Battery swapping method and system

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of battery replacement, in particular to a battery replacement method and system. The method comprises obtaining state data of a battery replacement system. Based on the state data being in a first state and a battery box with low power on a battery replacement vehicle arriving at a battery replacement area, a first trolley unit moves the battery box with low power on the battery replacement vehicle to an idle charging seat. The first state includes the idle charging seat being located in a first area and a target battery box being located on a charging seat in a second area. The target battery box includes a battery box with power greater than a first set power. Based on the first trolley unit moving the battery box with low power on the battery replacement vehicle to the idle charging seat, a second trolley unit moves the target battery box to the battery replacement vehicle. Thus, the problem of low battery replacement efficiency of the vehicle is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of battery replacement technology, and in particular to a battery replacement method and system. Background Art

[0002] Currently, battery swap systems typically include components such as a vehicle positioning device, a battery unlocking mechanism, a battery transfer rail, a battery storage bin, and a transfer unit. The vehicle positioning device uses lidar and visual recognition technology to confirm the vehicle's position, while the battery unlocking mechanism performs rapid battery separation. The battery storage bin is used to store batteries, and the transfer unit moves along the battery transfer rail, grabbing batteries and enabling horizontal and vertical transport. The transfer unit also manages battery location, initially realizing battery swap service capabilities.

[0003] However, current battery swapping technology has significant shortcomings. Because battery swapping stations are only equipped with a single transfer unit, the transfer unit must sequentially move the battery from the vehicle to the battery storage compartment and then transfer the charged battery from the storage compartment to the vehicle. These two operations cannot be performed simultaneously and must be completed sequentially. This results in a lengthy battery swapping process, making it difficult to fully adapt to the rapid development of new energy vehicles. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to solve the problem of low battery replacement efficiency in vehicles, the present invention provides a battery replacement method and system.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a battery replacement method, the battery replacement method comprising:

[0006] Obtaining status data of the battery swap system; wherein the status data includes the power level of the battery box in the charging base;

[0007] Based on the fact that the status data is in the first status and the battery box with low power on the battery swap vehicle arrives at the battery swap area, the first trolley unit moves the battery box with low power on the battery swap vehicle to the idle charging seat; wherein, the first status includes the idle charging seat being located in the first area, and the target battery box being located on the charging seat in the second area; the target battery box includes the battery box with a power greater than the first set power; the first area includes the area where the first trolley unit moves on the first guide rail and is projected toward the charging seat, and the second area includes the area where the second trolley unit moves on the second guide rail and is projected toward the charging seat;

[0008] Based on the first trolley unit moving the low-power battery box on the battery-exchange vehicle to the vacant charging seat, the second trolley unit moves the target battery box to the battery-exchange vehicle.

[0009] In some embodiments, obtaining status data of the battery swapping system includes:

[0010] Based on the completion of the first acquisition of the status data of the battery swapping system, stopping the acquisition of the status data;

[0011] Based on the battery swap vehicle entering the waiting area, the target battery box position in the charging seat of the battery swap system is obtained again and the last status data is updated.

[0012] In some embodiments, the battery replacement method further includes:

[0013] Based on the target, the battery box is moved to the battery-exchange vehicle, and the second guide unit drives the second trolley unit to move into the space surrounded by the shell assembly.

[0014] In some embodiments, the battery replacement method further includes:

[0015] Based on the second guide unit moving to the point where one end of the second guide unit is connected to the first guide rail and the other end is connected to the second guide rail, the first trolley unit or the second trolley unit moves to the battery box of the grabbing target.

[0016] In some embodiments, based on the state data being in the first state and the battery box with low power on the battery swap vehicle arriving at the battery swap area, the first trolley unit moving the battery box with low power on the battery swap vehicle to the idle charging seat includes:

[0017] Based on the state data being the first state and the battery-swapping vehicle arriving at the waiting area, the first trolley unit moves from the first guide rail to above the battery-swapping area;

[0018] Based on the first trolley unit moving from the first guide rail to above the battery exchange area and the battery box with low power on the battery exchange vehicle reaching the battery exchange area, the first trolley unit moves the battery box with low power on the battery exchange vehicle to the vacant charging seat.

[0019] In some embodiments, based on the first trolley unit moving the low-power battery box on the battery-swapping vehicle to the vacant charging seat, the second trolley unit moving the target battery box to the battery-swapping vehicle includes:

[0020] Based on the first trolley unit moving the low-power battery box on the battery-swapping vehicle to the vacant charging seat, the second trolley unit grabs the target battery box;

[0021] Based on the second trolley unit grabbing the target battery box, the second trolley unit moves the target battery box to a point where the bottom of the target battery box is higher than the top of the battery boxes in the other charging stations;

[0022] Based on the second trolley unit moving the target battery box to a point where the bottom of the target battery box is higher than the top of the battery boxes in the other charging stations, the second trolley unit moves onto the second guide unit;

[0023] Based on the second trolley unit moving onto the second guide unit, the second guide unit drives the second trolley unit to move on the third guide rail to above the battery swap area;

[0024] Based on the second guide unit driving the second trolley unit to move on the third guide rail to above the battery exchange area, the second trolley unit moves the target battery box to the battery exchange vehicle.

[0025] In some embodiments, based on the state data being in the first state and the battery box with low power on the battery swap vehicle arriving at the battery swap area, the first trolley unit moving the battery box with low power on the battery swap vehicle to the idle charging seat further includes:

[0026] Based on the first trolley unit moving from the first guide rail to above the battery exchange area, the first trolley unit moves the low-power battery box on the battery exchange vehicle to the vacant charging seat and the second trolley unit moves the target battery box to the end of the second guide rail close to the third guide rail.

