Automatic battery replacing system and method for mobile robot

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic battery replacing system and method for a mobile robot, and relates to the field of robot transportation, the system comprises a central scheduling system and at least one battery replacing station, the central scheduling system operates a battery replacing task management system, and dynamically allocates an optimal battery replacing station for a robot requesting battery replacing; the battery swap station comprises a rotary charging cabin array, a fixed battery swap station, a temporary power supply butt joint device and a control system for operating a battery management system, the rotary array aligns a selected charging cabin to a battery conveying mechanism of the fixed station through rotation, and a visual integrated battery swap execution mechanism executes battery taking and placing; the method comprises the steps of requesting, intelligent scheduling, docking, battery selection, battery replacement, state updating and the like. Through rotary intensive storage, fixed station precise operation, multi-station cooperative intelligent scheduling and battery full-life-cycle management, efficient, safe and reliable automatic battery replacement is achieved, the operation efficiency and automation level of a robot motorcade are remarkably improved, and the service life of batteries is remarkably prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of mobile robot transportation, and more particularly to an automatic battery swapping system and method for mobile robots. Background Technology

[0002] With the large-scale application of mobile robots in scenarios such as warehousing and logistics and smart factories, their continuous operation capability is severely limited by battery life. Currently, the mainstream energy replenishment method is for the robot to pause its task and drive to a fixed charging dock for contact charging. The whole process takes a long time, which greatly reduces the utilization rate of the equipment and the overall efficiency of the system. Another method is to manually replace the battery, which not only increases labor costs but also makes it difficult to achieve fully automated operation scheduling.

[0003] To address these issues, several automated battery swapping solutions have emerged in the industry. These solutions include allowing robots to autonomously return to battery swapping stations equipped with fixed battery compartments and perform battery replacements via built-in mechanisms. However, these existing solutions still have significant limitations: fixed battery compartments have limited capacity, making it difficult to support high-frequency, multi-robot concurrent battery swapping needs; battery access often employs linear sliding or simple hoisting methods, resulting in low space utilization efficiency and long swapping paths; more importantly, existing solutions primarily focus on operational optimization within a single battery swapping station, lacking the ability to coordinate and balance resources across a network of multiple swapping stations within a region. This leads to an imbalance in dynamic task environments, where some stations are congested while others are idle, failing to achieve optimal system-level efficiency.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to develop an automated battery swapping system that is compact, efficient in battery swapping, and capable of multi-station collaboration and intelligent scheduling to address the above shortcomings. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the technical problems existing in the prior art, the purpose of this application is to provide an automatic battery swapping system and method for robots, as detailed below: An automated battery swapping system for mobile robots includes: a central dispatch system and at least one battery swapping station; The central dispatch system is configured to receive battery swapping requests from multiple mobile robots and run a battery swapping task management system. The battery swapping task management system is configured to dynamically allocate target battery swapping stations to mobile robots requesting battery swapping. The battery swapping station includes: A rotating charging compartment array, which has multiple charging compartments arranged along a circular track, and each charging compartment is equipped with charging contacts. The fixed battery swapping station is equipped with a battery transfer mechanism and a battery swapping execution mechanism; The temporary power docking station is configured to provide continuous power to the mobile robot during the battery swapping process; The control system is configured to manage the battery swapping stations and interact with the central dispatch system, and to run the battery management system. A battery management system is configured to manage the charging and scheduling of batteries within the charging compartment; The rotating charging compartment array aligns the selected charging compartment with the battery transfer mechanism through rotational motion. The battery swapping actuator integrates a vision positioning unit to identify the battery compartment door and battery features, and to perform battery grabbing and placement operations.

[0006] Furthermore, the battery swapping task management system calculates a comprehensive score for each candidate battery swapping station using the following model. i And based on this, target battery swapping stations are allocated: , where D i Q represents the distance between the mobile robot and candidate battery swapping station i. i B represents the current queue length of the candidate battery swapping stations. full,i The number of available fully charged batteries for the candidate battery swapping station, SOH avg,i D represents the average health of the batteries in the candidate battery swapping stations. max Q max、 B total ω1, ω2, ω3, and ω4 are normalization parameters for learning from historical data, and are adjustable weight coefficients.

[0007] Furthermore, the battery management system performs the following steps: Monitor and calculate the state of health (SOH) of each battery using the following formula: C current For the current capacity, C original For nominal capacity, N cycles Where η is the number of cycles, and η is the decay coefficient; Adjust the battery charging current and charging strategy according to the SOH value; When responding to a battery swapping request, prioritize scheduling fully charged batteries with higher State of Health (SOH).

