A battery swap station and a battery swap control method thereof

Abstract

The present invention discloses a battery swap station and a battery swap control method thereof, wherein the battery swap station includes a battery swap area for battery swap vehicles to swap batteries and battery racks located on both sides of the battery swap area. By setting up double-sided battery racks, the battery swap needs of more battery swap vehicles can be met, while improving the reliability of the battery swap station. The battery swap control method of the battery swap station includes the following steps: obtaining a battery swap instruction, wherein the battery swap instruction includes the battery model of the battery swap vehicle; determining a first battery compartment for storing a low-charged battery to be disassembled and a matching second battery compartment for a fully charged battery to be installed based on the battery model; controlling the battery swap equipment to move between the battery rack and the battery swap area and perform battery disassembly, assembly, and transfer operations based on the first battery compartment and the second battery compartment, thereby achieving accurate and efficient battery swap operations for battery swap vehicles. The battery swap control method is simple and reliable, and improves the accuracy and efficiency of battery swapping.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of battery swapping technology, and in particular to a battery swapping station and a battery swapping control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the development of society and advancements in technology, electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular among consumers. Currently, there are two main battery replacement methods for electric vehicles: direct charging and quick-swap. The quick-swap method requires the use of a battery swap station to quickly replace batteries. The battery swap equipment removes depleted batteries from the electric vehicle and places them in a battery rack for charging, or installs fully charged batteries from the rack into the electric vehicle.

[0003] At present, most battery swap stations only have one battery rack for storing and charging battery packs. Therefore, the available battery capacity of the entire battery swap station is relatively small. After the capacity of the battery swap station is increased, as the number of available batteries increases, the number of battery racks also increases accordingly. In existing battery swap stations, the battery swap efficiency is improved by increasing the number of dedicated battery swap vehicles. For example, two battery swap vehicles cooperate to swap batteries from both sides to reduce the single battery swap time of each vehicle. Based on this battery swap method, on the one hand, the equipment cost is significantly increased; on the other hand, complex logic action control is required for the two battery swap vehicles, resulting in complex control; and, when one of the battery swap devices has a problem, it is necessary to wait for repairs before continuing to use it, which reduces the battery swap efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned defects in the prior art of two battery-swapping vehicles performing bilateral battery swapping, such as high equipment cost, complex control, and reduced battery-swapping efficiency when equipment failure occurs, and to provide a battery-swapping station and a battery-swapping control method thereof.

[0005] The present invention solves the above technical problems through the following technical solutions:

[0006] A first aspect of the present invention provides a battery swap control method for a battery swap station, wherein the battery swap station includes a battery swap area for battery swap vehicles to swap batteries and battery racks located on both sides of the battery swap area. The battery swap control method includes the following steps:

[0007] Obtaining a battery swap instruction, wherein the battery swap instruction includes the battery model of the battery swap vehicle;

[0008] Determining, based on the battery model, a first battery compartment for storing a low-charged battery to be removed and a matching second battery compartment for storing a fully-charged battery to be installed;

[0009] Based on the first battery position and the second battery position, the battery exchange equipment is controlled to move between the battery rack and the battery exchange area and perform battery disassembly, assembly and transfer operations.

[0010] In this solution, by setting up double-sided battery racks at the battery swap station, the battery swap needs of more battery swap vehicles can be met. In some cases, one of the battery racks can be set as a spare battery rack to improve the reliability of the battery swap station. In addition, based on the battery model of the battery swap vehicle, the matching first and second battery compartments are determined, and the single battery swap device is controlled to move between the battery rack where the battery compartment is located and the battery swap area where the battery swap vehicle is located, and the battery disassembly and transfer operations are performed. This achieves accurate and efficient battery swap operations for battery swap vehicles. The battery swap control method is simple and reliable, and the accuracy and efficiency of battery swap are improved.

[0011] Optionally, the step of controlling the battery swapping equipment to move between the battery rack and the battery swapping area and performing battery disassembly, assembly, and transfer operations based on the first battery position and the second battery position specifically includes:

[0012] Controlling the battery swapping equipment to remove the depleted battery from the battery swapping vehicle, and transporting the depleted battery based on the first battery compartment;

[0013] Control the battery-exchanging equipment to obtain the fully charged battery taken out from the second battery compartment and install it on the battery-exchanging vehicle.

[0014] In this solution, after determining the first battery position and the second battery position based on the battery model and other information of the battery swapping vehicle, the battery swapping equipment is specifically controlled to perform the battery removal operation and transfer the removed battery to the battery rack corresponding to the first battery position; and the battery swapping equipment is controlled to install the fully charged battery taken out of the second battery position into the battery swapping vehicle to complete the entire battery swapping process. The control of the battery swapping equipment is simple and clear, avoiding control disorder or control errors caused by complex control.

[0015] Optionally, when the first battery compartment and the second battery compartment are located on the same battery rack, after the battery swapping device transfers the depleted battery and before obtaining a fully charged battery, the battery swapping control method further includes:

[0016] The position of the battery exchange device is controlled to remain unchanged so as to obtain the fully charged battery.

