Battery swap station
Through mechanical flip device and limiting components, the problem of thermal runaway batteries in the battery swap station cannot be discharged, the battery is discharged quickly and safely, and the reliability and stability of the equipment are improved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510877427.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-01-21
- Publication Date
- 2025-07-25
AI Technical Summary
The flip device of existing battery swap stations has poor stability when the battery is thermally out of control, which is prone to inability to discharge the battery due to damage to the control unit or thermally out of control, affecting the overall equipment operation.
The mechanical flip device is adopted to turn the flip frame under gravity by driving the thermal runaway battery, combining the mechanical limiting assembly and the bin limiting assembly to realize the automatic discharge of the battery.
It improves the reliability and stability of the flip device, ensures that the thermal runaway battery is discharged from the explosion-proof chamber quickly and safely, avoids potential failures of the electronic control structure, and the structure is simple and compact.
Smart Images

Figure CN120363873A_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] This is a divisional application of an invention patent with the application date of January 21, 2025, application number 202510091696.1, and title "Battery swapping station". Technical Field
[0002] The present invention belongs to the technical field of battery swapping equipment, and particularly relates to a battery swapping station. Background Art
[0003] With the development of new energy technologies, more and more vehicles use batteries as power sources. To save battery charging time, most new energy commercial vehicles such as logistics vehicles, light trucks, and electric heavy trucks adopt the form of rear push-pull battery swapping to achieve rapid energy replenishment. The driver drives the vehicle to a nearby battery swapping station for battery swapping.
[0004] The battery swapping station includes a battery storage bin for storing batteries and charging the batteries, a battery swapping device for swapping batteries of power-deficient new energy vehicles, a centering device for centering and positioning the new energy vehicles with swapped batteries, and also includes equipment such as an electrical control cabinet and a worker operation room. To facilitate the handling of thermally out-of-control batteries, an explosion-proof bin is also provided in the battery storage bin. When a thermally out-of-control battery is detected, the battery swapping device will transfer the thermally out-of-control battery in the battery storage bin to the explosion-proof bin, and the flipping device in the explosion-proof bin will flip to discharge the battery through the battery outlet into the fire extinguisher box outside the explosion-proof bin.
[0005] In the prior art, the flipping device often uses a flipping mechanism under electro-mechanical control. Such a design has poor stability. Once the control unit is damaged or the driving unit of the flipping device is damaged due to a fire caused by a thermally out-of-control battery, it will lead to the situation where the battery cannot be discharged, having a significant impact on the entire battery swapping station. Summary of the Invention
[0006] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a battery swapping station. When it is detected that a battery in the battery storage bin is thermally out of control, the battery swapping device is used to transfer the thermally out-of-control battery to the explosion-proof bin. During the process of the thermally out-of-control battery moving into the explosion-proof bin, the mechanical flipping device will contact the thermally out-of-control battery to release the mechanical limit, so that the flipping frame will drive the thermally out-of-control battery to flip towards the battery outlet and be discharged under the action of gravity.
[0007] To solve the above technical problem, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: A battery swapping station, including A battery storage bin for storing batteries and charging the batteries; An explosion-proof bin provided inside the vertical bin wall of the battery storage bin and having a battery outlet communicating with the explosion-proof bin on the bin wall; A battery swapping device for taking out the batteries in the battery storage bin and installing them on the vehicle, taking out the batteries on the vehicle and pushing them into the battery storage bin, and pushing the thermally out-of-control batteries into the explosion-proof bin; The key lies in that a turning device driven by the thermally out-of-control battery is provided in the explosion-proof bin. The turning device includes a turning frame whose bottom is hinged to the bottom of the explosion-proof bin and rotates towards the battery outlet under the action of gravity in a free state, and a limiting component that is driven by the thermally out-of-control battery moving into the explosion-proof bin to release the horizontal limit on the turning frame and make the turning frame in a free state.
[0008] Further, the turning frame limiting component includes one or more limiting plates arranged along the length direction of the turning frame, a sliding rod connected to the limiting plate, a limiting sleeve fixed on the inner side wall of the explosion-proof bin to limit the sliding rod, and a contact plate connected to the sliding rod and in contact with the thermally out-of-control battery. An avoidance groove cooperating with the limiting plate is provided on the turning frame.
[0009] Further, a fluent strip is provided on the top surface of the turning frame, and a sliding frame for carrying the thermally out-of-control battery is provided above the fluent strip.
[0010] Further, a bin door is provided at the battery outlet. The bottom of the bin door is hinged to the explosion-proof bin. A bin door limiting component for limiting the top of the bin door is provided on the explosion-proof bin. The bin door limiting component includes a lock tongue cooperating with a lock catch on the bin door, and a push plate that moves along the length direction of the explosion-proof bin after contacting the thermally out-of-control battery entering the turning frame through the battery inlet of the explosion-proof bin, causing the lock tongue to leave the lock catch. The push plate is connected to the lock tongue and is slidably limited on the explosion-proof bin.
