Systems and methods for secured swapping of battery packs at the swapping station

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to methods and systems for secured swapping of battery packs at the battery swapping station. Embodiments herein disclose methods and systems for swapping battery packs ensuring tracking / detection of stolen battery packs, avoiding any partial or cross- swapping of battery packs, and authentication of battery packs to operate with the station and the vehicle.

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION“SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SECURED SWAPPING OF BATTERY PACKS AT THE SWAPPING STATION”The following specification particularly describes and ascertains the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed: -CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONThis application is based on and derives the benefit of Indian Provisional Application 202341003570, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments disclosed herein relate to swapping of battery packs and more particularly to performing swapping of battery packs in a secured manner.BACKGROUND

[0002] When the battery packs are swapped, there can be drawbacks such as the discharged battery packs from the vehicle not being correctly inserted into the swapping station battery docks. Additionally, there can be instances where the charged battery pack that is inserted into the vehicle’s battery docks is not intended for that vehicle.

[0003] The battery packs that are present in the docks of a vehicle or a battery charging and swapping station can be prone to theft, and therefore, it is desirable to come up with a simple and cost-effective solution to tackle this and the above-mentioned drawbacks.OBJECTS

[0004] The principal object of embodiments disclosed herein is to provide methods and systems for providing secure and safe swapping of battery packs at the battery swapping station.

[0005] These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating at least one embodiment and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

[0006] Embodiments herein are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the drawings, in which:

[0007] FIG. 1 illustrates a system for implementing secure swapping of a plurality of battery packs, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;

[0008] FIG. 2 depicts the user device, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;

[0009] FIG. 3 depicts the battery charging and swapping station, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;

[0010] FIG. 4 depicts the vehicle, which has one or more batteries for swapping, according to embodiments as disclosed herein; and

[0011] FIG. 5 outlines a method for performing secure swapping of the plurality of battery packs, according to embodiments as disclosed herein, according to embodiments as disclosed herein.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein can be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.

[0013] The embodiments herein disclose methods and systems for secure and safe swapping of battery packs from the battery swapping station. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 5, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown embodiments.

[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 for implementing secure swapping of a plurality of battery packs, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. The system 100, as depicted, comprises a user device 101, at least one battery charging and swapping station 102, and at least one vehicle 103.

[0015] Each user of the battery charging and swapping station 102 can be provided with or possess a user device 101. Examples of the user device 101 can be, but not limited to, a key fob, a wearable device, a mobile phone, a tablet, a computer, or any other device that can be used by the user for communicating with or accessing the battery charging and swapping station 102 though one or more wireless communication modes. Through the user device 101, the user can be able to communicate with or access the battery charging and swapping station 102. The user device 101 can eitherstore or be associated with information such as, but not limited to, the credentials of the user. Examples of the user credentials can be, but is not limited to, the user’s name, the user’s vehicle, the required number of battery packs for the user’s vehicle, and the user’s biometric information. The user device 101 can also either store or be associated with a wallet balance, which can include a monetary amount that would be deducted from the user if they wish to swap the used battery packs in the vehicle 103 with the charged battery packs in the battery charging and swapping station 102.

[0016] The battery charging and swapping station 102 can authenticate the user device 101. The battery charging and swapping station102 can retrieve information stored in or associated with the user device 101. On the user being successfully authenticated, the battery charging and swapping station 102 can check if the user has sufficient wallet balance for making the swap. If the user has sufficient wallet balance for making the swap or the user has recharged the wallet, the battery charging and swapping station 102 can enable the user to proceed further.

