Battery swap station and battery transfer control method thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a battery swap station and a battery transfer control method thereof. The battery transfer control method is applied to the battery swap station comprising a shuttle vehicle and a stacker. The shuttle vehicle comprises a liftable battery carrying platform, and the stacker comprises a liftable battery taking and placing mechanism. The battery transfer control method comprises the following steps: obtaining vehicle information of a battery swap vehicle, wherein the vehicle information comprises battery thickness information; controlling the shuttle vehicle to move to a battery exchange area; controlling the battery taking and placing mechanism to move to a corresponding height position in the battery exchange area according to the battery thickness information, so that no collision occurs among the battery, the shuttle vehicle and the stacker; and controlling the battery taking and placing mechanism to take the battery from the shuttle vehicle. In the application, the battery taking and placing mechanism is positioned at different heights according to different battery thickness information, positioning time is saved, and the battery transfer efficiency is improved. No collision occurs among the battery, the shuttle vehicle and the stacker, the battery transfer efficiency is improved, and the battery swap efficiency is improved.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent filed on September 3, 2020, with application number 202010917613.7 and titled "Battery Swapping Station and Battery Transfer Control Method Thereof". Technical Field

[0002] This invention relates to the field of battery swapping, and in particular to a battery swapping station and its battery transfer control method. Background Technology

[0003] With the gradual development and popularization of electric vehicles, various automakers have launched different models of electric vehicles. Existing electric vehicles can be recharged through battery swapping. Specifically, battery swapping stations are used to replace the depleted batteries of electric vehicles with fully charged batteries, achieving rapid battery swapping.

[0004] The battery sizes of different electric vehicles may vary. For example, batteries produced by different manufacturers may have different sizes, and batteries of different models of electric vehicles may have different sizes. During the transfer of large batteries at the battery swapping station, collisions may occur, which may lead to a decrease in battery swapping efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the defects of the prior art in which collisions may occur during battery transportation, and to provide a battery swapping station and its battery transportation control method.

[0006] The present invention solves the above-mentioned technical problems through the following technical solution:

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention provides a battery transfer control method applied to a battery swapping station including a shuttle and a palletizer, wherein the shuttle includes a liftable battery carrying platform and the palletizer includes a liftable battery picking and placing mechanism; the battery transfer control method includes the following steps:

[0008] Obtain vehicle information for battery swapping vehicles, including battery thickness information;

[0009] Control the shuttle to move to the battery exchange area;

[0010] Based on the battery thickness information, the battery picking and placing mechanism is controlled to move to the corresponding height position within the battery exchange area to prevent collisions between the battery, the shuttle, and the palletizer.

[0011] Control the battery loading and unloading mechanism to retrieve batteries from the shuttle.

[0012] In this solution, before battery exchange, the battery pick-and-place mechanism is positioned at different heights based on the different battery thicknesses. Compared to positioning the battery pick-and-place mechanism at a uniform maximum height, this saves positioning time and reduces the descent height of the battery pick-and-place mechanism, thereby improving the efficiency of battery transfer and battery swapping. Furthermore, during the battery exchange process where the palletizer retrieves batteries from the shuttle, there are no collisions between the batteries, the shuttle, or the palletizer, further improving the efficiency of battery transfer and battery swapping.

[0013] Preferably, the step of controlling the battery pick-up and drop-off mechanism to retrieve the battery from the shuttle includes:

[0014] Control the battery pick-and-place mechanism to descend to the battery pick-and-place height;

[0015] Control the battery pick-and-place mechanism to extend and retrieve the battery from the battery carrying platform;

[0016] Control the battery pick-and-place mechanism to rise, so that the battery on the battery carrying platform is transferred to the battery pick-and-place mechanism;

[0017] Control the retraction of the battery pick-and-place mechanism.

[0018] In this solution, by controlling the battery picking and placing mechanism to extend, rise, and retract at the battery picking and placing height, the palletizer successfully retrieves batteries from the shuttle.