[0011] Further, a bin door opening component is provided between the push plate and the explosion-proof bin. The bin door opening component includes a driving rod hinged to the push plate and an outer push rod hinged to the driving rod and the explosion-proof bin respectively. The outer push rod rotates outwards by the driving force of the push plate, causing the free end to move outwards and push the bin door whose limit has been released. After the bin door opens outwards, a channel is formed inside for the thermally out-of-control battery to move downwards through the inner side of the bin door to the fire box.
[0012] Further, a sliding rack is provided on one side of the fire box. After the bin door opens, the free end is lapped on the sliding rack.
[0013] Further, the battery swapping device includes a battery swapping device and a displacement device for driving the battery swapping device to move between the vehicle battery swapping position and the battery bin. The battery swapping device includes a battery swapping bracket provided with a battery temporary storage position and a battery pushing and pulling component provided on the battery swapping bracket and supporting each battery temporary storage position. The battery swapping bracket is connected to the execution end of the displacement device.
[0014] Further, the execution end of the displacement device is connected to the power swapping bracket and suspends the power swapping bracket. The displacement device includes two parallel suspension rails, a suspension rail mounting frame arranged between the suspension rails and the ground, a translation bracket limited on the two suspension rails, and a translation driving assembly for driving the translation bracket to move along the suspension rails. The power swapping bracket is connected to the translation bracket.
[0015] Further, a position adjustment device is provided between the translation bracket and the power swapping bracket. The position adjustment device includes two groups of position adjustment components symmetrically arranged on both sides in the width direction of the power swapping bracket. Each group of position adjustment components includes a first lifting driving component and a second lifting driving component that are sequentially arranged along the length direction of one side of the power swapping bracket and whose execution ends are movably connected to the power swapping bracket.
[0016] Further, a first movable connection component is provided between the execution end of the first lifting driving component and the power swapping bracket, and a second movable connection component is provided between the execution end of the second lifting driving component and the power swapping bracket. The first connection component includes a first fixed seat hinged on the power swapping bracket, a second fixed seat fixed on the execution end of the first lifting driving component, and a connecting rod hinged to the first fixed seat and the second fixed seat respectively. The second connection component includes a first connection seat hinged to the power swapping bracket, a second connection seat fixed on the execution end of the second lifting driving component, a first hinge seat hinged to the first connection seat, and a second hinge seat whose two ends are respectively hinged to the first hinge seat and the second connection seat; Or A two-way movable connection component is provided between the execution end of the first lifting driving component and the power swapping bracket and between the execution end of the second lifting driving component and the power swapping bracket. The two-way movable connection component includes a first limiting block fixed on the power swapping bracket, a second limiting block fixed on the execution end of the first lifting driving component or the execution end of the second lifting driving component, a limiting rod whose two ends respectively pass through the first limiting block and the second limiting block, a first spherical crown movable block sleeved on the end of the limiting rod and located in the limiting cavity of the first limiting block, a first nut threadedly connected to the limiting rod and limiting the first spherical crown movable block on the limiting rod, a second spherical crown movable block sleeved on the end of the limiting rod and located in the limiting cavity of the second limiting block, and a second nut threadedly connected to the limiting rod and limiting the second spherical crown movable block on the limiting rod.
[0017] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: 1. After the thermal runaway battery moves to a certain position inside the explosion-proof bin, it drives the contact plate to move synchronously, so that the limiting plate connected to the contact plate no longer limits the flipping frame. The flipping frame flips towards the battery outlet under the action of gravity to achieve the purpose of discharging the battery. A mechanical flipping structure is adopted, without an electronic control structure, with high reliability and simple structure; 2. A flow bar and a sliding frame are designed on the flipping frame, which is convenient for the thermal runaway battery to quickly move towards the battery outlet after flipping by a certain angle; 3. A mechanical bin door limiting component is designed. During the process of the thermal runaway battery moving into the explosion-proof bin, it drives the push plate to move together, so that the locking tongue leaves the lock buckle to release the limit on the bin door. The mechanical bin door unlocking structure has stable performance and high reliability; 4. A bin door opening component is designed between the push plate and the explosion-proof bin to realize the linkage of releasing the limit on the bin door, opening the bin door, releasing the limit on the flipping frame and flipping under the drive of the push plate, which is convenient for the thermal runaway battery to quickly move out from the battery outlet and improves the structural compactness of the whole device; 5. The battery swapping device is suspended above the ground and moves between several workstations such as battery swapping, battery access and battery emergency handling through a displacement device, avoiding setting tracks for the movement of the battery swapping device on the ground, making the battery swapping channel simple and orderly, and facilitating new energy commercial vehicles to drive into the battery swapping channel; 6. When a new energy commercial vehicle drives into the battery swapping channel, the front and rear centering devices in the battery swapping channel can pre-position the new energy commercial vehicle, that is, correct the position of the new energy commercial vehicle through the centering device to fix the new energy commercial vehicle at a specified position; 7. Through the lifting adjustment of the four positions of the battery swapping bracket in the height direction and the angle adjustment within a certain range, the battery swapping device is accurately docked with the new energy commercial vehicle, the battery compartment on the battery storage rack or the explosion-proof bin, which is convenient for pushing and pulling the battery; height and angle adjustments are made for the situation where the self-weight of the new energy commercial vehicle changes due to the extraction or insertion of the battery during the battery swapping process, resulting in the vehicle body rising or falling; 8. The battery swapping bracket and the position adjustment device are movably connected, which is convenient for ensuring that the battery swapping bracket and the battery can naturally maintain a horizontal state under the action of their own gravity, thus ensuring the stability of the pushing and pulling process.
