Battery swap station

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of battery exchange devices, and provides a battery exchange station, including a box, a battery placement rack, a battery exchange device and a lifting device. The box has a storage space inside, the height of the box can be adjusted telescopically, and the side wall of the box is provided with an opening for the battery to enter and exit the storage space; the battery placement rack, the battery exchange device and the lifting device are all arranged inside the box, and the battery placement rack includes at least two layers of second support racks distributed in the vertical direction, each layer of the second support rack has a placement position for placing the battery, any layer of the second support rack can be detachably connected to the box, and at least one placement position is provided with a charging seat; the battery exchange device can move the battery on the vehicle to be replaced to any layer of the second support rack, or move the battery on any layer of the second support rack to the vehicle to be replaced; the lifting device can drive the battery exchange device to rise and fall. Such an arrangement solves the problem of poor versatility of the battery exchange station in the prior art.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of battery replacement devices, and in particular to a battery replacement station. Background Art

[0002] With the increasing popularity of new energy vehicles, the battery replacement link of electric vehicles is an important issue that the electric vehicle industry needs to solve. Using special battery replacement equipment to achieve automatic battery replacement is the technical development direction of electric vehicle battery replacement stations. Generally, mobile battery replacement stations are designed to transport the pre-processed mobile battery replacement stations to the target installation location and can be put into use directly. The power batteries of electric vehicles can be replaced through mobile battery replacement stations, and the empty batteries can be charged at the battery replacement stations. Mobile battery replacement stations located at different target installation locations have different battery replacement requirements, that is, the number of battery compartments required for mobile battery replacement stations is also different.

[0003] However, the volume of mobile battery swap stations in the prior art is fixed. Different battery swapping needs require the design and processing of battery swap stations of different specifications and sizes. There are many types of battery swap stations with poor versatility, which is not conducive to the promotion of standardization.

[0004] Therefore, how to solve the problem of poor versatility of battery swap stations in the prior art has become an important technical problem to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention provides a battery swap station, which is used to solve the defect of poor versatility of the battery swap stations in the prior art.

[0006] The present invention provides a battery swap station, comprising:

[0007] A box body, having a storage space inside, the height of the box body can be telescopically adjusted, and the side wall of the box body is provided with an opening for the battery to enter and exit the storage space;

[0008] A battery placement rack is arranged inside the box, the battery placement rack comprises at least two layers of second support racks distributed in the vertical direction, each layer of the second support racks has a placement position for placing the battery, any layer of the second support racks can be detachably connected to the box, and at least one of the placement positions is provided with a charging seat;

[0009] A battery replacement device is arranged inside the box, and the battery replacement device is configured to move the battery on the vehicle to be replaced to any layer of the second support frame, or move the battery on any layer of the second support frame to the vehicle to be replaced;

[0010] A lifting device is arranged inside the box, and the lifting device is configured to drive the battery exchange device to rise and fall.

[0011] According to a battery swap station provided by the present invention, the box body comprises:

[0012] The first box body is open at the upper end;

[0013] A second box body, with an open lower end, is disposed above the first box body, and is slidably connected to the first box body, with the sliding direction being arranged along the vertical direction;

[0014] The first driving mechanism is configured to drive the second box to slide relative to the first box.

[0015] According to a battery swap station provided by the present invention, at least two placement positions are provided on each layer of the second support frame, the length directions of the placement positions are parallel to each other, and the placement positions are distributed along the width direction thereof;

[0016] The battery placement rack, the lifting device and the opening are distributed along the length direction of the placement position, the lifting device is arranged between the battery placement rack and the opening, and the battery replacement device is arranged above the lifting device.

[0017] According to a battery swap station provided by the present invention, the battery swap device is slidably connected to the lifting device, and the sliding direction is parallel to the width direction of the placement position;

[0018] The battery swap station also includes:

[0019] The second driving mechanism is configured to drive the battery exchange device to slide relative to the lifting device.

[0020] According to a battery swap station provided by the present invention, the battery swap device comprises:

[0021] A gripping mechanism, configured to be able to perform gripping and releasing actions on the battery;

[0022] The third driving mechanism is configured to drive the grasping mechanism to rise and fall, to drive the grasping mechanism to move in a horizontal direction, and to drive the grasping mechanism to rotate around a vertical axis.

