A battery unlocking and locking method

Abstract

The application relates to a battery locking and unlocking method, which comprises the following steps: a battery replacement trolley acquires the posture of a battery on a vehicle, adjusts its posture to a first posture according to the posture of the battery, and records the first posture; the battery replacement trolley dismounts a depleted battery on the vehicle and replaces the depleted battery with a full battery; the battery replacement trolley acquires the posture of a battery mounting bracket on the vehicle, adjusts its posture to a second posture according to the posture of the battery mounting bracket, so that the full battery reaches a specified position of the battery mounting bracket; the battery replacement trolley installs the full battery on the vehicle; the battery replacement trolley adjusts its posture to the first posture again according to the record; a locking and unlocking gun is separated from the full battery, and the battery replacement trolley is lowered to a separation position. After the battery locking is completed, the battery replacement trolley is adjusted in posture for the second time according to the posture change of the battery, so that the battery replacement trolley is attached to the bottom of the battery, the angle deviation between the locking and unlocking gun and the battery is overcome, and the locking and unlocking gun and the battery are prevented from being stuck when being separated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electric vehicle technology, and more particularly to a battery unlocking / unlocking method. Background Technology

[0002] As new energy vehicle technology and services continue to upgrade and improve, and the public's acceptance of them continues to increase, new energy vehicles are becoming more and more popular. As a result, more and more new energy charging and battery swapping stations are coming into view. However, there are still shortcomings in the battery installation and removal process. For example, due to the offset or tilt of the vehicle, the unlocking mechanism may get stuck or fail to install or remove the battery, resulting in problems such as high battery swapping failure rate, high maintenance frequency, and high maintenance costs.

[0003] Although some battery swapping stations use cameras and other data acquisition devices to capture the posture of the battery and battery mounting bracket before battery installation and removal, and then adjust the swapping cart to the appropriate swapping posture using tilt adjustment devices, ensuring that the swapping cart fits snugly against the bottom of the battery for easy installation and removal, during battery installation, the vehicle's posture changes due to tire pressure, suspension, and battery weight after the battery is mounted on the battery mounting bracket. If this posture is not adjusted accordingly, directly separating the swapping cart from the battery can easily cause jamming between the unlocking gun and the battery, affecting the swapping process, delaying the overall swapping time, and even damaging the unlocking gun or the battery.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need for a battery unlocking method that can perform a secondary attitude adjustment after the battery is locked, so as to achieve a close fit between the bottom of the battery swapping trolley and the battery, overcome the angular deviation between the unlocking gun and the battery, and avoid jamming when the unlocking gun and the battery are separated. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides a battery unlocking method.

[0006] The technical solution of this invention is as follows:

[0007] A battery unlocking method is provided for a battery swapping vehicle, the battery swapping vehicle comprising a plurality of unlocking guns, the unlocking method comprising:

[0008] S1: The battery swapping vehicle obtains the battery posture on the vehicle, adjusts its own posture to the first posture according to the battery posture, so that the battery swapping vehicle is in contact with the bottom of the depleted battery, and records the first posture.

[0009] S2: The battery swapping vehicle removes the depleted battery from the vehicle and replaces the depleted battery with a fully charged battery.

[0010] S3: The battery swapping vehicle obtains the attitude of the battery mounting bracket on the vehicle, and adjusts its own attitude to the second attitude according to the attitude of the battery mounting bracket, so that the fully charged battery reaches the designated position of the battery mounting bracket.

[0011] S4: The battery swapping vehicle installs a fully charged battery onto the vehicle;

[0012] S5: Based on the records, the battery swapping vehicle readjusts its posture to the first posture, and the bottom of the battery swapping vehicle is in contact with the fully charged battery.

[0013] S6: The unlocking gun separates from the fully charged battery, and the battery swapping cart descends to the separation position.

[0014] As a further improvement of the present invention, the first posture includes vertical height, tilt direction and tilt angle; the second posture includes vertical height, tilt direction and tilt angle.