[0027] In some embodiments, the battery replacement method further includes:

[0028] Based on the second trolley unit, the target battery box is moved to the battery-swapping vehicle, and the status data is obtained; wherein the status data also includes the number of the battery-swapping vehicles in the waiting area;

[0029] Based on the state data being in the second state, the battery box with low power is moved to the idle charging seat; wherein the second state includes the number of battery swapping vehicles in the waiting area being 0, the target battery box being located in the charging seat in the second area, the idle battery box being located in the second area, and the battery box with low power being located in the charging seat in the first area;

[0030] Based on moving the battery box with less power to an empty charging base, the battery box of a target is moved to an empty charging base.

[0031] In some embodiments, the battery replacement method further includes:

[0032] Based on the second trolley unit, the target battery box is moved to the battery-swapping vehicle, and the status data is obtained; wherein the status data also includes the number of the battery-swapping vehicles in the waiting area;

[0033] Based on the state data being in the third state, a driving signal is issued to the battery-swapping vehicle in the waiting area; wherein the third state includes the target battery box and the idle charging seat being respectively located in the second area, the target battery box being located on the side of the idle charging seat close to the first guide rail, and the number of battery-swapping vehicles in the waiting area being greater than 0;

[0034] Based on the low-power battery box on another battery-swapping vehicle in the waiting area being moved to the battery-swapping area, the second trolley unit moves the low-power battery box on another battery-swapping vehicle toward the vacant charging seat;

[0035] Based on the second trolley unit moving onto the second guide rail, the first trolley unit and the second trolley unit simultaneously move from the first guide rail to the second guide rail;

[0036] Based on the second trolley unit moving to above the idle charging seat, the second trolley unit moves the battery box into the idle charging seat;

[0037] Based on the first trolley unit moving to above the target battery box, the first trolley unit moves the target battery box to another battery-exchange vehicle.

[0038] In some embodiments, the battery replacement method further includes:

[0039] Based on the second trolley unit, the target battery box is moved to the battery-swapping vehicle, and the status data is obtained; wherein the status data also includes the number of the battery-swapping vehicles in the waiting area;

[0040] Based on the state data being in the fourth state, a driving signal is issued to the battery-swapping vehicle in the waiting area; wherein the fourth state includes the target battery box and the idle charging seat being respectively located in the second area, the target battery box being located on a side of the idle charging seat away from the first guide rail, and the number of battery-swapping vehicles in the waiting area being greater than 0;

[0041] Based on the low-power battery box on another battery-swapping vehicle in the waiting area being moved to the battery-swapping area, the second trolley unit moves the low-power battery box on another battery-swapping vehicle to the vacant charging seat;

[0042] Based on the second trolley unit moving the low-power battery box on another battery-exchange vehicle to the vacant charging seat, the second trolley unit moves the target battery box to the battery-exchange vehicle.

[0043] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a battery swap system, which is applied to any one of the battery swap methods described in the first aspect, and includes:

[0044] housing assembly;

[0045] A charging assembly, the charging assembly comprising a plurality of charging seats connected to the housing assembly; the plurality of charging seats being sequentially arranged along the length direction of the housing assembly within the space enclosed by the housing assembly;

[0046] A conveying assembly, the conveying assembly includes a first guide unit, a second guide unit, a first trolley unit, a second trolley unit, and a control unit; the first guide unit includes a first guide rail, a second guide rail, and a third guide rail; the first guide rail, the third guide rail, and the second guide rail are arranged in sequence along the length direction of the shell assembly; the first guide rail, the third guide rail, and the second guide rail are respectively connected to the side of the shell assembly away from the charging base; the length directions of the first guide rail and the second guide rail are parallel to the length direction of the shell assembly; the length direction of the third guide rail is parallel to the width direction of the shell assembly; the second guide unit is slidably connected to the third guide rail; the control unit is connected to the shell assembly; the control unit is electrically connected to the second guide unit, the first trolley unit, and the second trolley unit respectively;

[0047] The second guide unit includes a first operating state and a second operating state; the first operating state includes the second guide unit moving along the length direction of the third guide rail to one end connected to the first guide rail and the other end connected to the second guide rail, and the first trolley unit and the second trolley unit respectively move back and forth on the first guide rail and the second guide rail through the second guide unit; the second operating state includes the first trolley unit or the second trolley unit moving onto the second guide unit, and the second guide unit drives the first trolley unit or the second trolley unit to move on the third guide rail, and the first trolley unit and the second trolley unit cannot move from the first guide rail to the second guide rail;

[0048] A battery box, the battery box being electrically connected to the charging base; A+1=B; wherein A is the ratio of the number of battery boxes in the charging base to the number of the charging bases, and B is the number of the charging bases;

[0049] A battery-swapping vehicle, wherein the battery-swapping vehicle is detachably and electrically connected to the battery box; the transport assembly is used to move the battery box on the battery-swapping vehicle.

[0050] To solve the problem of low vehicle battery replacement efficiency, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0051] First, the status data of the battery swap system is obtained. Based on the status data being in the first state and the low-power battery box on the battery swap vehicle arriving at the battery swap area, the first trolley unit moves the low-power battery box on the battery swap vehicle to an empty charging seat. The second trolley unit moves the target battery box to the battery swap vehicle. The first trolley unit moves within the first area, the second trolley unit moves within the second area, and the second guide unit drives the first trolley unit or the second trolley unit to move on the third guide rail, limiting the movement range of the first trolley unit and the second trolley unit. Combined with the judgment that the power of the battery box is greater than the first set power, the target battery box is screened out, and the target battery box to be replaced is accurately positioned and efficiently transported. The solution in which the first trolley unit and the second trolley unit operate simultaneously on the first guide unit and the second guide unit can effectively shorten the process time of moving the target battery box to the battery swap vehicle and the low-power battery box on the battery swap vehicle into the battery compartment, thereby improving the battery swap efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0052] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing a battery replacement method according to an embodiment is shown;

[0053] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a battery swapping system according to an embodiment is shown;

[0054] Figure 3 A front view of a battery swapping system according to an embodiment is shown;

[0055] Figure 4 A top view of a battery swapping system according to an embodiment is shown;

[0056] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a battery box according to an embodiment is shown;

[0057] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a first trolley unit according to an embodiment is shown;

[0058] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a second trolley unit according to an embodiment is shown.

