Battery replacement station and battery replacement method

Abstract

The invention provides a battery replacement table and a battery replacement method. In order to efficiently take out and replace a target battery among a plurality of batteries stacked separately from each other, the plurality of batteries are temporarily accommodated. The battery replacement table takes out a plurality of batteries from a power supply device and temporarily accommodates the batteries in order to replace the batteries in a state in which the batteries are stacked separately from each other. The battery replacement table is provided with mounting parts on which the batteries are mounted, and an adjusting part for adjusting the distance between adjacent mounting parts in the height direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a battery replacement station and a battery replacement method. Background Technology

[0002] One possible destination for reusing vehicle batteries is a stationary power supply. In the case of a stationary power supply that reuses vehicle batteries to achieve high power capacity, the housing of the stationary power supply needs to accommodate multiple vehicle batteries at a high mounting density. On the other hand, as the mounting density of vehicle batteries increases, the space remaining within the housing of the stationary power supply decreases. Therefore, there are methods that involve removing the multiple mounted vehicle batteries from the housing together and then replacing each battery individually.

[0003] Patent document 1 discloses a battery tray in which a battery module for storing a battery has support protrusions at both ends of an opposing face. The support protrusions fit into the cutouts of the frame to fix the battery module.

[0004] [Existing Technical Documents]

[0005] [Patent Literature]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-161464 Summary of the Invention

[0007] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0008] The battery pack described in Patent Document 1, even with a multi-layered battery arrangement, can suppress the increase in the number of components and minimize the space used for the structural mechanism. However, it does not disclose a method for replacing multiple batteries arranged in a high density at the same time. Therefore, when replacing multiple batteries at the same time, the battery pack described in Patent Document 1 cannot efficiently replace the target battery among the removed batteries.

[0009] In view of the above-mentioned problems, this disclosure provides a battery replacement table and a battery replacement method for efficiently removing and replacing an object battery from a plurality of batteries that are stacked separately from each other.

[0010] Methods for solving problems

[0011] One aspect of this disclosure relates to a battery replacement station that is used to remove and temporarily store multiple batteries from a power supply device for replacement in a state where multiple batteries are stacked separately from each other. The battery replacement station includes: a mounting section for mounting each of the batteries; and an adjustment section for adjusting the distance between adjacent mounting sections in the height direction.

[0012] In the aforementioned battery replacement station, the battery can also be a vehicle battery.

[0013] In the aforementioned battery replacement station, the power supply unit may have an outlet at the front, and the batteries may be arranged inside the power supply unit in a manner in which a portion of the batteries are alternately offset in the direction of the front and the direction of the back opposite the front.

[0014] In the aforementioned battery replacement station, at least one end of at least one of the multiple batteries may have different thicknesses, and at least one of the multiple batteries may interfere with at least one of the adjacent other batteries or the housing of the power supply unit when it is removed from the power supply unit.

[0015] One aspect of this disclosure relates to a battery replacement method comprising: removing a plurality of batteries from a power supply device to a battery replacement station in a stacked state where each battery is separated from the others; increasing the distance between the mounting portions of the battery replacement station that mount each of the batteries; and removing and replacing the batteries from the increased space of the mounting portions.

[0016] Invention Effects

[0017] According to this disclosure, a battery replacement table and a battery replacement method are provided for temporarily housing an object battery in a plurality of batteries that are stacked separately from each other, in order to efficiently remove and replace the object battery. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a configuration diagram of the power supply device according to Embodiment 1;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a first schematic diagram of the battery replacement method according to Embodiment 1;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the battery replacement station according to Embodiment 1.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a migration diagram of the adjustment section in Embodiment 1.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a second schematic diagram of the battery replacement method according to Embodiment 1;

[0023] Figure 6 This is a process diagram of the battery replacement method according to Embodiment 1. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The present invention will now be described through embodiments thereof, but the invention as defined in the claims is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, not all structures described in the embodiments are necessarily necessary means to solve the problem. For clarity of description, the following descriptions and drawings have been appropriately omitted and simplified. In addition, in the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same elements, and repeated descriptions are omitted as necessary.