[0023] According to a battery swap station provided by the present invention, a placement space for accommodating batteries is formed below the placement position of the second support frame, and the second support frame includes:

[0024] A fixing frame, fixedly connected to the box body;

[0025] At least two brackets are provided, each of which cooperates with the fixing frame to support one of the batteries, each of which is movably connected to the fixing frame, and the bracket can be switched between a first position and a second position. In the first position, the bracket is located above the placement space, and the bearing surface of the bracket is perpendicular to the vertical direction. In the second position, there is a space between the bracket and the fixing frame for the battery to pass through;

[0026] The fourth driving mechanism is configured to drive the bracket to switch between the first position and the second position.

[0027] According to a battery swap station provided by the present invention, the battery placement rack also includes a first support rack, the first support rack is arranged in the placement space of the second support rack located at the bottom layer, and the first support rack has the placement position for placing the battery.

[0028] According to a battery swap station provided by the present invention, the fixing frame comprises:

[0029] A first fixing frame is fixedly connected to the box body, and a first end of the bracket is connected to the first fixing frame;

[0030] A second fixing frame is fixedly connected to the box body, and the first fixing frame and the second fixing frame are distributed on two opposite sides of the placement space;

[0031] When the bracket is located at the first position, the second end of the bracket is suspended in the air, or when the bracket is located at the first position, the second end of the bracket is overlapped with the second fixing frame.

[0032] According to a battery swap station provided by the present invention, the first end of the bracket is rotatably connected to the first fixing frame, and the rotation axis is parallel to the width direction of the placement position;

[0033] The fourth driving mechanism is configured to drive the bracket to rotate relative to the first fixing bracket.

[0034] According to a battery swap station provided by the present invention, the bracket is slidably connected to the first fixing frame, and the sliding direction is along the length direction of the placement position;

[0035] The fourth driving mechanism is configured to drive the bracket to slide relative to the first fixing bracket.

[0036] According to a battery swap station provided by the present invention, the opening is arranged on the first box body, a shield is arranged on the upper edge of the opening, an angle is formed between the shield and the vertical direction, and the shield extends in a direction away from the box body.

[0037] The battery swap station provided by the present invention includes a box, a battery placement rack, a battery swap device and a lifting device. The box has a storage space inside, and the battery placement rack is arranged inside the box for placing batteries. The side wall of the box is provided with an opening for the battery to enter and exit the storage space. The height of the box can be adjusted telescopically. By adjusting the height of the box, the storage space inside the box can be adjusted without increasing the floor area of ​​the box. The battery placement rack includes at least two layers of second support racks, each layer of the second support racks is distributed in the vertical direction, and any layer of the second support racks can be detachably connected to the box. The size of the box in the vertical direction is different, and the storage capacity of the box is different, that is, the number of layers of the second support racks that can be accommodated inside the box is also different. According to the storage capacity of the box, the corresponding number of layers of the second support racks can be installed inside the box. Each layer of the second support rack has a placement position for placing batteries, and a charging seat can be set on one of the placement positions for charging the battery. The battery exchange device is arranged inside the box, and is used to move the battery on the vehicle to be replaced to any layer of the second support frame, or to move the battery on any layer of the second support frame to the vehicle to be replaced. The lifting device is arranged inside the box, and is used to drive the lifting and lowering of the battery exchange device. During the battery exchange process, the height of the battery exchange device is adjusted by the lifting device to ensure that the battery exchange device can adapt to the placement of the battery on any layer of the second support frame. With such a configuration, the required number of layers of the second support frame and the height size of the box can be determined according to the battery exchange needs of the battery exchange station. By adjusting the height of the box, the capacity of the box meets the requirements, and then the second support frames of the corresponding number of layers are installed inside the box. During the battery exchange process, according to the position of the second support frame where the battery to be taken and placed is located, the height of the battery exchange device is adjusted by the lifting device, which can ensure the placement of the battery on any layer of the second support frame. The capacity of the battery exchange station provided by the present invention can be adjusted to adapt to different battery exchange needs, has strong adaptability, is conducive to promoting the standardization of battery exchange stations, and solves the problem of poor versatility of battery exchange stations in the prior art. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the present invention or the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0039] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the external structure of the battery swap station provided by the present invention;

[0040] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the battery swap station provided by the present invention;

[0041] Figure 3 The structure diagram of the battery placement rack provided by the present invention when the bracket of the second support frame is in the first position Figure 1 ;

[0042] Figure 4 The structure diagram of the battery placement rack provided by the present invention when one of the brackets of the second support frame is in the second position Figure 1 ;

[0043] Figure 5 The structure diagram of the battery placement rack provided by the present invention when the bracket of the second support frame is in the first position Figure 2 ;

[0044] Figure 6 The structure diagram of the battery placement rack provided by the present invention when one of the brackets of the second support frame is in the second position Figure 2 .