[0018] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the battery swapping station of the present invention; Figure 2 is Figure 1 a three-dimensional structural diagram of Figure 3 is an installation schematic diagram of the explosion-proof bin and the battery compartment in the battery swapping station of the present invention; Figure 4 is Figure 3 a partial enlarged view of part A in Figure 5It is a schematic installation diagram of the flipping device, the door limit component and the explosion-proof bin in the present invention; Figure 6 It is Figure 5 The partial enlarged view at position B in; Figure 7 It is Figure 1 The schematic structural diagram after removing the battery bin in; Figure 8 It is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of a battery swapping device with a first movable connection component and a second movable connection component; Figure 9 It is Figure 8 The partial enlarged view at position C in; Figure 10 It is Figure 8 The partial enlarged view at position D in; Figure 11 It is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of a battery swapping device with a bidirectional movable connection component; Figure 12 It is Figure 10 The connection schematic diagram of the bidirectional movable connection component in;
[0020] In the attached drawings, 100. Battery bin, 110. Explosion-proof bin, 111. Battery outlet, 112. Door, 113. Lock catch, 114. Lock tongue, 115. Push plate, 116. Driving rod, 117. Outer push rod, 118. Fire box, 119. Sliding frame, 120. Connecting rod, 121. Limiting plate, 121-1. Limiting groove, 122. Guide pin, 123. Guide rod, 124. Sliding bracket, 125. Pushed plate, 200. Flipping frame, 200-1. Avoidance groove, 201. Limiting plate, 202. Slide bar, 203. Limiting sleeve, 204. Contact plate, 205. Flow bar, 206. Slide frame, 206-1. Limiting groove, 207. Buffer block, 300. Battery swapping bracket, 301. Battery pushing and pulling component, 302. Suspension rail, 303. Suspension rail mounting frame, 304. Translation bracket, 305. Gear, 306. Rack, 307. Translation driving motor, 308. First fixing seat, 309. Second fixing seat, 310. Link, 311. First connection seat, 312. Second connection seat, 313. First hinge seat, 314. Second hinge seat, 315. First limiting block, 316. Second limiting block, 317. Limiting rod, 318. First spherical crown movable block, 319. First nut, 320. Second spherical crown movable block, 321. Second nut, 322. Chain storage box, 323. Gear driving motor, 324. Connection bracket, 325. Bottom connection frame, 326. Pad block, A, New energy commercial vehicle; B, Battery swapping channel; C, Front wheel centering device; D, Rear wheel centering device. Detailed implementation
[0021] See the appendix Figures 1 - 12 , The present invention provides a battery swapping station, including a battery compartment 100 having a plurality of battery storage compartments for storing batteries and charging the batteries; an explosion-proof compartment 110 provided inside the vertical wall of the battery compartment 100 and having a battery outlet 111 communicating with the explosion-proof compartment 110 on the wall; a battery swapping device for taking out the batteries in the battery compartment 100 and installing them on the vehicle, taking out the batteries on the vehicle and pushing them into the battery compartment 100, and pushing the thermally out-of-control battery into the explosion-proof compartment 110; a flipping device provided in the explosion-proof compartment 110 and driven by the thermally out-of-control battery, for discharging the thermally out-of-control battery from the battery outlet 111.
[0022] Among them, the battery inlet and outlet of the battery compartment 100 and the battery inlet of the explosion-proof compartment 110 are located on the same side, so that when a thermally out-of-control battery is found, the battery swapping device can move the thermally out-of-control battery out of the battery compartment 100 and push it into the explosion-proof compartment 110.
[0023] The battery swapping device is located on one side of the battery inlet and outlet of the battery compartment 100. A battery swapping channel B is provided on one side of the battery compartment 100. The battery swapping channel B is provided with a front wheel centering device C and a rear wheel centering device D to position the new energy commercial vehicle A and facilitate the battery swapping operation of the commercial vehicle by the battery swapping device.
[0024] Embodiment 1: See the appendix Figure 3 and 5 , In this embodiment, the flipping device includes a flipping frame 200 whose bottom is hinged to the bottom of the explosion-proof compartment 110 and rotates towards the battery outlet 111 under the action of gravity in the free state, and a limiting component that is driven by the thermally out-of-control battery moving into the explosion-proof compartment 110 to release the horizontal limit on the flipping frame 200 and make the flipping frame 200 in the free state.