[0015] As a further improvement of the present invention, the battery swapping vehicle includes a laser rangefinder and a camera; in step S1, the laser rangefinder scans from one side of the depleted battery to the other side, and the camera captures the bottom of the depleted battery, the laser rangefinder and the camera cooperate to obtain the battery's posture; in step S3, the laser rangefinder scans from one side of the battery mounting bracket to the other side, and the camera captures the bottom of the battery mounting bracket, the laser rangefinder and the camera cooperate to obtain the posture of the battery mounting bracket.

[0016] As a further improvement of the present invention, the battery swapping trolley includes several guide posts, and the vehicle, the depleted battery, and the fully charged battery are all provided with guide holes that cooperate with the guide posts to provide guidance for the battery swapping trolley to install and remove batteries.

[0017] As a further improvement of the present invention, in step S6, before the battery swapping trolley descends to the separation position, the unlocking gun first performs a small torque forward rotation and then a small torque reverse rotation, or the unlocking gun first performs a small torque reverse rotation and then a small torque forward rotation.

[0018] As a further improvement of the present invention, the battery swapping trolley includes a pull-down mechanism. In step S6, the pull-down mechanism drives the unlocking gun to move downward, and the unlocking gun separates from the fully charged battery.

[0019] As a further improvement of the present invention, the pull-down mechanism is an electromagnet.

[0020] As a further improvement of the present invention, there are multiple battery swapping carts, which can be used to install and remove multiple batteries.

[0021] As a further improvement of the present invention, at least two of the battery swapping trolleys may be raised and lowered synchronously, or all of the battery swapping trolleys may be raised and lowered independently.

[0022] As a further improvement of the present invention, the first posture includes vertical height, tilt direction and tilt angle. In step S5, each of the battery swapping trolleys adjusts its own vertical height.

[0023] According to the above-described solution, the beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0024] This invention provides a battery locking / unlocking method, which acquires the vehicle's posture when the battery is installed and the vehicle's posture when the battery is not installed. After the battery is locked, the method can perform a secondary posture adjustment on the battery swapping trolley based on the change in the battery's posture, so that the battery swapping trolley fits snugly against the bottom of the battery, overcomes the angular deviation between the locking / unlocking gun and the battery, and avoids jamming when the locking / unlocking gun is separated from the battery. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the battery unlocking and unlocking process of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of the battery unlocking and unlocking process for multiple battery swapping vehicles according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The technical solution of the present invention will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0029] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances. Furthermore, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of this invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0030] See Figure 1 This invention provides a battery unlocking / unlocking method for a battery swapping vehicle. The battery swapping vehicle includes several unlocking / unlocking guns, and the unlocking / unlocking method includes:

[0031] S1: The battery swapping vehicle obtains the battery's attitude from the vehicle. There are several ways to obtain the battery's attitude:

[0032] Method 1: Using a laser rangefinder and camera, the battery swapping vehicle includes a laser rangefinder and camera, which are mounted on the upper surface of the vehicle. The laser rangefinder scans from one side of the depleted battery to the other, while the camera captures the bottom of the depleted battery. The laser rangefinder and camera work together to obtain the battery's posture.

[0033] Method 2: Using a depth camera, the battery swapping vehicle is equipped with a depth camera on its upper surface. The depth camera takes pictures of the bottom of the depleted battery to obtain the battery's posture.

[0034] Method 3: Use tire pressure detection, which involves measuring the tire pressure of each tire of the vehicle and then calculating to obtain the battery attitude;

[0035] Adjust its own posture to the first posture according to the battery posture, so that the battery swapping vehicle is in contact with the bottom of the depleted battery, and record the first posture, which includes vertical height, tilt direction and tilt angle.

[0036] Preferably, the battery swapping trolley includes several guide posts, and both the vehicle and the depleted battery are provided with guide holes that cooperate with the guide posts. During the process of the battery swapping trolley rising to the first posture, the cooperation between the guide posts and the guide holes can guide the battery swapping trolley to reach the designated disassembly position more accurately, providing guidance for the battery swapping trolley to disassemble the depleted battery.

