Battery pack positioning method, device, apparatus and storage medium

Abstract

This application discloses a battery pack positioning method, apparatus, device, and storage medium. The method includes the following steps: if it is determined that a battery-swapping vehicle has arrived at a designated area, controlling a scanning component to scan the side of the battery pack of the battery-swapping vehicle to obtain scanning information of the side of the battery pack; based on the scanning information, determining the coordinate information of multiple points on the battery pack; and determining the position of the battery pack according to the coordinate information, so that the battery-swapping device can replace the battery pack for the battery-swapping vehicle. In this application, after the battery-swapping vehicle arrives at the designated position, the scanning component is controlled to scan the side of the battery pack (instead of fixed feature points on the top of the battery pack) to obtain scanning information of the side of the battery pack. Based on the scanning information of the side of the battery pack, the coordinate information of the battery pack is obtained, thereby achieving precise positioning of the battery pack and eliminating interference from the top of the battery pack.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of battery swapping technology, and in particular to a battery pack positioning method, apparatus, device, and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] In battery swapping technology for battery-swapping vehicles, the most important aspect is battery pack positioning technology. Existing battery pack positioning technologies typically use visual positioning methods to identify fixed feature points on the top of the battery pack, thereby locating the battery pack. Then, a battery swapping RGV (Rail Guided Vehicle) is used to replace the battery pack. This method can generally identify the location of most battery packs. However, in snowy or severe sandstorm conditions, the feature points on the top of the battery pack may be obscured by snow or dust, causing the feature point identification to fail and triggering an equipment alarm. In other words, when there is interference on the top of the battery pack, the relevant technologies cannot accurately locate the battery pack. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The main objective of this application is to provide a battery pack positioning method, apparatus, device, and storage medium, aiming to solve the technical problem in the related art that the battery pack cannot be accurately positioned when there is interference above it in the battery pack of a battery swapping vehicle.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides a battery pack positioning method applied to a battery swapping device in a battery pack positioning system. The battery swapping device is equipped with a scanning component for scanning the battery pack on a battery swapping vehicle. The battery pack positioning method includes: If it is determined that the battery-swapping vehicle has arrived at the designated area, the control scanning component scans the side of the battery pack of the battery-swapping vehicle to obtain the scanning information of the side of the battery pack. Based on the scan information, the coordinate information of multiple points on the battery pack is determined; The location of the battery pack is determined based on the coordinate information, so that the battery swapping equipment can replace the battery pack for the battery swapping vehicle.

[0005] In one possible implementation of this application, the step of determining the location of the battery pack based on the coordinate information includes: Based on the coordinate information, the laser ranging value of the corresponding edge point on the battery pack and the deviation angle between the actual position and the theoretical position of the battery pack are determined, wherein the laser ranging value is the measured distance between the scanning component and the corresponding point; The position of the battery pack is determined based on the laser ranging value and the deviation angle.

[0006] In one possible implementation of this application, the step of determining the laser ranging value and the deviation angle between the actual position and the theoretical position of the battery pack based on the coordinate information includes: Based on the coordinate information, determine the laser ranging value and the coordinate values ​​of the edge points on the battery pack; Substitute any two coordinate values ​​into the arctangent function to obtain the arctangent value between the two coordinates; The deviation angle between the actual position and the theoretical position of the battery pack is determined based on the average of multiple arctangent values.

[0007] In one possible implementation of this application, the edge points include front edge points; Before the step of determining the laser ranging value of the corresponding edge point on the battery pack and the deviation angle between the actual position and the theoretical position of the battery pack based on the coordinate information, the following steps are included: Based on the scanning information, a first point is determined where the laser ranging value is within a first preset range; If all other second points scanned after the first point are within the first preset range, and all other third points scanned before the first point are not within the first preset range, then the first point is determined to be the front edge point.

[0008] In one possible implementation of this application, the edge points include rear edge points; Before the step of determining the laser ranging value of the corresponding edge point on the battery pack and the deviation angle between the actual position and the theoretical position of the battery pack based on the coordinate information, the following steps are included: Based on the scanning information, the fourth point is determined to be within the first preset range of laser ranging value; If all other second points scanned before the fourth point are within the first preset range, and all other third points scanned after the fourth point are not within the first preset range, then the fourth point is determined to be the rear edge point.

[0009] In one possible embodiment of this application, the battery-swapping vehicle is provided with marking points, and the battery-swapping equipment is provided with a laser emitter; Before the step of controlling the scanning component to scan the side of the battery pack of the battery swapping vehicle if it is determined that the battery swapping vehicle has arrived at the designated area, the following steps are included: The laser emitter is controlled to emit a positioning laser point, so that the marker point of the battery swapping vehicle is aligned with the positioning laser point. When the marker point is aligned with the positioning laser point, the battery swapping vehicle arrives at the designated area.

[0010] In one possible embodiment of this application, the step of controlling the scanning component to scan the side of the battery pack of the battery swapping vehicle to obtain scan information of the side of the battery pack includes: The scanning component is controlled to project a laser onto the side of the battery pack, so that the reflected light from the side of the battery pack is imaged on the scanning component; Based on the imaging result of the reflected light on the scanning component, scanning information of the side of the battery pack is obtained.