[0025] A hinge seat is provided at the bottom of the explosion-proof compartment 110, and the flipping frame 200 is connected to the hinge seat through a hinge shaft. The center of gravity of the flipping frame 200 is located between the hinge seat and the battery outlet 111 so that the flipping frame 200 can rotate towards the battery outlet 111 under the action of gravity after the limit is released.
[0026] The above-mentioned turnover frame limiting component includes one or more limiting plates 201 arranged along the length direction of the turnover frame 200, a slide bar 202, a limiting sleeve 203 fixed on the inner side wall of the explosion-proof bin 110 and used for limiting the slide bar 202, and a contact plate 204 connected to the slide bar 202 and contacting the thermal runaway battery to move together with the thermal runaway battery. An avoidance groove 200-1 matched with the limiting plate 201 is arranged on the turnover frame 200. Since there are multiple limiting plates 203, multiple slide bars 202 are also provided. The two ends of the slide bar 202 are respectively connected to two adjacent limiting plates 201 or respectively connected to the limiting plate 201 and the contact plate 204.
[0027] At least two groups of the slide bar 202 and the limiting sleeve 203 are arranged along the height direction of the limiting plate 201 to ensure the stable connection of the limiting plate 201. The contact plate 204 is connected to the corresponding slide bar 202 in the height direction. When the battery contacts the contact plate 204 and drives the contact plate 204 to move into the bin together, the limiting plate 201 is driven to move synchronously through the slide bar 202. When the thermal runaway battery moves into the explosion-proof bin 110 in place, the limiting plate 201 enters the avoidance groove 200-1 or is located outside the turnover frame 200, thereby releasing the limit on the turnover frame 200. Under the action of gravity, the turnover frame 200 rotates towards the battery outlet 111. The thermal runaway battery on the top surface of the turnover frame 200 slides downwards and is discharged from the explosion-proof bin 110 through the battery outlet 111 and enters the fire box 118. The control of the turnover frame 200 adopts a mechanical structure and is driven by the thermal runaway battery. Such a design has high safety and strong reliability.
[0028] Embodiment 2: Refer to the appendix Figures 3 - 5, in this embodiment, to facilitate the rapid sliding of the thermal runaway battery from the flipping frame 200 to the battery outlet 111. A flow bar 205 is provided on the top surface of the flipping frame 200, and a carriage 206 for carrying the thermal runaway battery and limited to the flow bar 205 is provided above the flow bar 205. By designing the flow bar 205, the resistance during the movement of the carriage 206 and the battery towards the battery outlet 111 can be reduced. Multiple groups of flow bars 205 are arranged along the length direction of the flipping frame 200, and a plurality of limiting grooves 206-1 are provided in a matching manner at the bottom of the carriage 206. Both sides of the flow bar 205 are located within the limiting grooves 206-1 to limit the carriage 206, and the pulleys thereon support the carriage 206, so as to ensure that the carriage 206 will not move along with the battery when the battery moves onto the carriage 206 and does not limit the movement of the carriage 206 towards the battery outlet 111 after the flipping frame 16 flips. The process of the thermal runaway battery entering the explosion-proof chamber 110 is the process of entering the carriage 206. The flow bar 205 forms a rolling fit with the rollers on the flow bar 205 during the flipping process of the flipping frame 200, so that the carriage 206 and the thermal runaway battery thereon quickly slide towards the battery outlet 111 and are discharged together through the battery outlet 111 and enter the fire box 118.
[0029] Embodiment Three: Refer to the appendix Figure 5 , in this embodiment, a buffer block 207 matching the flipping frame 200 is provided at the bottom of the explosion-proof chamber 110, which plays a role of buffering and limiting when one side of the flipping frame 200 rotates to the bottom of the chamber.
[0030] Embodiment Four: Refer to the appendix Figures 1 - 6 , in this embodiment, a chamber door 112 is provided at the battery outlet 111 to close the battery outlet 111 when there is no thermal runaway battery, making the entire battery chamber 100 beautiful. The bottom of the chamber door 112 is hinged to the explosion-proof chamber 110 through a hinge, and a chamber door limiting component for limiting the top of the chamber door 112 and driven by the thermal runaway battery is provided on the explosion-proof chamber 110.
[0031] The chamber door limiting component includes a locking tongue 114 matching the lock catch 113 on the chamber door 112 and a push plate 115 that moves along the length direction of the explosion-proof chamber 110 after contacting the thermal runaway battery entering the flipping frame 200 through the battery inlet of the explosion-proof chamber 110, causing the locking tongue 114 to leave the lock catch 113. The push plate 115 is connected to the locking tongue 114 and is slidably limited on the explosion-proof chamber 110.
[0032] Multiple groups of the lock catch 113 and the matching locking tongue 114 are arranged along the length direction of the chamber door 112, and all the locking tongues 114 are connected to a connecting rod 120 limited on the explosion-proof chamber 110. One end of the connecting rod 120 extends to a position close to the battery inlet, so as to facilitate pulling the connecting rod 120 when the chamber door 112 is reset to move the locking tongue 114 and re-impose the limit on it.