[0025] <Implementation Method 1>

[0026] Reference Figure 1 Description of Embodiment 1 according to this disclosure. Figure 1 This is a configuration diagram of the power supply device 1 according to Embodiment 1. The power supply device 1 houses multiple batteries 11 in a battery housing 10, functioning as a stationary power source. The power supply device 1 can be used, for example, as an regulator for unstable power supply or as a backup emergency power source. The power supply device 1 includes the battery housing 10, batteries 11, and a cooling unit 15 as its main structures. Furthermore, in this disclosure, the left-right direction of the power supply device 1 is designated as the X direction (not shown), the height direction as the Y direction, and the depth direction as the Z direction.

[0027] The battery housing 10 is a housing for housing the battery 11. The battery housing 10 has multiple mounting spaces for housing the battery. Each of the multiple mounting spaces houses the battery 11. Furthermore, the battery housing 10 has a battery outlet 101 at its front. The mounting spaces are formed by alternating layers on the front side (+Z direction) near the outlet 101 and the rear side (-Z direction) away from the outlet 101. Therefore, as... Figure 1 As indicated by the hollow arrow, the battery 11 can be removed by moving it toward the front access port 101. However, due to space limitations, the access port 101 cannot be provided on the rear side of the battery housing 10.

[0028] The battery housing 10 has multiple mounting spaces. Figure 1 In this design, the battery housing 10 has five mounting spaces on the front side and four mounting spaces on the rear side. The lowest mounting space is formed on the front side, and mounting spaces are formed by alternating layers on the upper part of the lower housing with those on the rear and front sides. Furthermore, in... Figure 1 The interior has nine compartments, with the top compartment located on the front side.

[0029] Multiple batteries 11 are mounted in the power supply unit 1 and used as a power source. Batteries 11 are, for example, vehicle batteries. Here, the vehicle battery can also be a reusable battery. Battery 11 has a front-side battery 12 and a rear-side battery 13. The front-side battery 12 is mounted in the mounting space on the front side of the battery mounting housing 10. The rear-side battery 13 is mounted in the mounting space on the rear side of the battery mounting housing 10. The front-side battery 12 and the rear-side battery 13 are of the same type. The front-side battery 12 and the rear-side battery 13 can also be of different types.

[0030] The battery 11 has an interference portion 111. When the rear-side battery 13 is removed from the outlet 101 of the battery housing 10, the interference portion 111 interferes with the front-side battery 12 or the battery housing 10. Therefore, in the related art, when removing the rear-side battery 13, it is necessary to first remove the adjacent front-side battery 12.

[0031] Interference part 111 is, for example, as follows Figure 1 The portion showing the increased thickness at the end of the battery 11 is illustrated. To increase the mounting density of the batteries 11, the battery housing 10 stacks mounting spaces with interference portions 111 offset from the overlapping portions of the batteries 11. Therefore, within the battery housing 10, the batteries 11 are arranged such that the interference portions 111 of the front-side battery 12 and the rear-side battery 13 protrude from their overlapping portions toward the front and rear sides, respectively. Furthermore, a large portion of the front-side battery 12 overlaps with a large portion of the rear-side battery 13. Thus, even when the battery housing 10 mounts multiple batteries 11, the mounting area can be reduced.

[0032] In this case, to increase the mounting density, the separation distance in the height direction of the overlapping portions of the batteries 11 is shorter than the thickness increment of the interference portion 111. Therefore, the rear-side battery 13 interferes with the adjacent front-side batteries 12 when removed from the outlet 101. Specifically, the rear-side battery 13 interferes with the interference portion 111 of the lower adjacent front-side battery 12. Furthermore, the interference portion 111 of the rear-side battery 13 interferes with the upper adjacent front-side battery 12. Therefore, in the related art, when removing the rear-side battery 13, it is necessary to first remove the upper and lower adjacent front-side batteries 12.

[0033] Furthermore, even when the battery 11 does not have the interference portion 111, it is difficult to remove the rear battery 13 from the high-density battery housing 10 without removing the front battery 12. Similarly, even when the separation distance in the height direction of the overlapping portion of the batteries 11 is longer than the thickness increment of the interference portion 111, it is difficult to remove the rear battery 13 from the high-density battery housing 10 without removing the front battery 12. In related technologies, in order to reduce the possibility of breakage caused by interference, it is required to remove the adjacent front batteries 12 first and then remove the rear battery 13.

[0034] The cooling unit 15 manages the temperature of the power supply unit 1. More specifically, the cooling unit 15 suppresses the temperature rise of the battery 11. In addition, it heats the battery 11 when the temperature is low.