[0011] This application also provides a battery pack positioning device for use in a battery swapping device within a battery pack positioning system. The battery swapping device is equipped with a scanning component for scanning the battery pack on a battery swapping vehicle. The battery pack positioning method includes: The first control module is used to control the scanning component to scan the side of the battery pack of the battery swapping vehicle if it is determined that the battery swapping vehicle has arrived at the designated area, so as to obtain the scanning information of the side of the battery pack. The first determining module is used to determine the coordinate information of multiple points on the battery pack based on the scanning information; The second determining module is used to determine the location of the battery pack based on the coordinate information, so that the battery swapping equipment can replace the battery pack for the battery swapping vehicle.

[0012] This application also provides a battery pack positioning device, which is a physical node device. The battery pack positioning device includes a memory and a processor. The memory stores a battery pack positioning program that can run on the processor. When the program of the battery pack positioning method is executed by the processor, it can implement the steps of the battery pack positioning method as described above.

[0013] To achieve the above objectives, a storage medium is also provided, wherein a battery pack positioning program is stored on the storage medium, and when the battery pack positioning program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps of any of the battery pack positioning methods described above.

[0014] This application provides a battery pack positioning method, apparatus, device, and storage medium. Compared with existing visual positioning methods that identify fixed feature points on the top of the battery pack, which cannot eliminate interference from the top of the battery pack in special scenarios, this application, upon determining that a battery-swapping vehicle has arrived at a designated area, controls a scanning component to scan the side of the battery pack of the battery-swapping vehicle to obtain scanning information of the side of the battery pack. Based on the scanning information, the coordinate information of multiple points on the battery pack is determined. According to the coordinate information, the position of the battery pack is determined so that the battery-swapping device can replace the battery pack for the battery-swapping vehicle. In this application, after determining that the battery-swapping vehicle has arrived at the designated area, the scanning component is controlled to scan the side of the battery pack (instead of the fixed feature points on the top of the battery pack) to obtain scanning information of the side of the battery pack. Based on the scanning information, the coordinate information of multiple points on the battery pack is determined, thereby reducing positioning errors and completing the positioning of the battery pack. This avoids positioning deviations of the battery pack during vehicle battery swapping. Furthermore, by using the scanning results of the side of the battery pack, interference from the top of the battery pack does not need to be considered, thus achieving accurate positioning of the battery pack. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the first embodiment of the battery pack positioning method of this application; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the battery swapping device in an existing battery swapping station that uses visual positioning to locate the battery pack; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the device structure of the hardware operating environment involved in the embodiments of this application; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the top structure of a battery pack positioned using visual positioning. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the scanning component in this application; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a scanned image illustrating the battery pack positioning method of this application; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram comparing the actual and theoretical positions of the battery pack located in the battery pack positioning method of this application. Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating the point laser control algorithm in this application; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the application scenario of the battery pack positioning method of this application; Figure 10 For this application Figure 9 Enlarged structural diagram of section A in the middle; Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the scanning process of the battery pack positioning method of this application using a scanning component. Detailed Implementation

[0016] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0017] This application provides a battery pack positioning method. In the first embodiment of the battery pack positioning method of this application, reference is made to... Figure 1 The method includes: Step S10: If it is determined that the battery swapping vehicle has arrived at the designated area, control the scanning component to scan the side of the battery pack of the battery swapping vehicle to obtain the scanning information of the side of the battery pack. Step S20: Based on the scan information, determine the coordinate information of multiple points on the battery pack; Step S30: Determine the location of the battery pack based on the coordinate information so that the battery swapping equipment can replace the battery pack for the battery swapping vehicle.

[0018] The purpose of this embodiment is to eliminate interference above the battery pack, thereby enabling precise positioning of the battery pack.

[0019] In this embodiment, it should be noted that the battery pack positioning method can be applied to a battery pack positioning device, which is subordinate to a battery pack positioning equipment, which is part of a battery pack positioning system.

[0020] As an example, the battery pack positioning method is applied to a battery swapping device in a battery pack positioning system. The battery swapping device is equipped with a laser emitter and a scanning component. The battery swapping device is used to swap batteries for battery-swapping vehicles, which are equipped with battery packs.

[0021] As an example, the scanning component can be a point laser sensor, a line laser sensor, or other types of sensors. In this embodiment, a point laser sensor (hereinafter referred to as a point laser sensor) will be used as an example for detailed explanation. The scanning component is as follows: Figure 5 As shown, the scanning component includes a sensor sensing head 10, which diffuses a point laser into a line laser inside the sensor sensing head and emits the line laser to the battery pack. After the sensor sensing head 10 emits the line laser, the sensor detection distance range 9 will be displayed.

[0022] In this embodiment, a battery swapping device is provided in the battery pack positioning system. It should be noted that the battery swapping device scans the battery pack by controlling the movement of the scanning component, and can also determine the actual position of the battery pack by the acquired scanning information.

