A mobile battery replacement system for new energy vehicles

Abstract

The present invention discloses a practical method for fast battery replacement of electric vehicles, namely, fast replacement of batteries between vehicles in an ordinary parking environment; it also discloses a matching battery replacement and vehicle to be replaced; it also discloses a set of equipment for realizing mobile battery replacement, including a supporting fixed base, a rotating transport arm system, a pulling and pushing column system, a grabbing hook system, a pull-out battery bracket, etc. The supporting fixed base is in the box of the battery replacement vehicle, the rotating transport arm system is installed on the upper plane of the fixed seat, and it can rotate around an axis parallel to the frame, and a grabbing hook system is installed on the top of the arm; the pulling and pushing column system is installed on the side of the frame beam to provide horizontal pushing and pulling power; the battery bracket is installed on the vehicle to be replaced; the invention is compatible with a variety of vehicle models, suitable for ordinary parking environments, practical and reliable, easy to industrialize, and truly solves the market promotion bottlenecks of electric vehicles such as short battery life and difficulty in charging.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of new energy vehicle battery replacement, and focuses on a mobile battery replacement method and equipment solution that can be performed between vehicles at any time and anywhere. Background Art

[0002] Current new energy commercial vehicles have short driving range, are difficult to charge, have low load capacity, and are expensive. They are not as good as traditional fuel vehicles and cannot meet the actual needs of users. This has led to a narrow application range for existing products and they are facing the problem of technological upgrades.

[0003] Meeting market customer needs and maintaining competitive prices are the two primary issues in its development; therefore, a marketable technical solution that can both break through the bottleneck of limited use and reduce usage costs is particularly urgent.

[0004] Traditional battery swapping solutions can solve the problems of battery life and charging, but due to the construction costs, land resources, electricity demand, etc. of battery swapping stations, and the fact that the stations are only compatible with certain models, it is difficult to apply and promote them; some people have also proposed the concept of mobile battery swapping, but its solution has special requirements for battery swapping sites, models, etc., and is not compatible with market models. It is also complex to implement, has poor reliability, and increases costs significantly, etc., and its commercial promotion significance is limited! Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a set of industrializable battery replacement methods and equipment implementation solutions, and realize on-site battery replacement between vehicles and in a mobile manner without building battery replacement stations, while taking into account various customer usage needs, easy implementation of the equipment, light weight and low cost, and compatibility with various types of market models.

[0006] The process of this mobile battery replacement method is: a new energy commercial vehicle can provide battery replacement services by adding battery replacement equipment; another new energy commercial vehicle can meet the conditions for battery replacement by replacing the battery bracket system; when battery replacement is needed, the battery replacement vehicles can agree on a location, and the battery replacement service vehicle will pull the battery to the location. Under ordinary parking conditions, it will be parked side by side next to or at the rear of the vehicle to be replaced, depending on the model; the battery is transported by rotating the arm, and the rod-type grab hook keeps the battery horizontally under the action of gravity. The parallel power push-pull column at the bottom pulls and pushes the battery out and puts it back in place, and the sliding and locking device fixes the battery; at the same time, the supporting rotating self-circulating transmission and transportation system puts the feed battery into the battery replacement service vehicle; thus, a rapid battery replacement process can be achieved within a few minutes between new energy commercial vehicles under normal conditions.

[0007] like Figure 1As shown, the solution for realizing mobile battery swapping of the above-mentioned new energy commercial vehicles includes two vehicles, both of which are based on the existing new energy vehicle models themselves. One is a battery swapping service vehicle that can provide battery swapping services by adding upper-mounted equipment, and the other is a battery swappable vehicle that can be replaced by a battery bracket. The two vehicle types can be the same or different, and the overall vehicle performance and announced parameters of the original vehicle are not changed. There are no requirements for the height, flatness, etc. of the battery swapping site. The solution is simple and reliable, has strong compatibility, is widely used, and is easy to promote.

[0008] like Figure 1 As shown, the battery swap service vehicle is a new energy commercial vehicle with battery swap equipment installed in the upper cargo box. The system includes a rotating gripping system, a pulling and pushing system, a conveying system, a detection and control system, and an electrical system. It communicates and confirms information with the original vehicle through the CAN network system, establishes power drive distribution through the upper power supply, and the detection and control system centrally checks and controls battery swapping, ultimately realizing battery extraction, replacement, inspection and storage, and reinstallation. By changing the installation direction of the battery swap system, the battery swap function can be switched between side and rear battery swapping. It is flexibly compatible with the battery swap requirements of various batteries and vehicle models. The battery swap equipment system can be directly installed on new vehicles or retrofitted on existing models.