[0019] Preferably, during the battery exchange process, the battery pick-and-place mechanism descends to a height ranging from 100 to 200 mm.

[0020] Preferably, after the step of controlling the shuttle to move to the battery exchange area, the method further includes:

[0021] Control the battery-supporting platform to rise to the first height.

[0022] In this solution, by controlling the coordination between the rising of the battery support platform and the falling of the battery pick-up and drop mechanism, the height of the falling of the battery pick-up and drop mechanism during the battery exchange process is reduced, saving the falling time of the battery pick-up and drop mechanism, thereby improving the efficiency of battery rotation and further improving the battery swapping efficiency.

[0023] Preferably, during the battery exchange process, the height at which the battery support platform rises is within the range of 0-100mm.

[0024] Preferably, the palletizer is equipped with a sensor, and a detection element is provided in the battery exchange area at a position corresponding to the battery pick-and-place mechanism;

[0025] During the movement of the battery pick-and-place mechanism, the mechanism is controlled to stop moving based on the signals generated by the sensor and the detection element.

[0026] In this solution, the precise positioning of the battery loading and unloading mechanism is achieved through the cooperation of sensors and detection components.

[0027] Preferably, the palletizer is equipped with a visual positioning device, and a positioning point is provided in the battery exchange area at the position corresponding to the battery picking and placing mechanism;

[0028] After the battery pick-and-place mechanism has moved, the visual positioning device acquires a visual image of the corresponding area, obtains a position adjustment amount based on the visual image and a standard image, and controls the battery pick-and-place mechanism to move to the corresponding position based on the position adjustment.

[0029] In this solution, the precise positioning of the battery loading and unloading mechanism is achieved through the cooperation of a visual positioning device and a positioning point.

[0030] A second aspect of the present invention provides a battery swapping station, comprising:

[0031] The shuttle includes a liftable battery-carrying platform;

[0032] Palletizer, including a liftable battery loading and unloading mechanism;

[0033] And the controller is configured to perform the battery transfer control method as described above. Attached Figure Description

[0034] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a battery swapping station provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of the battery transfer control method provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a method for a palletizer to retrieve batteries from a shuttle car, as provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 4 This is a structural block diagram of the battery swapping station provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The present invention will be further illustrated by way of embodiments below, but the present invention is not limited to the scope of the embodiments described herein.

[0039] Example 1

[0040] The battery transfer control method provided in this embodiment is applied to a battery swapping station including a shuttle and a palletizer. The shuttle includes a liftable battery carrying platform, and the palletizer includes a liftable battery loading and unloading mechanism.

[0041] It should be noted that, as Figure 1 As shown, the shuttle is used to transfer batteries removed from the battery swapping vehicle to the palletizer, which then transfers the swapped-out batteries to the battery racks in the charging chamber for charging. The palletizer is also used to remove fully charged batteries from the battery racks in the charging chamber and transfer them to the shuttle, which then installs the fully charged batteries onto the battery swapping vehicle.

[0042] Among them, the shuttle car is a bottom-mounted battery swapping device used to move to the bottom of the battery swapping vehicle to remove batteries from the battery swapping vehicle or to install batteries into the battery swapping vehicle.

[0043] The battery locking mechanism, battery swapping equipment (shuttle), and palletizer used in the battery transfer control method of this embodiment are described using Chinese patent applications Nos. 2016110412204, 2017112442213, and 2017100524087 as examples. However, the control method of the present invention is not limited to the specific structures in the prior art described above, and can also be applied to the control of other bottom battery swapping mechanisms.

[0044] like Figure 2 As shown, the battery transfer control method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0045] Step S101: Obtain vehicle information of the battery swapping vehicle, including battery thickness information.

[0046] Step S102: Control the shuttle to move to the battery exchange area.

[0047] Step S103: Based on the battery thickness information, control the battery picking and placing mechanism to move to the corresponding height position within the battery exchange area so that there is no collision between the battery, the shuttle, and the palletizer.

