Battery swapping locking mechanism and method

Abstract

This application relates to a battery swapping locking mechanism and method. The battery swapping locking mechanism includes: a power source; a locking rod connected to the power source for extending and retracting under the drive of the power source; and a locking tongue connected to the locking rod for pressing the target component toward the base when the locking rod extends toward the target component. The aforementioned battery swapping locking mechanism and method lock the target component onto the base by the locking rod extending toward it. During the extension of the locking rod, the locking tongue moves with the locking rod and presses the target component, thereby pressing the target component tightly toward the base and reducing the gap between the target component and the base.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of battery swapping equipment, and in particular to a battery swapping locking mechanism and method. Background Technology

[0002] The statements in this section are merely background information relating to this disclosure and do not necessarily constitute prior art.

[0003] With the development of electric vehicles, more and more electric vehicles are adopting battery swapping technology. Battery swapping equipment is used to replace the power batteries of electric vehicles, achieving the goal of safe driving range in a very short time.

[0004] The battery swapping locking mechanism is a crucial component of the battery swapping system, used to connect the battery to the vehicle. The effectiveness of this mechanism directly impacts the safety of the battery in the vehicle and the reliability of the swapping process. However, existing battery swapping locking mechanisms, even after switching to the locked state, still leave a gap between the locked target component and the base, resulting in an insufficiently secure connection between the battery and the vehicle. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the above, it is necessary to provide a battery swapping locking mechanism and method that can lock the target component and the base while reducing the gap between the target component and the base.

[0006] Therefore, this disclosure first provides a battery swapping locking mechanism for locking the target component to the base, comprising:

[0007] Power source;

[0008] A locking rod, connected to the power source, is used to extend and retract under the drive of the power source;

[0009] A locking tongue, connected to the locking rod, is used to press the target component toward the base when the locking rod extends to the target component.

[0010] Preferably, the locking tongue includes a pressing part, which is rotatably connected to the locking rod at the center of rotation. The pressing part is used to rotate in a direction that increases the distance from the center of rotation to the contact point when the pressing part abuts against the target part at the contact point.

[0011] Preferably, the locking tongue further includes a rotating part connected to the pressing part, which is used to abut against the base or target member and pull the pressing part to rotate when the locking rod extends toward the target member.

[0012] Preferably, the rotating part is an "L"-shaped rod connected to the pressing part and protruding in the extension direction of the locking rod, so as to abut against the base or the target part and drive the pressing part to rotate when the locking rod extends to the target part.

[0013] Preferably, it further includes a support base, which is movably connected to the locking rod along the telescopic direction of the locking rod, for supporting the locking rod to telescopically move along the telescopic direction.

[0014] Preferably, the support base includes a through hole extending along the telescopic direction of the locking rod, through which the locking rod passes.

[0015] Preferably, the power source includes a cylinder and a piston, the piston being movably disposed within the piston chamber of the cylinder, and the locking rod being connected to the piston.

[0016] Preferably, the power source includes a drive motor, a turntable, and a connecting rod. The turntable is connected to the drive motor, and one end of the connecting rod is rotatably connected to the turntable, while the other end is rotatably connected to the locking rod.

[0017] Preferably, the power source includes a drive motor, a lead screw, a nut, and a connecting rod. The lead screw is connected to the drive motor and extends in a direction perpendicular to the extension and retraction direction of the locking rod. The nut is threadedly connected to the lead screw. The connecting rod hinges the nut and the locking rod, and is used to drive the locking rod to extend and retract under the traction of the nut.

[0018] In addition, this disclosure also provides a battery swapping locking method for locking a target component to a base, comprising:

[0019] The power source pulls the locking rod to extend toward the target component, causing the locking tongue connected to the locking rod to abut against the target component;

[0020] The rotating part of the latch abuts against the base or target component and pulls the pressing part of the latch to rotate around the rotation center of the latch in a direction with increasing eccentric distance, wherein the eccentric distance is the distance between the contact point between the latch and the target component and the rotation center.