[0017] In this solution, when it is determined that the battery compartment for storing deficient batteries and the battery compartment for storing fully charged batteries are on the same battery rack, the battery swapping equipment can obtain fully charged batteries from the current battery rack without moving after transferring the removed deficient batteries to the corresponding battery rack. Therefore, after the battery swapping equipment transfers the deficient batteries and before obtaining the fully charged batteries, by controlling the position of the battery swapping equipment to remain unchanged compared to the battery rack, the battery swapping equipment can simultaneously transfer deficient batteries and fully charged batteries on the battery rack, thereby improving the battery transfer efficiency and thus improving the battery swapping efficiency.

[0018] Optionally, when the first battery compartment is located on a first battery rack and the second battery compartment is located on a second battery rack arranged opposite to the first battery rack, after the battery swapping device transfers the depleted battery, the battery swapping control method further includes:

[0019] Control the battery exchange equipment to pass through the battery exchange area from the battery exchange area of ​​the first battery rack and move to the battery exchange area of ​​the second battery rack to obtain the fully charged battery.

[0020] In this solution, when it is determined that the battery compartment for storing deficient batteries and the battery compartment for storing fully charged batteries are located on different battery racks, after the battery swapping equipment transfers the deficient batteries, it is necessary to control the battery swapping equipment to move from the battery exchange area of ​​the battery rack where the deficient batteries are located to the battery exchange area of ​​the battery rack where the fully charged batteries are located in order to obtain fully charged batteries. Therefore, during the transfer of the two batteries, it is necessary to control the battery swapping equipment to pass through the battery exchange area between the two battery racks from the bottom of the battery swapping vehicle so that the battery swapping equipment can obtain fully charged batteries, thereby improving the battery transfer efficiency and thus improving the battery swapping efficiency.

[0021] Optionally, the step of transporting the low-power battery based on the first battery storage location includes:

[0022] Control the battery exchange equipment to transfer the low-power battery to the battery exchange area of ​​the battery rack where the first battery compartment is located;

[0023] Control the corresponding battery transfer device to obtain the depleted battery from the battery replacement equipment and transfer it to the first battery storage location.

[0024] In this solution, the transfer of defunct batteries is achieved by separately controlling the battery swapping equipment and the battery transfer device. Specifically, the battery swapping equipment is controlled to transfer the defunct batteries removed from the battery swapping vehicle to the battery exchange area of ​​the battery rack where the first battery compartment is located. The battery transfer device is controlled to obtain the defunct batteries from the battery swapping equipment in the battery exchange area and transfer the defunct batteries to the first battery compartment so that the defunct batteries can be charged.

[0025] Optionally, the step of controlling the battery swapping device to obtain the fully charged battery taken out from the second battery compartment includes:

[0026] Controlling the battery swapping device to move to the battery swapping area of ​​the battery rack where the second battery compartment is located;

[0027] Control the corresponding battery transfer device to take out the fully charged battery from the second battery compartment and transfer it to the battery replacement equipment.

[0028] In this solution, the transfer of fully charged batteries is achieved by separately controlling the battery swapping equipment and the battery transfer device. Specifically, the battery swapping equipment is controlled to move to the battery exchange area of ​​the battery rack where the second battery position is located, the battery transfer device is controlled to take out the fully charged battery from the second battery position, and the fully charged battery is transferred to the battery swapping equipment in the battery exchange area of ​​the battery rack, so that the battery swapping equipment can install the fully charged battery on the battery swapping vehicle, thereby completing the battery swapping of the battery swapping vehicle.

[0029] Optionally, the battery exchange control method also includes: before the battery exchange equipment moves to any battery exchange area of ​​the battery rack, controlling the battery transfer device to move to the corresponding battery exchange area and stand by to facilitate battery interaction with the battery exchange equipment.

[0030] In this solution, the battery swapping equipment and the battery transfer device interact with each other in the battery exchange area for low-charged batteries or fully-charged batteries. By controlling the battery transfer device to move to the battery exchange area to stand by ahead of the battery swapping equipment, the battery swapping equipment is prevented from waiting for the battery transfer device in the battery exchange area, thereby improving the battery transfer efficiency and thus improving the battery swapping efficiency.

[0031] Optionally, the battery rack has a transfer location.

[0032] When the first battery position and the second battery position are located on the same battery rack, the battery replacement control method also includes: before controlling the battery transfer device to move to the corresponding battery exchange area to wait for the exchange of the low-charged battery with the battery replacement equipment, controlling the battery transfer device to transfer the fully charged battery to the transfer position; and, after the battery transfer device transfers the low-charged battery to the first battery position, controlling the battery transfer device to take out the fully charged battery from the transfer position and transfer it to the battery replacement equipment.