[0008] Furthermore, the rotating charging compartment array includes: a drive mechanism, a first transmission mechanism driven by the drive mechanism, a second transmission mechanism connected to the first transmission mechanism, and a plurality of the charging compartments that are driven by the second transmission mechanism to move along a track.

[0009] Furthermore, the first transmission mechanism includes a gear set, and the second transmission mechanism includes a chain assembly meshing with the gear set; the charging compartment is connected to the chain assembly and moves under the drive of the chain assembly.

[0010] Furthermore, the drive mechanism includes an electric actuator; the first transmission mechanism also includes a first synchronous pulley group driven by the electric actuator and a second synchronous pulley group connected to the first synchronous pulley group via a synchronous belt; the second synchronous pulley group drives the gear set to rotate via a connecting shaft.

[0011] Furthermore, the battery transfer mechanism is a non-powered roller assembly, a wheel assembly, or a conveyor belt, used to dock with the hatch of the charging compartment and the battery compartment of the mobile robot to transfer batteries.

[0012] Furthermore, the fixed battery swapping station also includes a turntable mechanism for adjusting the battery orientation during battery transfer. The battery swapping actuator is a robotic arm whose end effector integrates the vision positioning unit and gripper; or, the battery swapping actuator is a combination of a linear module and a multi-degree-of-freedom gripper.

[0013] Furthermore, the battery swapping station also includes a temperature and humidity monitoring system and a fire protection system. The temperature and humidity monitoring system is used to monitor the environment and activate the fire protection system when an abnormality is detected.

[0014] Furthermore, this invention patent provides a battery swapping method based on any one of the above-described mobile robot automatic battery swapping systems, comprising the following steps: The mobile robot initiates a battery swapping request to the central dispatch system and reports its remaining battery power and task priority information. The central dispatch system operates the battery swapping task management system, which allocates a target battery swapping station to the mobile robot based on global status information. The mobile robot travels to the target battery swapping station and connects to the station's temporary power supply docking station; The control system of the target battery swapping station drives the rotating charging bay array to rotate, aligning an empty charging bay with the battery transfer mechanism of the fixed battery swapping station. The battery swapping actuator removes the depleted battery from the mobile robot's battery compartment and loads it into the empty charging compartment via the battery transfer mechanism. The control system drives the rotating charging chamber array to rotate again. According to the battery management system, the optimal battery is selected from the full batteries, and the charging chamber containing the optimal battery is aligned with the battery transfer mechanism of the fixed battery swapping station. The battery swapping actuator retrieves the optimal battery through the battery transfer mechanism and loads it into the battery compartment of the mobile robot. The control system updates the battery status and inserts the depleted battery into the charging queue. The charging strategy is determined by the battery management system based on the battery's state of health (SOH). After the battery swap is completed, the mobile robot disconnects from the temporary power supply dock and drives away.

[0015] Compared with existing technologies, the present invention, utilizing the above, has the following main advantages or beneficial effects: This patent achieves dense battery storage and rapid access through a rotating charging bay array, combined with fixed-station visual positioning for battery swapping, resulting in high efficiency and a small footprint; the central scheduling system integrates a task management system to achieve intelligent collaboration and load balancing among multiple robots and multiple battery swapping stations; the battery management system implements health monitoring and adaptive charging, significantly extending battery life; the system integrates temporary power supply and safety monitoring to ensure zero interruption and high safety during the battery swapping process, thereby improving the overall operational continuity and automation level of the robot fleet. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 The diagram shown is a schematic of the automatic battery swapping system for mobile robots in this application. Figure 2 The diagram shown is a schematic diagram of the charging station structure of this application; Figure 3 The image shown is of the rotating charging chamber array of this application; Figure 4 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of the drive mechanism and the first transmission mechanism of this application. Figure 5 The diagram shown is a schematic diagram of the second transmission mechanism of this application; Figure 6 The diagram shown is a schematic diagram of the mobile robot structure of this application.