[0023] In this embodiment, after the battery-swapping vehicle enters the battery-swapping station, a laser emitter on the battery-swapping equipment emits a laser to align with the marked point on the battery-swapping vehicle, guiding the vehicle to the designated battery-swapping location. Then, the battery-swapping equipment controls the scanning component to scan and locate the battery pack on the battery-swapping vehicle, determining the actual position of the battery pack. Afterward, the battery pack is replaced by the battery-swapping equipment or a battery-swapping crane.

[0024] In existing systems that locate battery packs using visual positioning methods, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 4 The entire hoisting device includes a hoisting platform 1, a hoisting travel rail 2, a vision camera 3, a control cabinet 4, and a hoisting truss 5. The hoisting platform 1 moves on the hoisting travel rail 2 and the hoisting truss 5, achieving lateral and longitudinal movement. A vision camera 3 is installed on the hoisting platform 1. The vision camera 3 captures images of the battery pack through a visual recognition circular hole 6 located above it. The visual recognition circular hole 6 is supported by a visual recognition square steel frame 7. The vision camera 3 then captures images of the battery pack and calculates its coordinates using a recognition algorithm, which is then transmitted to a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller; the PLC is the control system of the battery swapping station). The PLC controls the hoisting platform 1 to perform the battery swapping operation. When locating the battery pack using the visual positioning method, the situation above the battery pack needs to be considered, and fixed feature points need to be set above the battery pack. When there is wind, sand, or snow obstructing the view above the battery pack, visual recognition will fail, leading to an equipment alarm.

[0025] In this embodiment, a specific application scenario may be: When the battery pack of a battery-swapping vehicle is about to run out of power and needs to be replaced at a battery swapping station, the battery pack is located and replaced accordingly.

[0026] When there is interference above the battery pack (such as snow, sandstorms, etc.), it is necessary to locate the battery pack.

[0027] The specific steps are as follows: Step S10: If it is determined that the battery swapping vehicle has arrived at the designated area, control the scanning component to scan the side of the battery pack of the battery swapping vehicle to obtain the scanning information of the side of the battery pack. As an example, battery-swapping vehicles can be battery-swapping heavy trucks, battery-swapping cars, and other battery-swapping models that can apply this battery pack positioning method; there are no specific limitations.

[0028] As an example, the scanning information consists of two parts: battery pack coordinates and a scanning image. The scanning image is obtained by the laser emitted by the point laser sensor and the reflected light is imaged on the CMOS tube of the point laser sensor. The imaging principle of the point laser sensor is a well-known prior art and will not be described in detail here. The point laser sensor is mounted on the bracket of the battery swapping equipment, and the battery swapping equipment scans the battery pack by controlling the point laser sensor to emit laser.

[0029] As an example, locating the battery pack by scanning its sides avoids interference from above the battery pack and eliminates the need to set feature points on the top or sides of the battery pack.

[0030] In this embodiment, the scanning component only needs to scan the side edges of the battery pack, and there is no need to set feature points on the side for identification. There are basically no requirements for the top of the battery pack. When it encounters obstructions above the battery, it will not be affected, thus avoiding the influencing factors of the top of the battery pack.

[0031] The step of controlling the scanning component to scan the side of the battery pack of the battery swapping vehicle and obtain the scan information of the side of the battery pack includes: Step S11: Control the scanning component to project a laser onto the side of the battery pack so that the reflected light from the side of the battery pack is imaged on the scanning component; As an example, the battery swapping equipment controls a corresponding scanning component to project a laser onto the side of the battery pack, thereby scanning the battery pack.

[0032] In existing battery pack positioning methods, industrial cameras are generally used to take pictures to identify the battery pack. In the battery swapping channel, there are sunlight, channel lights, and built-in supplementary light sources. If the light source is too weak and the battery surface is too dark, visual recognition will fail. If the light source is too strong, multiple light sources will interfere with visual recognition, which will have a significant impact.

[0033] In this embodiment, the point laser sensor scans the battery pack by emitting laser light, which is largely unaffected by external light sources. The point laser sensor emits blue semiconductor laser light, which causes the reflected light to be imaged on the CMOS tube inside the sensor, thus avoiding the influence of light sources from the detection principle.

[0034] As an example, after the point laser sensor projects a laser onto the side of the battery pack, diffuse reflection is formed on the surface of the battery pack, thereby obtaining the corresponding reflected light. Then, the reflected light forms a corresponding image inside the point laser sensor.

[0035] Step S12: Based on the imaging result of the reflected light on the scanning component, obtain the scanning information of the side of the battery pack.

[0036] As an example, the scan information includes scanned images of the sides of the battery pack.