[0017] The battery charging and swapping station 102 can receive a unique identifier from the vehicle 103. The battery charging and swapping station 102 can select at least one battery packs present in one or more battery bays in the battery charging and swapping station 102, wherein these battery packs can be charged and / or conditioned for use in a vehicle. The battery charging and swapping station 102 can assign the received unique identifier to the selected at least one battery packs and can authenticate the vehicle 103 using a suitable means, such as, a one-time password. On authenticating the vehicle 103, the battery charging and swapping station 102 can unlock the selected at least one battery packs. The used batteries present in the vehicle103 can be removed, either manually or automatically from the vehicle 103 and placed in one or more designated bays in the battery charging and swapping station 102. The battery charging and swapping station 102 canauthenticate the inserted battery packs, by comparing a list of battery packs previously dispensed to that vehicle with the inserted battery packs. If the list of battery packs previously dispensed to that vehicle do not match with the inserted battery packs, the battery charging and swapping station 102 can perform one or more actions, such as raising an alert, stopping the dispensing of further batteries to the user.

[0018] If there are more than one battery pack to be dispensed, the battery charging and swapping station 102 can configure the drive status of the last battery pack to be dispensed as “Enabled” and all the remaining battery packs to be dispensed as “Disabled”. For example, if three battery packs are to be dispensed, the first two battery packs will be dispensed with a “Disabled” status, and the remaining third battery pack will be dispensed with a “Enabled” status to ensure complete swapping. If there is only one battery pack to be dispensed, the battery charging and swapping station 102 can configure the drive status of the battery pack to be dispensed as “Enabled”.

[0019] The battery charging and swapping station 102 can further set a charge flag for the batteries being dispensed. The selected battery packs can then be removed from the battery charging and swapping station 102 (either manually or automatically) and placed into one or more docks present in the vehicle 103, and the vehicle 103 can then be turned on. Once the vehicle 103 has been turned on, the vehicle can perform auto addressing, wherein the communication link between the various entities can be established. On the auto addressing being completed, during a handshaking stage, the respective vehicle docks (into which the batteries have been inserted) can capture at least one of the following details of the battery pack, such as, but not limited to, the configured unique identifier, drive status, charge flag status and a serial number of the battery. The dock can send a ‘battery ready’ request to the inserted battery packs, if the configured uniqueidentifier matches with the unique identifier of the dock, only one of the inserted battery packs has a ‘Drive Enabled’ status; and the charge flag of all the inserted battery packs are set. Further, the battery packs can initiate power supply to the vehicle 103, wherein the vehicle 103 can go into drive mode.

[0020] If any of the above conditions are not satisfied (for example, the battery packs are moved to another vehicle or unassigned battery packs are inserted in the vehicle), the battery packs can go into an orphan mode.

[0021] In an embodiment herein, the battery packs can automatically go into orphan mode if the battery packs are removed from the vehicle 103 or from the battery charging and swapping station 102 through unauthorized means. Unauthorized means can include, but is not limited to, breaking of the dock, or stealing the battery packs from the battery charging and swapping station 102 during the swapping process.

[0022] Once the battery pack is in orphan mode, the battery pack may not be usable in any other vehicle even if the dock is capable of receiving the battery pack. In orphan mode, the battery pack can start sending alerts to the station operator to whom the battery belongs, and sends a live tracking link to a user device of the station operator. The battery pack can be switched to normal mode only by a station operator or any other authorized person through authentication with the battery charging and swapping station 102.

[0023] FIG. 2 depicts the user device. The user device 101, as depicted, comprises a device controller 201, one or more communication interfaces 202, and a memory 203.

[0024] The one or more communication interfaces 202 can enable the user device 101 to communicate with at least one external entity, such as, but not limited to, the battery charging and swapping station 102. The communication interface(s) 202 can use one or more wireless modes of communication, such as, but not limited to, Radio Frequency Identification(RFID), Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and so on, for communication with the at least one external entity.