[0021] Compared to existing technologies, the above-mentioned battery swapping locking mechanism and method locks the target component onto the base by extending the locking rod toward the target component. During the extension of the locking rod, the locking tongue moves with the locking rod and presses the target component, thereby pressing the target component toward the base and reducing the gap between the target component and the base. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the implementation methods will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the battery swapping locking mechanism.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of Embodiment 1 of the battery swapping locking mechanism in the unlocked state.

[0025] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of Embodiment 1 of the battery swapping locking mechanism in the locked state.

[0026] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A magnified view of a portion of point A in the middle.

[0027] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of Embodiment 2 of the battery swapping locking mechanism in the unlocked state.

[0028] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of Embodiment 2 of the battery swapping locking mechanism in the locked state.

[0029] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of embodiment 3 of the battery swapping locking mechanism.

[0030] Explanation of main component symbols

[0031]

[0032]

[0033] The following detailed embodiments will further illustrate this disclosure in conjunction with the above-described drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0034] To better understand the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this disclosure, the disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this disclosure; the described embodiments are merely a part of the embodiments of this disclosure, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this disclosure without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0035] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of this disclosure.

[0036] In various embodiments, for ease of description and not limitation of this disclosure, the term "connection" used in the patent application specification and claims is not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. Terms such as "upper," "lower," "below," "left," and "right" are used only to indicate relative positional relationships; when the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship also changes accordingly.

[0037] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the battery swapping locking mechanism. (For example...) Figure 1 As shown, the battery swapping locking mechanism is used to lock the target component 60 to the base 50. The target component 60 and the base 50 are respectively connected to the power battery and the vehicle or other equipment. The battery swapping locking mechanism locks the target component 60 to the base 50, allowing the target component 60 to be connected to the base 50 via the locking mechanism, and also to unlock the target component 60 from the base 50, allowing it to detach or move relative to the base 50. In the field of battery swapping, to prevent the power battery from shaking, while locking the target component 60, the battery swapping locking mechanism can also press and compress the target component 60 towards the base 50, reducing the gap between the target component 60 and the base 50, thus reducing the amplitude of power battery shaking.

[0038] In this embodiment, the battery swapping locking mechanism includes a power source 10, a support base 20, a locking rod 30, and a locking tongue 40. The power source 10 is used to drive the locking rod 30 to extend or retract to lock or unlock the target component 60. The support base 20 is used to support the locking rod 30 to move in the extension / retraction direction, and the locking tongue 40 is used to press the target component 60 toward the base 50 when the locking rod 30 extends to the target component 60, thereby compressing the gap between the target component 60 and the base 50.

[0039] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of Embodiment 1 of the battery swapping locking mechanism in the unlocked state. Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of Embodiment 1 of the battery swapping locking mechanism in the locked state. (See diagram below.) Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, in this embodiment, the power source 10 can be a hydraulic cylinder or a pneumatic cylinder, including a cylinder body 11 and a piston 12. The cylinder body 11 has a piston chamber 111, which is connected to a pipe. The piston 12 is movably disposed within the piston chamber 111 of the cylinder body 11. Gas or liquid is injected into the piston chamber 111 through the pipe, thereby driving the piston 12 to move back and forth in the extension / retraction direction within the piston chamber 111 by pneumatic or hydraulic pressure. The piston 12 is connected to a piston rod 121, which extends through the cylinder body 11 and connects to a locking rod 30. The locking rod 30 is connected to the piston 12 via the piston rod 121, and under the traction of the piston 12, the locking rod 30 can move back and forth in the extension / retraction direction. Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, the extension and retraction direction of the locking lever 30 is horizontal, for example, it can move to the left or right.

[0040] The support base 20 is used to support the extension and retraction of the locking rod 30. In this embodiment, the support base 20 is fixed to the base 50 by means of connectors, welding, etc. The support base 20 has a through hole extending along the extension and retraction direction of the locking rod 30, and the locking rod 30 is movably connected to the support base 20 through the through hole.

[0041] The locking rod 30 is movably connected to the support base 20 in the telescopic direction. The locking rod 30 is connected to the power source 10 and is used to telescopically extend and retract under the drive of the power source 10. Specifically, one end of the locking rod 30 is connected to the piston rod 121 of the power source 10, and the other end passes through the through hole of the support base 20 and is movably connected to the support base 20, so that it can move back and forth in the horizontal direction under the traction of the power source 10 and the support of the support base 20.