[0035] Here, when replacing the rear battery 13 of the power supply unit 1, the battery replacement method of removing the rear battery 13 after removing the adjacent front batteries 12 involves many steps and is inefficient. Therefore, the battery replacement method of Embodiment 1 includes the step of removing the rear battery 13 and the front batteries 12 together and placing them on the battery replacement table 2. By replacing the replacement battery 11 from the battery replacement table 2, the step of removing multiple batteries 11 from the power supply unit 1 separately can be reduced.

[0036] Figure 2 This is a first schematic diagram of the battery replacement method according to Embodiment 1. Figure 2 This indicates that the rear-side battery 13 and the front-side battery 12 are collected from the power supply unit 1 and brought to the battery replacement station 2. Figure 2 In this embodiment, three batteries 11, including the bottommost front battery 12 of the power supply unit 1, are stacked separately from each other and removed from the power supply unit 1 for replacement and temporarily stored in the battery replacement station 2. The battery replacement method of this embodiment uses the battery replacement station 2 and the working equipment 30.

[0037] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the battery replacement station 2 according to Embodiment 1. The battery replacement station 2 houses multiple batteries 11 taken from the power supply unit 1 in a stacked state with each battery separated from the others. The battery replacement station 2 includes a mounting section 21 and an adjustment section 22. By temporarily housing multiple batteries 11 in the battery replacement station 2, the process of moving the front battery 12 separately when removing the rear battery 13 can be eliminated.

[0038] The mounting section 21 carries each battery 11 removed from the power supply unit 1. The mounting section 21 can be individually detached from the battery changing table 2 and moved. The mounting section 21 is also referred to as a sub-cart. The adjusting section 22 adjusts the distance between adjacent mounting sections 21 in the height direction (+Y direction). The adjusting section can be, for example, a lifting bolt. A hydraulic jack, motor, or the like can also be used for the adjusting section.

[0039] The battery changing station 2 has two forms: a first form before height adjustment and a second form after height adjustment. The battery changing station 2 can also transition between these two forms, using an intermediate form as an option.

[0040] Figure 3 The left side represents the first configuration of the battery replacement station 2. This first configuration houses multiple batteries 11 removed from the power supply unit 1, stacked separately from each other. In this first configuration, the spacing of the mounting sections 21 in the height direction (+Y direction) is set to a first distance L1. The battery replacement station 2 in this first configuration houses multiple batteries 11 with a high mounting density. Furthermore, in... Figure 3 In the first form of the battery replacement station 2, the adjustment part 22 is minimized and is therefore represented as a line.

[0041] The first distance L1 is shorter than the thickness of the battery 11 including the interference portion 111. Therefore, in the battery replacement station 2 of the first embodiment, when the back side battery 13 is removed to the front side, the back side battery 13 interferes with the front side battery 12.

[0042] Figure 3 The right side represents the second configuration of the battery replacement station 2. This second configuration is for individually removing the battery 11 to be replaced from the battery replacement station 2. In this second configuration, the spacing of the mounting portions 21 in the height direction (+Y direction) is set to a second distance L2. The second distance L2 is longer than the first distance L1. Therefore, compared to the first configuration, the battery mounting density of the battery replacement station 2 in the second configuration is reduced. Furthermore, in... Figure 3 In the second form of the battery replacement station 2, the adjustment unit 22 is extended in the height direction (+Y direction), which is represented by a diagonal area.

[0043] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the height spacing between the mounting sections 21 is inconsistent with the height spacing of the batteries 11 disposed within the power supply unit 1. Therefore, the battery changing station 2 of the second embodiment cannot accommodate multiple batteries 11 removed from the power supply unit 1 in a stacked, separate manner. Additionally, because the lower part of the battery changing station 2 and the insertion section 31 of the working device 30 interfere with the ground, it is also impossible to individually remove multiple batteries 11 from the power supply unit 1 using the battery changing station 2 of the second embodiment. Details of the insertion section 31 of the working device 30 will be described later.

[0044] The second distance L2 is longer than the thickness of the battery 11, including the interference portion 111. Therefore, in the battery replacement station 2 of the second configuration, when the rear-side battery 13 is removed to the front side, the rear-side battery 13 does not interfere with the front-side battery 12. As a result, the rear-side battery 13 can be removed and replaced from between the adjusted mounting portions 21. Therefore, battery replacement operations can be performed efficiently.