[0025] The memory 203 stores at least one of, the user credentials, pre-stored information related to the user (such as a username, password, and so on), wallet balance, and so on. Examples of the memory 203 can be, but are not limited to, NAND, embedded Multimedia Card (eMMC), Secure Digital (SD) cards, Universal Serial Bus (USB), Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA), Solid-State Drive (SSD), and so on. Further, the memory 203 can include one or more computer-readable storage media. The memory 203 can include one or more non-volatile storage elements. Examples of such non-volatile storage elements can include Read Only Memory (ROM), magnetic hard discs, optical discs, floppy discs, flash memories, or forms of Electrically PROgrammable Memories (EPROM) or Electrically Erasable and PROgrammable Memories (EEPROM). In addition, the memory 203 can, in some examples, be considered a non- transitory storage medium. The term "non-transitory" can indicate that the storage medium is not embodied in a carrier wave or a propagated signal. However, the term "non-transitory" should not be interpreted to mean that the memory is non-movable. In certain examples, a non-transitory storage medium can store data that can, over time, change (e.g., in Random Access Memory (RAM) or cache).

[0026] The term ‘device controller 201,' as used in the present disclosure, can refer to, for example, hardware including logic circuits; a hardware / software combination such as a processor executing software; or a combination thereof. For example, the processing circuitry more specifically can include, but is not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a System-on-Chip (SoC), a programmable logic unit, a microprocessor, application-specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), etc. For example, the device controller 201 can include at least one of, a single processer, a plurality of processors, multiple homogeneous or heterogeneous cores, multiple Central Processing Units (CPUs) of different kinds, microcontrollers, special media, and other accelerators. In an embodiment herein, the device controller 201 can be a dedicated module. In an embodiment herein, the device controller 201 can be a generic module, which can perform one or more other functions / tasks, in addition to embodiments as disclosed herein.

[0027] On a user of the user device 101 performing at least one predefined action (such as, but not limited to, a swiping action (where the user device is swiped on the battery charging and swapping station 102), a tapping action (where the user device is tapped on the battery charging and swapping station 102), an action performed on an application on the user device 101, an action performed using a user interface (not shown) on the user device 101 (wherein the user interface can be at least one of a touch screen, one or more switches, a microphone, a speaker, and so on), and so on), the device controller 201 can transfer the user credentials to the battery charging and swapping station 102 using the communication module(s) 202.

[0028] If there is no sufficient balance in the wallet of the user, the battery charging and swapping station 102 can communicate this to the device controller 201, via the communication module(s) 202. This can be communicated to the user using at least one user interface.

[0029] FIG. 3 depicts the battery charging and swapping station. The battery charging and swapping station 102 as depicted, comprises a plurality of modules; a station controller 301, an authentication module 302, a plurality o f battery bays 303, a memory 304, and at least one communication module 305. The plurality of modules can communicate with each other using a suitable wired and / or wireless communication network; such as, butnot limited to, a Communication Area Network (CAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), Wi-Fi, cellular, Bluetooth, RFID, BLE, and so on.

[0030] The battery bays 303 can contain battery packs, wherein the battery packs 303 can charge and / or condition the battery packs. The battery packs can be locked into the respective battery bays 303, such that an unauthorized user cannot remove the battery packs from the respective battery bays 303.

[0031] The memory 304 stores at least one of, customer credentials, battery packs that have been already dispensed to vehicles, customer wallet balances, and so on. Examples of the memory 304 can be, but are not limited to, NAND, embedded Multimedia Card (eMMC), Secure Digital (SD) cards, Universal Serial Bus (USB), Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA), Solid-State Drive (SSD), and so on. Further, the memory 304 can include one or more computer-readable storage media. The memory 304 can include one or more non-volatile storage elements. Examples of such nonvolatile storage elements can include Read Only Memory (ROM), magnetic hard discs, optical discs, floppy discs, flash memories, or forms of Electrically PROgrammable Memories (EPROM) or Electrically Erasable and PROgrammable Memories (EEPROM). In addition, the memory 304 can, in some examples, be considered a non-transitory storage medium. The term "non-transitory" can indicate that the storage medium is not embodied in a carrier wave or a propagated signal. However, the term "non-transitory" should not be interpreted to mean that the memory is non-movable. In certain examples, a non-transitory storage medium can store data that can, over time, change (e.g., in Random Access Memory (RAM) or cache).