[0009] like Figure 2 As shown, the modification of the battery swap service vehicle is mainly the battery swap equipment system. This equipment is an integrated design independent of the specific vehicle model. It is installed on the cargo box floor and has a cargo box door on the side to provide battery extraction, transportation, and playback services; the battery swap equipment is mainly composed of a fixed support base part, a rotating transport arm part, a grabbing hook part, a pulling and pushing column part, a circulating transmission system part, and a control and detection system part.

[0010] like Figure 2 As shown, the supporting fixed base is fixed to the cargo box floor, with an L-shaped symmetrical design and profile splicing. Different combined splicing methods can realize the size adjustment of the base, supporting the side and rear compartment floors. A rotating axis base is designed at the L edge to serve as the rotation and support of the rotating carrying arm; the triangular supporting legs extend downward, which is stable and safe, avoiding the space inside the compartment, and its double rotating arm drive support points are provided for use of oil cylinders, etc.

[0011] like Figure 2 As shown, the rotating transport arm is in an inverted U shape and is installed and connected to the edge of the support base. The ends of the two legs have built-in rotating bearings, which can rotate in a circle in and out of the car. The middle part of the arm is designed with a drive support seat, which is equipped with driving equipment such as oil cylinders to provide two-way power so that the rotating transport arm can rotate up and down precisely; the top beam part has a position sensor and a travel switch, and is also equipped with a damping grab hook suspension ring.

[0012] The grab hook system has a lever-type hook body and double hooks arranged side by side, which are independently suspended at the top of the rotating carrying arm. The upper and middle parts of the double hook rods are connected by a horizontal bar. The hook head can swing and is equipped with a contraction spring-like component. The top is equipped with a position sensor, temperature sensor, electrostatic absorption equipment, etc. This component can be raised and lowered to cooperate with the battery holder handle to achieve positioning and battery removal.

[0013] like Figure 2 As shown, the pull-out and push-out column component is a system for horizontally pulling out a portion of the battery and accurately putting the battery back. It is installed in the suspended position below the fixed support base, on the frame beam. The whole is a diamond-shaped telescopic arm, which can be folded horizontally. The threaded structure is self-locking and is electric or pneumatic. The output power column section has a sliding suspension chain. The two-way power of pulling and pushing is uniform and controllable. The top of the power column adopts a suction cup type connection to the battery box.

[0014] The circulating conveying system is installed on the floor inside the car, opposite to the rotating grabbing arm and arranged along the direction of the frame beam. It consists of a conveying part, a storage part, and a maintenance part. The conveying component is a vertical lifting conveying system, and the circulating conveying chain is a load-bearing frame extending from the side for placing batteries, which can rotate 360 ​​degrees. The storage part includes the locking part of the conveying part and the spare battery storage box. The maintenance part refers to the electrical and communication interface, software self-test system, and indicator light.

[0015] The control and detection system is the control and drive center of the battery swap service. The system is distributed throughout the cargo box and includes a power supply system, communication system, detection system, control system, etc. The control system includes a lighting system, a drive system, a safety protection system, and an input and output system. It has access to the vehicle's CAN communication network, a combination of centralized control and distributed acquisition, and can collect current, voltage, temperature, and position, as well as integrated drive control such as conveyor belt drive and displacement control, power oil pump and rotating arm control, power extraction column drive and position control, etc. Offline detection of insulation, air tightness, internal resistance, temperature, etc., abnormality detection, etc.; it is compatible with 12V, 24V, 48V low-voltage electrical systems and lighting and alarm systems, and can support the vehicle's UDS protocol.

[0016] Generally speaking, the various parts of the battery swap service vehicle are divided into positioning, grabbing, transportation, self-inspection, and return according to the spatial layout outside the power collection process. The overall system is compatible with the original vehicle models, and is practical, feasible, and easy to implement.

[0017] like Figure 1 、 Figure 3As shown, the battery-swappable vehicle is a vehicle that can be replaced by a battery. It is based on the existing models of new energy commercial vehicles. The battery can be quickly extracted and replaced by optimizing and modifying the battery bracket system. The solution adopts a pull-out and sliding method; it is compatible with the battery bracket in the original installation position, the slidable extractable battery, the wedge-cone combined plug-in preliminary docking system, the locking device, etc., and it realizes multiple compatibility, pull-out, rough docking, and flexible self-locking functions in an extremely simple way.