[0037] S2: The battery swapping trolley removes the depleted battery from the vehicle. The unlocking gun includes a gun head. The depleted battery has a screw that cooperates with the gun head. The unlocking gun abuts against the screw on the depleted battery. The unlocking gun drives the gun head to rotate in the opposite direction, which in turn drives the screw on the depleted battery to rotate in the opposite direction to unlock and remove the depleted battery. The depleted battery is then replaced with a fully charged battery. In other words, the battery swapping trolley outputs the removed depleted battery and inputs a fully charged battery.

[0038] Screw unlocking direction: The unlocking gun rotates in the opposite direction;

[0039] Screw locking direction: The locking / unlocking gun rotates in the positive direction;

[0040] S3: The battery swapping vehicle obtains the orientation of the battery mounting bracket on the vehicle. Similarly, there are multiple ways to obtain the orientation of the battery mounting bracket, such as using a laser rangefinder and a camera. The laser rangefinder scans from one side of the battery mounting bracket to the other side, and the camera captures the bottom of the battery mounting bracket. The laser rangefinder and the camera work together to obtain the orientation of the battery mounting bracket; or using a depth camera, tire pressure detection, etc.

[0041] Adjust its own posture to a second posture based on the posture of the battery mounting bracket. The second posture includes vertical height, tilt direction and tilt angle, so that the fully charged battery reaches the designated position of the battery mounting bracket.

[0042] Designated location: The position where a fully charged battery is inserted into the battery mounting bracket, ready for locking and installation;

[0043] Similarly, a fully charged battery is also provided with a guide hole that cooperates with the guide post. The guide post and the guide hole cooperate to guide the battery swapping trolley to the designated installation position more accurately, providing guidance for the battery swapping trolley to install the fully charged battery; S4: The battery swapping trolley installs the fully charged battery onto the vehicle. The fully charged battery is provided with a screw that cooperates with the gun head. The locking and unlocking gun drives the gun head to rotate in the positive direction, which drives the screw on the fully charged battery to rotate in the positive direction to lock it, thus installing the fully charged battery onto the battery mounting bracket;

[0044] S5: Because the fully charged battery is mounted on the battery mounting bracket, the vehicle's center of gravity shifts downwards due to the influence of tire pressure, suspension, and battery weight, causing a change in the vehicle's posture. This changes the posture of the fully charged battery as well. The weight of the fully charged battery acts on the battery swapping trolley. If the unlocking gun is directly separated from the fully charged battery at this point, it can easily cause the screw between the unlocking gun and the fully charged battery to jam. However, the vehicle's posture after the change returns to the posture before unlocking with the depleted battery. That is, the posture of the fully charged battery after the change is the same as or only slightly different from the posture of the depleted battery before unlocking. Therefore, the battery swapping trolley only needs to readjust its posture to the first posture based on the previously recorded posture of the depleted battery. This involves adjusting the vertical height, tilt direction, and tilt angle of the battery swapping trolley to transfer the force of the fully charged battery on the trolley to the vehicle, eliminating the force of the fully charged battery on the trolley or reducing the force on the trolley to only a weak force. With the bottom of the battery swapping trolley and the fully charged battery in contact, the above problem can be solved, preventing jamming between the unlocking gun and the screw during separation.

[0045] S6: The battery swapping trolley includes a pull-down mechanism. By controlling the action of the pull-down mechanism, a sudden pull-down force is provided to the unlocking gun, driving the unlocking gun to move downward. This force causes the unlocking gun to separate from the screw, that is, the unlocking gun is separated from the fully charged battery. The battery swapping trolley then descends to the separation position, realizing the separation between the battery swapping trolley and the fully charged battery.

[0046] Preferably, because there is tension between the locking / unlocking gun and the screw during the locking process and during the battery swapping trolley's attitude adjustment, the locking / unlocking gun and the screw are prone to jamming when separating. Therefore, before controlling the electromagnet to engage, the locking / unlocking gun first rotates with a small torque in the forward direction, driving the screw to rotate in the locking direction, and then rotates with a small torque in the reverse direction, driving the screw to rotate in the unlocking direction; or the locking / unlocking gun first rotates with a small torque in the reverse direction, driving the screw to rotate in the unlocking direction, and then rotates with a small torque in the forward direction, driving the screw to rotate in the locking direction. After the locking / unlocking gun completes the small torque forward and reverse rotation and releases the tension, the pull-down mechanism is controlled to move, and the battery swapping trolley descends to the separation position, realizing the separation of the locking / unlocking gun from the fully charged battery. This not only avoids jamming between the locking / unlocking gun and the screw, but also protects the gun head and screw to a certain extent, preventing unnecessary damage to the gun head and screw.