[0033] In this solution, the battery transfer device is first controlled to transfer the fully charged batteries stored in the second battery bin to the transfer bin, and then the battery transfer device is controlled to move to the corresponding battery exchange area to interact with the battery exchange equipment for the low-charged batteries, and transfer the low-charged batteries to the first battery bin. Finally, the battery transfer device is controlled to take out the fully charged batteries from the transfer bin and transfer them to the battery exchange equipment. Before the battery transfer device and the battery exchange equipment transfer the batteries, the battery transfer efficiency is improved by transferring the batteries to the transfer bin and then transferring the batteries, thereby further improving the battery exchange efficiency.

[0034] Optionally, the transfer location is arranged close to the battery exchange area of ​​the battery rack.

[0035] In this solution, the fully charged batteries are transferred to the transfer bin in advance before the battery transfer device is controlled to transfer the depleted batteries, and after the depleted batteries are transferred in the battery exchange area, the fully charged batteries are obtained from the transfer bin close to the battery exchange area. By setting the transfer bin close to the battery exchange area, the transfer efficiency of the fully charged batteries is maximized, thereby improving the battery replacement efficiency.

[0036] Optionally, when the first battery compartment is located on a first battery rack, and the second battery compartment is located on a second battery rack arranged opposite to the first battery rack, the battery replacement control method further includes:

[0037] Before the battery-swapping vehicle enters the battery-swapping area, the battery-swapping equipment is controlled to transfer the fully charged battery from the second battery rack to the first battery rack.

[0038] In this solution, when it is determined that the battery position for storing depleted batteries and the battery position for storing fully charged batteries are located on different battery racks, the fully charged batteries can be transferred to the battery rack where the depleted batteries are located before the battery swap vehicle enters the battery swap area, so that the battery swap equipment can transfer depleted batteries and fully charged batteries in the battery exchange area of ​​the same battery rack, i.e., the first battery rack, avoiding the battery swap equipment from moving between battery exchange areas of different battery racks after the battery swap vehicle enters the battery swap area, thereby improving the transfer efficiency of fully charged batteries and thus improving the battery swap efficiency.

[0039] Optionally, the battery swap control method further includes:

[0040] When the battery transfer device is idle, the battery transfer device is controlled to transfer batteries on the battery rack according to the power level of the batteries on the battery rack and / or the models of the batteries on the battery rack.

[0041] In this solution, when the battery transfer device is idle, the battery transfer device is controlled to transfer batteries on the battery rack. The purpose is to adjust the batteries on the battery rack to a state where they can quickly transfer qualified fully charged batteries, thereby improving the transfer efficiency of fully charged batteries and further improving the battery replacement efficiency.

[0042] Optionally, the step of controlling the battery transport device to transport batteries on the battery rack according to the power level of the batteries on the battery rack specifically includes:

[0043] Control the battery transfer device to transfer fully charged batteries on the battery rack to a battery storage location close to the battery exchange area; and / or control the battery transfer device to transfer batteries on the battery rack that have not reached a preset charge to a battery storage location far away from the battery exchange area.

[0044] In this solution, by deploying fully charged batteries to battery slots close to the battery exchange area, and / or deploying batteries that have not reached the preset power level to battery slots far away from the battery exchange area, the time for the battery transfer device to obtain fully charged batteries from the battery rack is saved, the transfer efficiency of fully charged batteries is improved, and the battery replacement efficiency is thereby improved.

[0045] Optionally, the step of controlling the battery transport device to transport batteries on the battery rack according to the models of the batteries on the battery rack specifically includes:

[0046] Control the battery transfer device to transfer batteries of corresponding models whose battery replacement frequency reaches a preset threshold to a battery storage position close to the battery exchange area; and / or control the battery transfer device to transfer batteries of corresponding models on the battery rack whose battery replacement frequency is lower than a preset threshold to a battery storage position far away from the battery exchange area.

[0047] In this solution, by allocating batteries with a higher replacement frequency to battery slots close to the battery exchange area, and / or allocating batteries with a lower replacement frequency to battery slots far away from the battery exchange area, the time taken by the battery transfer device to obtain fully charged batteries from the battery rack is saved, the transfer efficiency of fully charged batteries is improved, and the battery replacement efficiency is thereby improved.

[0048] Optionally, the battery rack is provided with two battery exchange areas;

[0049] When the first battery compartment and the second battery compartment are located on the same battery rack,

[0050] Controlling the battery exchange equipment to transfer the depleted battery to the battery transfer device in one of the battery exchange areas;

[0051] Control the battery exchange equipment to obtain the fully charged battery from the battery transport device in another battery exchange area.

[0052] In this solution, two battery exchange areas are set up on the battery rack to realize the transfer of low-charged batteries and fully-charged batteries respectively, which can improve the battery transfer efficiency. Specifically, during the process of the battery transfer device transferring low-charged batteries to the first battery compartment, the battery exchange equipment can be controlled to move to another battery exchange area to transfer fully-charged batteries, thereby saving battery transfer time and improving battery transfer efficiency.