[0037] As an example, during the scanning of a battery pack, the obtained scan images are as follows: Figure 6 As shown, the scanning component 13 moves along... Figure 6 The scanning begins in the direction of the arrow in the image. The scanning component 13 moves from the junction of the battery pack and the front of the vehicle to the junction of the battery pack and the vehicle body. At this point, the scanning process is complete. When scanning the side of the battery pack, the corresponding position in the scan image 14 is flat. When scanning the junction of the battery pack and the front of the vehicle and the vehicle body, abrupt changes appear in the scan image 14. The width of the battery pack can be obtained by scanning the abrupt changes in the scan image 14.

[0038] As an example, the scanned image is a graph, from which the width of the battery pack can be calculated.

[0039] As an example, such as Figure 6 As shown, there are two abrupt change points in the scanned image. One abrupt change point corresponds to the junction of the front of the vehicle and the battery pack, and the other abrupt change point corresponds to the junction of the passenger compartment and the battery pack. The time interval between the two abrupt change points can be determined based on their positions.

[0040] As an example, the time interval is the time required for a laser emitted by a point laser sensor to move from one boundary to another.

[0041] As an example, the control point laser sensor of the battery swapping equipment moves at a certain speed to scan the battery pack. The moving speed of the point laser sensor can be 5 mm / s, which can be changed as needed and is not limited to a specific speed.

[0042] As an example, the corresponding battery pack width can be obtained by multiplying the moving speed of the point laser sensor by the time interval between two abrupt changes, thus facilitating subsequent battery pack replacement.

[0043] Step S20: Based on the scan information, determine the coordinate information of multiple points on the battery pack; As an example, the coordinate information is obtained by scanning the side of the battery pack with a point laser sensor. Based on the scanning information and the point laser control algorithm, the coordinate values ​​of multiple points on the battery pack can be obtained. The straight-line distance between the battery pack and the point laser sensor is visualized on the display screen of the point laser sensor when the point laser sensor receives the reflected light.

[0044] As an example, during the scanning of the battery pack by the point laser sensor, the coordinate information obtained includes multiple coordinate values, and the point laser sensor also records these coordinate values.

[0045] Step S30: Determine the location of the battery pack based on the coordinate information so that the battery swapping equipment can replace the battery pack for the battery swapping vehicle.

[0046] As an example, the coordinate information mentioned above can be used to initially determine the specific location of the battery pack. As another example, the battery swapping equipment is also used in the subsequent battery swapping process. The battery swapping equipment travels in the same direction as the vehicle. After determining the location of the battery pack, the battery swapping equipment moves back and forth and aligns with the location of the battery pack. Then, the gripping device on the battery swapping equipment grabs the battery pack to be replaced, thereby completing the battery pack replacement.

[0047] This application provides a battery pack positioning method, apparatus, device, and storage medium. Compared with existing visual positioning methods that identify fixed feature points on the top of the battery pack, which cannot eliminate interference from the top of the battery pack in special scenarios, this application, upon determining that a battery-swapping vehicle has arrived at a designated area, controls a scanning component to scan the side of the battery pack of the battery-swapping vehicle to obtain scanning information of the side of the battery pack. Based on the scanning information, the coordinate information of multiple points on the battery pack is determined. According to the coordinate information, the position of the battery pack is determined so that the battery-swapping device can replace the battery pack for the battery-swapping vehicle. In this application, after determining that the battery-swapping vehicle has arrived at the designated area, the scanning component is controlled to scan the side of the battery pack (instead of the fixed feature points on the top of the battery pack) to obtain scanning information of the side of the battery pack. Based on the scanning information, the coordinate information of multiple points on the battery pack is determined, thereby reducing positioning errors and completing the positioning of the battery pack. This avoids positioning deviations of the battery pack during vehicle battery swapping. Furthermore, by using the scanning results of the side of the battery pack, interference from the top of the battery pack does not need to be considered, thus achieving accurate positioning of the battery pack.

[0048] Furthermore, based on the first embodiment of this application, another embodiment of this application is provided. In this embodiment, the step of determining the position of the battery pack based on the coordinate information includes: Step A1: Based on the coordinate information, determine the laser ranging value of the corresponding edge point on the battery pack and the deviation angle between the actual position and the theoretical position of the battery pack, wherein the laser ranging value is the measured distance between the scanning component and the corresponding point. As an example, the laser ranging values ​​of the edge points on the battery pack are determined based on the obtained coordinate information. The edge points include the front and rear ends of the battery pack.

[0049] As an example, the laser ranging value is determined when the scanning component scans the corresponding point. The laser ranging value is obtained by multiplying the speed of light by the time interval between the laser emission and return.

[0050] As an example, when a driver parks a battery-swapping vehicle at a designated location, the battery pack cannot be aligned with the theoretical position, resulting in a certain degree of deviation.

[0051] Step A2: Determine the position of the battery pack based on the laser ranging value and the deviation angle.

[0052] As an example, the straight-line distance between the scanning component and the battery pack can be determined by laser ranging values. The obtained deviation angle can make the battery pack replacement process more convenient and prevent unstable battery pack gripping during replacement.