[0048] In this embodiment, the battery picking and placing mechanism is positioned at different heights according to different battery thickness information. Compared with positioning the battery picking and placing mechanism at a uniform maximum height, this saves positioning time and reduces the descent height of the battery picking and placing mechanism, thereby improving the efficiency of battery transfer and battery swapping.

[0049] Step S104: Control the battery pick-up and drop mechanism to pick up the battery from the shuttle.

[0050] In this embodiment, before battery exchange, the battery picking and placing mechanism is positioned at different heights according to different battery thickness information, so that during the battery exchange process when the palletizer picks up the battery from the shuttle, there will be no collision between the battery, the shuttle, and the palletizer, thereby improving the efficiency of battery transfer and thus improving the battery swapping efficiency.

[0051] In one optional implementation of step S104, such as Figure 3 As shown, the method for controlling the battery retrieval mechanism to retrieve batteries from the shuttle includes the following steps:

[0052] Step S1041: Control the battery pick-and-place mechanism to descend to the battery pick-and-place height.

[0053] Step S1042: Control the battery pick-and-place mechanism to extend and retrieve the battery from the battery carrying platform.

[0054] In one optional embodiment of step S1042, the battery pick-and-place mechanism is controlled to extend below the battery on the battery-supporting platform to pick up the battery by lifting it. In a specific example, the battery pick-and-place mechanism includes two telescopic arms, which are controlled to extend below the battery to pick it up by lifting it.

[0055] Step S1043: Control the battery pick-and-place mechanism to rise so that the battery on the battery carrying platform is transferred to the battery pick-and-place mechanism.

[0056] Step S1044: Control the battery pick-and-place mechanism to retract.

[0057] In this embodiment, by controlling the battery picking and placing mechanism to extend, rise, and retract at the battery picking and placing height, the palletizer successfully retrieves batteries from the shuttle.

[0058] In some specific implementation examples, during the battery exchange process, the battery pick-and-place mechanism descends to a height ranging from 100 to 200 mm. Specifically, the battery pick-and-place mechanism descends from its pre-exchange positioning height to the battery pick-and-place height, with a descent range of 100-200 mm.

[0059] In one alternative implementation, step S102 further includes: controlling the battery support platform to rise to a first height.

[0060] It should be noted that even when the battery support platform rises to its highest point, it is still lower than the height of the battery loading and unloading mechanism. This means that the battery loading and unloading mechanism still needs to descend during the battery exchange process.

[0061] In this embodiment, by controlling the coordination of the rising of the battery carrying platform and the falling of the battery picking and placing mechanism, the height of the falling of the battery picking and placing mechanism during the battery exchange process is reduced, saving the falling time of the battery picking and placing mechanism, thereby improving the efficiency of battery transfer and further improving the battery swapping efficiency.

[0062] In one example, the lowest height that the battery pick-and-place mechanism can descend to is still higher than the height of the battery carrier platform. It is necessary to control the battery carrier platform to rise to a first height, which is higher than the lowest height that the battery pick-and-place mechanism can descend to, so as to smoothly transfer the battery between the battery pick-and-place mechanism and the battery carrier platform.

[0063] In some specific implementation examples, during the battery exchange process, the height of the battery support platform rises within the range of 0-100mm.

[0064] In one optional implementation, precise positioning of the battery picking and placing mechanism is achieved through the cooperation of sensors and detection elements. Specifically, the palletizer is equipped with sensors, and detection elements are installed in the battery exchange area at positions corresponding to the battery picking and placing mechanism.

[0065] During the movement of the battery pick-and-place mechanism, the mechanism is stopped by signals generated by sensors and detection devices.

[0066] The moving process in this embodiment refers to the up-and-down moving process, that is, the lifting process. The battery picking and placing mechanism is equipped with multiple detection elements, which, in conjunction with sensors, trigger multiple signals to achieve positioning at multiple heights.

[0067] In an alternative implementation, precise positioning of the battery picking and placing mechanism is achieved through the cooperation of a visual positioning device and positioning points. Specifically, the palletizer is equipped with a visual positioning device, and positioning points are provided at positions corresponding to the battery picking and placing mechanism in the battery exchange area.