[0053] A second aspect of the present invention provides a battery swap station, comprising:

[0054] A battery swapping area for battery swapping vehicles;

[0055] Battery replacement equipment;

[0056] Battery racks located on both sides of the battery swapping area;

[0057] And a controller configured to execute the battery replacement control method as described in the first aspect.

[0058] The positive progress of the present invention is that by setting up double-sided battery racks at the battery swap station, the battery swap needs of more battery swap vehicles can be met. In some cases, one of the battery racks can be set as a spare battery rack to improve the reliability of the battery swap station. In addition, based on the battery model of the battery swap vehicle, the matching first battery compartment and second battery compartment are determined, and the single battery swap device is controlled to move between the battery rack where the battery compartment is located and the battery swap area where the battery swap vehicle is located, and the battery swap process of battery disassembly and transfer operations is carried out, thereby achieving accurate and efficient battery swap operations for battery swap vehicles. The battery swap control method is simple and reliable, and the accuracy and efficiency of battery swap are improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0059] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a battery swap station provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0060] Figure 2 A flowchart of a battery swap control method for a battery swap station provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0061] Figure 3 This is a detailed flowchart of step S103 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] The present invention is further described below by way of examples, but the present invention is not limited to the scope of the examples.

[0063] The battery swap control method of the battery swap station provided in the embodiment of the present invention can be executed by a battery swap control system, which can be implemented by software and / or hardware, and the system can include part or all of the battery swap station.

[0064] like Figure 1 As shown, the battery swap station 30 includes a battery swap area 31 for battery swap vehicles to swap batteries, battery swap equipment, and battery racks 32 located on both sides of the battery swap area. The battery racks 32 are used to store and charge battery packs. A battery transfer device for battery transfer is provided in the battery racks 32. After the battery swap vehicle enters the battery swap area, the battery swap equipment removes the depleted battery from the battery swap vehicle, and transfers the removed depleted battery to the battery exchange area corresponding to the battery rack. The battery transfer device then transfers the battery to the storage space for charging. Furthermore, the battery transfer device removes the fully charged battery from the battery rack and transfers it to the battery swap equipment. Finally, the battery swap equipment installs the fully charged battery on the battery swap vehicle, thereby completing the battery swap operation for the battery swap vehicle.

[0065] This embodiment provides a battery swap control method for a battery swap station, such as Figure 2As shown, the following steps S101 to S103 are included:

[0066] Step S101: Obtain a battery replacement instruction, where the battery replacement instruction includes the battery model of the battery replacement vehicle.

[0067] In an optional embodiment, step S101 specifically includes step S101a and step S101b:

[0068] Step S101a: Scan and obtain the license plate information of the battery-swapping vehicle.

[0069] Step S101b: Send the license plate information to the cloud server, and obtain the vehicle information issued by the cloud server based on the license plate information. The vehicle information includes the battery model of the battery-swappable vehicle and the vehicle model of the battery-swappable vehicle.

[0070] In this implementation, a cloud server centrally manages and stores information about all connected battery-swapping vehicles, reducing the equipment and resource utilization of the battery-swapping station. When a battery-swapping vehicle enters the station, a camera captures its image, which is then analyzed and processed to obtain the corresponding license plate information. This license plate information is then uploaded to the cloud server, which searches for the corresponding vehicle information based on the license plate information and sends it to the station.

[0071] Step S102: Determine a first battery compartment for storing a low-charged battery to be removed and a matching second battery compartment for storing a fully-charged battery to be installed based on the battery model.

[0072] Among them, there is a one-to-one or one-to-many correspondence between the battery model and the first battery slot. Based on the battery model of the battery swap vehicle, at least one battery slot for storing the depleted battery to be removed can be determined, and a battery slot is selected from the at least one battery slot as the first battery slot to store the depleted battery removed from the battery swap vehicle in the first battery slot for charging. Preferably, a battery slot close to the battery exchange area can be selected from the at least one battery slot as the first battery slot to improve the transportation efficiency of the depleted battery.

[0073] There is a one-to-one or one-to-many correspondence between the battery model and the first battery slot. Based on the battery model of the battery swap vehicle, at least one matching battery slot for a fully charged battery to be installed can be determined, and one battery slot can be selected from the at least one battery slot as the second battery slot to obtain a fully charged battery from the second battery slot and install it on the battery swap vehicle. Preferably, a battery slot close to the battery exchange area can be selected from the at least one battery slot as the second battery slot to improve the transportation efficiency of the fully charged battery.

[0074] It should be noted that the battery model of the depleted battery removed from the battery-swapping vehicle is the same as the battery model of the fully charged battery to be installed on the battery-swapping vehicle, both of which are the battery models of the battery-swapping vehicle determined in step S101.