[0017] In the diagram, 200 is the battery swapping station, 210 is the rotating charging bay array, 211 is the drive mechanism, 212 is the first transmission mechanism, 212a is the first synchronous pulley group, 212b is the second synchronous pulley group, 212c is the gear group, 212d is the first connecting shaft, 213 is the second transmission mechanism, 213a is the chain assembly, 213b is the second connecting shaft, 214a is the pulley, 214 is the charging bay, 215 is the track, 220 is the fixed battery swapping station, and 221 is the... 222-Battery transfer mechanism, 223-Temporary power supply docking device, 224-Positioning unit, 225-Turntable mechanism, 230-Temperature and humidity monitoring system, 240-Fire protection system, 250-Control system, 300-Mobile robot, 310-Battery compartment door, 311-Door lock, 312-Door slide rail, 320-Battery, 321-Battery handle, 222a-Robotic arm, 222b-Visual positioning unit, 222c-Gripper. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only for explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular implementations only and is not intended to limit the exemplary implementations according to this application. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when used in this specification, the words “comprising” and / or “including” indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, parts or modules, components and / or combinations thereof. It should be noted that the terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof in the specification, claims and the above-mentioned drawings of this application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not explicitly listed or that are inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices. It should be understood that the solutions of the present invention can be implemented by hardware, software or other devices in one or more combinations. In the following description of the embodiments, the methods and steps of the present invention can be implemented by storage in storage devices including but not limited to hard disks, removable storage devices, disks, optical disks, etc. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other. Example 1

[0019] like Figures 1-6 As shown in the figure, this embodiment provides an automatic battery swapping system for mobile robots. Its core includes a central dispatching system and multiple battery swapping stations 200 deployed in the operating area. This embodiment illustrates one battery swapping station 200.

[0020] The central dispatch system, deployed in the cloud or on a local server, serves as the "brain" of the entire battery swapping network. It continuously receives battery status information (such as battery level below a threshold) and location information from all online mobile robots 300. When a battery swapping request is received, the system dynamically allocates an optimal target battery swapping station to the requesting mobile robot 300 based on real-time global status, including the queue length of each battery swapping station 200, the number of fully charged batteries, the distance to the requesting robot, and the robot's task priority. This is achieved through built-in scheduling algorithms, such as optimization algorithms that consider the shortest waiting time and the shortest travel distance. Navigation instructions are then sent to the mobile robot 300.

[0021] The battery swapping station 200, as an independent automated battery swapping unit, mainly includes a rotating charging bay array 210, a fixed battery swapping station 220, a temperature and humidity monitoring system 230, a fire protection system 240, and a control system 250; such as Figure 2As shown, the core function of the rotating charging chamber array 210 is to densely store and manage multiple batteries. In this embodiment, it includes: a drive mechanism 211, a first transmission mechanism 212, a second transmission mechanism 213, a charging chamber 214, and a track 215; a fixed battery swapping station 220, with a fixed position, where a mobile robot 300 drives in and stops to perform battery swapping operations, including a battery transfer mechanism 221, a battery swapping execution mechanism 222, a temporary power supply docking device 223, and a docking positioning unit 224.

[0022] The drive mechanism 211 uses a servo motor as an electric actuator. The output shaft of the servo motor is connected to the first synchronous pulley group 212a, which drives the second synchronous pulley group 212b to rotate through the synchronous belt. The second synchronous pulley group 212b drives the gear group 212c coaxial with it to rotate synchronously through the first connecting shaft 212d supported in the bearing of the first fixed base.

[0023] The second transmission mechanism 213 includes a closed-loop chain assembly 213a that meshes with a gear set 212c. Multiple second connecting shafts 213b are fixed at equal intervals on the chain, and each second connecting shaft can rotate in a corresponding second bearing seat.

[0024] Each charging compartment 214 is fixedly connected to the chain assembly 213a via a second connecting shaft 213b. It is equipped with a pulley 214a at its bottom and has charging contacts inside, which can be connected to the battery charging port for charging.

[0025] The track 215 is circular, with pulleys 214a nested within it, used to support and guide the charging compartment 214 to make smooth circular motion.

[0026] Working principle: After the control system 250 of the battery swapping station issues a command, the servo motor works and drives the gear set 212c to rotate through the synchronous belt drive, which in turn meshes with and drives the chain assembly 213a to rotate in a cycle, and finally drives all the charging compartments 214 to rotate synchronously along the track 215 until the target charging compartment 214 specified by the command is precisely rotated to the position aligned with the fixed battery swapping station 220.

[0027] Other optional transmission solutions: The first transmission mechanism can also use worm gears or bevel gear sets, etc.; when the load is light, the second transmission mechanism can use a high-strength synchronous belt instead of a chain.