[0033] To enable the stable horizontal movement of the lock tongue 114, a limit plate 121 with a guiding and limiting groove 121-1 is provided on the explosion-proof bin 110. The lock tongue 114 is located outside the limit plate 121 and is connected to a connecting rod 120 located inside the limit plate 121 by means of a guiding pin 122 passing through the guiding and limiting groove 121-1.
[0034] To enable the stable movement of the push plate 115, a guiding rod 123 and a sliding bracket 124 slidably limited on the guiding rod 123 are provided inside the explosion-proof bin 110. The push plate 115 is fixed on the sliding bracket 124, and the connecting rod 120 is connected to the sliding bracket 124.
[0035] In this embodiment, the limiting and release of the limit of the bin door 112 adopt a mechanical structure. When the battery swapping device pushes the thermally out-of-control battery into the bin through the battery inlet 111, after the battery moves a certain distance, it will contact the push plate 115 and push the push plate 115 to move in place together with the battery. During this process, the lock tongue 114 moves horizontally and leaves the lock catch 113, thereby realizing the release of the limit of the bin door 112.
[0036] The driving of the bin door limiting component and the flipping device by the thermally out-of-control battery can be synchronous driving or first driving to release the limit of the bin door 112 and then driving to release the limit of the flipping frame 200. After the bin door 112 is pushed open by the thermally out-of-control battery sliding towards the battery outlet 111, it flips outwards to open the battery outlet, and then the thermally out-of-control battery slides from the battery outlet 111 into the fire protection box 118 filled with water.
[0037] Example Five: Refer to the appendix Figure 5 and 6 , in this embodiment, a bin door opening component is further provided between the push plate 115 and the explosion-proof bin 110. The bin door opening component includes a driving rod 116 hinged to the push plate 115 and an outer push rod 117 hinged to the driving rod 116 and the explosion-proof bin 110 respectively. The outer push rod 117 rotates outwards by the driving force of the push plate 115 to move the free end outwards and push the bin door 112 whose limit has been released. After the bin door 112 opens outwards, a channel is formed inside the bin door 112 for the thermally out-of-control battery to move downwards to the fire protection box 118. A pushed plate 125 in contact with the outer end of the outer push rod 117 is provided on the bin door 112.
[0038] A sliding rack 119 is provided on one side of the fire protection box 118. After the bin door 112 opens, the free end is lapped on the sliding rack 119. Fluent strips are provided on both the inner side of the bin door 112 and the sliding rack 119 to facilitate the battery to enter the fire protection box 12 through the bin door 112 and the sliding rack 119.
[0039] After the thermally out-of-control battery is removed from the explosion-proof bin 110, the bin door limiting component and the flipping device are reset manually.
[0040] Embodiment Six: Refer to the appendix Figure 1 and 2 Figures 7 and 8. In this embodiment, the battery swapping device includes a battery swapping unit and a displacement device for driving the battery swapping unit to move between the vehicle battery swapping position and the battery compartment 100. The battery swapping unit includes a swapping bracket 300 provided with battery temporary storage positions and battery pushing / pulling assemblies 301 arranged on the swapping bracket 300 and provided for each battery temporary storage position. The swapping bracket 300 is connected to the execution end of the displacement device.
[0041] There are 2 battery temporary storage positions on the swapping bracket 300, and each battery temporary storage position is equipped with a battery pushing / pulling assembly 301. During battery swapping, one battery temporary storage position is used to store fully charged batteries, and the other is empty to store discharged batteries.
[0042] The execution end of the above displacement device is connected to the swapping bracket 300 and suspends the swapping bracket 300. The displacement device includes two parallel suspension rails 302, a suspension rail mounting bracket 303 arranged between the suspension rails 302 and the ground, a translation bracket 304 limited on the two suspension rails 302, and a translation driving assembly for driving the translation bracket 304 to move along the suspension rails 302. The swapping bracket 300 is connected to the translation bracket 304. The translation driving assembly includes a translation driving motor 307 fixed on the translation bracket 304, a gear 305 fixed on the driving end of the translation driving motor 307, and a rack 306 fixed on the suspension rail 302 and meshing with the gear 305. There are slide rails on the suspension rail 302 and sliders matching the slide rails are arranged on the translation bracket 304 to realize the stable movement of the translation bracket 304.
[0043] By suspending the swapping bracket 300, it is possible to avoid the damage to the battery swapping channel caused by designing a conventional guide rail walking structure and the deformation of the guide rail walking structure after long-term use, and it also facilitates the passage of vehicles and the layout and installation of various devices.
[0044] Embodiment Seven: Refer to the appendix Figures 7 - 10 , which is different from Embodiment Six. In this embodiment, a position adjustment device is provided between the translation bracket 304 and the swapping bracket 300. The position adjustment device includes two groups of position adjustment components symmetrically arranged on both sides in the width direction of the swapping bracket 300. Each group of position adjustment components includes a first lifting driving component and a second lifting driving component arranged in sequence along the length direction of one side of the swapping bracket 300, and the execution ends of both are movably connected to the swapping bracket 300. Among them, the first lifting driving component is close to the battery inlet / outlet of the battery compartment 100, and the second lifting driving component is far from the battery inlet / outlet of the battery compartment 100.