[0059] Figure markings: shell assembly 10; charging shell 11; transport shell 12; charging assembly 20; charging seat 21; transport assembly 30; first guide unit 31; first guide rail 311; second guide rail 312; third guide rail 313; second guide unit 32; fourth guide rail 321; first drive part 322; locking part 323; first trolley unit 33; first trolley body 331; second drive part 332; third drive part 333; first sling 334; second trolley unit 34; second trolley body 341; fourth drive part 342; fifth drive part 343; second sling 344; battery exchange vehicle 40; vehicle body 41; discharge seat 42; battery box 50. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0060] The present disclosure will now be discussed with reference to several exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are discussed only to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and implement the present disclosure, rather than to imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure.

[0061] As used herein, the term "including" and its variations are to be interpreted as open-ended terms meaning "including, but not limited to." The term "based on" is to be interpreted as "based, at least in part, on." The terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" are to be interpreted as "at least one embodiment." The term "another embodiment" is to be interpreted as "at least one other embodiment." Terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "back," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "vertical," "horizontal," "transverse," and "longitudinal" indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. These terms are primarily intended to better describe the present application and its embodiments and are not intended to limit the devices, elements, or components indicated to having a specific orientation, or to being constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Furthermore, some of the above terms may be used to indicate other meanings besides orientation or positional relationships. For example, the term "on" may, in certain circumstances, be used to indicate a dependency or connection relationship. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of these terms in this application based on the specific circumstances. Furthermore, the terms "installed," "disposed," "provided with," "connected," and "connected" are to be interpreted broadly. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral structure; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or an internal connection between two devices, elements, or components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances. In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are mainly used to distinguish different devices, elements, or components (the specific types and structures may be the same or different), and are not used to indicate or imply the relative importance or quantity of the indicated devices, elements, or components. Unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0062] In this embodiment, the current battery replacement technology has obvious deficiencies. During the battery replacement operation, since there is only one transport assembly 30 in the battery replacement station, when replacing the battery of the vehicle, the transport assembly 30 needs to move the battery on the vehicle to the battery storage bin, and move the charged battery in the battery storage bin to the vehicle. The two operations cannot be performed at the same time and must be completed in sequence. This results in a longer overall battery replacement process, which cannot fully adapt to the rapid development of new energy vehicles. Figure 2 、 Figure 3 、 Figure 4 、 Figure 5 、 Figure 6 、 Figure 7As shown, the battery exchange system may include a shell assembly 10, a charging assembly 20, a transport assembly 30, a battery box 50, and a battery exchange vehicle 40. The shell assembly 10 can protect the charging assembly 20, the transport assembly 30, and the battery box 50 to avoid damage caused by the external environment. At the same time, the shell assembly 10 can serve as a base to provide support for the charging assembly 20 and the transport assembly 30. The charging assembly 20 may include a plurality of charging seats 21. The charging seat 21 can be connected to the shell assembly 10, and the plurality of charging seats 21 can be arranged in sequence along the length direction of the shell assembly 10 in the space surrounded by the shell assembly 10, which is beneficial to the overall layout of the battery exchange system and provides a stable charging environment for the battery box 50.

[0063] The transport assembly 30 may include a first guide unit 31, a second guide unit 32, a first trolley unit 33, a second trolley unit 34, and a control unit. The first guide unit 31 may include a first guide rail 311, a second guide rail 312, and a third guide rail 313. The first guide rail 311, the third guide rail 313, and the second guide rail 312 are sequentially arranged along the length direction of the housing assembly 10, that is, Figure 4 From left to right, the first guide rail 311, the third guide rail 313, and the second guide rail 312 are respectively connected to the side of the housing assembly 10 away from the charging base 21, that is, Figure 3 As shown above, it better provides a moving path for the first trolley unit 33 and the second trolley unit 34, moves the battery box 50, and realizes the replacement of the battery box 50. The length direction of the first guide rail 311 and the second guide rail 312 is parallel to the length direction of the shell assembly 10, and the length direction of the third guide rail 313 is parallel to the width direction of the shell assembly 10. The second guide unit 32 is slidably connected to the third guide rail 313, and the control unit is connected to the shell assembly 10. The control unit is electrically connected to the second guide unit 32, the first trolley unit 33, and the second trolley unit 34 respectively. The control unit can obtain the status data of the battery replacement system and control the movement of the second guide unit 32, the first trolley unit 33, and the second trolley unit 34.

[0064] The second guide unit 32 may include a first operating state and a second operating state. The first operating state may include the second guide unit 32 moving along the length direction of the third guide rail 313 to one end connected to the first guide rail 311 and the other end connected to the second guide rail 312, and the first trolley unit 33 and the second trolley unit 34 respectively move back and forth on the first guide rail 311 and the second guide rail 312 through the second guide unit 32. The second operating state may include the first trolley unit 33 or the second trolley unit 34 moving onto the second guide unit 32, and the second guide unit 32 drives the first trolley unit 33 or the second trolley unit 34 to move on the third guide rail 313, and the first trolley unit 33 and the second trolley unit 34 cannot move from the first guide rail 311 to the second guide rail 312, thereby realizing the movement of the first trolley unit 33 and the second trolley unit 34 through the first operating state and the second operating state, and replacing the battery box 50 on the battery swap vehicle 40. The battery box 50 is electrically connected to the charging station 21, where A+1=B, where A is the ratio of the number of battery boxes 50 in the charging station 21 to the number of charging stations 21, and B is the number of charging stations 21. This ensures that there is always an idle charging station 21 for turnover, improving the ability of the battery swap system to operate continuously. The battery swap vehicle 40 is detachably connected and electrically connected to the battery box 50, and the transport assembly 30 is used to move the battery box 50 on the battery swap vehicle 40.