[0028] Preferably, in this embodiment, the battery conveying mechanism 221 includes a set of unpowered rollers. One end of the rollers is flush with the battery compartment door 310 of the mobile robot, and the other end can be seamlessly connected with the charging compartment 214 hatch that has been rotated into place. When the battery 320 is pushed onto the rollers, it can slide easily with low friction. The structure is simple and reliable. In other embodiments, a roller group or conveyor belt driven by a motor can be used to achieve active conveying.

[0029] Preferably, the fixed battery swapping station 220 also includes a turntable mechanism 225. When the battery 320 is pushed onto the turntable mechanism 225, the control system 250 controls the turntable to rotate so that the battery 320 is rotated 180° to face the battery compartment door 310 or charging compartment 214 of the mobile robot 300.

[0030] Preferably, in this embodiment, the battery swapping actuator 222 is described using a robotic arm as an example. In other embodiments, the battery swapping actuator 222 can be a linear module and a multi-degree-of-freedom gripper. The gripper mounted on the linear module moves along a preset path to achieve battery loading and unloading, which will not be elaborated further here. Figure 3 As shown, the battery swapping actuator 222 includes a six-degree-of-freedom robotic arm 222a, with a vision positioning unit 222b and an adaptive gripper 222c integrated on its end flange. The vision positioning unit 222b can be an industrial camera. The vision positioning unit 222b is used to identify visual markings on the battery compartment door 310 of the mobile robot 300 and grasping features such as the battery handle 321 on the battery 320, guiding the robotic arm 222a to accurately position itself. The gripper 222c has the functions of opening and closing the compartment door and grasping / releasing the battery. The entire battery swapping action, including opening the door, taking out the depleted battery, inserting the fully charged battery, and closing the door, is automatically completed by the robotic arm 222a.

[0031] Preferably, in this embodiment, the battery compartment door 310 is equipped with a door lock 311 and a door slide rail 312. The battery compartment door 310 can slide left and right on the door slide rail 312 quickly and cooperate with the door lock to realize the opening and closing of the battery compartment door 310.

[0032] The temporary power supply docking unit 223 is located below the fixed battery swapping station 220. When the mobile robot 300 docks with the docking positioning unit 224, the charging interface on the mobile robot 300 docks with the temporary power supply docking unit 223, providing continuous power to the robot controller, sensors, etc. throughout the battery swapping process and preventing system power outages during battery swapping. In this embodiment, the docking positioning unit 224 is the support leg of the fixed battery swapping station, but it can also be a reflector, tag code, V-shaped plate, L-shaped plate, etc.

[0033] The control system 250 communicates with the mobile robot 300 and the central dispatch system via Wi-Fi or 5G to exchange instructions and status.

[0034] Temperature and humidity monitoring system 230 and fire protection system 240 are installed with temperature and humidity sensors in key areas of the battery swapping station to monitor the environment in real time. When an abnormal increase in temperature or smoke is detected, the control system immediately cuts off the charging power and activates the fire protection system, such as a lithium battery-specific fire extinguisher, to prevent battery thermal runaway from causing a fire. Example 2

[0035] This application provides an automatic battery swapping method based on the system of Embodiment 1. The automatic battery swapping method of this embodiment includes the following steps: S1: Initiate a request: When the battery power of the mobile robot 300 drops to a preset threshold, it initiates a battery swap request to the central dispatch system through the vehicle communication module and reports its own location and identity ID.

[0036] S2: Allocate a battery swapping station: After receiving the request, the central dispatch system calculates and allocates an optimal target battery swapping station for the requesting robot based on the real-time status of each battery swapping station 200 (idleness, battery inventory, path congestion, etc.), and sends the location information of the station to the mobile robot 300.

[0037] S3: Driving in and docking: The mobile robot 300 autonomously navigates to the fixed battery swapping station 220 of the target battery swapping station 200 and docks with the docking positioning unit 224, so that the charging interface on the mobile robot 300 body docks with the temporary power supply docking device 223 to provide it with temporary working power.

[0038] S4: Prepare empty charging compartment: After receiving the ready signal from the mobile robot 300, the battery swapping station control system 250 controls the rotating charging compartment array 210 to rotate, rotating an empty charging compartment 214 to a position aligned with the battery transfer mechanism 221.