[0045] Refer again Figure 2 The working device 30 is used for battery replacement operations. The working device 30 is, for example, a forklift. The working device 30 has an insertion part 31 that is raised and inserted into the lower part of the battery replacement station 2 or the mounting section 21. The insertion part 31 is, for example, the forklift's claw. The insertion part 31 may also be the forklift's claw equipped with an extension device called a front fork.

[0046] Figure 4 This is a migration diagram of the adjustment unit 22 in Embodiment 1. Figure 4 The change in the behavior of the adjusting part 22 is shown from the front side. Here, the adjusting part 22 is a lifting bolt. Furthermore, Figure 4 This is an enlarged view of the area near the adjustment section 22 at the right end of the battery replacement station 2. Therefore, only the right ends of the front-side battery 12 and the rear-side battery 13 are shown. Furthermore, in... Figure 4 In the middle, the bottommost front-side battery 12 and the rear-side battery 13 adjacent to the front-side battery 12 are mounted on the mounting part 21 via an auxiliary component 112. The auxiliary component 112 is used to stably mount the battery 11. The auxiliary component 112 is also referred to as a bracket. The battery 11 can also be mounted on the mounting part 21 without using the auxiliary component 112.

[0047] Figure 4 (a) shows the adjustment section 22 in the first configuration of the battery replacement station 2. Figure 4 In (a), the adjustment unit 22 did not adjust the spacing of the mounting unit 21 in the height direction (+Y direction). The distance between the upper end of the front battery 12 and the lower end of the mounting unit 21 is the third distance L3 before adjustment. Here, the third distance L3 is shorter than the thickness Lt of the insertion part 31. Therefore, the insertion part 31 cannot be inserted between the battery 11 of the battery replacement station 2 in the first configuration and the mounting unit 21 due to its thickness. That is, the working device 30 interferes with the batteries 11 that are vertically adjacent to it, so it is not possible to remove only the battery 11 that is to be removed.

[0048] Figure 4 (b) This shows the adjustment section 22 in the second configuration of the battery replacement station 2. Figure 4In (b), the adjustment part 22 adjusts the spacing of the mounting part 21 in the height direction (+Y direction) by insertion. Therefore, the distance between the upper end of the front battery 12 and the lower end of the mounting part 21 is increased to the adjusted fourth distance L4. Here, the fourth distance L4 is longer than the thickness Lt of the insertion part 31.

[0049] Figure 4 (c) indicates the case where the insertion part 31 is inserted for battery replacement in the second configuration of the battery replacement station 2. The adjustment part 22 adjusts the height of the mounting part 21 to achieve the second configuration of the battery replacement station 2, thereby allowing the working device 30 to insert the insertion part 31, which has a thickness Lt, between the front-side battery 12 mounted on the lower layer and the mounting part 21. As a result, the working device 30 can remove the mounting part 21 and the rear-side battery 13 mounted on the mounting part 21 from the front.

[0050] Figure 5 This is a second schematic diagram of the battery replacement method according to Embodiment 1. Figure 5 In this configuration, the work equipment 30 removes the rear-side battery 13 mounted on the mounting section 21 from the battery replacement platform 2 in its second configuration, where the height of the mounting section 21 has been adjusted by the adjustment section 22. At this time, the front-side battery 12 remains mounted on the battery replacement platform 2. In other words, by assuming the battery replacement platform 2 is in its second configuration, the work equipment 30 can remove the rear-side battery 13 from the front direction (+Z direction) for replacement. Therefore, when removing the rear-side battery 13, it is not necessary to remove the front-side battery 12. Furthermore, when removing the rear-side battery 13, it is not necessary to move the work equipment 30 towards the rear direction (-Z direction) of the battery replacement platform 2. Therefore, the operator can efficiently replace the rear-side battery 13.

[0051] Furthermore, the work equipment 30 can insert the insertion part 31 between the rear-side battery 13 and the front-side battery 12 mounted on the upper part in the battery replacement station 2 of the second configuration. Therefore, the operator can efficiently replace the front-side battery 12 mounted on the upper part of the battery replacement station 2.

[0052] As explained above, by using the battery changing station 2, the operator can efficiently replace the target battery 11 among multiple batteries 11.

