Abstract: The invention relates to a method of controlling the heating of a chamber and to a controlled installation for heating a chamber. Circulation of a heat-conveying fluid between a solar energy collector (CS) and a water heater chamber (10) is stopped when the temperature t.sub.A of a sensor placed at the outlet of the collector is lower than the temperature t.sub.B of a sensor placed at the inlet of the heat exchanger of the water heater, and also when the temperature t.sub.B is lower than or equal to the temperature t.sub.C of a sensor placed at the outlet of the heat exchanger. Application to producing domestic hot water.

Abstract: The invention relates to an electric cell assembly with an alkaline electrolyte and its current output wires (2, 3) electrically connected to the positive terminal and negative terminal of the electric cell assembly.The metal wire (3) which corresponds to the negative terminal (1) is surrounded, near said terminal and entirely outside the electric cell, with a glass bead (4) which is practically unalterable by the electrolyte.

Abstract: An electric storage cell which includes an electrode block (8) formed by an alternation of active plates of opposite polarities and of separators, each plate being prolonged by a flexible plate lug (12) which projects from one face of the block and acts as a current output, the plate lugs of one polarity being inserted between the teeth (13) of a comb (14) and being welded thereto so as to be stretched between the welds and said face of the block against which the comb presses, the comb being electrically connected to the corresponding output terminal of the storage cell by a flexible connection.

Abstract: Monitoring the state of charge consists of providing a magnitude g (e.g. a frequency F1) which is proportional to the storage battery charging or discharge current I (sensed at 2) and of algebraically integrating said magnitude (e.g. in an up/down counter K4, K5) into data which is the image of the state of charge of the storage battery; the proportionality constant a=g/I between said magnitude and said current being given a lower value during charging than during discharging, and the value of the constant a being varied during charging as an increasing function of the current I.

Abstract: The invention relates to an automatic switching arrangement for two batteries which are charged in parallel and discharged in series. The arrangement includes a control unit and a charging circuit; the control unit is a circuit which includes a transistor (T1), a resistor (R1) and a diode (D1) which is connected between two terminals of opposite polarities of the batteries (BT1) and (BT2), the transistor being blocked or conductive according to the direction of the voltage at the terminals of the diode; the transistor controls switching units (T2,T3) of the charging circuit. A switch (CT4, Th, CT11) can be disposed in series with the diode (D1). Application to stand-by batteries.

Abstract: Circulation of a heat-conveying fluid between a solar energy collector (CS) and a water heater chamber (10) is stopped when the temperature t.sub.A of a sensor placed at the outlet of the collector is lower than a temperature t.sub.B +Dt, where the temperature t.sub.B is that of a sensor placed at the inlet to the heat exchanger of the water heater, where a temperature t.sub.C is that of a sensor placed at the outlet of the heat exchanger, and Dt is a temperature offset which increases with a decrease in the temperature difference t.sub.B -t.sub.C.

Abstract: A heat control device for a space heated primarily by means of a heat pump and having an auxiliary makeup heater comprises a room temperature measurement circuit (100), a makeup heat control circuit (200), a current control circuit (500) of a heat pump, and a measurement circuit (600) of the temperature of the exchange fluid of the pump whose information is transmitted both to the circuit (200) and to the circuit (300).Application to household heating.

Abstract: An aleatory source of energy, e.g., a battery of photocells (1), supplies energy to a load (5) and to a storage battery (3). When the source is supplying more energy than is being drawn by the load, the storage battery is charged; when the source is supplying less than the demand, the shortfall is made up by drawing energy from the storage battery. The state of charge of the storage battery is monitored by a meter (8) which governs a regulator (7). Once the battery is charged to a predetermined threshold, the amount of current it draws from the source is regulated, and energy supplied by the source in excess of the combined requirements of the load and of battery charging is diverted to a storage means (6) other than the storage battery (e.g., a mains electricity supply grid). The flows of energy to both the battery and the other storage means are controlled by the regulator (7) as a function of the state of charge of the battery.

Abstract: A device for controlling the charging of a storage battery includes two counters (IC1, IC2) measure a minimum discharge time and a maximum charging time and are controlled by means of logic gates (2, 3) according to whether the main current is supplied or not. The device has application to maintaining a battery permanently charged despite interruptions in the mains current supply.

Abstract: A battery having a lithium anode, an electrolyte solution in which the solvent is an aprotic composition, and cathode in which the positive active material is formed from particles of a lead oxide having the formula PbO.sub.x, where x has values from 1.5 to 1.87. The PbO.sub.x positive active material produces a battery with a high specific energy and a single discharge level.

Abstract: After a cell has discharged a quantity Q.sub.o of electricity, charging is controlled by measuring the quantity k Q.sub.o of electricity supplied to the cell, where k is the recharging coefficient and greater than 1. The value of k is varied as an increasing function of the quantity Q.sub.o of electricity discharged, in other words as an increasing function of the relative depth of discharge Q.sub.o /C of the storage cell, where C is its capacity. The state of charge is monitored by generating a magnitude g which is a function of the charging or discharging current. This is done by algebraically integrating the current I over time while using scaling coefficients a=g/I of different values during charging and during discharging. The value of a is varied during charging so that its average value over a complete recharging operation is a decreasing function of the initial depth of discharge from which the recharging operation starts recharging.