[0039] S5: Removing the depleted battery: The vision positioning unit 222b of the battery swapping actuator 222 first positions the battery compartment door 310 of the mobile robot 300, and controls the robotic arm 222a to operate the gripper 222c to open the battery compartment door 310. The vision positioning unit 222b first positions the battery 320 as the battery handle 321. The gripper 222c extends into the battery compartment, grabs the battery handle 321 and removes the depleted battery. The robotic arm 222a places the removed depleted battery on the aligned battery transfer mechanism 221. After the direction is turned by the turntable mechanism 225, it is gently pushed into the aligned empty charging compartment 214 behind. The charging compartment 214 then begins to charge the depleted battery.

[0040] S6: Preparing a fully charged battery: The visual positioning unit 222b first positions the battery 320, and the control system 250 drives the rotating charging chamber array 210 to rotate, rotating a charging chamber 214 containing a fully charged battery to a position aligned with the battery transfer mechanism 221.

[0041] S7: Install a fully charged battery: The robotic arm 222a takes a fully charged battery from the charging compartment 214 through the battery transfer mechanism 221, accurately pushes it into the battery compartment of the mobile robot 300, and closes the battery compartment door 310.

[0042] S8: Departure Completed: After the battery swap is completed, the mobile robot 300 obtains a fully charged battery, updates its status, and then departs from the fixed battery swap station 220 to continue performing its tasks. The temporary power supply docking station 223 automatically cuts off power. At the same time, the battery swap station 200 reports the completion information of this battery swap to the central dispatch system and updates its status.

[0043] Through the above system and method, this invention achieves efficient, orderly and automated battery replacement for multiple mobile robots, greatly improving the robot's online rate and operational continuity. The design of the rotating charging tank array makes battery storage compact and optimizes the access path. The fixed battery swapping station, combined with a high-precision actuator, ensures the reliability and speed of battery swapping. The central scheduling achieves the optimal allocation of global resources. Example 3

[0044] Based on Embodiments 1 and 2 above, this embodiment details the intelligent scheduling module of the mobile robot battery swapping system and its collaborative workflow, including the intelligent management and collaboration of the central scheduling system and the battery swapping station control system 250 through algorithms.

[0045] The battery swapping task management system built into the central dispatch system is based on a dynamic priority multi-objective decision-making model, the specific steps of which are as follows: T1: When the battery level of mobile robot 300 falls below a threshold (e.g., 20%) and a battery swap request is issued, the algorithm executes the following steps: T1.1 Data Acquisition: Obtain the robot's ID, real-time location, and remaining battery percentage (S). remaining The priority coefficient T of the current launch mission priority ; T1.2 Status Synchronization: Receives real-time status data reported by all online battery swapping stations 200, including: the number of fully charged batteries available at each station (B). full The current queue length Q for battery swapping, and the average health status SOH of all batteries in the station. avg ; T1.3 Candidate Station Screening: Eliminate B full A candidate station list is formed for stations with a value of 0 or a Q value exceeding the maximum capacity. T1.4 Comprehensive Scoring and Decision: For each candidate station i, calculate its comprehensive score. i : Formula 1; Among them, D i Q represents the distance between the mobile robot and candidate battery swapping station i. i B represents the current queue length of the candidate battery swapping stations. full,i The number of available fully charged batteries for the candidate battery swapping station, SOH avg,iD represents the average health of the batteries in the candidate battery swapping stations. max Q max、 B total ω1, ω2, ω3, and ω4 are normalization parameters for learning from historical data, and are adjustable weight coefficients. T1.5 Command Issuance and Queue Update: The target station coordinates and path are issued to mobile robot 300, and the robot is added to the target station's virtual waiting queue, updating its estimated waiting time.

[0046] T2: If the new request's T priority If the value exceeds the threshold, it is inserted at the front of the target station queue, and the estimated waiting time of all mobile robots in the queue is recalculated. The affected mobile robots are then notified through the central scheduling system.

[0047] T3: The system continuously tracks the robot's location. If the robot fails to arrive at the battery swapping station within the expected time, it is determined to be an abnormal path and the rescheduling process is automatically triggered to reassign a candidate station for it.

[0048] Furthermore, the battery management system built into the battery swapping station control system 250 is responsible for monitoring and optimizing the entire battery lifecycle, mainly including monitoring, evaluation, charging, and scheduling statuses, with the following steps: P1: Assess the status based on the Battery Health (SOH) assessment model: The algorithm continuously collects the number of charging cycles N for each battery. cycles Current maximum available capacity C current and with nominal capacity C original In comparison, its health level is calculated using the following formula: Formula 2; Where η is the degradation coefficient based on the battery chemistry model. The system maintains a battery health list and marks batteries with SOH below a certain value as "to be retired".