[0042] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of Embodiment 1 of the battery swapping locking mechanism in the unlocked state. Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of Embodiment 1 of the battery swapping locking mechanism in the locked state. (See diagram below.) Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the locking tongue 40 is connected to the locking rod 30 and is used to press the target member 60 toward the base 50 when the locking rod 30 extends to the target member 60.

[0043] In some embodiments, the locking tongue 40 can be a wedge-shaped block structure, and the radial dimension of the locking tongue 40 increases along the extension and retraction direction of the locking rod 30. This causes the distance from the point where the locking tongue 40 abuts against the target part 60 (i.e., the contact point) to the locking rod 30 to increase as the locking rod 30 extends toward the target part 60. As a result, during the extension of the locking rod 30, the locking rod 30 presses the target part 60 toward the base 50 through the locking tongue 40, thus completing the function of pressing the target during the locking process.

[0044] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A magnified view of a portion of point A in the image. (See image below.) Figure 2-4 As shown, in some other embodiments, the locking tongue 40 includes a pressing part 41, which can be an eccentric wheel, but can also be other shapes, such as arc-shaped, elliptical, etc. The pressing part 41 is rotatably connected to the locking rod 30 at a rotation center 43, and the side of the pressing part 41 can contact the locking area 61 of the target member 60. When the locking rod 30 extends above the locking area 61 of the target member 60, the side of the pressing part 41 contacts the locking area 61 of the target member 60, and under the action of friction, the pressing part 41 rotates about the rotation center 43. During the rotation of the pressing part 41, the pressing part 41 abuts against the target member 60 at the contact point, and the pressing part 41 rotates in a direction that increases along the distance r (i.e., eccentric distance) from the rotation center 43 to the contact point (i.e.,...). Figure 4 (The arrow shown indicates the direction), thereby squeezing the target piece 60 as the locking lever 30 extends.

[0045] During the contact process between the pressing part 41 and the locking area 61 of the target part 60, a mismatch exists between the extension and retraction speed and friction of the locking rod 30. This can lead to relative movement between the contact point of the pressing part 41 and the locking area 61 during rotation, resulting in dynamic friction and wear on both the pressing part 41 and the target part 60. Alternatively, excessive friction between the pressing part 41 and the target part 60 may cause the locking rod 30 to become stuck and unable to move further. Therefore, in another embodiment, please refer again to... Figure 4 The locking tongue 40 may further include a rotating part 42. The rotating part 42 is connected to the pressing part 41 and is used to abut against the base 50 or the target member 60 and pull the pressing part 41 to rotate when the locking rod 30 extends toward the target member 60. For example... Figure 4 In the illustrated configuration, the outer end of the rotating part 42 faces the abutment area 51 of the base 50. When the locking rod 30 extends to the locking area 61, the pressing part 41 contacts the locking area 61, and the outer end of the rotating part 42 contacts the abutment area 51 of the base 50. At this time, the rotational force arm F applied by the abutment area 51 to the pressing part 41 through the rotating part 42 is F. As the locking rod 30 extends, the rotating part 42 can rotate the pressing part 41 under the action of the abutment area 51, forcing the pressing part 41 to rotate along with the extension action of the locking rod 30. This prevents the pressing part 41 from sliding relative to the locking area 61 and wearing the pressing part 41, and also prevents the pressing part 41 from getting stuck.

[0046] As an example, in this embodiment, the rotating part 42 is an "L"-shaped rod, one end of which is connected to the pressing part 41, and the outer end extends toward the extension and retraction direction of the locking rod 30, making the entire locking tongue 40 have a "C"-shaped structure. When the locking rod 30 extends to the target member 60, the outer end of the rotating part 42 abuts against the base 50, thereby driving the pressing part 41 to rotate.