[0068] After the battery pick-and-place mechanism has moved, the visual positioning device acquires a visual image of the corresponding area, obtains the position adjustment amount based on the visual image and the standard image, and controls the battery pick-and-place mechanism to move to the corresponding position based on the position adjustment amount.

[0069] In one specific implementation example, the visual positioning device is a camera used to capture corresponding visual images. By comparing the captured visual images with internally stored standard images, a position adjustment amount is calculated, and the battery loading / unloading mechanism is controlled to move to the accurate position based on the position adjustment amount.

[0070] Example 2

[0071] like Figure 4As shown, this embodiment provides a battery swapping station 40, including a shuttle 41, a palletizer 42, and a controller 43.

[0072] The shuttle 41 includes a liftable battery carrying platform, the palletizer 42 includes a liftable battery pick-and-place mechanism, and the controller 43 is configured to perform the battery transfer control method as described in Example 1.

[0073] In this embodiment, before battery exchange, the height of the battery picking and placing mechanism in the palletizer in the battery exchange area is higher than the height of the battery carrying platform in the shuttle. This ensures that there will be no collision between the battery, the shuttle, and the palletizer, whether the palletizer is picking up the battery from the shuttle or placing the battery onto the shuttle. This improves the efficiency of battery transfer at the battery swapping station and thus improves the battery swapping efficiency.

[0074] While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, those skilled in the art should understand that these are merely illustrative examples, and the scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications to these embodiments without departing from the principles and essence of the present invention, but all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A battery transfer control method, applied to a battery swapping station including a shuttle and a palletizer, characterized in that, The shuttle vehicle includes a liftable battery carrying platform, and the palletizer includes a liftable battery loading and unloading mechanism; the battery transfer control method includes the following steps: Obtain vehicle information for battery swapping vehicles, including battery thickness information; Control the shuttle to move to the battery exchange area; Based on the battery thickness information, the battery picking and placing mechanism is controlled to move to the corresponding height position within the battery exchange area to prevent collisions between the battery, the shuttle, and the palletizer. Control the battery loading and unloading mechanism to retrieve batteries from the shuttle vehicle; The palletizer is equipped with sensors, and a detection element is provided at the corresponding position of the battery picking and placing mechanism in the battery exchange area; During the movement of the battery pick-and-place mechanism, the mechanism is controlled to stop moving based on the signals generated by the sensor and the detection element. The palletizer is equipped with a visual positioning device, and positioning points are provided in the battery exchange area at positions corresponding to the battery pick-and-place mechanism. After the battery pick-and-place mechanism has moved, the visual positioning device acquires a visual image of the corresponding area, obtains a position adjustment amount based on the visual image and a standard image, and controls the battery pick-and-place mechanism to move to the corresponding position based on the position adjustment amount.

2. The battery transfer control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The step of controlling the battery retrieval mechanism to retrieve the battery from the shuttle vehicle includes: Control the battery pick-and-place mechanism to descend to the battery pick-and-place height; Control the battery pick-and-place mechanism to extend and retrieve the battery from the battery carrying platform; Control the battery pick-and-place mechanism to rise, so that the battery on the battery carrying platform is transferred to the battery pick-and-place mechanism; Control the retraction of the battery pick-and-place mechanism.

3. The battery transfer control method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, During the battery exchange process, the battery pick-and-place mechanism descends to a height ranging from 100 to 200 mm.

4. The battery transfer control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, After the step of controlling the shuttle to move to the battery exchange area, the method further includes: Control the battery-supporting platform to rise to the first height.

5. The battery transfer control method as described in claim 4, characterized in that, During the battery exchange process, the battery support platform rises to a height ranging from 0 to 100 mm.

6. A battery swapping station, characterized in that, include: The shuttle includes a liftable battery-carrying platform; Palletizer, including a liftable battery loading and unloading mechanism; And a controller, configured to perform the battery transfer control method as described in any one of claims 1-5.

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