[0049] P2: The control system 250 dynamically adjusts the charging parameters based on the battery's SOH and current temperature. Examples are shown below; specific values ​​can be adjusted according to specific implementation embodiments: For batteries with SOH > 80%, P2.1 adopts fast charging mode to shorten the charging time; For batteries with 70% < SOH ≤ 80%, P2.2 adopts the standard charging mode to ensure safety; During P2.3 charging, if the temperature of a single battery cell exceeds 45°C, it will immediately switch to trickle charging and activate the station's cooling system. P3: When a battery swapping station needs to provide a fully charged battery for a mobile robot 300, the algorithm selects the best battery from multiple fully charged batteries according to the following principles.

[0050] P3.1 prioritizes batteries with higher SOH; P3.2 When the state of charge (SOH) is similar, prioritize the battery that completes charging earlier (to avoid leaving the battery idle for a long time while fully charged). P3.3 actively avoids the same battery being used continuously, and records the "rest time" of each battery to achieve balanced use.

[0051] The implementation of the above-mentioned battery swapping task management system and battery management system has shortened the average waiting time of robots, improved the load balance of the battery swapping station cluster, extended the average lifespan of battery packs through the intelligent charging and discharging strategy of the battery management system, and significantly reduced the risk of battery thermal runaway through real-time health monitoring and temperature control strategies. Example 4

[0052] This embodiment provides another method for battery swapping of mobile robots. This method deeply integrates the system of Embodiment 1 and the intelligent algorithm described in Embodiment 3. The specific steps include: X1: Mobile robot 300 initiates a battery swapping request to the central dispatch system and reports its remaining battery power S. remaining and task priority coefficient T priority information; X2: The central dispatch system operates the battery swapping task management system, which assigns a target battery swapping station 200 to the mobile robot based on the real-time battery inventory, queue status, location information and robot task priority of each battery swapping station 200. X3: The mobile robot 300 travels to the target battery swapping station 200 and connects to the station's temporary power supply docking station 223; X4: The control system 250 of the target battery swapping station 200 drives the rotating charging cabin array 210 to rotate, aligning an empty charging cabin 214 with the battery transfer mechanism of the fixed battery swapping station. X5: The battery swapping actuator 222 takes out the depleted battery from the battery compartment of the mobile robot 300 and puts it into an empty charging compartment 214 through the battery transfer mechanism 221. X6: The control system 250 of the target battery swapping station 200 selects the optimal battery from the fully charged batteries based on the health status (SOH) and charging time according to its battery management system, and drives the rotating charging chamber array 210 to rotate, aligning the charging chamber containing the optimal battery with the battery transfer mechanism 221 of the fixed battery swapping station. X7: The battery swapping actuator 222 takes a fully charged battery from the aligned charging compartment through the battery transfer mechanism 221 and puts it into the battery compartment of the mobile robot. X8: The control system 250 updates the battery status and, based on the SOH value of the depleted battery, determines its charging strategy (such as fast charging, standard charging, or shallow charging) through the battery management system and inserts it into the charging queue. X9: After the battery swap is completed, the mobile robot 300 disconnects from the temporary power supply docking station 223 and drives away. At the same time, the battery swapping station 200 synchronizes the status update information to the central dispatch system.

[0053] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that, for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A mobile robot automatic battery replacement system, characterized in that, The system comprises: a central scheduling system and at least one battery swap station; the central scheduling system is configured to receive battery swap requests from multiple mobile robots and run a battery swap task management system; the battery swap task management system is configured to request the mobile robots to dynamically allocate target battery swap stations for battery swap; the battery swap station comprises: a rotating charging cabin array, which is arranged with multiple charging cabins along a circular track, and each charging cabin is provided with a charging contact; a fixed battery swap station, which is provided with a battery conveying mechanism and a battery swap execution mechanism; a temporary power supply adapter, which is configured to provide continuous power supply for the mobile robot during the battery swap process; a control system, which is configured to manage the battery swap station and interact with the central scheduling system, and run a battery management system; the battery management system is configured to manage the charging and scheduling of the batteries in the charging cabins; wherein the rotating charging cabin array aligns the selected charging cabin with the battery conveying mechanism through rotating movement; the battery swap execution mechanism is integrated with a visual positioning unit for identifying the battery cabin door and battery features, and performing the grabbing and placing operations of the battery.