[0047] In this embodiment, to achieve bidirectional locking, two locking rods 30 are used, each connected to one end of the power source 10 in the extension / retraction direction. Two support seats 20 are also used, corresponding to the locking rods 30 and located on both sides of the power source 10, to support the extension / retraction of the locking rods 30. Two locking tongues 40 are also used, each connected to one of the locking rods 30. The power source 10 is used to pull the locking rods 30 towards the target component 60 from both ends in the extension / retraction direction, locking the target component 60 from both ends. This allows for a single power source 10 with two locking points, resulting in a more compact structure and reduced equipment costs.

[0048] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of Embodiment 2 of the battery swapping locking mechanism in the unlocked state. Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of Embodiment 2 of the battery swapping locking mechanism in the locked state. (See diagram below.) Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, in this embodiment, the power source 10 includes a drive motor (not shown), a turntable 14, and a connecting rod 15. In this embodiment, the drive motor can be directly connected to the turntable 14 via a drive shaft 13, driving the turntable 14 to rotate. In other embodiments, the drive motor can also drive the turntable 14 to rotate via other transmission components, such as multiple meshing gears or a worm gear mechanism. One end of the connecting rod 15 is rotatably connected to the turntable 14, and the other end is rotatably connected to the locking rod 30, used to pull the locking rod 30 to extend or retract when the drive shaft 13 rotates. Specifically, when the drive motor drives the turntable 14 to rotate clockwise via the drive shaft 13, the turntable 14 drives the connecting rod 15 to retract, realizing the retraction of the locking rod 30; when the drive motor drives the turntable 14 to rotate counterclockwise via the drive shaft 13, the turntable 14 drives the connecting rod 15 to extend, realizing the extension of the locking rod 30.

[0049] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of embodiment 3 of the battery swapping locking mechanism. Figure 7As shown, the difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that the power source 10 in this embodiment includes a connecting rod 15, a nut 16, a lead screw 17, and a drive motor 18. There are two connecting rods 15, one end of which is hinged to the locking rod 30, and the other end is hinged to the nut 16. In some preferred embodiments, the nut 17 can also be movably connected to the base 50 along the axial direction of the lead screw via a slider-rail structure, roller structure, or other components, thereby improving the connection strength of the nut 17. The lead screw 17 can be a ball screw, with a threaded rotating surface, and the axial direction of the lead screw 16 is generally perpendicular to the extension and retraction direction of the locking rod. The nut 16 is sleeved on the lead screw 17 and threadedly connected to it. The drive motor 18 is connected to the lead screw 17 and is used to drive the lead screw 17 to rotate. During operation, the drive motor 18 drives the lead screw 17 to rotate, and the nut 16, because it is hinged to the connecting rod 15 and threadedly connected to the lead screw 17, can move along the axial direction of the lead screw 17 when it rotates. As the nut 16 moves along the axis closer to the locking rod 30, the distance between the nut 16 and the locking rod 30 shortens, allowing the locking rod 30 to extend via the connecting rod 15. Conversely, as the nut 16 moves along the axis away from the locking rod 30, the distance between the nut 16 and the locking rod 30 increases, allowing the nut 16 to pull the locking rod 30 back via the connecting rod 16. Because the transmission ratio between the nut 16 and the lead screw 17 is relatively large, a smaller power drive motor 18 can be used to drive the extension or retraction of the locking rod 30, which is beneficial for miniaturizing the power source 10 structure and for selecting the appropriate drive motor 18.

[0050] The following describes in detail the battery swapping locking method implemented based on the aforementioned battery swapping locking mechanism. This method, used to lock the target component 60 to the base 50, includes the following steps.

[0051] First, move the target part 60 and the base 50 until the target part 60 is in the position corresponding to the base 50.

[0052] Then, the power source 10 pulls the locking rod 30 to extend towards the target piece 60, so that the locking rod 30 is above the locking area 61 of the target piece 60, locking the target piece 60 onto the base 50. During the extension of the target piece 60 into the locking area 61, the locking tongue 40 connected to the locking rod 30 abuts against the target piece 60, thereby causing the pressing part 41 of the locking tongue 40 to rotate under frictional force, and the distance between the rotation center 43 of the pressing part 41 and the contact point between the pressing part 41 and the locking area 61 increases, thus pressing the target piece 60 against the base 50 during the extension of the locking rod 30.