[0065] A battery replacement method may include steps S10 to S30, and steps S10 to S30 will be described in detail below.

[0066] Step S10, obtain the status data of the battery swap system. The status data may include the power of the battery box 50 in the charging seat 21. By monitoring the power of the battery box 50 in real time, the availability of the battery box 50 can be accurately judged, and the conditions for the battery swap vehicle 40 to arrive at the battery swap area can be combined to achieve timely response to the replacement demand of the battery box 50. The battery swap area is the area outside the space surrounded by the frame assembly where the third guide rail 313 is projected toward the charging seat 21, that is, Figure 4 As shown, the projection area of ​​the discharge seat 42 toward its bottom.

[0067] Step S20, based on the state data being in the first state and the low-power battery box 50 on the battery-swapping vehicle 40 arriving at the battery-swapping area, the first trolley unit 33 moves the low-power battery box 50 on the battery-swapping vehicle 40 to the vacant charging seat 21, thereby reserving space for the discharge seat 42 on the battery-swapping vehicle 40, in preparation for the target battery box 50 to be placed on the discharge seat 42. Among them, the first state may include the vacant charging seat 21 being located in the first area, and the target battery box 50 being located on the charging seat 21 in the second area. The target battery box 50 includes a battery box 50 with a power greater than a first set power, and the first set power may be 90% of the fully charged state of the battery box 50. The first area may include the area where the moving area of ​​the first trolley unit 33 on the first guide rail 311 is projected toward the charging seat 21, and the second area may include the area where the moving area of ​​the second trolley unit 34 on the second guide rail 312 is projected toward the charging seat 21.

[0068] In step S30, the first trolley unit 33 moves the low-power battery box 50 on the battery-swapping vehicle 40 to the vacant charging seat 21, and the second trolley unit 34 moves the target battery box 50 to the battery-swapping vehicle 40, so that the target battery box 50 can provide a higher driving range for the battery-swapping vehicle 40. The first trolley unit 33 moves in the first area, the second trolley unit 34 moves in the second area, and the second guide unit 32 drives the first trolley unit 33 or the second trolley unit 34 to move on the third guide rail 313, limiting the moving range of the first trolley unit 33 and the second trolley unit 34. Combined with the judgment that the power of the battery box 50 is greater than the first set power, the target battery box 50 is screened out, and the target battery box 50 to be replaced is accurately positioned and efficiently transported. The first trolley unit 33 and the second trolley unit 34 operate simultaneously on the first guide unit 31 and the second guide unit 32, thereby effectively shortening the process time of moving the target battery box 50 to the battery exchange vehicle 40 and the time of moving the low-power battery box 50 on the battery exchange vehicle 40 into the battery compartment, thereby improving the battery exchange efficiency.

[0069] In this embodiment, step S10 may include steps S11 and S12. Steps S11 and S12 are described in detail below:

[0070] Step S11: After the first acquisition of the state data of the battery swapping system is completed, the acquisition of the state data is stopped. By intermittently acquiring the state data, the energy consumption of the control unit can be effectively reduced while ensuring the integrity of the state data collection.

[0071] In step S12, based on the battery swap vehicle 40 entering the waiting area, which is the area used to park the battery swap vehicle 40 before entering the battery swap area, the position of the target battery box 50 in the charging seat 21 in the battery swap system is obtained again and the last status data is updated. Continuously acquiring status data in this way allows the power status of each battery box 50 to be updated in real time, ensuring that the power of the battery box 50 replaced by the battery swap vehicle 40 is greater than the first set power, thereby ensuring that after the battery swap vehicle 40 is replaced, the battery box 50 can provide the battery swap vehicle 40 with a higher driving range.

[0072] In this embodiment, the battery replacement method may further include step S40, wherein step S40 is performed after step S30 is completed. Step S40 may be described in detail below:

[0073] In step S40, the target battery box 50 is moved to the battery swap vehicle 40, and the second guide unit 32 drives the second trolley unit 34 to move into the space surrounded by the shell assembly 10. The shell assembly 10 can be a closed space formed by the enclosure, so that after the battery swap operation is completed, the first trolley unit 33 and the second trolley unit 34 can avoid collision with foreign objects when they move into the space surrounded by the shell assembly 10.

[0074] In this embodiment, the battery replacement method may further include step S50, wherein step S50 is performed after step S40 is completed. Step S50 may be described in detail below:

[0075] In step S50, based on the second guide unit 32 moving to the point where one end of the second guide unit 32 is connected to the first guide rail 311 and the other end is connected to the second guide rail 312, the first trolley unit 33 or the second trolley unit 34 is moved in advance to the target battery box 50. In this way, when a battery swapping vehicle 40 enters the battery swapping area, the first trolley unit 33 or the second trolley unit 34 can directly grab the target battery box 50, thereby reducing the time for positioning, lowering and grabbing the target battery box 50 and improving the battery swapping efficiency. At the same time, the first trolley unit 33 or the second trolley unit 34 is located in the enclosed space of the shell assembly 10, which can protect the first trolley unit 33 or the second trolley unit 34 and prevent the first trolley unit 33 and the second trolley unit 34 from being exposed to the outside and damaged by external environmental factors.