[0045] Reference numerals:

[0046] 1. Battery replacement device; 2. Vehicle to be replaced; 3. Battery; 4. Lifting device; 5. First box; 6. Second box; 7. First drive mechanism; 8. Second drive mechanism; 9. Grasping mechanism; 10. First support frame; 11. Second support frame; 12. Bracket; 13. Fourth drive mechanism; 14. First fixed frame; 15. Second fixed frame; 16. Shield; 17. Charger; 18. Positioning unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0048] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limitations on the embodiments of the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0049] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connected" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0050] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" etc. means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the embodiment of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples, without contradiction.

[0051] Combine the following Figures 1 to 6 The battery swap station of the present invention is described.

[0052] like Figures 1 to 6 As shown, the battery swap station provided in an embodiment of the present invention includes a box body, a battery placement rack, a battery swap device 1 and a lifting device 4.

[0053] Specifically, the box has a storage space inside, and the battery placement rack is arranged inside the box for placing the battery 3. The side wall of the box is provided with an opening for the battery 3 to enter and exit the storage space. The position of the outside of the box facing the opening is used as the battery replacement channel of the battery replacement station. When replacing the battery, the vehicle 2 to be replaced can be parked on the opening side of the box.

[0054] The height of the box body can be telescopically adjusted. By adjusting the height of the box body, the accommodation space inside the box body can be adjusted without increasing the floor space of the box body.

[0055] The height direction of the box is the vertical direction, see Figure 1 The direction indicated by z.

[0056] The battery placement rack includes at least two layers of second support racks 11 , each layer of the second support racks 11 is distributed along the vertical direction, and any layer of the second support racks 11 can be detachably connected to the box body.

[0057] The dimensions of the box along the vertical direction are different, and the storage capacity of the box is different, that is, the number of layers of the second support frame 11 that can be accommodated inside the box is also different. According to the storage capacity of the box, the second support frame 11 of the corresponding number of layers can be installed inside the box.

[0058] Each layer of the second support frame 11 has a placement position for placing the battery 3. A charging seat can be set on one of the placement positions. A charger 17 is also set in the box. The charging seat is electrically connected to the charger 17. The charger 17 can charge the battery 3 through the charging seat. The charging seat corresponds to the charger 17 one by one.

[0059] A charging seat can be placed on each placement position, and the battery 3 can be charged by placing it on the charging seat. The charging seat can also be set only on some placement positions, for example, only on the placement positions of one or two layers of the second support frame 11, and the battery 3 is charged by using the charging seat. After charging is completed, the battery 3 on the charging seat is exchanged with other batteries 3 in a power-deficient state without the charging seat, and each battery 3 is charged in turn.

[0060] The battery replacement device 1 is arranged inside the box, and is used to move the battery 3 on the vehicle 2 to be replaced to any layer of the second support frame 11, or to move the battery 3 on any layer of the second support frame 11 to the vehicle 2 to be replaced.

[0061] The lifting device 4 is arranged inside the box body, and is used to drive the battery swap device 1 to rise and fall. During the battery swap process, the lifting device 4 is used to adjust the height of the battery swap device 1 to ensure that the battery swap device 1 can adapt to the placement and removal of the battery 3 on any layer of the second support frame 11.

[0062] With such an arrangement, the number of layers of the required second support frame 11 and the height of the box can be determined according to the battery replacement needs of the battery replacement station. The height of the box can be adjusted to meet the requirements of the storage capacity of the box, and then the corresponding number of layers of the second support frame 11 can be installed inside the box. During the battery replacement process, the height of the battery replacement device 1 is adjusted using the lifting device 4 according to the position of the second support frame 11 where the battery 3 to be taken and placed is located, which can ensure the placement of the battery 3 on any layer of the second support frame 11. The storage capacity of the battery replacement station provided by the embodiment of the present invention can be adjusted to meet different battery replacement needs, has strong adaptability, is conducive to promoting the standardization of battery replacement stations, and solves the problem of poor versatility of battery replacement stations in the prior art.