[0018] like Figure 1 、 Figure 3 As shown, the battery holder system is still in its original position and still follows the original vertical or horizontal layout. The battery holder system includes a battery holder, a positioning component, a sliding support component, and a locking component. The battery holder replaces the original battery holder and serves to fix the battery while providing a handle for grabbing. The positioning component head has a wedge end, which can achieve a rough fit during installation, and then achieve fine positioning through related inspections and power systems of the battery swap vehicle. The sliding support system is located below the battery holder and uses a cam lift support, and achieves sliding through a bearing or oil film system. The locking part uses a cone to press one end of the battery, and the battery extraction surface is locked with a cover door and handle or fixed with two screws. This allows the battery to be extracted, locked, and plugged in and replaced. The connectors achieve an interference fit through elastic connections. The overall material and strength of the holder have met CAE analysis and industry standards, and the cost and weight are ideal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to illustrate the method of exchanging batteries between vehicles of the present invention, a brief introduction will be given below using a side-drawn specific implementation case diagram. Obviously, relevant technical personnel can obtain other illustration cases based on the method and drawings of the present invention without creative work.

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a battery swapping system that includes a battery swapping service vehicle and battery swappable vehicles.

[0021] 1 refers to the battery swap service vehicle represented by this type of chassis.

[0022] 2 refers to the interchangeable electric vehicle represented by this type of chassis.

[0023] 3 refers to the battery replacement equipment system.

[0024] 4 refers to the replaceable battery bracket system.

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the battery swap equipment system of the battery swap service vehicle.

[0026] 5 refers to the fixed base.

[0027] 6 refers to the rotating arm.

[0028] 7 refers to the extraction power column system.

[0029] 8 refers to the power drive system of the rotating arm.

[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the battery support system structure of a swappable electric vehicle.

[0031] 9 refers to the battery handle.

[0032] 10 refers to the battery rack.

[0033] 11 refers to a positioning device.

[0034] 12 refers to the sliding support system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] First, put the key of the battery-swappable vehicle in the OFF position. After 5 seconds, open the battery protection plate, release the battery locking device, lift up the supporting sliding part, and the battery will be in a removable state.

[0036] The second step is to transport the returned battery: the battery swap service vehicle arrives at the designated location as scheduled and parks side by side. The battery swap equipment door opens automatically, and the pulling and pushing device outputs the power column to pull out a part of the battery horizontally. The rotating grabbing arm begins to rotate downward from the car body. After the vertical grabbing component senses the battery, the pulling and pulling device continues to pull the battery horizontally. When the grabbing component successfully grabs the battery, the pulling and pulling part stops working and resets; the rotating carrying arm continues to rotate back toward the car body, driving the vertical rod-type grabbing hook component to move in a circle with the battery, slowly pulling away from the car body to be swapped, passing the vertical position, until it senses that the battery has reached the conveying component, the transport arm stops rotating, and releases the grabbing hook; the battery is completely released onto the load-bearing bracket or pallet of the circulating conveying system.

[0037] The third step is to put back the fully charged battery: the transport system starts to rotate and move to the left to transport the feed battery that has just been placed. At the same time, the new battery is positioned by the control system and stops precisely at the original battery placement position. Driven by the rotating transport arm, the grabbing hook component grabs the new battery holder handle, reverses to the outside of the car, and moves along the circle. When the lower battery reaches the original battery position, it hovers; start the pull-out column to push the battery horizontally to its installation position. With the support of the control system, the rotating transport arm also cooperates to slowly rotate downward. When the battery reaches the original grabbing position of the swappable vehicle, the grabbing hook component releases the battery, and only the pull-out column component continues to push the battery forward. According to the sensor signal, the battery is accurately pushed to the position.

[0038] The fourth step is equipment reset and vehicle self-inspection: the battery swap service vehicle rotates the transport arm into the car, and the power output column of the pulling and pushing component is also reset and folded under the supporting fixed base, the transport component is locked, the maintenance plug-in is connected, performance testing is carried out, and the inspection results are output; at the same time, the battery swap vehicle first performs a low-voltage self-inspection. After passing the self-inspection, the sliding support component handle is reset, the fastening device is locked or directly screwed, and the protective plate is lowered, thereby completing the entire power battery replacement process.