[0045] A first movable connection component is provided between the execution end of the first lifting driving component and the swapping bracket 300, and a second movable connection component is provided between the execution end of the second lifting driving component and the swapping bracket 300.
[0046] The first connection component includes a first fixed seat 308 hinged to the battery swapping support 300, a second fixed seat 309 fixed to the execution end of the first lifting drive component, and a connecting rod 310 hinged to the first fixed seat 308 and the second fixed seat 309 respectively.
[0047] The second connection component includes a first connection seat 311 hinged to the battery swapping support 300, a second connection seat 312 fixed to the execution end of the second lifting drive component, a first hinge seat 313 hinged to the first connection seat 311, and a second hinge seat 314 with two ends respectively hinged to the first hinge seat 313 and the second connection seat 312.
[0048] In the two connection components of this embodiment, the structures of the first fixed seat 308 and the first connection seat 311, and the second fixed seat 309 and the second connection seat 312 are the same. The difference lies in the connection manner formed by the connecting rod 310, the first hinge seat 313 and the second hinge seat 314. Such a design can not only enable the battery swapping support 300 to lift, swing left and right, and pitch forward and backward within a preset angle range under the drive of the lifting drive component, so that the battery temporary storage position on the battery swapping support 300 is aligned with the commercial vehicle or the battery storage bin; but also reduce the relative position movement between the battery swapping support 300 and the lifting drive component when the battery enters the battery swapping support 300, making the process of the battery entering and leaving the battery swapping support 300 stable.
[0049] Both the above-mentioned first lifting drive component and the second lifting drive component include a rigid chain, a chain storage box 322 for storing the rigid chain, a drive gear and a supporting gear drive motor 323 arranged on the chain storage box 322 and driving the rigid chain to move. The battery swapping support 300 is located below the drive end of the rigid chain and is movably connected to the drive end. The use of a rigid chain drive takes advantage of the strong load-bearing characteristic of the rigid chain, and also facilitates the chain storage box 322 of the rigid chain to be used as the column of the entire adjustment device, reducing the number of components. The above-mentioned lifting drive component can also adopt a gear-rack structure driven by a motor, an electric cylinder, a chain and other devices that can achieve linear drive. The tops of all the chain storage boxes 322 are connected to the translation support 304. A connection bracket 324 is provided between two chain storage boxes 322 in the same group of position adjustment components to realize the connection and positioning between them. A bottom connection frame 325 is provided at the bottom of the two groups of position adjustment components. The four lifting drive components are connected through the translation support 304, the connection bracket 324 and the bottom connection frame 325 to form an integral structure.
[0050] Embodiment Eight: Refer to the appendix Figures 11 - 12, different from Embodiment 7, to achieve active connection, in this embodiment, a bidirectional active connection assembly is provided between the execution end of the first lifting drive component and the power exchange support 300, and between the execution end of the second lifting drive component and the power exchange support 300. The bidirectional active connection assembly includes a first limit block 315 fixed on the power exchange support 300, a second limit block 316 fixed on the execution end of the first lifting drive component or the execution end of the second lifting drive component, a limit rod 317 with both ends passing through the first limit block 315 and the second limit block 316 respectively, a first spherical crown movable block 318 sleeved on the end of the limit rod 317 and located in the limit cavity of the first limit block 315, a first nut 319 threadedly connected to the limit rod 317 and limiting the first spherical crown movable block 318 on the limit rod 317, a second spherical crown movable block 320 sleeved on the end of the limit rod 317 and located in the limit cavity of the second limit block 316, and a second nut 321 threadedly connected to the limit rod 317 and limiting the second spherical crown movable block 320 on the limit rod 317.
[0051] In both the limit cavity of the first limit block 315 and the limit cavity of the second limit block 316, there is a cushion block 326 that cooperates with the first spherical crown movable block 318 or the second spherical crown movable block 320. The cushion block 326 is limited in the cavity by a snap ring for hole.
[0052] In this embodiment, a four-bar linkage structure is formed among the power exchange support 300, the two limit rods 317 in each group of position adjustment components, and the lifting drive component, and the connections are all spherical hinge structures that can rotate within a certain range. Through the drive of 4 lifting drive components, the power exchange support 300 can be lifted within the height range and swing left and right and pitch forward and backward within a preset angle range, so that the battery temporary storage position on the power exchange support 300 is aligned with the commercial vehicle or the battery storage bin.
[0053] Taking Embodiment 8 as an example, the power exchange process of the power exchange station of the present invention is as follows.
[0054] In the initial state, the power exchange device is located on one side of the battery entrance and exit of the battery bin 100 so that the new energy commercial vehicle A to be powered exchanged can drive into the power exchange channel B and stop at the power exchange position.