2. The mobile robot automatic battery changing system of claim 1, wherein, The battery swap task management system calculates a comprehensive score Score of each candidate battery swap station through the following model i , and assigns a target battery swap station based on this: , wherein D i is the distance between the mobile robot and the candidate battery swap station i, Q i is the current queue length of the candidate battery swap station, B full,i is the number of available full batteries of the candidate battery swap station, SOH avg,i is the average health of the battery of the candidate battery swap station, D max , Q max、 B total is a normalized parameter learned from historical data, and ω1, ω2, ω3, ω4 are adjustable weight coefficients.

3. The mobile robot automatic battery changing system of claim 1, wherein, The battery management system performs the following steps: The health degree SOH of each battery is monitored and calculated, and the calculation formula is: Wherein C current is the current capacity, C original is the nominal capacity, N cycles is the cycle number, and η is the attenuation coefficient. The health degree SOH of each battery is monitored and calculated, and the calculation formula is: Wherein C current is the current capacity, C original is the nominal capacity, N cycles is the cycle number, and η is the attenuation coefficient. adjusting the charging current and charging strategy of the battery according to the SOH value; when responding to the battery swap request, preferentially scheduling the full battery with higher SOH.

4. The mobile robot automatic battery changing system of claim 1, wherein, The rotating charging cabin array comprises: a driving mechanism, a first transmission mechanism driven by the driving mechanism, a second transmission mechanism connected with the first transmission mechanism, and multiple charging cabins moving along the track driven by the second transmission mechanism.

5. The mobile robot automatic battery swap system according to claim 4, wherein the first transmission mechanism comprises a gear set, and the second transmission mechanism comprises a chain assembly engaged with the gear set; the charging cabin is connected with the chain assembly and moves under the driving of the chain assembly.

6. The mobile robot automatic battery swap system according to claim 5, wherein the driving mechanism comprises an electric actuator; the first transmission mechanism further comprises a first synchronous pulley set driven by the electric actuator and a second synchronous pulley set connected with the first synchronous pulley set through a synchronous belt; the second synchronous pulley set drives the gear set to rotate through a connecting shaft.

7. The mobile robot automatic battery changing system of claim 1, wherein, The battery conveying mechanism is a non-powered roller set, a roller set or a conveyor belt for interfacing with the hatch of the charging cabin and the battery hatch of the mobile robot to convey the battery.

8. The mobile robot automatic battery changing system of claim 1, wherein, The fixed battery swap station further comprises a turntable mechanism for adjusting the direction of the battery during the battery conveying process, and the battery swap execution mechanism is a mechanical arm whose end effector is integrated with the visual positioning unit and a gripper; or the battery swap execution mechanism is a combination of a linear module and a multi-degree-of-freedom gripper.

9. The mobile robot battery replacement system of claim 1, wherein, The battery swap station further comprises a temperature and humidity monitoring system and a fire extinguishing system, and the temperature and humidity monitoring system is used to monitor the environment and start the fire extinguishing system when an abnormality is detected.

10. A mobile robot automatic battery replacement method, characterized by, The mobile robot automatic battery swap system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising the following steps: the mobile robot initiates a battery swap request to the central scheduling system and reports its remaining power and task priority information; The central dispatching system runs a battery swap task management system, and allocates a target battery swap station for the mobile robot according to global state information; The mobile robot drives to the target battery swap station and connects with a temporary power supply adapter of the station; A control system of the target battery swap station drives a rotating charging cabin array to rotate, and aligns an empty charging cabin with a battery conveying mechanism of a fixed battery swap station; A battery swap execution mechanism takes out a depleted battery in a battery cabin of the mobile robot, and inserts the depleted battery into the empty charging cabin through the battery conveying mechanism; The control system drives the rotating charging cabin array to rotate again, selects an optimal battery from full batteries according to a battery management system, and aligns a charging cabin containing the optimal battery with the battery conveying mechanism of the fixed battery swap station; The battery swap execution mechanism takes out the optimal battery through the battery conveying mechanism, and inserts the optimal battery into the battery cabin of the mobile robot; The control system updates the battery state, and inserts the depleted battery into a charging queue, and a charging strategy of the depleted battery is determined by the battery management system according to SOH of the depleted battery; After the battery swap is completed, the mobile robot disconnects the temporary power supply adapter and drives away.

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