[0063] In addition, in this embodiment, the battery placement rack, the battery exchange device 1 and the lifting device 4 are integrated into the interior of the box to form a mobile battery exchange station. After the battery exchange station is processed and assembled, the battery exchange station can be transported to the target installation location by transporting the box and can be put into use. It is convenient to set up and has a short construction period. It can avoid foundation construction on the ground of the target installation location and can be transferred and transported to other target installation locations.

[0064] In the embodiment of the present invention, an opening is provided on the first box body 5, and a shield 16 is provided on the upper edge of the opening. The shield 16 has an angle with the vertical direction, and the shield 16 extends in a direction away from the box body. The shield 16 is located above the battery exchange passage, and the shield 16 can be used to shade the battery exchange passage and the vehicle 2 to be exchanged located in the battery exchange passage from the sun and rain, thereby ensuring the safety of the battery exchange process.

[0065] In some embodiments, the shield 16 is perpendicular to the vertical direction, and is slidably connected to the first box body 5 , and the sliding direction of the shield 16 relative to the first box body 5 is perpendicular to the vertical direction.

[0066] When the battery swap station is put into use, the shield 16 can be slid to the outside of the first box body 5, and the shield 16 can be used to shade the battery swap channel from the sun and rain.

[0067] When the battery swap station is transported to another location, the shield 16 can be slid to the inside of the first box body 5, so as to reduce the external dimensions of the battery swap station, reduce the space occupied by the battery swap station, and reduce the transportation cost of the battery swap station.

[0068] In some other embodiments, the shielding plate 16 is rotatably connected to the first box body 5, and the rotation axis is arranged along the horizontal direction.

[0069] When the battery swap station is put into use, the shield 16 can be rotated to a horizontal position, and the shield 16 can be used to shade the battery swap channel from the sun and rain.

[0070] When transporting the battery swap station to another site, the shield 16 can be rotated to be flush with the opening, and the opening can be covered with the shield 16. During transportation, the battery placement rack, charging seat, battery 3 and battery swap device 1 inside the box can be protected to a certain extent to ensure transportation safety.

[0071] Regarding the height adjustment of the box, in some embodiments, the box includes a frame and a flexible sheathing, and the battery placement rack, the battery exchange device 1 and the lifting device 4 are all arranged in the space enclosed by the frame. The vertical bracket of the frame can be telescopically adjusted in the vertical direction. By telescoping the vertical bracket of the frame in the vertical direction, the height of the frame can be adjusted, and the containing capacity of the box can be changed without changing the floor area. The sheathing is coated on the outside of the frame to isolate the space enclosed by the frame from the external space. The sheathing is made of flexible materials such as canvas, and has the ability to deform. It can be unfolded or folded according to the height of the frame to adapt to frames of different heights.

[0072] In some other embodiments, the box is configured to be at least two parts, both of which are rigid parts, and the two adjacent parts are connected by sliding in the vertical direction. The height of the box can be adjusted by the relative sliding of the two adjacent parts.

[0073] In a specific embodiment, the two parts of the box body that can slide relatively are the first box body 5 and the second box body 6 , that is, the box body includes the first box body 5 , the second box body 6 and the first driving mechanism 7 .

[0074] The upper end of the first box body 5 is open, and the lower end of the second box body 6 is open, and the second box body 6 is arranged above the first box body 5. The open end of the first box body 5 and the open end of the second box body 6 are arranged opposite to each other, so that the internal space of the first box body 5 is connected with the internal space of the second box body 6.

[0075] The second box body 6 is slidably connected to the first box body 5, and the sliding direction is set in the vertical direction. The first driving mechanism 7 is used to drive the second box body 6 to slide relative to the first box body 5. The first driving mechanism 7 is used to drive the second box body 6 to slide to achieve the height adjustment of the box body, which is beneficial to improve the adjustment efficiency and reduce the labor intensity of the operator.

[0076] Specifically, the side wall of the first box body 5 can be sleeved on the outside of the side wall of the second box body 6, or the side wall of the second box body 6 can be sleeved on the outside of the side wall of the first box body 5. The second box body 6 can slide up and down relative to the first box body 5, and the interaction between the side wall of the first box body 5 and the side wall of the second box body 6 can serve as a sliding guide for the second box body 6.

