Carrier with double frame, fast battery exchange system and method

Abstract

This application relates to a carrier with dual frames, a fast battery swapping system, and a method. The carrier with dual frames includes a vehicle body, a first frame, and a second frame. The first frame carries the battery box and is movably connected to the vehicle body; the second frame carries the battery box and is movably connected to the vehicle body. After the carrier moves to a preset position, the battery box is moved to the first frame, and the battery box located on the second frame is removed. The aforementioned carrier with dual frames, fast battery swapping system, and method can achieve the movement of the battery box in a single stroke of the carrier during battery swapping, effectively shortening the carrier's travel distance, allowing for adjustments to the battery swapping steps, effectively improving battery swapping efficiency, and reducing battery swapping time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of battery swapping equipment, and in particular to a carrier with a dual-frame, a fast battery swapping system, and a method. Background Technology

[0002] Existing battery swapping equipment requires first removing the depleted battery box from the vehicle, then moving it to a battery rack, then removing the fully charged battery box from the rack, and finally moving it back to the vehicle to replace the battery box. In practice, since the battery swapping process typically begins when the vehicle is in a preset position, the existing process only starts after the vehicle has stopped at the preset position, resulting in excessively long swapping times. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of the above, it is necessary to provide a carrier with a dual-frame, a fast battery swapping system and method, which can shorten the battery swapping time and improve the battery swapping efficiency.

[0004] This disclosure first provides a transporter with a dual-frame structure, comprising:

[0005] Vehicle body;

[0006] A first frame is used to support the battery box, and the first frame is movably connected to the vehicle body;

[0007] A second frame is used to carry the battery box, and the second frame is movably connected to the vehicle body; after the transporter moves to a preset position, the battery box is moved to the first frame, and the battery box located on the second frame is removed.

[0008] According to the transporter with dual frames, when the vehicle body moves to a first preset position, at least one of the first frame and the second frame extends out of the vehicle body and corresponds to the vehicle's battery box; when the vehicle body moves to a second preset position, the first frame and the second frame are located inside the vehicle body.

[0009] According to the aforementioned dual-frame transporter, the first preset position is a position for replacing the battery box of the vehicle, and the first frame is used to receive the battery box unloaded from the vehicle; the second frame is used to move the loaded battery box to the vehicle; the second preset position is a position for handing over the battery box to the transport equipment, and the second frame is used to receive the battery box moved in by the transport equipment.

[0010] The transporter with dual frames further includes a spacing adjustment mechanism for adjusting the distance between the first frame and the second frame.

[0011] According to the aforementioned transporter with dual frames, the spacing adjustment mechanism includes a telescopic rod, one end of which is connected to the first frame and the other end of which is connected to the second frame, for pulling the first frame and the second frame to move relative to each other.

[0012] According to the described transporter with a dual frame, the telescopic rod includes one or more of a lead screw, a pneumatic cylinder, and a hydraulic cylinder.

[0013] This disclosure also provides a fast battery swapping system, including:

[0014] Battery rack, used to store battery boxes;

[0015] Handling equipment for moving battery boxes into or out of battery racks;

[0016] When the transporter moves to a first preset position, the first frame of the transporter receives the battery box removed from the vehicle, and the second frame moves the loaded battery box to the vehicle; when the transporter moves to a second preset position, the transport device moves the battery box located on the first frame to the battery rack, and moves the battery box of the battery rack to the second frame.

[0017] According to the fast battery swapping system, there is a preset space below the transport equipment, and when the transporter is in the second preset position, the second frame is located in the preset space.

[0018] This disclosure further provides a dual-frame fast battery swapping method, including:

[0019] When the transporter moves to the first preset position, the first frame of the transporter corresponds to the position of the vehicle's battery box, and the second frame of the transporter carries another battery box;

[0020] After moving the battery box of the vehicle to the first frame, adjust the position of the second frame until the position of the battery box on the second frame corresponds to the vehicle, and then move the battery box to the vehicle.

[0021] When the battery box on the first frame of the transporter moves to the second preset position, the battery box is removed from the first frame.

[0022] According to the dual-frame fast battery swapping method, the position of the first frame of the transporter corresponding to the vehicle's battery box includes: at least a portion of at least one of the first frame and the second frame extending out of the vehicle body.

[0023] According to the dual-frame fast battery swapping method, adjusting the position of the second frame includes: adjusting the position of the second frame by moving the vehicle body or by moving the second frame relative to the vehicle body at least one of the following.

[0024] According to the dual-frame fast battery swapping method, after moving the vehicle's battery box to the first frame, adjusting the position of the second frame includes: the first frame extending out of the vehicle body and located outside the vehicle, and the second frame extending out of the vehicle body and located below the vehicle at a position corresponding to the battery box.