[0032] The one or more communication interfaces 305 can enable the user device 101 to communicate with at least one external entity, such as, but not limited to, the user device 101, the vehicle 103, batteries present outside the battery charging and swapping station, an external entity (such as acontroller, a Cloud server, and so on), and so on. The communication interface(s) 305 can use one or more wireless modes of communication, such as, but not limited to, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and so on, for communication with the at least one external entity.

[0033] The term ‘station controller 301,' as used in the present disclosure, can refer to, for example, hardware including logic circuits; a hardware / software combination such as a processor executing software; or a combination thereof. For example, the processing circuitry more specifically can include, but is not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a System-on-Chip (SoC), a programmable logic unit, a microprocessor, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. For example, the station controller 301 can include at least one of, a single processer, a plurality of processors, multiple homogeneous or heterogeneous cores, multiple Central Processing Units (CPUs) of different kinds, microcontrollers, special media, and other accelerators. In an embodiment herein, the station controller 301 can be a dedicated module. In an embodiment herein, the station controller 301 can be a generic module, which can perform one or more other functions / tasks, in addition to embodiments as disclosed herein.

[0034] On determining that the user has performed at least one predefined action using the user device 101, the station controller 301 can receive the user credentials from the user device 101, via the communication module 305. The authentication module 302 can authenticate the user using the received user credentials. The authentication module 302 can authenticate the user by comparing the received information with user information stored in the memory 304. If there is a match between thereceived information and the user information stored in the memory 304, then the authentication module 210 can successfully authenticate the user.

[0035] On the user being successfully authenticated, the station controller 301 can check the wallet balance that is associated with the user device 101. If the monetary amount in the wallet balance is insufficient for swapping the battery packs, the station controller 301 can send a message to the user that the swapping of the battery packs cannot take place due to the insufficient funds (monetary amount) in the wallet balance, via the communication module 305. In an embodiment herein, this message can be indicated to the user through a user interface (not shown) on the battery charging and swapping station 102, such as a display, a voice message, and so on. The station controller 301 can keep checking if the user has refilled the wallet. If the user has successfully recharged the wallet (such that the wallet has sufficient balance at present, to perform battery swapping), the station controller 301 can proceed further with the swapping.

[0036] The station controller 301 can send a broadcast, via the communication interface 305. The broadcast can include a vehicle dock ID, a one-time password (OTP), and a message flag. The station controller 301 can receive the unique identifier from the vehicle dock in response. In an example herein, the unique identifier can be the dock ID of the vehicle dock. The station controller 301 can assign that dock ID to the one or more charged battery packs (which are present in the battery bays 303), that are to be inserted into the vehicle battery dock.

[0037] Subsequently, the authentication module 302 can use the onetime password (OTP) to authenticate the vehicle 103. On the user being successfully authenticated using the OTP, the used battery packs from the vehicle can be unlocked from the vehicle battery dock. On the batteries being unlocked from the vehicle battery dock, the station controller 301 can receive this information from a Dock Interface Unit (DIU) of the vehicle batterydock. The station controller 301 can determine one or more battery bays 303, into which the discharged batteries have to be placed.

[0038] On the discharged batteries being correctly inserted into the respective bays 303, the station controller 301 can verify that the inserted battery docks have been previously dispensed to the same vehicle by comparing the user credentials, the dock ID and the unique identifier (currently stored in the respective inserted battery packs). If the station controller 301 is unable to confirm this, the station controller 301 can send out a notification to the user (through at least one user interface on the battery charging and swapping station 102 and / or the user device 101 and / or the vehicle 103).