[0077] Alternatively, a guide structure such as a guide rail may be provided between the first box body 5 and the second box body 6 to guide the sliding of the second box body 6 .

[0078] A seal is provided between the first box body 5 and the second box body 6 to prevent rainwater, dust and other impurities from entering the boxes.

[0079] In this embodiment, the side wall of the second box body 6 is sleeved on the outside of the side wall of the first box body 5, and the gap between the second box body 6 and the first box body 5 faces downward. The entry of external impurities such as rainwater and dust can be reduced without sealing, which is beneficial to reducing the wear and corrosion of the box body and extending the service life of the battery swap station.

[0080] The first driving mechanism 7 may be, but is not limited to, an electric cylinder, a linear telescopic hydraulic cylinder, a cylinder, a screw nut transmission mechanism, a gear rack transmission mechanism, etc. In this embodiment, a linear telescopic hydraulic cylinder is selected as the first driving mechanism 7, the axis of the linear telescopic hydraulic cylinder is arranged in the vertical direction, the cylinder barrel of the linear telescopic hydraulic cylinder is fixedly connected to the first box body 5, and the piston rod of the linear telescopic hydraulic cylinder is fixedly connected to the second box body 6. A plurality of linear telescopic hydraulic cylinders may be provided, and the plurality of linear telescopic hydraulic cylinders are distributed at intervals along the circumference of the first box body 5.

[0081] In the embodiment of the present invention, at least two placement positions are arranged on each layer of the second support frame 11, the length directions of the placement positions are parallel to each other, and the placement positions are distributed along their own width directions, wherein the length directions of the placement positions refer to Figure 1 The direction indicated by n in the figure is the width direction of the placement position. Figure 1 The direction indicated by m.

[0082] The placement position is used to place the battery 3. When the battery 3 is placed in the placement position, the length direction of the placement position is consistent with the length direction of the battery 3. Distributing the placement position and the battery 3 along the width direction of the placement position can reduce the requirement for the width dimension of the box.

[0083] The battery rack, the lifting device 4 and the opening are distributed along the length direction of the placement position, the lifting device 4 is arranged between the battery rack and the opening, and the charger 17 is arranged on the side of the battery rack away from the battery replacement device 1, referring to Figure 2 The battery exchange device 1 uses an RGV battery exchange device, and the RGV battery exchange device is arranged above the lifting device 4. That is, the RGV battery exchange device is arranged on the side of the battery placement rack close to the opening, which can reduce the action distance of the battery exchange device 1 during the battery exchange process, which is conducive to improving the battery exchange efficiency.

[0084] Batteries 3 can be placed on each placement position of the battery placement rack; or one of the placement positions can be left idle, and batteries 3 can be placed on the remaining placement positions. After the battery swap station is put into use, there is always one placement position that is idle for transfer. For example, the battery swap device 1 first removes the empty battery 3 on the vehicle 2 to be swapped, and places the empty battery 3 on an idle placement position, and then grabs the fully charged battery 3 from the battery placement rack, and installs the fully charged battery 3 on the vehicle 2 to be swapped.

[0085] In this embodiment, the battery swap device 1 is slidably connected to the lifting device 4, and the sliding direction is parallel to the width direction of the placement position. By adjusting the position of the battery swap device 1 along the width direction of the placement position, the battery swap device 1 can grab the batteries 3 in different placement positions or release the batteries 3 to different placement positions.

[0086] At this time, the battery swap station also includes a second driving mechanism 8, which is used to drive the battery swap device 1 to slide relative to the lifting device 4. Using the second driving mechanism 8 to adjust the position of the battery swap device 1 is beneficial to improving the battery swap efficiency and reducing the labor intensity of the operator.

[0087] The second driving mechanism 8 can be, but is not limited to, an electric cylinder, a linear telescopic hydraulic cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, a screw-nut transmission mechanism, a gear rack transmission mechanism, etc. In this embodiment, a gear rack transmission mechanism is selected as the second driving mechanism 8, the gear of the gear rack transmission mechanism is rotatably connected to the upper end of the lifting device 4, the axis of the rack of the gear rack transmission mechanism is arranged along the width direction of the placement position, and the rack is fixedly connected to the lower end of the battery exchange device 1, and the gear is driven by a motor to rotate, so that the driving rack can drive the battery exchange device 1 to slide relative to the lifting device 4.