[0047] Preferably, the pull-down mechanism can adopt various structures, such as electromagnets, cylinders, motors, or other mechanical drive structures.

[0048] This locking and unlocking method obtains the vehicle's posture when the battery is installed and the vehicle's posture when the battery is not installed. After the battery is locked, it can perform a secondary posture adjustment on the battery swapping trolley based on the change in the battery's posture, so that the battery swapping trolley fits snugly against the bottom of the battery, overcoming the angular deviation between the locking and unlocking gun and the battery, and avoiding jamming when the locking and unlocking gun is separated from the battery.

[0049] See Figure 2 As one embodiment of the present invention, there are multiple battery swapping carts, which can be used to install and remove multiple batteries. The unlocking and disengaging methods for the multiple battery swapping carts include:

[0050] S1: Multiple battery swapping vehicles use laser rangefinders and cameras to obtain battery attitude data.

[0051] Each battery swapping trolley adjusts its own posture to the first posture according to the battery posture, so that the battery swapping trolley is in contact with the bottom of the depleted battery, and the first posture is recorded. Multiple battery swapping trolleys rise to the height of the first posture simultaneously, that is, at least two battery swapping trolleys rise simultaneously, or multiple battery swapping trolleys rise independently.

[0052] S2: The battery swapping trolley removes the depleted battery from the vehicle. That is, the unlocking gun contacts the screw on the depleted battery, and the unlocking gun drives the gun head to rotate in the opposite direction, which in turn drives the screw on the depleted battery to rotate in the opposite direction to unlock and remove the depleted battery. Similarly, at least two battery swapping trolleys descend simultaneously, or multiple battery swapping trolleys descend independently, and the fully charged battery replaces the depleted battery.

[0053] S3: Multiple battery swapping vehicles use laser rangefinders and cameras to obtain the posture of the battery mounting brackets.

[0054] Each battery swapping vehicle adjusts its own posture to the second posture according to the posture of the battery mounting bracket, so that the fully charged battery reaches the designated position of the battery mounting bracket.

[0055] S4: The battery swapping trolley installs the fully charged battery onto the vehicle. The locking gun drives the gun head to rotate in the positive direction, which in turn drives the screw on the fully charged battery to rotate in the positive direction to lock it, thus installing the fully charged battery onto the battery mounting bracket.

[0056] S5: Based on the records, multiple battery swapping trolleys readjust their own postures to their first posture. Due to the influence of tire pressure, suspension, and battery weight, the postures of each fully charged battery are different, meaning that the first postures of each battery swapping trolley are different. Since the vehicle tilts after the fully charged battery is installed, the posture changes, and the second postures of each battery swapping trolley are also different. This results in different height differences between the first and second postures of each battery swapping trolley. In other words, while each battery swapping trolley adjusts its tilt direction and tilt angle, it also needs to adjust its vertical height so that the vertical height of each battery swapping trolley moves from the height of the second posture to the height of the first posture. The height difference of each battery swapping trolley can be calculated based on the tilt angle. The bottom of the battery swapping trolley is in contact with the fully charged battery.

[0057] S6: The battery swapping trolley controls the electromagnet to engage, providing a sudden downward force to the unlocking gun, driving the unlocking gun downwards. This force causes the unlocking gun to separate from the screw, meaning all the unlocking guns are separated from the fully charged battery, and all the battery swapping trolleys descend to the separation position, achieving separation between the battery swapping trolleys and the fully charged battery. Similarly, at least two battery swapping trolleys can simultaneously control their respective electromagnets to engage, causing at least two battery swapping trolleys to descend synchronously, or all battery swapping trolleys can individually control their respective electromagnets to engage, causing all battery swapping trolleys to descend independently.