[0053] During the extension of the locking bar 30 in the locking zone 61, the rotating part 42 of the locking tongue 40 abuts against the base 50 or the target part 60 and pulls the pressing part 41 to rotate, so that the pressing part 41 rotates in the direction of increasing distance (i.e., eccentric distance) from the rotation center 43 to the contact point.

[0054] The aforementioned battery swapping locking mechanism and method locks the target component 60 onto the base 50 by extending the locking rod 30 toward the target component 60. During the extension of the locking rod 30, the locking tongue 40 moves with the locking rod 30 and presses the target component 60, thereby pressing the target component 60 toward the base 50 and reducing the gap between the target component 60 and the base 50.

[0055] On the other hand, the above-mentioned battery swapping locking mechanism and method also achieve the rotation of the rotating part 42 by abutting the target part 60 or the base 50 during the extension of the locking rod 30, thereby preventing the pressing part 41 from sliding between the pressing part 41 and the locking area 61 or the pressing part 41 from being jammed due to excessive friction.

[0056] In the several specific embodiments provided in this disclosure, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this disclosure is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that this disclosure can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as exemplary and non-limiting, and the scope of this disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims be encompassed within this disclosure. Furthermore, it is clear that the word "comprising" does not exclude other units or steps, and the singular does not exclude the plural. Terms such as "first," "second," etc., are used to denote names and do not indicate any particular order.

[0057] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this disclosure and are not intended to limit it. Although this disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the above preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions to the technical solutions of this disclosure should not depart from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A battery swapping locking mechanism for locking a target component to a base, characterized in that, The application relates to a power source, a lock rod connected to the power source and used for stretching and retracting under the drive of the power source, a lock tongue connected to the lock rod and used for pressing the target object towards the base when the lock rod stretches to the target object, and a support base movably connected to the lock rod along the stretching and retracting direction of the lock rod and used for supporting the stretching and retracting movement of the lock rod along the stretching and retracting direction. The lock tongue comprises a pressing part movably connected to the lock rod at a rotating center, and the pressing part is used for rotating along the direction of increasing distance from the rotating center to the contact point when the pressing part abuts against the target object at the contact point. The lock tongue further comprises a rotating part connected to the pressing part and used for dragging the pressing part to rotate when the lock rod stretches towards the target object and abuts against the base or the target object. The rotating part is an "L"-shaped rod member connected to the pressing part and protruding towards the stretching and retracting direction of the lock rod, and is used for dragging the pressing part to rotate when the lock rod stretches to the target object and abuts against the base or the target object. The power source comprises a cylinder and a piston movably arranged in a piston cavity of the cylinder, and the lock rod is connected to the piston. The power source comprises a driving motor, a rotating disc connected to the driving motor, and a connecting rod rotatably connected to the rotating disc at one end and rotatably connected to the lock rod at the other end. The power source comprises a driving motor, a screw rod connected to the driving motor and extending along the direction perpendicular to the stretching and retracting direction of the lock rod, a nut threadedly connected to the screw rod, and a connecting rod hingedly connecting the nut and the lock rod and used for stretching and retracting the lock rod under the traction of the nut. The method is applied to the battery replacing locking mechanism in any one of claims 1-5, and the method comprises the following steps: the power source drives the lock rod to stretch towards the target object, and the lock tongue connected to the lock rod abuts against the target object; the rotating part of the lock tongue abuts against the base or the target object and drags the pressing part of the lock tongue to rotate along the direction of increasing eccentric distance around the rotating center of the lock tongue, wherein the eccentric distance is the distance between the lock tongue and the contact point of the target object and the rotating center.

2. The battery replacing lock mechanism according to claim 1, wherein ​ 3.The battery replacing lock mechanism according to claim 1, wherein ​ 4. The battery replacing lock mechanism according to claim 1, wherein ​ 5.The battery replacing lock mechanism according to claim 1, wherein ​ 6. A battery replacement locking method for locking a target piece to a base, the method comprising: providing a first locking mechanism on the target piece and a second locking mechanism on the base; and locking the target piece to the base by the first and second locking mechanisms. ​

Images