[0025] According to the dual-frame rapid battery swapping method, moving the first frame load battery box of the transporter to the second preset position includes:

[0026] The first and second frames move relative to each other into the vehicle body, and the first frame is located in a predetermined space below the transport equipment to transfer the battery box to the battery rack via the transport equipment.

[0027] Compared to existing technologies, the aforementioned dual-frame transporter, fast battery swapping system, and method, by setting up a first and a second frame on the transporter, move the vehicle's battery box to the first frame during battery swapping, and then, after a short adjustment, move the battery box from the second frame to the vehicle. During battery box replacement, the transporter can move the battery box in and out in a single stroke, effectively shortening the transporter's travel distance, allowing for adjustments to the battery swapping steps, significantly improving swapping efficiency, and reducing swapping time.

[0028] Furthermore, since the transporter is equipped with a first frame and a second frame that are movably connected to the vehicle body, it can extend out of the vehicle body at the first preset position to meet the requirement of a large distance between the first frame and the second frame at the first preset position; while at the second preset position, the first frame and the second frame retract into the vehicle body to meet the requirement of reducing the overall length of the transporter at the second preset position, thereby satisfying the space constraints of the fast battery swapping system. Attached Figure Description

[0029] 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.

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the battery swapping system.

[0031] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the transporter.

[0032] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the vehicle body.

[0033] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the first and second frames.

[0034] Figure 5-8 This is a schematic diagram of a dual-frame rapid battery swapping method.

[0035] Explanation of main component symbols

[0036] Battery swapping rack 20 Transporter 30 vehicle body 31 First chassis 32 Second frame 33 telescopic pole 34 vehicle 50 Battery box 60 Handling equipment 70

[0037] The following detailed embodiments will further illustrate this disclosure in conjunction with the above-described drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0038] 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the battery swapping system. (For example...) Figure 1As shown, the battery swapping system is used to replace the battery box 60 of a vehicle 50, especially a new energy passenger vehicle. The battery swapping system includes a battery rack 10, a handling device 70, and a transporter 30. The battery box 60 can be stored in the battery rack 10 for charging and storage. In some embodiments, the handling device 70 can also be other types of equipment, such as a tower crane or other lifting and moving equipment. The handling device 70 is located near the battery rack 10 and is used to transfer the battery box 60 between the transporter 30 and the battery rack 10, that is, to move the battery box 60 from the transporter 30 to the battery rack 10 or from the battery rack 10 to the transporter 30. The transporter 30 is used to transport the battery box 60 between the vehicle 50 and the handling device 70, to replace a fully charged battery box 60 in the vehicle 50, and to transport a depleted battery box 60 in the vehicle 50 to the handling device 70, which then moves the battery box 60 to the battery rack 10. In this embodiment, the transporter 30 moves between a first preset position and a second preset position. The first preset position is the location of the battery swapping station, used to replace the battery box 60 of the vehicle 50, that is, to move the depleted battery box 60 of the vehicle 50 to the transporter 30, and to move the fully charged battery box 60 on the transporter 30 to the vehicle 50. The second preset position is the location of the power acquisition station, used to acquire the battery box 60 from the battery rack 10 through the transport device 70, and to move the depleted battery box 60 on the transporter 30 to the battery rack 10 through the transport device 70.

[0042] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the conveyor 30. Figure 2 As shown, the transporter 30 includes a vehicle body 31, a first frame 32, and a second frame 33. The first frame 32 is movably connected to the vehicle body 31 and is used to carry the battery box 60. The second frame 33 has a similar structure to the first frame 32 and is movably connected to the vehicle body 31, also used to carry the battery box 60.

[0043] Figure 3 This is a structural schematic diagram of vehicle body 31. (For example...) Figure 3 As shown, the vehicle body 31 has a generally frame-like structure and multiple wheels at the bottom to enable movement between a first preset position and a second preset position. In some embodiments, a connecting track is provided between the first preset position and the second preset position, and the vehicle body 31 can move along the track to achieve movement.

[0044] Figure 4 This is a structural schematic diagram of the first frame 32 and the second frame 33. (See attached diagram.) Figure 4As shown, the first frame 32 and the second frame 33 are generally flat structures, with their top surfaces used to support the battery box 60, thus enabling the transport of the battery box 60. For ease of description, the first frame 32 is positioned near a first preset position, and the second frame 33 is positioned near a second preset position. In some embodiments, the first frame 32 and the second frame 33 can be movably connected to the vehicle body 31 via a slide rail-slider structure or a roller structure. Those skilled in the art can also movably connect the vehicle body 31 in other ways. The first frame 32 and the second frame 33 can be mechanically connected to each other, or they can be independently controlled and cooperate with each other, thus eliminating the need for a mechanical connection.