[0075] In another embodiment, the first battery position and the second battery position can also be determined in combination with the model of the battery-swap vehicle. The matching first battery position and the second battery position are jointly determined based on the model of the battery-swap vehicle and the battery model. For different models of battery-swap vehicles, the correspondence between the battery model and the battery position can be the same or different. In a specific implementation, the correspondence between the battery model and the battery position is first determined based on the model of the battery-swap vehicle, and then the first battery position or the second battery position corresponding to the battery model is determined based on the correspondence between the battery model and the battery position.

[0076] Step S103: Based on the first battery position and the second battery position, control the battery exchange equipment to move between the battery rack and the battery exchange area and perform battery disassembly, assembly and transfer operations.

[0077] In an optional embodiment, Figure 3 As shown, step S103 specifically includes the following steps S103a and S103b:

[0078] Step S103a: control the battery swapping equipment to remove the deflated battery from the battery swapping vehicle, and transport the deflated battery based on the first battery compartment.

[0079] The specific implementation of step S103a includes the following steps S103a1 to S103a2:

[0080] Step S103a1, control the battery exchange equipment to transfer the depleted battery to the battery exchange area of ​​the battery rack where the first battery compartment is located.

[0081] Step S103a2: Control the corresponding battery transfer device to obtain the depleted battery from the battery swap device and transfer it to the first battery slot. Specifically, control the battery transfer device corresponding to the battery rack where the first battery slot is located to obtain the depleted battery from the battery swap device in the battery swap area of ​​the battery rack, and transfer the depleted battery to the first battery slot of the battery rack.

[0082] In this embodiment, the transfer of defunct batteries is achieved by separately controlling the battery swapping equipment and the battery transfer device. Specifically, the battery swapping equipment is controlled to transfer the defunct batteries removed from the battery swapping vehicle to the battery exchange area of ​​the battery rack where the first battery compartment is located. The battery transfer device is controlled to obtain the defunct batteries from the battery swapping equipment in the battery exchange area and transfer the defunct batteries to the first battery compartment so that the defunct batteries can be charged.

[0083] Step S103b: control the battery swapping equipment to obtain the fully charged battery taken out from the second battery compartment and install it on the battery swapping vehicle.

[0084] The specific implementation of step S103b includes the following steps S103b1 to S103b2:

[0085] Step S103b1: Control the battery exchange equipment to move to the battery exchange area of ​​the battery rack where the second battery compartment is located.

[0086] Step S103b2: Control the corresponding battery transfer device to remove the fully charged battery from the second battery compartment and transfer it to the battery swapping device. Specifically, control the battery transfer device corresponding to the battery rack where the second battery compartment is located to remove the fully charged battery from the second battery compartment and transfer the fully charged battery to the battery swapping device in the battery swapping area of ​​the battery rack.

[0087] In this embodiment, the transfer of fully charged batteries is achieved by separately controlling the battery swapping equipment and the battery transfer device. Specifically, the battery swapping equipment is controlled to move to the battery exchange area of ​​the battery rack where the second battery position is located, and the battery transfer device is controlled to take out the fully charged battery from the second battery position, and transfer the fully charged battery to the battery swapping equipment in the battery exchange area of ​​the battery rack, so that the battery swapping equipment installs the fully charged battery on the battery swapping vehicle, thereby completing the battery swapping process of the battery swapping vehicle.

[0088] Combined with steps S101 to S103, after determining the first battery position and the second battery position according to the battery model and other information of the battery swapping vehicle, the battery swapping equipment is specifically controlled to perform the battery disassembly operation and transfer the disassembled battery to the battery rack corresponding to the first battery position; and the battery swapping equipment is controlled to install the fully charged battery taken out of the second battery position into the battery swapping vehicle to complete the entire battery swapping process. The control of the battery swapping equipment is simple and clear, avoiding control disorder or control errors caused by complex control.

[0089] The first battery position and the second battery position determined in step S102 may be located on the same battery rack or on different battery racks.

[0090] When the first battery slot and the second battery slot are located on the same battery rack, after step S103a and before step S103b, the battery exchange control method further includes the following steps: controlling the position of the battery exchange equipment to remain unchanged so as to obtain the fully charged battery.

[0091] In this embodiment, when it is determined that the battery compartment for storing deficient batteries and the battery compartment for storing fully charged batteries are on the same battery rack, the battery swapping equipment can obtain fully charged batteries from the current battery rack without moving after transferring the removed deficient batteries to the corresponding battery rack. Therefore, after the battery swapping equipment transfers the deficient batteries and before obtaining the fully charged batteries, by controlling the position of the battery swapping equipment to remain unchanged compared to the battery rack, the battery swapping equipment can simultaneously transfer deficient batteries and fully charged batteries on the battery rack, thereby improving the battery transfer efficiency and thus improving the battery swapping efficiency.

[0092] When the first battery position is located on a first battery rack and the second battery position is located on a second battery rack opposite to the first battery rack, that is, the first battery position and the second battery position are located on different battery racks, after step S103a, the above-mentioned battery replacement control method also includes the following steps: controlling the battery replacement equipment to pass through the battery replacement area from the battery exchange area of ​​the first battery rack and move to the battery exchange area of ​​the second battery rack to obtain the fully charged battery.