[0039] The system enables vehicles to be fully charged quickly and on-site, without having to charge bit by bit over a long period of time, or having to look for charging stations everywhere, or having charging stations too far away and delaying delivery time; the system is simple and efficient, compatible with a variety of vehicle models, and can flexibly install and remove a variety of batteries; it has broken the bottleneck of intercity transportation of electric logistics vehicles; it has gotten rid of the limit of stacked batteries since mileage has been broken, and the cost of the entire vehicle and the number of vehicles purchased by users have been significantly reduced.

Claims

1. A mobile battery swapping service vehicle for new energy commercial vehicles, characterized by: Based on existing new energy commercial vehicles, a battery swap system is installed in the upper body of the vehicle. The battery swap system has the functions of battery replacement, transportation, and detection. By changing the installation direction of the battery swap system, the side battery swap and rear battery swap functions can be switched. The battery swap system is an integrated design that is suitable for installation on multiple vehicle models and provides active battery swap services. It includes a supporting fixed base, a rotating transport arm, a grab hook system, a battery extraction and pushing column, a circulating conveying system, and a control and detection system. The support and fixing base is of L-shaped symmetrical design and is fixedly installed on the floor of the upper loading compartment. A rotating shaft base is designed at the L edge of the support and fixing base, and the rotating shaft base is used for rotating and supporting the rotating carrying arm; the triangular support legs of the support and fixing base extend downward to avoid the space inside the compartment, and the double rotating arms of the support and fixing base are used to provide for the use of the oil cylinder; the bottom of the support and fixing base is suspended horizontally for installing a pulling force column; The rotating transport arm is designed in an inverted U shape, with rotating bearings built into the ends of its two legs, allowing the whole arm to rotate around the ends. A drive support seat is designed in the middle of the arm rod of the rotating transport arm, and a matching oil cylinder is used as a driving device, which is used to provide bidirectional power to rotate the rotating transport arm rod up and down. The top crossbeam of the rotating transport arm is equipped with a position sensor, a travel switch and a grab hook suspension ring with damping. The grab hook system is a lever-type hook body, and independently suspends a pair of side-by-side hooks located at the top of a rotating transport arm. The upper and middle parts of the double hooks are connected by a crossbar. The hook head can swing and is equipped with a retraction spring. The top of the hook is equipped with a position sensor, a temperature sensor, and an electrostatic absorption device. The battery pull-out column is installed in the suspended part below the supporting fixed base. It is a diamond-shaped telescopic arm as a whole, can be folded horizontally, and has a threaded self-locking structure; the output power column section of the battery pull-out column has a sliding suspension chain, and the top of the power column adopts a suction cup type connection to the battery box.

2. A new energy commercial vehicle mobile battery replacement service vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The circulating conveying system is partially installed on the floor inside the car, on the side opposite to the rotating transport arm, and is arranged along the direction of the frame beam. It includes a conveying part, a storage part, and a maintenance part; the conveying component is a vertical lifting conveying system, and the circulating conveying chain is a load-bearing frame extending from the side for placing batteries, which can rotate 360 ​​degrees; the storage part includes the locking part of the conveying part and the spare battery storage box; the maintenance part refers to the electrical and communication interface, software self-test system, and indicator light.

3. A new energy commercial vehicle mobile battery replacement service vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control and detection system is distributed in the compartment and has the ability to connect to the vehicle's CAN communication network for centralized control and distributed collection. It can collect current, voltage, temperature, and position signals, and control the conveyor belt, power oil pump, rotating arm, and pulling force column. The control and detection system is compatible with 12V, 24V, and 48V low-voltage electrical systems and light and buzzer alarms, and supports the vehicle's UDS protocol.

4. A battery swapping method for a new energy commercial vehicle mobile battery swapping service vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which refers to a mobile battery swapping system method between multiple types of vehicles in a common parking environment, characterized in that: Based on new energy commercial vehicles, batteries can be interchanged between vehicles and are compatible with side or rear extraction methods. This is achieved through the design of the upper body and battery bracket. The battery is transported by rotating the arm lever. The rod-type grab hook keeps the battery horizontal by self-verticalization under the action of gravity. The parallel battery extraction and pushing columns at the bottom realize battery extraction and pushing, and are equipped with a rotating self-circulating circulating battery conveying system. The box-type battery bracket is compatible with a variety of batteries and frames, and is equipped with sliding and locking devices.

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