[0076] In this embodiment, step S20 may include steps S21 and S22. Steps S21 and S22 are described in detail below:

[0077] Step S21, based on the status data being in the first state and the battery swap vehicle 40 arriving at the waiting area, the first trolley unit 33 is moved from the first guide rail 311 to above the battery swap area in advance to avoid the battery swap vehicle 40 arriving at the battery swap area and then having to wait for the first trolley unit 33 to move from the first guide rail 311 to above the battery swap area. This can reduce the waiting time after the battery swap vehicle 40 arrives at the battery swap area, thereby improving the battery swap efficiency.

[0078] Step S22, based on the first trolley unit 33 moving from the first guide rail 311 to above the battery exchange area and the low-power battery box 50 on the battery exchange vehicle 40 arriving at the battery exchange area, the first trolley unit 33 moves the low-power battery box 50 on the battery exchange vehicle 40 to the vacant charging seat 21, and reserves free space in the discharge seat 42 on the battery exchange vehicle 40 to prepare for the installation of the subsequent target battery box 50.

[0079] In this embodiment, step S30 may include steps S31 to S34. Steps S31 to S34 are described in detail below:

[0080] In step S31, the first trolley unit 33 moves the low-power battery box 50 on the battery-swapping vehicle 40 to an empty charging seat 21, and the second trolley unit 34 grabs the target battery box 50. By operating the first trolley unit 33 and the second trolley unit 34 at the same time, the waiting time of the battery-swapping vehicle 40 can be reduced, thereby improving the battery-swapping efficiency.

[0081] In step S32, based on the second trolley unit 34 grabbing the target battery box 50, the second trolley unit 34 moves the target battery box 50 to a point where the bottom of the target battery box 50 is higher than the top of the battery box 50 in other charging seats 21, to avoid collision with the battery box 50 in other charging seats 21, causing damage to the battery box 50.

[0082] In step S32 , the second trolley unit 34 moves the target battery box 50 to a point where the bottom of the target battery box 50 is higher than the tops of the battery boxes 50 in other charging stations 21 , and the second trolley unit 34 moves onto the second guide unit 32 .

[0083] Step S33, based on the second trolley unit 34 moving onto the second guide unit 32, the second guide unit 32 drives the second trolley unit 34 to move on the third guide rail 313 to above the battery exchange area, so that the projection of the target battery box 50 onto the discharge seat 42 is located within the projection area of ​​the discharge seat 42.

[0084] In step S34, the second guide unit 32 drives the second trolley unit 34 to move above the battery exchange area on the third guide rail 313. The second trolley unit 34 moves the target battery box 50 to the battery exchange vehicle 40, thereby completing the battery exchange operation of the battery exchange vehicle 40. The battery box 50 with a power greater than the first set power can also provide a higher driving range for the battery exchange vehicle 40.

[0085] In this embodiment, step S20 may further include step S23, wherein the execution steps are sequentially performed in the order of step S10, step S21, step S23, and step S30. Step S23 will be described in detail below:

[0086] Step S23, based on the first trolley unit 33 moving from the first guide rail 311 to above the battery exchange area, the first trolley unit 33 moves the low-power battery box 50 on the battery exchange vehicle 40 to the vacant charging seat 21 and the second trolley unit 34 moves the target battery box 50 to the second guide rail 312 close to one end of the third guide rail 313. The first trolley unit 33 and the second trolley unit 34 operate simultaneously. Since the second guide unit 32 is occupied by the first trolley unit 33, the second trolley unit 34 moves to the second guide rail 312 close to one end of the second guide unit 32. When the first trolley unit 33 moves to a distance from the second guide unit 32, the second trolley unit 34 can move quickly to the second guide unit 32 to avoid the second trolley unit 34 on the second rail. It is also necessary to move from the second rail toward the second guide unit 32, and then move the target battery box 50 to the discharge seat 42. In this way, by moving the target battery box 50 to the end of the second guide rail 312 close to the third guide rail 313 in advance by the second trolley unit 34, the waiting time of the battery replacement vehicle 40 can be reduced, thereby improving the battery replacement efficiency.

[0087] In this embodiment, the battery replacement method may further include step S60, wherein step S60 is performed after step S30 is completed. Step S60 includes steps S61 to S63, and steps S61 to S63 are described in detail below:

[0088] In step S61, the target battery box 50 is moved to the battery-swapping vehicle 40 based on the second trolley unit 34 to obtain status data. The status data may also include the number of battery-swapping vehicles 40 in the waiting area.

[0089] Step S62, based on the status data being in the second state, the battery box 50 with low power is moved to an idle charging seat 21. The second state may include that the number of battery-swapping vehicles 40 in the waiting area is 0, the target battery box 50 is located in the charging seat 21 in the second area, the idle battery box 50 is located in the second area, and the battery box 50 with low power is located in the charging seat 21 in the first area. The status data determines that there is no battery-swapping vehicle 40 in the waiting area, so that the target battery box 50 is moved to the charging seat 21 in the second area, and the battery box 50 with less than the first set power is moved to the charging seat 21 in the first area, so that the position of the battery boxes 50 with different power levels in the charging seat 21 can be adjusted, and then when a battery-swapping vehicle 40 enters the battery-swapping area, the battery box 50 in the second area is directly moved to connect with the discharge seat 42 on the battery-swapping vehicle 40, thereby improving the battery-swapping efficiency.

[0090] In step S63 , based on moving the low-power battery box 50 to the vacant charging seat 21 , a target battery box 50 is moved to the vacant charging seat 21 .

[0091] In this embodiment, the battery replacement method further includes step S70, wherein step S70 is performed after step S30 is completed. Step S70 may include steps S71 to S76, and steps S71 to S76 may be described in detail below:

[0092] In step S71, the target battery box 50 is moved to the battery swap vehicle 40 based on the second trolley unit 34, and status data is obtained. The status data provides reference data for subsequent battery swap steps, making preparations for battery swaps in advance and improving battery swap efficiency. The status data may also include the number of battery swap vehicles 40 in the waiting area.