[0088] In a further embodiment, a guide structure such as a guide rail is provided between the battery exchange device 1 and the lifting device 4 so that the extension direction of the guide rail is consistent with the width direction of the placement position, and the guide structure such as the guide rail is used to guide the sliding of the battery exchange device 1.

[0089] In this embodiment, the battery swapping device 1 includes a gripping mechanism 9 and a third driving mechanism. The battery swapping device 1 is a single-station battery swapping device, and a set of gripping mechanism 9 is provided.

[0090] Specifically, the gripping mechanism 9 is used to grip and release the battery 3, and the third driving mechanism is used to drive the gripping mechanism 9 to rise and fall, to drive the gripping mechanism 9 to move horizontally, and to drive the gripping mechanism 9 to rotate around a vertical axis.

[0091] Specifically, the third driving mechanism includes a horizontal displacement component, a lifting component and a rotation component. The structural principle of the grabbing mechanism 9 and the structural principle of using the third driving mechanism to drive the grabbing mechanism 9 to rise and fall, drive the grabbing mechanism 9 to move in the horizontal direction and drive the grabbing mechanism 9 to rotate around the vertical axis are mature existing technologies for those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail here.

[0092] In some specific embodiments, each layer of the second support frame 11 is provided with three placement positions, and a single-station RGV battery exchange device is used. The single-station RGV battery exchange device has only one set of gripping mechanism 9, which is simple in structure, low in cost, more compact in structure, and occupies a small area. The required box body is about 3 meters in width and less than 10 meters in length. Moreover, the number of batteries 3 accommodated in the battery exchange station is small, which can avoid power expansion and reduce the supporting cost of the battery exchange station.

[0093] When the grabbing mechanism 9 of the battery exchange device 1 is a side-grabbing grabbing mechanism, the grabbing mechanism 9 can grab or release the battery 3 on one side of the battery placement rack.

[0094] When the grabbing mechanism 9 of the battery swapping device 1 is a top-grabbing grabbing mechanism, the distance between the two adjacent upper and lower second support frames 11 can be increased. Sufficient space needs to be reserved above the battery 3 on the lower second support frame 11 for the grabbing mechanism 9 of the battery swapping device 1 to extend into.

[0095] When the grabbing mechanism 9 of the battery exchange device 1 is a top-grabbing grabbing mechanism, in an embodiment of the present invention, the structure of the battery placement rack is designed to ensure that the grabbing mechanism 9 can grab and release the battery 3 located on the lower second support rack 11 without increasing the distance between the two adjacent upper and lower layers of the second support rack 11, thereby making the battery placement rack compact and reducing the space occupied by the battery placement rack.

[0096] A placement space is formed below the placement position of the second support frame 11 for placing the battery 3 below the placement position. In two adjacent layers of second support frames 11, the battery 3 in the placement space of the second support frame 11 located at the upper layer is directly supported on the placement position of the second support frame 11 located at the lower layer.

[0097] Regarding the placement of batteries in the placement space of the second support frame 11 located at the bottom layer, in this embodiment, the battery placement frame also includes a first support frame 10, and the first support frame 10 is arranged in the placement space of the second support frame 11 located at the bottom layer, and the first support frame 10 has a placement position for supporting the battery 3 in the placement space.

[0098] The first support frame 10 may be a support frame body with a fixed structure, or may be an automatic guided vehicle (AGV for short).

[0099] The second support frame 11 includes a fixing frame, a bracket 12 and a fourth driving mechanism 13 .

[0100] The fixing frame is fixedly connected to the box body, and at least two brackets 12 are provided. Each bracket 12 cooperates with the fixing frame to form a placement position to support a battery 3.

[0101] Each bracket 12 is movably connected to the fixing frame, and the bracket 12 can switch between the first position and the second position. The fourth driving mechanism 13 is used to drive the bracket 12 to switch between the first position and the second position.

[0102] When the fourth driving mechanism 13 drives the bracket 12 to switch to the first position, the bracket 12 is located above the placement space, and the bearing surface of the bracket 12 is perpendicular to the vertical direction. At this time, the bracket 12 can support the battery 3. Figure 3 and Figure 5 .

