, 5) orthogonally aligned to the supporting element (3), wherein the side pieces (4, 5) are arranged on the support element (3) at one end and at the other end of the supporting element (3), wherein the supporting element (3) is configured to receive a plurality of AGM batteries arranged one above the other in rows, wherein the side pieces (4, 5) are configured to serve exclusively as a lateral protection for the AGM batteries received by the supporting element (3) and wherein the supporting element (3) is provided on its underside (6) facing away from the side pieces with strip-like insulators (7) made of plastic and serving as feet, characterized in that an insulator (7) extends over the entire width of the supporting element (3).

3. System according to claim 1 or stacking aid according to claim 2, characterized in that that a plurality of insulators (7) is provided, which are arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the supporting element (3), each leaving a space.

4. System or stacking aid according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the supporting element (3) comprises tubes (10, 11) which are rectangular in cross-section and which are spaced from each other in parallel alignment in a direction transverse to the tube longitudinal direction.

5. System or stacking aid according to claim 4, characterized in that a spacer (14) is interposed between the two tubes (10, 11).

6. System or stacking aid according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the tubes (10, 11) are open at the front.

7. System or stacking aid according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the supporting element (3) has two supporting element portions (16, 17) detachably connected to each other.

8. System or stacking aid according to claim 7, characterized in that the U-shaped base body (2) is composed of two L-shaped base bodies (18), wherein a base body (18) comprises a supporting element portion (16, 17) and a side piece (4, 5) arranged at one end thereof.

9. System or stacking aid according to any of the preceding claims 4 to 8, characterized in that the tubes (10, 11) have channels for receiving connecting means (19), which channels are accessible via front openings (12, 13).

10. System or stacking aid according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that two supporting element portions (16, 17) are detachably connected to each other by two connection means (19), wherein the connection means (19) are each U-shaped in cross-section and are formed so as to correspond to the front openings (12, 13) of the tubes (10, 11).

11. System according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by a positioning aid (33) arranged between two rows of AGM batteries succeeding each other in the height direction (34).

12. System according to claim 11, characterized in that the positioning aid (33) is a plate (34) provided with an appendix which serves as a stop.

13. System according to claim 12, characterized in that the appendix is provided by an edge (35) formed integrally with the plate (34).

14. System according to any of the preceding claims 11 to 13, characterized in that the positioning aid (33) interacts with appendices (36) provided by the side pieces (4, 5).