[0093] As a specific implementation of the battery swapping equipment passing through the battery swapping area, the moving path of the battery swapping equipment can be to pass through the bottom of the battery swapping vehicle and then further move to the battery exchange area of ​​the second battery rack.

[0094] In this embodiment, when it is determined that the battery position for storing depleted batteries and the battery position for storing fully charged batteries are located on different battery racks, after the battery swapping equipment transfers the depleted batteries, it is necessary to control the battery swapping equipment to move from the battery exchange area of ​​the battery rack where the depleted batteries are located to the battery exchange area of ​​the battery rack where the fully charged batteries are located in order to obtain fully charged batteries. Therefore, during the transfer of the two batteries, it is necessary to control the battery swapping equipment to pass through the battery exchange area between the two battery racks from the bottom of the battery swapping vehicle so that the battery swapping equipment can obtain fully charged batteries, thereby improving the battery transfer efficiency and thus improving the battery swapping efficiency.

[0095] In another embodiment, the above-mentioned battery exchange control method also includes: before the battery exchange equipment moves to the battery exchange area of ​​any of the battery racks, controlling the battery transfer device to move to the corresponding battery exchange area and stand by to facilitate battery interaction with the battery exchange equipment.

[0096] In this embodiment, the battery swapping equipment moves to the battery exchange area of ​​the battery rack, which means that it is necessary to interact with the battery transfer device to perform low-charged batteries or fully-charged batteries. By controlling the battery transfer device to move to the battery exchange area and stand by before the battery swapping equipment, it can avoid the situation where the battery swapping equipment needs to wait for the battery transfer device in the battery exchange area, thereby improving the battery transfer efficiency and then improving the battery swapping efficiency.

[0097] In another embodiment, the battery rack has a transfer position. When the first battery position and the second battery position are located on the same battery rack, the battery exchange control method further includes: before controlling the battery transport device to move to the corresponding battery exchange area to wait for the exchange of the low-charged battery with the battery exchange equipment, controlling the battery transport device to transport the fully charged battery to the transfer position; and after the battery transport device transports the low-charged battery to the first battery position, controlling the battery transport device to remove the fully charged battery from the transfer position and transport it to the battery exchange equipment.

[0098] In this embodiment, the battery transfer device is first controlled to transfer the fully charged battery stored in the second battery bin to the transfer bin, and then the battery transfer device is controlled to move to the corresponding battery exchange area to interact with the battery exchange equipment for the low-charged battery, and transfer the low-charged battery to the first battery bin, and finally the battery transfer device is controlled to take out the fully charged battery from the transfer bin and transfer it to the battery exchange equipment; before the battery transfer device and the battery exchange equipment transfer the battery, the battery transfer efficiency is improved by transferring the battery to the transfer bin and then transferring the battery, thereby further improving the battery exchange efficiency.

[0099] The transfer location may be any vacant battery location on the battery rack, that is, the transfer location may be set at any position on the battery rack.

[0100] Preferably, the transfer bin is set at a position close to the battery exchange area of ​​the battery rack. Before controlling the battery transfer device to transfer the depleted battery from the battery swapping equipment, the fully charged battery is transferred to the transfer bin of the battery rack in advance. After the depleted battery is transferred between the battery swapping area and the battery swapping equipment, the fully charged battery is obtained from the transfer bin close to the battery swapping area and transferred to the battery swapping equipment. By setting the transfer bin close to the battery swapping area, the transfer efficiency of the fully charged battery is maximized, thereby improving the battery swapping efficiency.

[0101] In addition, the number of transfer bins can be increased. In this way, when the battery transfer device obtains the deflated battery from the battery exchange equipment, the deflated battery can be temporarily stored in the transfer bin, and then the fully charged battery can be directly transferred. Finally, the deflated battery can be taken out of the transfer bin and transferred to the first battery bin, further improving the battery transfer efficiency and battery exchange efficiency.

[0102] In another embodiment, when the first battery position is located on a first battery rack and the second battery position is located on a second battery rack arranged opposite to the first battery rack, the above-mentioned battery replacement control method also includes: before the battery replacement vehicle enters the battery replacement area, controlling the battery replacement equipment to transfer the fully charged battery from the second battery rack to the first battery rack.