[0045] During use, the outer ends of the first frame 32 and the second frame 33 can at least partially extend out of the vehicle body 31, so that there is a large distance between the first frame 32 and the second frame 33 to accommodate the vehicle 50, thereby preventing one from interfering with the other when docking with the vehicle 50 and limiting the height of the vehicle.

[0046] In some embodiments, the distance between the first frame 32 and the second frame 33 can be adjusted by independent motion control. In this embodiment, the transporter 30 adjusts the distance between them through a spacing adjustment mechanism, thereby adjusting the positions of the first frame 32 and the second frame 33. The spacing adjustment mechanism includes a telescopic rod 34, one end of which is connected to the first frame 32 and the other end to the second frame 33, for pulling the first frame 32 and the second frame 33 to move relative to each other. As an example, the telescopic rod 34 can be one or more of a screw motor, a cylinder, or a hydraulic cylinder. The end of the telescopic rod 34 can be hinged to the first frame 32 and the second frame 33, thus giving the telescopic rod 34 a large degree of freedom.

[0047] In some other embodiments, the gap adjustment mechanism may also be a controller and memory disposed on the first frame 32 and the second frame 33, which adjusts the gap between the first frame 32 and the second frame 33 by independently controlling and driving the first frame 32 and the second frame 33 independently and cooperating with each other.

[0048] Furthermore, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a dual-frame fast battery swapping method. The following is in conjunction with... Figure 5-8 This describes the dual-frame fast battery swapping method in detail.

[0049] exist Figure 5In the illustrated steps, either after the vehicle 50 is parked on the battery swapping rack 20 or before the vehicle 50 is parked on the battery swapping rack 20, the transporter 30 uses the transport device 70 to transport the fully charged battery box 60 from the battery rack 10 to the second rack 33 of the transporter 30. In this embodiment, "fully charged" means that the battery box 60 has at least a preset charge level. At this time, the fully charged battery box 60 is located on the second rack 33 waiting to be replaced, while the battery box 60 on the vehicle 50 is a depleted battery box 60, that is, at least the charge level of the battery box 60 is lower than the preset value.

[0050] exist Figure 6 In the illustrated steps, the transporter 30 is located in a first preset position, i.e., the battery swapping station. At this time, the first frame 32 of the transporter 30 corresponds to the battery box 60 of the vehicle 50, and the second frame 33 carries another battery box 60. At least one part of the first frame 32 and the second frame 33 extends out of the vehicle body 31 of the transporter 30, so that there is sufficient distance between the second frame 33 and the first frame 32 to allow them to be located outside the vehicle 50, and the battery box 60 carried by the second frame 33 will not interfere with the docking of the first frame 32 with the battery box 60. Preferably, the first frame 32 extends at least partially out of one end of the vehicle body 31, and the second frame 33 extends at least partially out of the other end of the vehicle body 31. Then, the battery box 60 of the vehicle 50 is unloaded onto the first frame 32 of the transporter 30. After unloading, the second frame 33 of the transporter 30 is loaded with a fully charged battery box 60, while the first frame 32 is loaded with a depleted battery box 60.

[0051] exist Figure 7 In the illustrated steps, the transporter 30 moves a short distance to the position on the second frame 33 corresponding to the location where the battery box 60 is mounted. Then, the transporter 30 installs the battery box 60 from the second frame 33 onto the vehicle 50, completing the battery box 60 replacement for the vehicle 50. After loading, the second frame 33 of the transporter 30 is empty, and the first frame 32 is located outside the vehicle 50 and carries the depleted battery box 60 removed from the vehicle 50.

[0052] exist Figure 8 In the steps shown, the first frame 32 of the transporter 30 carries the depleted battery box 60 away from the vehicle 50 and moves the depleted battery box 60 to the battery rack 10.

[0053] When the first frame 31 of the transporter 30 loads the battery box 60 and moves to the second preset position, corresponding to the transport device 70. At this time, the first frame 32 and the second frame 33 move relative to each other and are located inside the vehicle body 31, thereby shortening the overall length of the transporter 30. The transporter 30 can adapt to the narrow space between the transport device 70 and the battery rack 10.

[0054] Finally, the battery box 60 is moved off the first frame 32 by the handling device 70, and then moved from the first frame 32 to the battery rack 10 for charging, completing the battery swapping process. As the handling device 30 moves away, the vehicle 50 completes the battery swap and leaves the battery swapping frame 20. The above-described battery swapping process utilizes a dual-frame structure on the vehicle 50 side to transfer fully charged and depleted battery boxes 60 at the vehicle. In practical applications, the handling device 30 can also leverage the advantages of the dual-frame structure to achieve simultaneous execution of certain actions.