[0053] The step of determining the laser ranging value and the deviation angle between the actual position and the theoretical position of the battery pack based on the coordinate information includes: Step B1: Determine the laser ranging value and the coordinate values ​​of the edge points on the battery pack based on the coordinate information. As an example, based on the coordinate information obtained after scanning, the laser ranging values ​​of multiple points on the battery pack, as well as the coordinate values ​​of edge points, can be determined. For example, the coordinate values ​​can be a(x1, y1), b(x2, y2), c(x3, y3)...(xn, yn).

[0054] In this embodiment, a point laser control algorithm is used to acquire the coordinate information of the battery pack and to locate the battery pack.

[0055] As an example, the specific process of the point laser control algorithm is as follows: Figure 8 As shown, when the battery swapping vehicle arrives at the guide position, the battery pack positioning process begins. The battery swapping equipment controls the scanning component to move along the direction of travel and scan the battery pack. The battery pack scanning is complete when the travel distance positioning is completed. The laser scanning of the battery pack is complete when the front and rear sides of the battery pack are scanned. Otherwise, an alarm process is initiated. Afterward, the scanned data is processed to determine if the XY coordinates of the battery pack fall within the set range. The battery pack positioning is then complete. If the XY coordinates of the battery pack are not within the set range, an alarm is reported.

[0056] Step B2: Substitute any two coordinate values ​​into the arctangent function to obtain the arctangent value between the two coordinates; As an example, the arctangent value represents the angle between the line connecting two coordinates and the coordinate axes. When the battery pack is in its theoretical position, its sides are parallel to the X and Y axes, respectively. The calculated arctangent value can effectively reflect the deviation angle between the actual and theoretical positions of the battery pack. The detected actual and theoretical positions of the battery pack are as follows: Figure 7 As shown.

[0057] As an example, the arctangent value can be calculated as: α = arctan((y2-y1) / (x2-x1)), where α represents the arctangent value between two coordinates, and (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) represent the coordinate values ​​of any two points obtained.

[0058] Step B3: Based on the average of the multiple arctangent values, determine the deviation angle between the actual position and the theoretical position of the battery pack.

[0059] As an example, the arctangent values ​​obtained between two different coordinates may be different, so it is necessary to take the average of multiple arctangent values ​​to reduce errors.

[0060] As an example, the theoretical position of the battery pack, calculated by the battery pack positioning system, is used as a reference position. However, the actual position of the battery pack usually deviates from the theoretical position. Therefore, the deviation angle between the theoretical and actual positions needs to be calculated to locate the battery pack.

[0061] As an example, the average value of the obtained arctangent is the deviation angle between the actual position and the theoretical position of the battery pack.

[0062] In this embodiment, the deviation angle between the actual position and the theoretical position of the battery pack is calculated using the obtained coordinate values. Then, the battery pack is accurately positioned based on the deviation angle and the laser ranging values ​​of the scanning component and the battery pack.

[0063] Furthermore, based on the first and second embodiments of this application, another embodiment of this application is provided, wherein the edge points include front edge points; Before the step of determining the laser ranging value of the corresponding edge point on the battery pack and the deviation angle between the actual position and the theoretical position of the battery pack based on the coordinate information, the following steps are included: Step C1: Based on the scanning information, determine the first point where the laser ranging value is within the first preset range; As an example, the first preset range is specifically the maximum data range of the laser ranging value between the scanning component and the battery pack. The first preset range can be (0, 1200) in mm. The size of the first preset range will vary depending on the situation, and there is no specific limitation.

[0064] As an example, the first point includes multiple points, and the first point is any point on the battery pack whose laser ranging value is within a first preset range.

[0065] Step C2: If all other second points scanned after the first point are within the first preset range, and all other third points scanned before the first point are not within the first preset range, then the first point is determined to be the front edge point. As an example, the second point is one of several points immediately following the first point. The determination is whether the second point is also within the first preset range.

[0066] As an example, the third point is one of several points before the first point is scanned. If the third point is not within the first preset range, it means that the third point is at the junction of the battery pack and the front of the vehicle, and the first point can be determined as the front edge point of the battery pack.

[0067] As an example, the process of scanning the battery pack by the scanning component is as follows: Figure 11 As shown, the battery swapping equipment controls the scanning component to move in the direction of the arrow, from the front of the vehicle to the rear. Point a is the front edge of the battery pack, and point b is the rear edge of the battery pack. When the scanning component does not illuminate an object, the laser ranging value is 0. When the laser ranging value is greater than 2000mm, it can also be determined that the object scanned by the scanning component is not the battery pack. The distance between the scanning component and the vehicle's battery pack is approximately 800mm, with a maximum distance not exceeding 1200mm.

[0068] As an example, the process of finding the front edge point can be as follows: start from the front of the car and look for a value of 0mm or greater than 2000mm with laser ranging to determine the gap between the front of the car and the battery pack. Then look for a value of less than 1200mm with laser ranging to determine that the front edge point of the battery pack has been found. Compare the data of 10 consecutive points following the current battery pack front edge point to see if they are within a certain range. If they are, the current point is the true front edge point of the battery pack. If not, set the next point after the current point as the front edge point. Repeat the above comparison until the true front edge point of the battery is found. At this point, record the laser ranging value and the actual axis value of the front edge.