[0103] When the fourth driving mechanism 13 drives the bracket 12 to switch to the second position, there is a space between the bracket 12 and the fixing frame for the battery 3 to pass through. Specifically, the bracket 12 can be located outside the area where the placement space is located. Figure 4 and Figure 6 At this time, the battery replacement device 1 can be used to grab the battery 3 in the placement space or place the battery 3 in the placement space.

[0104] It should be noted that when the bracket 12 needs to be switched from the first position to the second position, the battery 3 on the bracket 12 needs to be removed in advance. The battery 3 can be placed on the ground, or on other free placement positions.

[0105] In this embodiment, the fixing frame includes a first fixing frame 14 and a second fixing frame 15, both of which are fixedly connected to the box body, and the first fixing frame 14 and the second fixing frame 15 are distributed on opposite sides of the placement space. Specifically, the distribution direction of the first fixing frame 14 and the second fixing frame 15 can be parallel to the length direction of the placement position.

[0106] A first end of the bracket 12 is connected to the first fixing bracket 14 .

[0107] When the bracket 12 is in the first position, the second end of the bracket 12 can be suspended, and the second fixing frame 15 and the second end of the bracket 12 can be used to support the battery 3. A positioning portion 18 can be provided on the second fixing frame 15 and the second end of the bracket 12 to position the battery 3.

[0108] When the bracket 12 is in the first position, the second end of the bracket 12 can also overlap the second fixing frame 15. At this time, the bracket 12 is used to support the battery 3. Positioning parts 18 can be provided at both ends of the bracket 12 for positioning the battery 3.

[0109] The battery 3 is provided with a positioning hole, and the positioning portion 18 can be set as a protrusion that matches the shape of the positioning hole on the battery 3.

[0110] In some embodiments, the bracket 12 can be switched between the first position and the second position by rotating relative to the fixed frame. Figure 3 and Figure 4 At this time, the first end of the bracket 12 can be rotatably connected to the first fixed frame 14, the rotation axis of the bracket 12 relative to the first fixed frame 14 is parallel to the width direction of the placement position, and the fourth driving mechanism 13 is used to drive the bracket 12 to rotate relative to the first fixed frame 14.

[0111] When the bracket 12 rotates from the first position to the second position, it gradually moves away from the battery swap device 1 , thereby avoiding interference of the bracket 12 with the battery swap device 1 .

[0112] Specifically, the fourth driving mechanism 13 can be, but is not limited to, a motor, a rotary cylinder, a linear telescopic hydraulic cylinder, an electric cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, a screw-nut transmission mechanism, and a gear rack transmission mechanism.

[0113] In this embodiment, a linear telescopic hydraulic cylinder is selected as the fourth driving mechanism 13, the axis of the linear telescopic hydraulic cylinder is perpendicular to the width direction of the placement position, and the axis of the linear telescopic hydraulic cylinder and the axis direction of the bracket 12 have an angle, the cylinder barrel of the linear telescopic hydraulic cylinder is hinged to the first fixed frame 14, and the piston rod of the linear telescopic hydraulic cylinder is hinged to the bracket 12, and the extension and retraction of the linear telescopic hydraulic cylinder is controlled, which can drive the bracket 12 to rotate relative to the first fixed frame 14.

[0114] In some other embodiments, the bracket 12 can also switch between the first position and the second position by translating relative to the fixed frame, see Figure 5 and Figure 6 At this time, the bracket 12 can be slidably connected to the first fixed frame 14, and the sliding direction is parallel to the length direction of the placement position. The fourth driving mechanism 13 is used to drive the bracket 12 to slide relative to the first fixed frame 14.

[0115] When the bracket 12 moves from the first position to the second position, it gradually moves away from the battery swap device 1 , thereby avoiding interference of the bracket 12 with the battery swap device 1 .

[0116] Specifically, the fourth driving mechanism 13 can be, but is not limited to, an electric cylinder, a linear telescopic hydraulic cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, a screw-nut transmission mechanism, a gear rack transmission mechanism, etc.

[0117] In this embodiment, a linear telescopic hydraulic cylinder is selected as the fourth driving mechanism 13, the axis of the linear telescopic hydraulic cylinder is parallel to the length direction of the placement position, the cylinder barrel of the linear telescopic hydraulic cylinder is connected to the first fixed frame 14, and the piston rod of the linear telescopic hydraulic cylinder is connected to the bracket 12.