[0093] Step S72: Based on the state data being in the third state, a driving signal is issued to the battery-swap vehicles 40 in the waiting area, so that the battery-swap vehicles 40 in the waiting area enter the battery-swap area. The third state may include the target battery box 50 and the idle charging seat 21 being located in the second area, the target battery box 50 being located on the side of the idle charging seat 21 close to the first guide rail 311, and the number of battery-swap vehicles 40 in the waiting area being greater than 0.

[0094] Step S73, based on the low-power battery box 50 on another battery-swapping vehicle 40 in the waiting area being moved to the battery-swapping area, the second trolley unit 34 moves the low-power battery box 50 on another battery-swapping vehicle 40 toward the vacant charging seat 21, reserving space for the discharge seat 42 on the battery-swapping vehicle 40.

[0095] Step S74, based on the second trolley unit 34 moving onto the second guide rail 312, the first trolley unit 33 and the second trolley unit 34 move simultaneously from the first guide rail 311 to the second guide rail 312. Such simultaneous operation can improve the battery replacement efficiency.

[0096] In step S75, based on the second trolley unit 34 moving to the top of the idle charging seat 21, the second trolley unit 34 moves the battery box 50 into the idle charging seat 21, and moves the low-power battery box 50 to the idle charging seat 21. The low-power battery box 50 can be charged, thereby preparing for the subsequent replenishment of the battery-changing vehicle 40.

[0097] Step S76, based on the first trolley unit 33 moving to the top of the target battery box 50, the first trolley unit 33 moves the target battery box 50 to another battery-swapping vehicle 40, thereby completing the battery-swapping action on the battery-swapping vehicle 40 and providing sufficient driving range for the battery-swapping vehicle 40.

[0098] In this embodiment, the battery replacement method further includes step S80, wherein step S80 is executed after step S30 is completed, and step S80 includes steps S81 to S84. Steps S81 to S84 are described in detail below:

[0099] Step S81: Move the target battery box 50 to the battery swap vehicle 40 based on the second trolley unit 34 to obtain status data; wherein the status data may also include the number of battery swap vehicles 40 in the waiting area;

[0100] Step S82: Based on the state data being in the fourth state, a travel signal is issued to the battery-swap vehicle 40 in the waiting area, causing the battery-swap vehicle 40 in the waiting area to enter the battery-swap area. The fourth state may include the target battery box 50 and the idle charging seat 21 being located in the second area, the target battery box 50 being located on the side of the idle charging seat 21 away from the first guide rail 311, and the number of battery-swap vehicles 40 in the waiting area being greater than 0.

[0101] In step S83, based on the low-power battery box 50 on another battery-swapping vehicle 40 in the waiting area being moved to the battery-swapping area, the second trolley unit 34 moves the low-power battery box 50 on another battery-swapping vehicle 40 to an empty charging seat 21. By moving the low-power battery box 50 to the empty charging seat 21, the low-power battery box 50 can be charged, thereby preparing for the subsequent replenishment of the battery-swapping vehicle 40.

[0102] In step S84, the second trolley unit 34 moves the low-power battery box 50 on another battery-swapping vehicle 40 to the vacant charging seat 21, and the second trolley unit 34 moves the target battery box 50 to the battery-swapping vehicle 40, thereby completing the battery-swapping operation on the battery-swapping vehicle 40 and providing sufficient driving range for the battery-swapping vehicle 40.

[0103] In this embodiment, the present invention provides a battery swap system, which can be applied to any of the battery swap methods in the above embodiments, such as Figure 2 、 Figure 3 、 Figure 4 、 Figure 5 、 Figure 6 、 Figure 7 As shown, the battery swap system can include a housing assembly 10, a charging assembly 20, a transport assembly 30, a battery box 50, and a battery swap vehicle 40. The housing assembly 10 can protect the charging assembly 20, the transport assembly 30, and the battery box 50 from damage caused by the external environment. At the same time, the housing assembly 10 can also serve as a base to provide support for the charging assembly 20 and the transport assembly 30.

[0104] The charging assembly 20 may include multiple charging seats 21. The charging seats 21 can be connected to the housing assembly 10, and the multiple charging seats 21 can be arranged in sequence along the length direction of the housing assembly 10 in the space surrounded by the housing assembly 10, thereby facilitating the overall layout of the battery replacement system and providing a stable charging environment for the battery box 50.

[0105] The transport assembly 30 may include a first guide unit 31, a second guide unit 32, a first trolley unit 33, a second trolley unit 34, and a control unit. The first guide unit 31 may include a first guide rail 311, a second guide rail 312, and a third guide rail 313. The first guide rail 311, the third guide rail 313, and the second guide rail 312 are sequentially arranged along the length direction of the housing assembly 10, that is, Figure 4 From left to right, the first guide rail 311, the third guide rail 313, and the second guide rail 312 are respectively connected to the side of the housing assembly 10 away from the charging base 21, that is, Figure 3 As shown above, it better provides a moving path for the first trolley unit 33 and the second trolley unit 34, moves the battery box 50, and realizes the replacement of the battery box 50. The length direction of the first guide rail 311 and the second guide rail 312 is parallel to the length direction of the shell assembly 10, and the length direction of the third guide rail 313 is parallel to the width direction of the shell assembly 10. The second guide unit 32 is slidably connected to the third guide rail 313, and the control unit is connected to the shell assembly 10. The control unit is electrically connected to the second guide unit 32, the first trolley unit 33, and the second trolley unit 34 respectively. The control unit can obtain the status data of the battery replacement system and control the movement of the second guide unit 32, the first trolley unit 33, and the second trolley unit 34.