[0103] In a specific implementation, when it is determined that the battery position for storing depleted batteries and the battery position for storing fully charged batteries are located on different battery racks, before the battery swap vehicle enters the battery swap area, the battery transfer device corresponding to the second battery rack can be controlled to take out the fully charged battery from the second battery position, and transfer the fully charged battery to the battery swap equipment in the battery exchange area of ​​the second battery rack, and the battery swap equipment can be controlled to move from the battery exchange area of ​​the second battery rack to the battery exchange area of ​​the first battery rack, and transfer the fully charged battery to the battery transfer device corresponding to the first battery rack in the battery exchange area of ​​the first battery rack, and the battery transfer device corresponding to the first battery rack transfers the fully charged battery to the first battery rack. Specifically, the fully charged battery can be transferred to the transfer position of the first battery rack. After the battery swapping vehicle enters the battery swapping area and the battery swapping equipment removes the depleted battery from the battery swapping vehicle, the battery transfer device corresponding to the first battery rack can directly obtain the fully charged battery from the first battery rack, and transfer the fully charged battery to the battery swapping equipment in the battery exchange area of ​​the first battery rack. There is no need to control the battery swapping equipment to another battery rack to obtain the fully charged battery, saving battery swapping time.

[0104] In this embodiment, when it is determined that the battery position for storing depleted batteries and the battery position for storing fully charged batteries are located on different battery racks, the fully charged batteries can be transferred to the battery rack where the depleted batteries are located before the battery swapping vehicle enters the battery swapping area, so that the battery swapping equipment can transfer depleted batteries and fully charged batteries in the battery exchange area of ​​the same battery rack, i.e., the first battery rack, thereby avoiding the battery swapping equipment from moving between the battery exchange areas of different battery racks after the battery swapping vehicle enters the battery swapping area, thereby improving the transfer efficiency of fully charged batteries and thus improving the battery swapping efficiency.

[0105] In another embodiment, the battery replacement control method further includes: when the battery transfer device is idle, controlling the battery transfer device to transfer batteries on the battery rack according to the power level of the batteries on the battery rack. In one specific implementation example, the battery transfer device is controlled to transfer fully charged batteries on the battery rack to a battery compartment near the battery exchange area. In another specific implementation example, the battery transfer device is controlled to transfer batteries on the battery rack that have not reached a preset power level to a battery compartment far away from the battery exchange area.

[0106] In this embodiment, when the battery transfer device is idle, the battery transfer device is controlled to transfer batteries on the battery rack according to the battery power level. The purpose is to adjust the batteries on the battery rack to a state where qualified fully charged batteries can be quickly transferred, thereby saving time to obtain fully charged batteries, improving the transfer efficiency of fully charged batteries, and further improving the battery replacement efficiency.

[0107] In another embodiment, the battery exchange control method further includes: when the battery transport device is idle, controlling the battery transport device to transport batteries on the battery rack according to the model of the batteries on the battery rack. In one specific implementation example, the battery transport device is controlled to transport batteries of corresponding models whose battery exchange frequency reaches a preset threshold value to a battery position close to the battery exchange area. In another specific implementation example, the battery transport device is controlled to transport batteries of corresponding models whose battery exchange frequency on the battery rack is lower than a preset threshold value to a battery position far away from the battery exchange area.

[0108] In this embodiment, when the battery transfer device is idle, the battery transfer device is controlled to transfer batteries on the battery rack according to the battery model. Specifically, by allocating batteries with a higher battery replacement frequency to battery slots close to the battery exchange area, or allocating batteries with a lower battery replacement frequency to battery slots far away from the battery exchange area, the time for the battery transfer device to obtain fully charged batteries from the battery rack is saved, the transfer efficiency of fully charged batteries is improved, and the battery replacement efficiency is thereby improved.

[0109] In another embodiment, the battery rack is provided with two battery exchange areas.

[0110] When the first battery position and the second battery position are located on the same battery rack, the battery exchange equipment is controlled to transfer the depleted battery to the battery transfer device in one of the battery exchange areas; and the battery exchange equipment is controlled to obtain the fully charged battery from the battery transfer device in another battery exchange area.

[0111] In this embodiment, two battery exchange areas are set up on the battery rack to respectively realize the transfer of low-charged batteries and fully-charged batteries. Compared with transferring low-charged batteries and fully-charged batteries in one battery exchange area, the battery transfer efficiency can be improved. Specifically, during the process of the battery transfer device transferring the low-charged battery to the first battery position, the battery exchange equipment can be controlled to move to another battery exchange area to transfer the fully-charged battery, thereby saving battery transfer time and improving battery transfer efficiency.

[0112] Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, those skilled in the art will appreciate that these are merely illustrative and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art may make various changes or modifications to these embodiments without departing from the principles and essence of the present invention, and such changes and modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A battery swap control method for a battery swap station, characterized in that: The battery swap station includes a battery swap area for battery swap vehicles and battery racks located on both sides of the battery swap area. The battery swap control method includes the following steps: Obtaining a battery swap instruction, wherein the battery swap instruction includes the battery model of the battery swap vehicle; Determining, based on the battery model, a first battery compartment for storing a low-charged battery to be removed and a matching second battery compartment for storing a fully-charged battery to be installed; Based on the first battery position and the second battery position, the battery swapping equipment is controlled to move between the battery rack and the battery swapping area and perform battery disassembly, assembly, and transfer operations; When the battery transfer device is idle, the battery transfer device is controlled to transfer batteries on the battery rack according to the models of the batteries on the battery rack; The step of controlling the battery transport device to transport batteries on the battery rack according to the models of the batteries on the battery rack specifically includes: Control the battery transfer device to transfer batteries of corresponding models whose battery replacement frequency reaches a preset threshold to a battery storage position close to the battery exchange area; and / or control the battery transfer device to transfer batteries of corresponding models on the battery rack whose battery replacement frequency is lower than a preset threshold to a battery storage position far away from the battery exchange area.