[0039] If there are more than one battery pack to be dispensed, the station controller 301 can configure the drive status of the last battery pack to be dispensed as “Enabled” and all the remaining battery packs to be dispensed as “Disabled”. For example, if three battery packs are to be dispensed, the first two battery packs will be dispensed with a “Disabled” status, and the remaining third battery pack will be dispensed with a “Enabled” status to ensure complete swapping. If there is only one battery pack to be dispensed, the station controller 301 can configure the drive status of the battery pack to be dispensed as “Enabled”.

[0040] The station controller 301 can further set a charge flag for the batteries being dispensed. The selected battery packs can then be removed from the battery charging and swapping station 102 (either manually or automatically) and inserted into the respective vehicle battery docks.

[0041] The station controller 301 can further monitor the battery packs placed in the vehicle either remotely or a field personnel through a user interface device.

[0042] FIG. 4 depicts the vehicle, which has one or more batteries for swapping. The vehicle 103 as depicted, comprises one or more vehiclebattery docks 401. The vehicle battery docks 401 can further comprise the following modules: DIU 401 A, at least one communication module 40 IB, a memory 401C, and one or more battery bays 401D. The plurality of modules can communicate with each other using a suitable wired and / or wireless communication network; such as, but not limited to, a Communication Area Network (CAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), Wi-Fi, cellular, Bluetooth, RFID, BLE, and so on.

[0043] The battery bays 401D can contain battery packs, wherein the battery packs 40 ID can provide energy for operating the vehicle 103. The battery packs can be locked into the respective battery bays 401D, such that an unauthorized user cannot remove the battery packs from the respective battery bays 401D.

[0044] The memory 401C stores at least one of, user credentials, the configured unique identifier, the drive status of the batteries present in the dock 401, the charge flag status of the batteries present in the dock 401, and a serial number of the batteries of the batteries present in the dock 401, and so on. Examples of the memory 401C can be, but are not limited to, NAND, embedded Multimedia Card (eMMC), Secure Digital (SD) cards, Universal Serial Bus (USB), Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA), Solid- State Drive (SSD), and so on. Further, the memory 401C can include one or more computer-readable storage media. The memory 401C can include one or more non-volatile storage elements. Examples of such non-volatile storage elements can include Read Only Memory (ROM), magnetic hard discs, optical discs, floppy discs, flash memories, or forms of Electrically PROgrammable Memories (EPROM) or Electrically Erasable and PROgrammable Memories (EEPROM). In addition, the memory 401C can, in some examples, be considered a non-transitory storage medium. The term "non-transitory" can indicate that the storage medium is not embodied in a carrier wave or a propagated signal. However, the term "non-transitory"should not be interpreted to mean that the memory is non-movable. In certain examples, a non-transitory storage medium can store data that can, over time, change (e.g., in Random Access Memory (RAM) or cache).

[0045] The one or more communication interfaces 401B can enable the vehicle dock 401 to communicate with at least one external entity, such as, but not limited to, the battery charging and swapping station 102, batteries present outside the battery charging and swapping station, an external entity (such as a controller, a Cloud server, and so on), and so on. The communication interface(s) 40 IB can use one or more wireless modes of communication, such as, but not limited to, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and so on, for communication with the at least one external entity.

[0046] The term ‘DIU 401A,' as used in the present disclosure, can refer to, for example, hardware including logic circuits; a hardware / software combination such as a processor executing software; or a combination thereof. For example, the processing circuitry more specifically can include, but is not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a System-on-Chip (SoC), a programmable logic unit, a microprocessor, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. For example, the DIU 401 A can include at least one of, a single processer, a plurality of processors, multiple homogeneous or heterogeneous cores, multiple Central Processing Units (CPUs) of different kinds, microcontrollers, special media, and other accelerators. In an embodiment herein, the DIU 401A can be a dedicated module. In an embodiment herein, the DIU 401 A can be a generic module, which can perform one or more other functions / tasks, in addition to embodiments as disclosed herein.

[0047] Consider that the vehicle 103 has reached the battery charging and swapping station 102 and the user has been successfully authenticated using the user device 101.