[0118] The charging seat may be provided only on the first support frame 10, or may be provided on both the first support frame 10 and the second support frame 11. If the charging seat is provided on the second support frame 11, it is necessary to fix the charging seat with the bracket 12 so that the charging seat rotates or slides with the bracket 12 between the first position and the second position.

[0119] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A battery swap station, characterized in that: include: A box body, having a storage space inside, the height of the box body can be telescopically adjusted, and the side wall of the box body is provided with an opening for the battery to enter and exit the storage space; A battery placement rack is arranged inside the box, the battery placement rack includes at least two layers of second support racks distributed in the vertical direction, each layer of the second support rack has a placement position for placing the battery, any layer of the second support rack can be detachably connected to the box, a placement space for accommodating the battery is formed below the placement position of the second support rack, and the second support rack includes a fixing frame, a bracket and a fourth driving mechanism; A battery replacement device is arranged inside the box, and the battery replacement device is configured to move the battery on the vehicle to be replaced to any layer of the second support frame, or move the battery on any layer of the second support frame to the vehicle to be replaced; A lifting device is arranged inside the box, and the lifting device is configured to drive the battery replacement device to rise and fall; Among them, the fixing frame is fixedly connected to the box body, and at least two brackets are provided, each of the brackets cooperates with the fixing frame to support one of the batteries, and each of the brackets is movably connected to the fixing frame. The bracket can be switched between a first position and a second position by the fourth driving mechanism. In the first position, the bracket is located above the placement space, and the bearing surface of the bracket is perpendicular to the vertical direction. In the second position, there is a space between the bracket and the fixing frame for the battery to pass through.

2. The battery swap station according to claim 1, characterized in that: The box body comprises: The first box body is open at the upper end; A second box body, with an open lower end, is disposed above the first box body, and is slidably connected to the first box body, with the sliding direction being arranged along the vertical direction; The first driving mechanism is configured to drive the second box to slide relative to the first box.

3. The battery swap station according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least two placement positions are arranged on each layer of the second support frame, the length directions of the placement positions are parallel to each other, and the placement positions are distributed along the width direction thereof; The battery placement rack, the lifting device and the opening are distributed along the length direction of the placement position, the lifting device is arranged between the battery placement rack and the opening, and the battery replacement device is arranged above the lifting device.

4. The battery swap station according to claim 3, characterized in that: The battery exchange device is slidably connected to the lifting device, and the sliding direction is parallel to the width direction of the placement position; The battery swap station also includes: The second driving mechanism is configured to drive the battery exchange device to slide relative to the lifting device.

5. The battery swap station according to claim 3, characterized in that: The power exchange device comprises: A gripping mechanism, configured to be able to perform gripping and releasing actions on the battery; The third driving mechanism is configured to drive the grasping mechanism to rise and fall, to drive the grasping mechanism to move in a horizontal direction, and to drive the grasping mechanism to rotate around a vertical axis.

6. The battery swap station according to claim 5, characterized in that: The battery placement rack also includes a first support rack, which is arranged in the placement space of the second support rack located at the bottom layer, and the first support rack has the placement position for placing the battery.

7. The battery swap station according to claim 5, characterized in that: The fixing frame comprises: A first fixing frame is fixedly connected to the box body, and a first end of the bracket is connected to the first fixing frame; A second fixing frame is fixedly connected to the box body, and the first fixing frame and the second fixing frame are distributed on two opposite sides of the placement space; When the bracket is located at the first position, the second end of the bracket is suspended in the air, or when the bracket is located at the first position, the second end of the bracket is overlapped with the second fixing frame.

8. The battery swap station according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first end of the bracket is rotatably connected to the first fixing frame, and the rotation axis is parallel to the width direction of the placement position; The fourth driving mechanism is configured to drive the bracket to rotate relative to the first fixing bracket.

9. The battery swap station according to claim 7, characterized in that: The bracket is slidably connected to the first fixing frame, and the sliding direction is along the length direction of the placement position; The fourth driving mechanism is configured to drive the bracket to slide relative to the first fixing bracket.

10. The battery swap station according to claim 2, characterized in that: The opening is arranged on the first box body, and a shield is arranged on the upper edge of the opening. An angle is formed between the shield and the vertical direction, and the shield extends in a direction away from the box body.

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