[0055] The aforementioned dual-frame transporter, fast battery swapping system, and method, by setting a first frame 32 and a second frame 33 on the transporter 30, allows the battery box 60 to be moved to the first frame 32 of the transporter 30. After the vehicle is parked in a preset position, the battery box 60 of the vehicle 60 is moved to the first frame 32. After a short adjustment, the battery box loaded on the second frame 33 is moved out to the vehicle 50. During the battery box 60 replacement process, the battery box 60 can be moved in and out simultaneously. This not only effectively shortens the travel distance of the transporter but also allows for adjustment of the battery swapping steps, effectively improving battery swapping efficiency and reducing battery swapping time.

[0056] Furthermore, since the transporter 30 is simultaneously provided with a first frame 32 and a second frame 33 movably connected to the vehicle body 31, it can extend out of the vehicle body 31 at the first preset position to meet the requirement of a large gap between the first frame 32 and the second frame 33 required at the first preset position; while at the second preset position, the first frame 32 and the second frame 33 retract into the vehicle body 31 to meet the requirement of reducing the overall length of the transporter at the second preset position, thereby satisfying the space constraints of the fast battery swapping system.

[0057] 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, all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be embraced 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.

[0058] 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 carrier having a double frame, characterized in that, include: Vehicle body; A first frame is used to support the battery box, and the first frame is movably connected to the vehicle body; A second frame is used to support the battery box, and the second frame is movably connected to the vehicle body; After the transporter moves to the first preset position, the battery box is moved to the first vehicle frame, and the battery box located on the second vehicle frame is removed. The first and second frames are flat plate structures, with the top surface used to support the battery box. When the vehicle body moves to the first preset position, at least one of the first frame and the second frame extends out of the vehicle body and corresponds to the vehicle's battery box; when the vehicle body moves to the second preset position, the first frame and the second frame are located inside the vehicle body. It also includes a spacing adjustment mechanism for adjusting the distance between the first frame and the second frame; The spacing adjustment mechanism includes a telescopic rod, one end of which is connected to the first frame and the other end of which is connected to the second frame, for pulling the first frame and the second frame to move relative to each other on the vehicle body.

2. The transporter with a dual frame as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first preset position is a position for replacing the battery box of the vehicle; the first frame is used to receive the battery box unloaded from the vehicle; the second frame is used to move the loaded battery box to the vehicle. The second preset position is a position for handing over the battery box to the transport equipment, and the second frame is used to receive the battery box moved in by the transport equipment.

3. The transporter with a dual frame as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The telescopic rod includes one or more of the following: lead screw, pneumatic cylinder, and hydraulic cylinder.

4. A fast battery swapping system, characterized in that, include: Battery rack, used to store battery boxes; Handling equipment used to move battery boxes into or out of battery racks; According to any one of claims 1-3, when the transporter moves to a first preset position, the first frame of the transporter receives a battery box removed from a vehicle, and the second frame moves the loaded battery box to the vehicle; when the transporter moves to a second preset position, the transport device moves the battery box located on the first frame to the battery rack, and moves the battery box of the battery rack to the second frame.

5. The fast battery swapping system as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The transport device has a preset space below it, and when the transporter is in the second preset position, the second frame is located within the preset space.

6. A dual-frame rapid battery swapping method, characterized in that, include: When the transporter moves to the first preset position, the first frame of the transporter corresponds to the position of the vehicle's battery box, and the second frame of the transporter carries another battery box; After moving the battery box of the vehicle to the first frame, adjust the position of the second frame until the position of the battery box on the second frame corresponds to the vehicle, and then move the battery box to the vehicle. When the battery box on the first frame of the transporter moves to the second preset position, the battery box is removed from the first frame; The position of the first frame of the transporter corresponding to the battery box of the vehicle includes: at least a portion of at least one of the first frame and the second frame extending out of the vehicle body of the transporter; Adjusting the position of the second frame includes: adjusting the position of the second frame by moving the second frame relative to the vehicle body; After moving the vehicle's battery box to the first frame, adjusting the position of the second frame includes: the first frame extending out of the vehicle body and located outside the vehicle, and the second frame extending out of the vehicle body and located below the vehicle at a position corresponding to the battery box.

7. The dual-frame fast battery swapping method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The first frame load battery box of the transporter is moved to the second preset position, including: The first and second frames move relative to each other into the vehicle body, and the first frame is located in a predetermined space below the transport equipment to transfer the battery box to the battery rack via the transport equipment.

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