[0106] The second guide unit 32 may include a first operating state and a second operating state. The first operating state may include the second guide unit 32 moving along the length direction of the third guide rail 313 to one end connected to the first guide rail 311 and the other end connected to the second guide rail 312, and the first trolley unit 33 and the second trolley unit 34 respectively move back and forth on the first guide rail 311 and the second guide rail 312 through the second guide unit 32. The second operating state may include the first trolley unit 33 or the second trolley unit 34 moving onto the second guide unit 32, and the second guide unit 32 drives the first trolley unit 33 or the second trolley unit 34 to move on the third guide rail 313, and the first trolley unit 33 and the second trolley unit 34 cannot move from the first guide rail 311 to the second guide rail 312, thereby realizing the movement of the first trolley unit 33 and the second trolley unit 34 through the first operating state and the second operating state, and replacing the battery box 50 on the battery swap vehicle 40. The battery box 50 is electrically connected to the charging station 21, where A+1=B, where A is the ratio of the number of battery boxes 50 in the charging station 21 to the number of charging stations 21, and B is the number of charging stations 21. This ensures that there is always an idle charging station 21 for turnover, improving the ability of the battery swap system to operate continuously. The battery swap vehicle 40 is detachably connected and electrically connected to the battery box 50, and the transport assembly 30 is used to move the battery box 50 on the battery swap vehicle 40.

[0107] In other embodiments, the housing assembly 10 may include a charging housing 11 and a transport housing 12. The charging housing 11 is connected to the transport housing 12, the transport assembly 30 is located within the space enclosed by the transport housing 12, and the charging assembly 20 may be located within the space enclosed by the charging housing 11. The second guide unit 32 may include a fourth guide rail 321, a first drive unit 322, and a locking portion 323. The fourth guide rail 321 may be slidably connected to the third guide rail 313. The locking portion 323 may be connected to the fourth guide rail 321, and the first drive unit 322 may drive the fourth guide rail 321 to move along the length of the third guide rail 313. The locking portion 323 may lock the battery box 50 to prevent it from falling and causing damage. The charging assembly 20 also includes a charger. The charger can charge the battery box 50 via the charging base 21. The first trolley unit 33 may include a first trolley body 331, a second drive unit 332, a third drive unit 333, and a first sling 334. The first trolley 331 can be movably connected to the first guide unit 31, and the second driving part 332 can drive the first trolley 331 to move along the length direction of the housing assembly 10. The first sling 334 can be connected to the first trolley 331, and the third driving part 333 can drive the first sling 334 to move along the height direction of the battery box 50, that is, Figure 3The second trolley unit 34 may include a second trolley body 341, a fourth driving unit 342, a fifth driving unit 343, and a second sling 344. The second trolley body 341 may be movably connected to the first guide unit 31, and the fourth driving unit 342 may drive the second trolley body 341 to move along the length direction of the housing assembly 10. The second sling 344 may be connected to the second trolley body 341, and the fifth driving unit 343 may drive the second sling 344 to move along the height direction of the battery box 50, that is, Figure 3 The battery swap vehicle 40 may include a vehicle body 41 and a discharge seat 42. The vehicle body 41 may be connected to the discharge seat 42, and the discharge seat 42 may be electrically connected to the battery box 50. The battery box 50 may supply energy to the battery swap vehicle 40 through the discharge seat 42, allowing the vehicle body 41 to travel normally on the road.

[0108] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above-mentioned embodiments are specific examples for implementing the present disclosure, and that in actual applications, various changes may be made thereto in form and detail without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A battery replacement method, characterized in that: The battery replacement method includes: Obtaining status data of the battery swap system; wherein the status data includes the power level of the battery box in the charging base; Based on the fact that the status data is in the first status and the low-power battery box on the battery-swapping vehicle arrives at the battery-swapping area, the first trolley unit moves the low-power battery box on the battery-swapping vehicle to the vacant charging seat; wherein, the first status includes an vacant charging seat in the first area, and the target battery box is located on the charging seat in the second area; the target battery box includes the battery box with a power greater than the first set power; the first area includes the area where the first trolley unit moves on the first guide rail and is projected toward the charging seat, and the second area includes the area where the second trolley unit moves on the second guide rail and is projected toward the charging seat; Based on the first trolley unit, the low-power battery box on the battery-swapping vehicle is moved to the vacant charging seat, and the second trolley unit moves the target battery box to the battery-swapping vehicle; The battery replacement method further includes: Based on the second trolley unit, the target battery box is moved to the battery-swapping vehicle, and the status data is obtained; wherein the status data also includes the number of the battery-swapping vehicles in the waiting area; Based on the state data being in the third state, a driving signal is issued to the battery-swapping vehicle in the waiting area; wherein the third state includes the target battery box and the idle charging seat being respectively located in the second area, the target battery box being located on the side of the idle charging seat close to the first guide rail, and the number of battery-swapping vehicles in the waiting area being greater than 0; Based on the low-power battery box on another battery-swapping vehicle in the waiting area being moved to the battery-swapping area, the second trolley unit moves the low-power battery box on another battery-swapping vehicle toward the vacant charging seat; Based on the second trolley unit moving onto the second guide rail, the first trolley unit and the second trolley unit simultaneously move from the first guide rail to the second guide rail; Based on the second trolley unit moving to above the idle charging seat, the second trolley unit moves the battery box into the idle charging seat; Based on the first trolley unit moving to above the target battery box, the first trolley unit moves the target battery box to another battery-exchange vehicle.

2. A battery replacement method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Obtaining status data of the battery swap system includes: Based on the completion of the first acquisition of the status data of the battery swapping system, stopping the acquisition of the status data; Based on the battery swap vehicle entering the waiting area, the target battery box position in the charging seat of the battery swap system is obtained again and the last status data is updated.

3. A battery replacement method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The battery replacement method further includes: The target-based battery box is moved onto the battery-exchange vehicle, and the second guide unit drives the second trolley unit to move into the space surrounded by the shell assembly.