[0048] On receiving a broadcast from the battery charging and swapping station 102 via the communication module 401B, the DIU 401 A can send the unique identifier to the battery charging and swapping station 102 via the communication module 401B.

[0049] The DIU 40 IB can receive the OTP from the battery charging and swapping station 102. The DIU 401B can perform authentication using the OTP. On successfully authenticating the OTP, the DIU 40 IB can unlock the one or more batteries present in the vehicle battery dock 401 and inform this to the battery charging and swapping station 102 via the communication module 401B.

[0050] Once the batteries are dispensed from the battery charging and swapping station 102, the DIU 401A can enable the battery packs to be inserted into the respective battery bays 401D.

[0051] On the battery packs are successfully inserted into the respective battery bays 40 ID and the vehicle 103 has been turned on, the DIU 401 A can complete the auto addressing. On completing auto addressing, the DIU 401 A can perform handshaking with the inserted battery packs. Handshaking can involve the DIU 401 A capturing at least one of the following details of the inserted battery packs: the configured dock ID, the drive status, the charge flag status and the serial number of the inserted battery packs.

[0052] The DIU 401 A can write the serial numbers of the inserted battery packs into the memory 401C. The DIU 401A can send a ‘battery ready’ request to the inserted battery packs, if the configured unique identifier matches with the unique identifier of the dock, only one of the inserted battery packs has a ‘Drive Enabled’ status; and the charge flag of allthe inserted battery packs are set. Further, the battery packs can initiate power supply to the vehicle 103, wherein the vehicle 103 can go into drive mode.

[0053] FIG. 5 outlines a method 500 for performing secure swapping of the plurality of battery packs, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. In step 502, the user device 101 sends a request to the battery charging and swapping station 102 for authentication. It can send this request by performing one or more actions on a designated area of the battery charging and swapping station 102. In step 504, the battery charging and swapping station 102 authenticates the user device 101 by checking if the information stored in or associated with the user device 101 matches the information stored in the memory of the battery charging and swapping station 102. The information stored in or associated with the user device 101 can be a user’s credentials, whereas the information in the memory can include the credentials of all the customers, among which the user’s credentials can be present. In an embodiment herein, the battery charging and swapping station 102 checks if a wallet associated with the user device 101 has sufficient monetary balance to allow swapping of batteries. In step 506, the battery charging and swapping station 102 configures at least one charged battery pack (which is to be dispensed to the user) with an identification, such that the configured identification is the same as the identification of a battery dock in the vehicle 103, configures the drive status of the last battery pack to be dispensed as “Enabled” and all the remaining battery packs to be dispensed as “Disabled”, and sets the charge flag. In step 508, the battery charging and swapping station 102 authenticates the vehicle 103 using a verification means (such as an OTP). In step 510, one or empty battery docks in the battery charging and swapping station 102 receives at least one used battery pack from the vehicle 103. In step 512, the battery charging and swapping station 102 dispenses at least one charged battery pack that is to be inserted into the vehicle battery dock. In an embodiment herein, the DIU401A can verify if the configured identification of the inserted battery pack matches the identification of the vehicle battery dock 401. The various actions in method 500 can be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIG. 5 can be omitted.

[0054] The disclosed embodiments can encompass numerous advantages. An exemplary advantage of the disclosed embodiments can include, but is not limited to, theft prevention or lack of misuse of the battery packs, thus ensuring asset protection and economic advantages to the station operator, and live tracking of the battery packs on field, thereby ensuring better asset management.

[0055] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and / or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of embodiments and examples, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments and examples disclosed herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.