Abstract: A sealed primary cell includes a metal receptacle (1), a metal cover (2) which closes the receptacle and a hard and resilient thermoplastic sealing ring (3) which may optionally be coated with a softer material (not shown). The sealing ring (3) is inserted between the cover (2) and the internal wall of the receptacle (1) and is radially compressed between the cover (2) and the receptacle (1). The invention is characterized in that the radial compression of the sealing ring (3) is achieved by radially outward deformation of the outer edge of the cover, e.g. by an auricular portion of a tool (7) enlarging a U-shaped peripheral rim of the cover. FIG. 2 shows the cell held in a die (9) after the sealing ring (3) has been radially compressed by the tool (7) but before the cell is finished by the usual inward crimping of the upper rim of the receptacle (1).

Abstract: Novel double chromate compositions having the general formula:MBi(Cr.sub.x O.sub.y).sub.2,wherein M is silver or thallium and x is 1 and y is between about 3.7 and 4 or x is 2 and y is 7. Methods of making MBi(Cr.sub.x O.sub.y).sub.2 are characterized by reacting silver dichromate or thallium dichromate with a bismuth salt to provide equal numbers of silver or thallium atoms and bismuth atoms. Non-stoichiometric compositions wherein y is less than 4 and greater than or equal to about 3.7 are obtained by heating MBi(CrO.sub.4).sub.2 to a temperature between about 200.degree. C. and about 425.degree. C., the resulting product having an unchanged radio crystallographic structure. These double chromate compositions have particular utility in batteries as active positive material. Due to the steadiness of discharge voltage and duration of discharge of batteries employing these double chromate compositions, such batteries are especially adapted for use in clocks and in cardiostimulators or pacemakers.

Abstract: The invention relates to electronic warning devices. The control system includes means for supplying an accurate clock signal and a divider (CD1, CD2) for dividing the clock signal to obtain an audio frequency, adjusting the mark/space ratio of the audio frequency for application to a power transistor (T6), said transistor driving a loudspeaker (HP), providing a cyclic modulation for modulating the clock frequency; and timing the duration of the sound emission of the loud speaker. The timing functions can all be provided without the use of electrolytic capacitors as would otherwise have been necessary, thereby avoiding problems due to the lack of precision and drift in the values of such capacitors.

Abstract: A sealed through-connector in which an electrical connection passes through a hole (4) in a single or double wall made of a plastic material, said connector including a first annular seal ring which seals the annular zone of the orifice left free by the connection and being compressed axially. According to the invention, the connector is axially compressed by clamping means which are applied on either side of the wall (1) to two metal parts (9,10) which each have a surface substantially parallel to said wall (1), the distance between said surfaces and therefore the compression of the seal (8) being defined by the insertion of a metal distance member (5).Use: Storage batteries which use hard metal connection parts which melt at high temperatures, e.g. alkaline electrolyte storage batteries.

Abstract: An electrical primary cell using lithium as its negative active material and whose positive active material includes thionyl chloride. The electrolyte of the cell is a solution including the thionyl chloride as a solvent. The solute is a complex salt resulting from the reaction of at least one of the following compounds with aluminum chloride:lithium oxide Li.sub.2 O;lithium sulphide Li.sub.2 S;calcium oxide CaO; andbarium oxide BaO.

Abstract: A method of charging a secondary electric battery from a primary source of electric current, the secondary battery being connected to supply an intermittent load that draws a current which is greater than the primary source is capable of supplying the method comprising recording the quantity of electricity discharged by the secondary cell, charging the secondary battery at a first rate from the beginning of its discharge, and continuing the charging at the said first rate for a period of time which is a function of the recorded discharge.

Abstract: Pairs of electrodes, each electrode including a plate head electrically connected to a terminal by a thin metal tape. The electrodes are connected together in pairs by the thin metal tapes, and the metal tapes are superposed and fixed onto a terminal by welding, screwing or riveting. Particularly applicable to parallelepipedic alkaline storage cells with sintered plate electrodes on metal strip support cores.

Abstract: In an electrochemical cell having a non-aqueous electrolyte which comprises a solute and at least one solvent, a lithium negative electrode, and a positive active material of said cell which is slightly soluble in said solvent, the surface of the negative electrode is alloyed with at least one metal chosen from the group consisting of lead, tin, antimony and silver, to prevent selective localized deposition onto the lithium electrode of metal reduced from the positive active material during storage. The improvement is particularly applicable to cells in which the positive active material is lead oxide and said solvent is dioxolane.

Abstract: A device for controlling the charging and discharging of a storage battery has an input to which there is applied an input voltage proportional to the magnitude and sign of the current flowing through the battery. The input voltage is amplified and integrated to provide an integral which is an image of the state of charge of the battery. In this invention the input voltage is converted to a pulse train whose frequency is proportional to the magnitude of the input voltage and the pulses are added or subtracted according to its sign. The pulse total forms the said image of the state of charge of the battery.