PURPOSE: To carry out rapid charging of a storage battery safely by installing a gas-detection auxiliary electrode made of a sintered nickel body containing no catalysts in the center of a spiral electrode group, and regulating the charging current of the battery through the detection of the changing electrical energy of the said auxiliary electrode.

CONSTITUTION: A gas-detection auxiliary electrode 5 made of a sintered nickel body containing no catalysts is installed in the center of an electrode group 3 for a sealed alkaline storage battery 1, which is made by rolling a positive plate, a negative plate and a separator interposed between them into a spiral shape. After that, the gate of a thyristor (SCR) is connected between the auxiliary electrode 5 and a negative can 2 by means of resistances (R1) and (R2) and a capacitor (C). Therefore, the charging current of the battery 1 is regulated by controlling a relay (RY) of a charging-current controlling circuit 8 through the conduction of the thyristor (SCR). Consequently, owing to the characteristic of steep voltage increase which is caused due to gas generation developed in the sintered nickel body containing no catalysts, safe charging of the battery 1 can be secured by detecting the internal pressure of the battery 1 without any variation.