[0069] As an example, the actual value of the axis is the position of the point where the laser is emitted onto the battery pack.

[0070] The edge points include the rear edge points; Before the step of determining the laser ranging value of the corresponding edge point on the battery pack and the deviation angle between the actual position and the theoretical position of the battery pack based on the coordinate information, the following steps are included: Step D1: Based on the scanning information, determine the fourth point where the laser ranging value is within the first preset range; As an example, the fourth point is the remaining points on the battery pack after the leading edge point is determined.

[0071] Step D2: If all other second points scanned before the fourth point are within the first preset range, and all other third points scanned after the fourth point are not within the first preset range, then the fourth point is determined to be the rear edge point.

[0072] As an example, when determining the fourth point, it is determined whether the other second points scanned before the fourth point are within the first preset range, and then it is determined whether the other third points scanned after the fourth point are within the first preset range.

[0073] As an example, when all the second points are within the first preset range, but the third point is not within the first preset range, the fourth point is determined to be the rear edge point of the battery pack.

[0074] As an example, the process of finding the rear edge point can be as follows: After finding the front edge point of the battery pack, the laser measurement value at this time is less than 1200mm. Find a value with a laser measurement greater than 2000mm; at this point, it is determined that the gap between the rear of the vehicle and the battery pack has been found. The value of the previous scan point is then set as the rear edge point of the battery pack. Compare the data of 10 consecutive points forward from the current battery pack rear edge point to see if they are within a certain range. If they are, the current point is the true battery rear edge point. If not, set the point before the current point as the rear edge point and repeat the above comparison until the true battery rear edge point is found. At this point, record the distance measurement value and the actual axis value of the rear edge.

[0075] As an example, the midpoint between the front edge point and the rear edge point is taken as the midpoint of the battery pack. The distance measured at this point is compared with the distance measured at the standard position to obtain the offset in the Y direction.

[0076] As an example, the midpoint between the front edge point and the rear edge point is taken as the midpoint of the battery pack. The position of the battery pack axis at this point is compared with the actual value of the axis to obtain the offset in the X direction, where the position of the battery pack axis is the position of the central axis of the battery pack.

[0077] As an example, the deviation angle between the actual position and the theoretical position of the battery pack can also be calculated from the laser ranging difference and axis difference between the front edge point and the rear edge point.

[0078] As an example, after calculating the offset, it is also possible to determine whether the offset and the width of the battery pack are within the set range, which can be 800-860mm, without any specific limitation.

[0079] In this embodiment, the front and rear edge points of the battery pack are calculated using the obtained coordinate information. Then, the Y-direction offset and X-direction offset of the battery pack, as well as the corresponding deviation angle offset, are determined, thereby reducing the positioning error of the battery pack.

[0080] Furthermore, based on the first, second, and third embodiments of this application, another embodiment of this application is provided. In this embodiment, before the step of obtaining the side scan information of the battery pack, the method includes: Step M1: Control the laser emitter to emit a positioning laser point, so that the marker point of the battery swapping vehicle is aligned with the positioning laser point. When the marker point is aligned with the positioning laser point, the battery swapping vehicle arrives at the designated area.

[0081] As an example, the battery swapping equipment controls a laser emitter to emit positioning laser points to guide the battery swapping vehicle to a designated area.

[0082] As an example, the laser emitter is installed on the battery swapping equipment. For different vehicle models, the distance between the cab and the battery pack is also different. Placing the laser emitter on the battery swapping equipment can be compatible with multiple vehicle models and facilitate the precise positioning of the battery pack.

[0083] The main difference compared to existing methods of guiding truck parking is: Existing truck guidance methods: 1. Speed ​​bumps are installed on the ground to stabilize the battery-swapping vehicle in a fixed position. However, the distance from the wheel to the battery varies for different vehicle models, so it is not compatible with all vehicles and has significant limitations.

[0084] 2. Laser guidance: This method involves placing a laser emitter in a fixed position that cannot be moved, and can only guide the vehicle to a fixed location. This method can only provide battery pack replacement services for specific vehicle models, and because the laser emitter is fixed, it is not compatible with all vehicle models.

[0085] In this embodiment, by setting the laser emitter on the battery swapping equipment, the laser emitter can move with the battery swapping equipment, thereby guiding the battery swapping vehicle to different parking positions. For different vehicle models, the distance between the cab of a heavy truck or other vehicle and the battery pack is also different. Therefore, the distance between the marker point set on the cab and the battery pack is also different. When the laser emitter can move, it can be compatible with vehicle models of different sizes.

[0086] As an example, markers are placed on the windows of the driver's cab of the battery-swapping vehicle. When driving the battery-swapping vehicle, the driver aligns the markers with the positioning laser points to park the vehicle at the designated location.