[0053] Figure 6 This is a process diagram of the battery replacement method according to Embodiment 1. The battery replacement method according to Embodiment 1 includes steps S11 to S13.

[0054] In step S11, the rear-side battery 13 and the front-side battery 12 are taken out together and placed in the battery replacement station 2. Thus, multiple batteries 11 are taken out from the power supply unit 1 for replacement in a state of being stacked separately from each other, and temporarily stored in the battery replacement station 2.

[0055] In step S12, the battery replacement station 2 increases the distance between the mounting sections 21 that hold each battery 11. As a result, the work device 30 can insert the insertion section 31 between the mounting section 21 and the adjacent battery 11 below it.

[0056] In step S13, the work equipment 30 removes the battery 11 to be replaced from the battery replacement station 2 and replaces it. With the completion of step S13, the battery replacement method process ends.

[0057] As explained above, through the battery replacement method steps S11 to S13, when the operator removes multiple batteries 11 arranged vertically from the power supply device 1 of this embodiment, the operator can replace only the target battery 11 from the removed multiple batteries 11. Therefore, the operator can efficiently replace the target battery 11 from the multiple batteries 11.

[0058] Furthermore, the multiple batteries 11, including the replaced batteries 11, that have been removed from the battery replacement station 2 can be returned to the power supply unit 1 through a process that is the opposite of steps S11 to S13.

[0059] That is, the working device 30 transforms the mounting section 21, which carries the replaced battery 11, into a battery replacement table 2 in its second form. Next, the adjustment section 22 is driven, and the battery replacement table 2 transitions from the second form to the first form. Finally, the working device 30 collects the multiple batteries 11, including the replaced battery 11, from the battery replacement table 2 in its first form into the power supply unit 1. At this time, the multiple batteries 11 are arranged in a stacked state, with each battery separated from the others. This allows the operator to efficiently replace the batteries 11 to be replaced.

[0060] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the adjustment unit 22 of the battery replacement station 2 may also include a control unit that automatically adjusts the spacing of the mounting units 21 in the height direction (+Y direction). Additionally, the adjustment unit 22 of the battery replacement station 2 may adjust the spacing of the mounting units 21 in the height direction (+Y direction) individually. The adjustment unit 22 of the battery replacement station 2 may also adjust the spacing of the mounting units 21 in the height direction (+Y direction) in a coordinated manner for multiple mounting units 21. Furthermore, the adjustment unit 22 may be provided between at least one mounting unit 21.

[0061] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0062] 1 Power supply unit

[0063] 10 batteries with casing

[0064] 101 Exit

[0065] 11 batteries

[0066] 111 Interference Department

[0067] 112 Auxiliary Components

[0068] 12 front side battery

[0069] 13 Rear Side Battery

[0070] 15 cooling units

[0071] 2 Battery Replacement Station

[0072] 21-unit

[0073] 22 Adjustment Department

[0074] 30 working equipment

[0075] 31 Insertion Section

[0076] L1 first distance

[0077] L2 second distance

[0078] L3 third distance

[0079] L4 fourth distance

[0080] Lt thickness

[0081] Steps S11, S12, and S13

Claims

1. A battery replacement station, wherein the battery replacement station is configured to remove and temporarily store multiple batteries from a power supply device for replacement purposes when the batteries are stacked separately from each other. in, The battery replacement station has the following features: The mounting section, which mounts each of the aforementioned batteries; and The adjustment section adjusts the distance between adjacent mounting sections in the height direction.

2. The battery replacement station according to claim 1, wherein, The battery in question is a vehicle battery.

3. The battery replacement station according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The power supply device has an outlet at the front. The battery is disposed within the power supply device in such a manner that a portion of the battery is alternately offset in the direction of the front and in the direction of the rear opposite to the front.

4. The battery replacement station according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, At least one of the batteries in the plurality of batteries has a different thickness at its end. At least one of the plurality of batteries interferes with at least one of the adjacent other batteries or the housing of the power supply device when removed from the power supply device.

5. A battery replacement method, comprising: Multiple batteries are removed from the power supply unit and placed on the battery replacement station in a stacked, separate manner. Increase the distance between the mounting sections of the battery replacement stations that mount each of the batteries, and Remove and replace the battery from the enlarged space of the mounting section.

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