4. A battery replacement method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The battery replacement method further includes: Based on the second guide unit moving to the point where one end of the second guide unit is connected to the first guide rail and the other end is connected to the second guide rail, the first trolley unit or the second trolley unit moves to grasp the target battery box.

5. A battery replacement method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Based on the state data being in the first state and the battery box with low power on the battery swap vehicle arriving at the battery swap area, the first trolley unit moves the battery box with low power on the battery swap vehicle to the idle charging seat, including: Based on the state data being the first state and the battery-swapping vehicle arriving at the waiting area, the first trolley unit moves from the first guide rail to above the battery-swapping area; Based on the first trolley unit moving from the first guide rail to above the battery exchange area and the low-power battery box on the battery exchange vehicle reaching the battery exchange area, the first trolley unit moves the low-power battery box on the battery exchange vehicle to the vacant charging seat.

6. A battery replacement method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Based on the first trolley unit moving the low-power battery box on the battery-swapping vehicle to the vacant charging seat, the second trolley unit moving the target battery box to the battery-swapping vehicle includes: Based on the first trolley unit, the battery box with low power on the battery-swapping vehicle is moved to the vacant charging seat, and the second trolley unit grabs the target battery box; Based on the second trolley unit grabbing the target battery box, the second trolley unit moves the target battery box to a point where the bottom of the target battery box is higher than the top of the battery boxes in the other charging stations; Based on the second trolley unit moving the target battery box to a point where the bottom of the target battery box is higher than the top of the battery boxes in the other charging stations, the second trolley unit moves onto the second guide unit; Based on the second trolley unit moving onto the second guide unit, the second guide unit drives the second trolley unit to move on the third guide rail to above the battery swap area; Based on the second guide unit driving the second trolley unit to move on the third guide rail to above the battery exchange area, the second trolley unit moves the target battery box to the battery exchange vehicle.

7. A battery replacement method according to claim 5, characterized in that: Based on the state data being in the first state and the battery box with low power on the battery swap vehicle arriving at the battery swap area, the first trolley unit moves the battery box with low power on the battery swap vehicle to the vacant charging seat, further comprising: Based on the first trolley unit moving from the first guide rail to above the battery exchange area, the first trolley unit moves the low-power battery box on the battery exchange vehicle to the empty charging seat and the second trolley unit moves the target battery box to the end of the second guide rail close to the third guide rail.

8. A battery replacement method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The battery replacement method further includes: Based on the second trolley unit, the target battery box is moved to the battery-swapping vehicle, and the status data is obtained; wherein the status data also includes the number of the battery-swapping vehicles in the waiting area; Based on the state data being in the second state, the low-power battery box is moved to the idle charging seat; wherein the second state includes the number of battery swapping vehicles in the waiting area being 0, the target battery box being located in the charging seat in the second area, the idle battery box being located in the second area, and the low-power battery box being located in the charging seat in the first area; Based on moving the battery box with low power to the idle charging seat, a target battery box is moved to the idle charging seat.

9. A battery replacement method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The battery replacement method further includes: Based on the second trolley unit, the target battery box is moved to the battery-swapping vehicle, and the status data is obtained; wherein the status data also includes the number of the battery-swapping vehicles in the waiting area; Based on the state data being in the fourth state, a driving signal is issued to the battery-swapping vehicle in the waiting area; wherein the fourth state includes the target battery box and the idle charging seat being respectively located in the second area, the target battery box being located on a side of the idle charging seat away from the first guide rail, and the number of battery-swapping vehicles in the waiting area being greater than 0; Based on the low-power battery box on another battery-swapping vehicle in the waiting area being moved to the battery-swapping area, the second trolley unit moves the low-power battery box on another battery-swapping vehicle to the vacant charging seat; Based on the second trolley unit moving the low-power battery box on another battery-exchange vehicle to the vacant charging seat, the second trolley unit moves the target battery box to the battery-exchange vehicle.

10. A battery replacement system, characterized in that: The battery swapping system is applied to a battery swapping method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, and the battery swapping system includes: housing assembly; A charging assembly, the charging assembly comprising a plurality of charging seats connected to the housing assembly; the plurality of charging seats being sequentially arranged along the length direction of the housing assembly within the space enclosed by the housing assembly; A conveying assembly, the conveying assembly includes a first guide unit, a second guide unit, a first trolley unit, a second trolley unit, and a control unit; the first guide unit includes a first guide rail, a second guide rail, and a third guide rail; the first guide rail, the third guide rail, and the second guide rail are arranged in sequence along the length direction of the shell assembly; the first guide rail, the third guide rail, and the second guide rail are respectively connected to the side of the shell assembly away from the charging base; the length directions of the first guide rail and the second guide rail are parallel to the length direction of the shell assembly; the length direction of the third guide rail is parallel to the width direction of the shell assembly; the second guide unit is slidably connected to the third guide rail; the control unit is connected to the shell assembly; the control unit is electrically connected to the second guide unit, the first trolley unit, and the second trolley unit respectively; The second guide unit includes a first operating state and a second operating state; the first operating state includes the second guide unit moving along the length direction of the third guide rail to one end connected to the first guide rail and the other end connected to the second guide rail, and the first trolley unit and the second trolley unit respectively move back and forth on the first guide rail and the second guide rail through the second guide unit; the second operating state includes the first trolley unit or the second trolley unit moving onto the second guide unit, and the second guide unit drives the first trolley unit or the second trolley unit to move on the third guide rail, and the first trolley unit and the second trolley unit cannot move from the first guide rail to the second guide rail; A battery box, the battery box being electrically connected to the charging base; A+1=B; wherein A is the ratio of the number of battery boxes in the charging base to the number of the charging bases, and B is the number of the charging bases; A battery-swapping vehicle, wherein the battery-swapping vehicle is detachably and electrically connected to the battery box; the transport assembly is used to move the battery box on the battery-swapping vehicle.

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