[0055] One battery temporary storage position of the power exchange device stores a fully charged battery, and the other has no battery. When the commercial vehicle travels to the designated area in the channel, the front wheel centering device C and the rear wheel centering device D will push and clamp the front and rear wheels of the vehicle to automatically fix the commercial vehicle at the power exchange position required by the power exchange device for subsequent power exchange.
[0056] While the front wheel alignment device C and the rear wheel alignment device D fix the commercial vehicle during the front wheel pair, the displacement device drives the battery swapping device to move to the tail of the new energy commercial vehicle A, and automatically scans the tail of the commercial vehicle after the commercial vehicle is fixed. It calculates and adjusts the vertical height and the left-right, front-back deflection angles of the battery swapping device through the displacement device and the position adjustment device so that the battery temporary storage position without a battery is flush with the bottom of the battery compartment of the commercial vehicle. The supporting battery push-pull assembly 301 pulls the discharged battery in the commercial vehicle into the current battery temporary storage position; then, by adjusting the height of the battery swapping device up or down, the fully charged battery is aligned with the battery compartment of the commercial vehicle, and the supporting battery push-pull assembly 301 pushes the fully charged battery into the battery compartment of the commercial vehicle, thus completing the battery swapping.
[0057] After the battery swapping is completed, the front wheel alignment device C and the rear wheel alignment device D that receive the signal release the vehicle limit, and the vehicle can drive out of the channel. The displacement device and the position adjustment device drive the battery temporary storage position with the discharged battery in the battery swapping device to move to one side of the battery storage bin without a battery in the battery compartment 100. The supporting battery push-pull assembly 301 pushes the discharged battery into the battery storage bin for charging. At this time, all the battery temporary storage positions in the battery swapping device have no batteries; then, the displacement device and the position adjustment device drive any battery temporary storage position in the battery swapping device to move to the side of the battery compartment entrance and exit with the fully charged battery in the battery compartment 100, and the supporting battery push-pull assembly 301 pulls the fully charged battery into the battery temporary storage position to prepare for the next battery swapping.
[0058] During the battery swapping process, due to the change in the self-weight of the new energy commercial vehicle A caused by the extraction or insertion of the battery of the new energy commercial vehicle A, which makes the vehicle body rise or fall, the position adjustment device can adjust the height and / or angle of the battery swapping bracket 300 to ensure the smooth progress of the battery swapping.
[0059] The battery emergency handling process of the battery swapping station of the present invention is as follows: When it is found that the battery has a thermal runaway, the displacement device and the position adjustment device drive the battery swapping device to quickly move to one side of the thermally runaway battery, and then the battery push-pull assembly 301 pulls the thermally runaway battery out of the battery compartment 100 and into the empty battery temporary storage position; the displacement device and the position adjustment device drive the battery swapping device to quickly move to the battery entrance side of the explosion-proof bin 110, and then the battery push-pull assembly 301 pushes the thermally runaway battery into the explosion-proof bin 110. After the thermally runaway battery moves a certain distance into the bin, it will push the push plate 115 and the contact plate 204 to move inward synchronously and reach the position. During this process, the limit on the bin door 112 will be released, and the top of the bin door 112 will be pushed outward by the outer push rod 117 to quickly open and then rest on the sliding rack 119 after closing the battery outlet 111. The limit on the flipping rack 200 will be released, causing it to flip towards the battery outlet 111. The thermally runaway battery and the sliding rack 206 below it will quickly move towards the battery outlet 111 and finally fall into the fire box 118.
[0060] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that: it is still possible to modify the specific implementation manners of the present invention or perform equivalent replacements for some technical features; without departing from the spirit of the technical solutions of the present invention, they should all be covered within the scope of the technical solutions claimed by the present invention.