[0087] As an example, the application scenarios of the battery pack positioning method are as follows: Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, this application scenario includes a battery swapping device 16, a battery pack to be replaced 17, a battery swapping vehicle, and a marker point 15 set on the driver's cab window. The structure in part A includes a scanning component 18 and a laser emitter 19. Multiple battery packs are set up in the battery swapping station, and the battery packs are placed in different positions so that battery swapping vehicles at different parking positions can swap the battery packs. During the process of the battery swapping vehicle entering the battery swapping station to swap the battery pack, the laser emitter 19 guides the battery swapping vehicle to the designated parking position. After the position of the battery swapping vehicle is determined, the scanning component 18 scans the battery pack on the battery swapping vehicle to determine the coordinates of the battery pack. After the battery pack is located, the battery swapping operation is performed.

[0088] As an example, after a vehicle enters a battery swapping station, the station's main control system scans the vehicle using a camera to determine its model. Then, the battery pack positioning system drives the battery swapping equipment to move and guide the vehicle to a designated location for battery pack replacement. The main control system of the battery swapping station includes the battery pack positioning system.

[0089] In this embodiment, the laser emitter on the battery swapping equipment emits positioning laser points to guide the battery swapping vehicle to a designated location. Since the battery swapping equipment is movable, it can guide the battery swapping vehicle to different locations, making it compatible with different vehicle models for battery swapping.

[0090] Reference Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the device structure of the hardware operating environment involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0091] like Figure 3 As shown, the battery pack positioning device may include: a processor 1001, a memory 1005, and a communication bus 1002. The communication bus 1002 is used to realize the connection and communication between the processor 1001 and the memory 1005.

[0092] Optionally, the battery pack positioning device may also include a user interface, a network interface, a camera, RF (Radio Frequency) circuitry, sensors, a WiFi module, etc. The user interface may include a display screen, an input submodule such as a keyboard, and optionally, a standard wired or wireless interface. The network interface may include a standard wired or wireless interface (such as a Wi-Fi interface).

[0093] Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 3The battery pack positioning device structure shown does not constitute a limitation on the battery pack positioning device, and may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0094] like Figure 3 As shown, the memory 1005, serving as a storage medium, may include an operating system, a network communication module, and a battery pack positioning program. The operating system is a program that manages and controls the hardware and software resources of the battery pack positioning device, supporting the operation of the battery pack positioning program and other software and / or programs. The network communication module is used to enable communication between the various components within the memory 1005, as well as communication with other hardware and software in the battery pack positioning system.

[0095] exist Figure 3 In the battery pack positioning device shown, the processor 1001 is used to execute the battery pack positioning program stored in the memory 1005 to implement the steps of the battery pack positioning method described above.

[0096] The specific implementation of the battery pack positioning device in this application is basically the same as the embodiments of the battery pack positioning method described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0097] This application also provides a battery pack positioning device for use in a battery swapping device within a battery pack positioning system. The battery swapping device is equipped with a scanning component for scanning the battery pack on a battery swapping vehicle. The battery pack positioning method includes: The first control module is used to control the scanning component to scan the side of the battery pack of the battery swapping vehicle if it is determined that the battery swapping vehicle has arrived at the designated area, so as to obtain the scanning information of the side of the battery pack. The first determining module is used to determine the coordinate information of multiple points on the battery pack based on the scanning information; The second determining module is used to determine the location of the battery pack based on the coordinate information, so that the battery swapping equipment can replace the battery pack for the battery swapping vehicle.

[0098] In one possible embodiment of this application, the second determining module is configured to include: The first determining unit is used to determine the laser ranging value of the corresponding edge point on the battery pack and the deviation angle between the actual position and the theoretical position of the battery pack according to the coordinate information, wherein the laser ranging value is the measured distance between the scanning component and the corresponding point; The second determining unit is used to determine the position of the battery pack based on the laser ranging value and the deviation angle.

[0099] In one possible implementation of this application, the first determining unit includes: The first determining subunit is used to determine the laser ranging value and the coordinate values ​​of the edge points on the battery pack based on the coordinate information. Substitute into the sub-unit to substitute any two coordinate values ​​into the arctangent function to obtain the arctangent value between the two coordinates; The second determining subunit is used to determine the deviation angle between the actual position and the theoretical position of the battery pack based on the average of multiple arctangent values.

[0100] In one possible implementation of this application, the second determining module further includes: The third determining unit is used to determine, based on the scanning information, a first point where the laser ranging value is within a first preset range; The fourth determining unit is used to determine the first point as the front edge point if all other second points scanned after the first point are within the first preset range, and all other third points scanned before the first point are not within the first preset range. In one possible implementation of this application, the second determining module further includes: The fifth determining unit is used to determine, based on the scanning information, the fourth point where the laser ranging value is within a first preset range; The sixth determining unit is configured to determine the fourth point as the rear edge point if all other second points scanned before the fourth point are within the first preset range and all other third points scanned after the fourth point are not within the first preset range.

[0101] In one possible embodiment of this application, the battery pack positioning device further includes: The second control module is used to control the laser emitter to emit a positioning laser point, so that the marker point of the battery swapping vehicle is aligned with the positioning laser point, and the battery swapping vehicle reaches the designated area when the marker point is aligned with the positioning laser point.