[0058] In summary, this invention provides a battery locking / unlocking method that acquires the vehicle's posture when the battery is installed and the vehicle's posture when the battery is not installed. After the battery is locked, the method adjusts the battery swapping trolley's posture a second time based on the battery's posture change, ensuring the trolley fits snugly against the bottom of the battery. This overcomes the angular deviation between the locking / unlocking gun and the battery, preventing jamming when the locking / unlocking gun separates from the battery. By controlling the electromagnet to engage, a sudden downward force is provided to the locking / unlocking gun, driving it downward and using this force to separate the locking / unlocking gun from the screw. Before the electromagnet engages, the locking / unlocking gun undergoes small-torque forward and reverse rotation to release any trapped tension. This not only prevents jamming between the locking / unlocking gun and the screw but also protects the gun head and screw to some extent, preventing unnecessary damage. When multiple battery swapping trolleys are simultaneously installing or removing batteries, each trolley can independently adjust its posture as needed, and each trolley can operate independently without interference from others.

[0059] It should be emphasized that the above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Any simple modifications, equivalent changes and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A battery unlocking method for a battery swapping vehicle, characterized in that, The battery swapping vehicle includes several unlocking guns, and the unlocking method includes: S1: The battery swapping vehicle obtains the battery posture on the vehicle, adjusts its own posture to the first posture according to the battery posture, so that the battery swapping vehicle is in contact with the bottom of the depleted battery, and records the first posture. S2: The battery swapping vehicle removes the depleted battery from the vehicle and replaces the depleted battery with a fully charged battery. S3: The battery swapping vehicle obtains the attitude of the battery mounting bracket on the vehicle, and adjusts its own attitude to the second attitude according to the attitude of the battery mounting bracket, so that the fully charged battery reaches the designated position of the battery mounting bracket. S4: The battery swapping vehicle installs a fully charged battery onto the vehicle; S5: Based on the records, the battery swapping vehicle readjusts its posture to the first posture, and the bottom of the battery swapping vehicle is in contact with the fully charged battery. S6: The unlocking gun separates from the fully charged battery, and the battery swapping cart descends to the separation position.

2. The encryption / unlocking method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first posture includes vertical height, tilt direction, and tilt angle; the second posture includes vertical height, tilt direction, and tilt angle.

3. The encryption / unlocking method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The battery swapping vehicle includes a laser rangefinder and a camera; in step S1, the laser rangefinder scans from one side of the depleted battery to the other side, and the camera captures the bottom of the depleted battery, with the laser rangefinder and the camera working together to obtain the battery's posture; in step S3, the laser rangefinder scans from one side of the battery mounting bracket to the other side, and the camera captures the bottom of the battery mounting bracket, with the laser rangefinder and the camera working together to obtain the posture of the battery mounting bracket.

4. The encryption / unlocking method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The battery swapping trolley includes several guide posts, and the vehicle, the depleted battery, and the fully charged battery are all provided with guide holes that cooperate with the guide posts to provide guidance for the battery swapping trolley to install and remove batteries.

5. The encryption / unlocking method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S6, before the battery swapping trolley descends to the separation position, the unlocking gun first rotates forward with low torque and then rotates in reverse with low torque, or the unlocking gun first rotates in reverse with low torque and then rotates forward with low torque.

6. The encryption / unlocking method according to claim 1 or 5, characterized in that, The battery swapping trolley includes a pull-down mechanism. In step S6, the pull-down mechanism drives the unlocking gun to move downward, and the unlocking gun separates from the fully charged battery.

7. The encryption / unlocking method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The pull-down mechanism is an electromagnet.

8. The encryption / unlocking method according to claim 1, characterized in that, There are multiple battery swapping carts, which can be used to install and remove multiple batteries.

9. The encryption / unlocking method according to claim 8, characterized in that, At least two of the battery swapping trolleys may rise and fall synchronously, or all of the battery swapping trolleys may rise and fall independently.

10. The encryption / unlocking method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The first posture includes vertical height, tilt direction and tilt angle. In step S5, each of the battery swapping trolleys adjusts its own vertical height.

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