Claims
1. A battery swapping station, comprising a battery compartment (100) for storing batteries and charging the batteries; an explosion-proof compartment (110) arranged inside the vertical compartment wall of the battery compartment (100), and a battery outlet (111) communicating with the explosion-proof compartment (110) is provided on the compartment wall; a battery swapping device for taking out the batteries in the battery compartment (100) and installing them on the vehicle, taking out the batteries on the vehicle and pushing them into the battery compartment (100), and pushing the thermally runaway battery into the explosion-proof compartment (110); It is characterized in that: a flipping device driven by the thermally runaway battery is arranged in the explosion-proof compartment (110), the flipping device includes a flipping frame (200) whose bottom is hinged to the bottom of the explosion-proof compartment (110) and rotates towards the battery outlet (111) under the action of gravity in the free state, and a limiting component driven by the thermally runaway battery moving into the explosion-proof compartment (110) to release the horizontal limit of the flipping frame (200) and make the flipping frame (200) in the free state; the limiting component includes one or more limiting plates (201) arranged along the length direction of the flipping frame (200), a sliding rod (202), a limiting sleeve (203) fixed on the inner side wall of the explosion-proof compartment (110) and limiting the sliding rod (202), and a contact plate (204) connected to the sliding rod (202) and in contact with the thermally runaway battery. An avoidance groove (200-1) matching with the limiting plate (201) is arranged on the flipping frame (200), and two ends of the sliding rod (202) are respectively connected to two adjacent limiting plates (201) or respectively connected to the limiting plate (201) and the contact plate (204); a compartment door (112) is arranged at the battery outlet (111), the bottom of the compartment door (112) is hinged to the explosion-proof compartment (110), and a compartment door limiting component for limiting the top of the compartment door (112) is arranged on the explosion-proof compartment (110). The compartment door limiting component includes a locking tongue (114) matching with a lock catch (113) on the compartment door (112), and a push plate (115) which moves along the length direction of the explosion-proof compartment (110) after contacting the thermally runaway battery entering the flipping frame (200) through the battery inlet of the explosion-proof compartment (110) to make the locking tongue (114) leave the lock catch (113). The push plate (115) is connected to the locking tongue (114) and is slidably limited on the explosion-proof compartment (110); the thermally runaway battery synchronously drives or first drives to release the limit of the compartment door (112) and then drives to release the limit of the flipping frame (200). After the compartment door (112) is pushed open by the thermally runaway battery sliding towards the battery outlet (111) and turns outwards to open the battery outlet, the thermally runaway battery then slides out from the battery outlet (111) into a fire protection box (118) filled with water.
2. The battery swapping station according to claim 1, wherein: A fluent strip (205) is arranged on the top surface of the flipping frame (200), and a sliding frame (206) for carrying the thermally runaway battery and limited on the fluent strip (205) is arranged above the fluent strip (205).
3. The battery swapping station according to claim 1, wherein: On one side of the fire box (118), a sliding rack (119) is provided, and the free end of the warehouse door (112) is lapped on the sliding rack (119) after being opened.
4. The battery swapping station according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: The battery swapping device includes a battery swapping unit and a displacement device for driving the battery swapping unit to move between the vehicle battery swapping position and the battery compartment (100). The battery swapping unit includes a battery swapping bracket (300) provided with a battery temporary storage position and a battery pushing and pulling assembly (301) arranged on the battery swapping bracket (300) and configured for each battery temporary storage position. The battery swapping bracket (300) is connected to the execution end of the displacement device.
5. The battery swapping station according to claim 4, characterized in that: The execution end of the displacement device is connected to the battery swapping bracket (300) and suspends the battery swapping bracket (300). The displacement device includes two parallel suspension rails (302), a suspension rail mounting bracket (303) arranged between the suspension rails (302) and the ground, a translation bracket (304) limited on the two suspension rails (302), and a translation driving assembly for driving the translation bracket (304) to move along the suspension rails (302). The battery swapping bracket (300) is connected to the translation bracket (304).
6. The battery swapping station according to claim 5, wherein: A position adjusting device is provided between the translation bracket (304) and the battery swapping bracket (300). The position adjusting device includes two groups of position adjusting components symmetrically arranged on both sides in the width direction of the battery swapping bracket (300). Each group of position adjusting components includes a first lifting driving member and a second lifting driving member arranged in sequence along the length direction of one side of the battery swapping bracket (300), and the execution ends of both are movably connected to the battery swapping bracket (300).
7. The battery swapping station according to claim 6, wherein: A first movable connection assembly is provided between the execution end of the first lifting driving member and the battery swapping bracket (300), and a second movable connection assembly is provided between the execution end of the second lifting driving member and the battery swapping bracket (300). The first movable connection assembly includes a first fixed seat (308) hinged to the battery swapping bracket (300), a second fixed seat (309) fixed to the execution end of the first lifting driving member, and a connecting rod (310) respectively hinged to the first fixed seat (308) and the second fixed seat (309). The second movable connection assembly includes a first connection seat (311) hinged to the battery swapping bracket (300), a second connection seat (312) fixed to the execution end of the second lifting driving member, a first hinge seat (313) hinged to the first connection seat (311), and a second hinge seat (314) with both ends respectively hinged to the first hinge seat (313) and the second connection seat (312); Or A two-way movable connection assembly is provided between the execution end of the first lifting drive component and the power swapping bracket (300), and between the execution end of the second lifting drive component and the power swapping bracket (300). The two-way movable connection assembly includes a first limit block (315) fixed on the power swapping bracket (300), a second limit block (316) fixed on the execution end of the first lifting drive component or the execution end of the second lifting drive component, a limit rod (317) with two ends respectively passing through the first limit block (315) and the second limit block (316), a first spherical crown movable block (318) sleeved on the end of the limit rod (317) and located in the limit cavity of the first limit block (315), a first nut (319) threadedly connected to the limit rod (317) and limiting the first spherical crown movable block (318) on the limit rod (317), a second spherical crown movable block (320) sleeved on the end of the limit rod (317) and located in the limit cavity of the second limit block (316), and a second nut (321) threadedly connected to the limit rod (317) and limiting the second spherical crown movable block (320) on the limit rod (317).