Claims

STATEMENT OF CLAIMSWe claim:

1. A method (500) for swapping at least one battery pack in a vehicle (103), the method comprising: authenticating, by a battery charging and swapping station (102), credentials and a wallet balance of a user, wherein the credentials are received from a user device (101); broadcasting, by the battery charging and swapping station (102), on successfully authenticating the user; sending, by a vehicle dock (401), a unique identifier to the battery charging and swapping station (102); assigning, by the battery charging and swapping station (102), the received unique identifier to at least one charged battery pack present in the battery charging and swapping station (102), wherein the at least one charged battery pack is to be dispensed to the vehicle (103); configuring, by the battery charging and swapping station (102), a drive status of one battery pack of the at least one charged battery pack as ‘Drive Enabled’ and other battery packs of the at least one charged battery pack as ‘Drive Disabled’ ; setting, by the battery charging and swapping station (102), a charge flag of the at least one charged battery pack; swapping the at least one charged battery pack from the battery charging and swapping station (102) with at least one used battery pack from the vehicle dock (401); sending, by the vehicle dock (401), a battery ready request to the at least one charged battery pack, if the assigned unique identifier matches with the unique identifier of the vehicle dock (401), only one battery pack of the at least one charged battery packs has a ‘Drive Enabled’ status; and the chargeflag of all the inserted battery packs are set on the vehicle (103) being turned on; and providing, by the vehicle dock (401), power from the at least one charged battery pack to the vehicle (103).

2. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method comprises of performing a pre-defined action using the user device (101).

3. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises authenticating the vehicle (103) using an One Time Password (OTP).

4. The method, as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the unique identifier is a dock ID of the vehicle dock5. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises performing auto addressing by the vehicle dock (401), on the vehicle being turned on.

6. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the at least one battery pack going into an orphan mode, if the assigned unique identifier does not match with the unique identifier of the vehicle dock (401), more than one battery pack of the at least one charged battery packs has the ‘Drive Enabled’ status; and the charge flag of all the inserted battery packs are not set.

7. A system for swapping at least one battery pack in a vehicle (103), the system comprising: a battery charging and swapping station (102); and at least one vehicle dock (401), wherein the system is configured for: authenticating, by the battery charging and swapping station (102), credentials and a wallet balance of a user, wherein the credentials are received from a user device (101); broadcasting, by the battery charging and swapping station (102), on successfully authenticating the user;sending, by a vehicle dock (401), a unique identifier to the battery charging and swapping station (102); assigning, by the battery charging and swapping station (102), the received unique identifier to at least one charged battery pack present in the battery charging and swapping station (102), wherein the at least one charged battery pack is to be dispensed to the vehicle (103); configuring, by the battery charging and swapping station (102), a drive status of one battery pack of the at least one charged battery pack as ‘Drive Enabled’ and other battery packs of the at least one charged battery pack as ‘Drive Disabled’ ; setting, by the battery charging and swapping station (102), a charge flag of the at least one charged battery pack; swapping the at least one charged battery pack from the battery charging and swapping station (102) with at least one used battery pack from the vehicle dock (401); sending, by the vehicle dock (401), a battery ready request to the at least one charged battery pack, if the assigned unique identifier matches with the unique identifier of the vehicle dock (401), only one battery pack of the at least one charged battery packs has a ‘Drive Enabled’ status; and the charge flag of all the inserted battery packs are set on the vehicle (103) being turned on; and providing, by the vehicle dock (401), power from the at least one charged battery pack to the vehicle (103).

8. The system, as claimed in claim 7, wherein the system is configured for performing a pre-defined action using the user device (101).

9. The system, as claimed in claim 7, wherein the system is configured for authenticating the vehicle (103) using an One Time Password (OTP).

10. The system, as claimed in claim 7, wherein the unique identifier is a dock ID of the vehicle dock11. The system, as claimed in claim 7, wherein the system is configured for performing auto addressing by the vehicle dock (401), on the vehicle being turned on.

12. The system, as claimed in claim 7, wherein the system is configured for the at least one battery pack going into an orphan mode, if the assigned unique identifier does not match with the unique identifier of the vehicle dock (401), more than one battery pack of the at least one charged battery packs has the ‘Drive Enabled’ status; and the charge flag of all the inserted battery packs are not set.

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