2. The battery replacement control method according to claim 1, wherein: The steps of controlling the battery swapping equipment to move between the battery rack and the battery swapping area and performing battery disassembly, assembly, and transfer operations based on the first battery position and the second battery position specifically include: Controlling the battery swapping equipment to remove the depleted battery from the battery swapping vehicle, and transporting the depleted battery based on the first battery compartment; Control the battery-exchanging equipment to obtain the fully charged battery taken out from the second battery compartment and install it on the battery-exchanging vehicle.

3. The battery replacement control method according to claim 2, wherein: When the first battery compartment and the second battery compartment are located on the same battery rack, after the battery swapping device transfers the depleted battery and before obtaining a fully charged battery, the battery swapping control method further includes: The position of the battery exchange device is controlled to remain unchanged so as to obtain the fully charged battery.

4. The battery replacement control method according to claim 2, wherein: When the first battery compartment is located on a first battery rack, and the second battery compartment is located on a second battery rack opposite to the first battery rack, after the battery swapping device transfers the depleted battery, the battery swapping control method further includes: Control the battery exchange equipment to pass through the battery exchange area from the battery exchange area of ​​the first battery rack and move to the battery exchange area of ​​the second battery rack to obtain the fully charged battery.

5. The battery replacement control method according to claim 2, wherein: The step of transferring the low-power battery based on the first battery storage location includes: Control the battery exchange equipment to transfer the low-power battery to the battery exchange area of ​​the battery rack where the first battery compartment is located; Control the corresponding battery transfer device to obtain the depleted battery from the battery replacement equipment and transfer it to the first battery storage location.

6. The battery replacement control method according to claim 2, wherein: The step of controlling the battery swapping device to obtain the fully charged battery taken out from the second battery compartment includes: Controlling the battery swapping device to move to the battery swapping area of ​​the battery rack where the second battery compartment is located; Control the corresponding battery transfer device to take out the fully charged battery from the second battery compartment and transfer it to the battery replacement equipment.

7. The battery replacement control method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The battery exchange control method also includes: before the battery exchange equipment moves to any battery exchange area of ​​the battery rack, controlling the battery transfer device to move to the corresponding battery exchange area and stand by to facilitate battery interaction with the battery exchange equipment.

8. The battery replacement control method according to claim 7, wherein: The battery rack has a transfer position. When the first battery position and the second battery position are located on the same battery rack, the battery replacement control method also includes: before controlling the battery transfer device to move to the corresponding battery exchange area to wait for the exchange of the low-charged battery with the battery replacement equipment, controlling the battery transfer device to transfer the fully charged battery to the transfer position; and, after the battery transfer device transfers the low-charged battery to the first battery position, controlling the battery transfer device to take out the fully charged battery from the transfer position and transfer it to the battery replacement equipment.

9. The battery replacement control method according to claim 8, wherein: The transfer location is arranged close to the battery exchange area of ​​the battery rack.

10. The battery replacement control method according to claim 2, wherein: When the first battery compartment is located on a first battery rack, and the second battery compartment is located on a second battery rack arranged opposite to the first battery rack, the battery replacement control method further includes: Before the battery-swapping vehicle enters the battery-swapping area, the battery-swapping equipment is controlled to transfer the fully charged battery from the second battery rack to the first battery rack.

11. The battery replacement control method according to claim 1, wherein: The battery replacement control method further includes: When the battery transfer device is idle, the battery transfer device is controlled to transfer batteries on the battery rack according to the power level of the batteries on the battery rack.

12. The battery replacement control method according to claim 11, wherein: The steps of controlling the battery transport device to transport the batteries on the battery rack according to the power of the batteries on the battery rack specifically include: Control the battery transfer device to transfer fully charged batteries on the battery rack to a battery storage location close to the battery exchange area; and / or control the battery transfer device to transfer batteries on the battery rack that have not reached a preset charge to a battery storage location far away from the battery exchange area.

13. The battery replacement control method according to claim 2, wherein: The battery rack is provided with two battery exchange areas; When the first battery compartment and the second battery compartment are located on the same battery rack, Controlling the battery exchange equipment to transfer the depleted battery to the battery transfer device in one of the battery exchange areas; Control the battery exchange equipment to obtain the fully charged battery from the battery transport device in another battery exchange area.

14. A battery swap station, characterized in that: include: A battery swapping area for battery swapping vehicles; Battery replacement equipment; Battery racks located on both sides of the battery swapping area; And a controller configured to execute the battery replacement control method as described in any one of claims 1-13.

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