[0102] In one possible implementation of this application, the first determining module includes: A control unit is used to control the scanning component to project a laser onto the side of the battery pack, so that the reflected light from the side of the battery pack is imaged on the scanning component; An imaging unit is used to obtain scanning information of the side of the battery pack based on the imaging result of the reflected light on the scanning component.

[0103] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or system that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or system. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or system that includes that element.

[0104] The sequence numbers of the embodiments in this application are for descriptive purposes only and do not represent the superiority or inferiority of the embodiments.

[0105] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) as described above, and includes several instructions to cause a terminal device (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, air conditioner, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of this application.

[0106] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application and do not limit the patent scope of this application. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made using the content of this application's specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A battery pack positioning method, characterized by, A battery swapping device applied in a battery pack positioning system, the battery swapping device being equipped with a scanning component for scanning the battery pack on a battery swapping vehicle, the battery swapping vehicle having marked points, and the battery swapping device being equipped with a laser emitter that moves with the battery swapping device, the battery pack positioning method comprising: The laser emitter is controlled to emit a positioning laser point, so that the marking point of the battery swapping vehicle is aligned with the positioning laser point. When the marking point is aligned with the positioning laser point, the battery swapping vehicle reaches the designated area. If it is determined that the battery-swapping vehicle has arrived at the designated area, the control scanning component scans the side of the battery pack of the battery-swapping vehicle to obtain the scanning information of the side of the battery pack. Based on the scan information, the coordinate information of multiple points on the battery pack is determined; The location of the battery pack is determined based on the coordinate information, so that the battery swapping equipment can replace the battery pack for the battery swapping vehicle.

2. The battery pack positioning method of claim 1, wherein, The step of determining the location of the battery pack based on the coordinate information includes: Based on the coordinate information, the laser ranging value of the corresponding edge point on the battery pack and the deviation angle between the actual position and the theoretical position of the battery pack are determined, wherein the laser ranging value is the measured distance between the scanning component and the corresponding point; The position of the battery pack is determined based on the laser ranging value and the deviation angle.

3. The battery pack positioning method of claim 2, wherein, The step of determining the laser ranging value and the deviation angle between the actual position and the theoretical position of the battery pack based on the coordinate information includes: Based on the coordinate information, determine the laser ranging value and the coordinate values ​​of the edge points on the battery pack; Substitute any two coordinate values ​​into the arctangent function to obtain the arctangent value between the two coordinates; The deviation angle between the actual position and the theoretical position of the battery pack is determined based on the average of multiple arctangent values.

4. The battery pack positioning method of claim 2, wherein, The edge points include the front edge points; Before the step of determining the laser ranging value of the corresponding edge point on the battery pack and the deviation angle between the actual position and the theoretical position of the battery pack based on the coordinate information, the following steps are included: Based on the scanning information, a first point is determined where the laser ranging value is within a first preset range; If all other second points scanned after the first point are within the first preset range, and all other third points scanned before the first point are not within the first preset range, then the first point is determined to be the front edge point.

5. The battery pack positioning method of claim 2, wherein, The edge points include the rear edge points; Before the step of determining the laser ranging value of the corresponding edge point on the battery pack and the deviation angle between the actual position and the theoretical position of the battery pack based on the coordinate information, the following steps are included: Based on the scanning information, the fourth point is determined to be within the first preset range of laser ranging value; If all other second points scanned before the fourth point are within the first preset range, and all other third points scanned after the fourth point are not within the first preset range, then the fourth point is determined to be the rear edge point.

6. The battery pack positioning method of claim 1, wherein, The control scanning component scans the side of the battery pack in the battery swapping vehicle to obtain scan information of the side of the battery pack. The steps include: The scanning component is controlled to project a laser onto the side of the battery pack, so that the reflected light from the side of the battery pack is imaged on the scanning component; Based on the imaging result of the reflected light on the scanning component, scanning information of the side of the battery pack is obtained.

7. A battery pack positioning device, characterized by, The battery pack positioning device includes: The first control module is used to control the scanning component to scan the side of the battery pack of the battery swapping vehicle if it is determined that the battery swapping vehicle has arrived at the designated area, so as to obtain the scanning information of the side of the battery pack. The first determining module is used to determine the coordinate information of multiple points on the battery pack based on the scanning information; The second determining module is used to determine the position of the battery pack based on the coordinate information, so that the battery swapping equipment can replace the battery pack for the battery swapping vehicle; The battery pack positioning device further includes: The second control module is used to control the laser emitter to emit a positioning laser point, so that the marking point of the battery swapping vehicle is aligned with the positioning laser point. When the marking point is aligned with the positioning laser point, the battery swapping vehicle arrives at the designated area, and the laser emitter moves with the battery swapping equipment.

8. A battery pack positioning apparatus, characterized by, The device includes: a memory and a processor, the memory storing a battery pack positioning program executable on the processor, the battery pack positioning program being configured to implement the steps of the battery pack positioning method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a battery pack positioning program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the battery pack positioning method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

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