Battery transport truck

Abstract

To provide a battery transport truck which can improve efficiency of a battery exchange work between an object on which a battery is mounted and a charger and shorten work time.SOLUTION: A battery transport truck for transporting at least one replaceable battery, comprise: a guide part which is formed extending in a longitudinal direction of the battery to be engaged with a guided part formed in the battery; a battery mount plate whose length in an extension direction of the guide part is shorter than length of the battery in the longitudinal direction; and a battery support plate which is rotatably connected to one end in the extension direction of the guide part of the battery mount plate to be capable of flipping-up to support from below a part of the battery protruding from the battery mount plate and be stored downward to be apart from the part of the battery.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery transport cart for transporting at least one replaceable battery. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a mobile cart including a lifter mounted on the cart and a plurality of bed frames arranged separately on the upper surface of the lifter is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this mobile cart, the bed frames located at both ends can be folded downward. As a result, by folding down at least one of the bed frames at both ends, a working space for a caregiver or the like can be created. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-065747 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, a replaceable battery installed in a vehicle is removed from the vehicle, transported to an external battery charging device, and charged by the battery charging device. Furthermore, the battery charged by the battery charging device is transported to the target vehicle and then installed in the vehicle. Therefore, to improve the efficiency and reduce the time required for battery replacement work, a transport cart is needed that can easily and smoothly transfer batteries between the vehicle and the battery charging device. However, the mobile cart described in Patent Document 1 is used to transport people in hospitals and the like, and does not have functions useful for battery replacement.

[0005] Therefore, a main object of the present disclosure is to provide a battery transport cart that can improve the efficiency and reduce the time required for battery replacement work between the battery mounting target and the charging device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The battery transport cart disclosed herein is a battery transport cart for transporting at least one replaceable battery, and includes a battery mounting plate having a guide portion that engages with a guided portion formed on the battery so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the battery, and the length of the guide portion in the extending direction is shorter than the length of the battery in the longitudinal direction, and a battery support plate that is rotatably connected to one end of the guide portion of the battery mounting plate in the extending direction, and is flipped up to support from below a portion of the battery protruding from the battery mounting plate, and is stored downward so as to be spaced apart from the portion of the battery.

[0007] When removing a battery from a target or charging device, the battery transport vehicle of the present disclosure is parked near the target or charging device with the battery support plate stored downward. Storing the battery support plate downward in this manner creates space around the battery transport vehicle, allowing a worker to get closer to the target or charging device to perform battery replacement work. Furthermore, by engaging the guided portion of the battery with the guide portion of the battery mounting plate, the battery can be smoothly pulled onto the battery mounting plate while being guided by the guide portion. Furthermore, by flipping up the battery support plate after the battery is placed on the battery mounting plate, a portion of the battery protruding from the battery mounting plate can be supported from below. This allows the battery to be transported stably between the target and charging device. Furthermore, when loading or storing a battery on the target or charging device, the transport vehicle carrying the battery is parked near the target or charging device, and the battery support plate is stored downward so as to be separated from a portion of the battery. This allows the worker to push the battery, which is guided by the guide section, into the loading target or charging device, creating space around the battery transport cart, and then get closer to the loading target or charging device to perform the battery replacement work.As a result, the battery transport cart of the present disclosure makes it possible to easily and smoothly transfer the battery between the loading target and the charging device, improving the efficiency and reducing the time required for the battery replacement work. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a usage form of a battery transport cart according to the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a battery case that houses a battery transported by the battery transport cart of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part of the battery transport cart of the present disclosure. [Figure 4]10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, and 10E are explanatory diagrams for explaining a battery replacement procedure using the battery transport vehicle of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Next, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of how a battery transport vehicle 100 according to the present disclosure is used. The battery transport vehicle 100 shown in the figure is used to transport multiple (e.g., three in this embodiment) replaceable batteries (battery packs) 10 that store power used in an electric vehicle V, such as a commercial vehicle, between the electric vehicle V and a battery charging device 50 outside the vehicle. The multiple batteries 10 include a substantially rectangular parallelepiped pack case and multiple cells (e.g., lithium-ion secondary battery cells or nickel-metal hydride secondary battery cells) housed within the pack case, and each battery 10 has the same specifications (including dimensions). Each battery 10 supplies power to a motor generator (electric motor) (not shown) that outputs power for propelling the electric vehicle V, and also stores power generated (regenerated) by the motor generator when braking the electric vehicle V.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1 , an electric vehicle V includes a battery case 1 that houses multiple (e.g., three in this embodiment) replaceable batteries 10 arranged in parallel. The battery case 1 is fixed to a floor panel (vehicle body) of the electric vehicle V via multiple brackets B so as to be located behind the front seats of the electric vehicle V, thereby defining a battery storage section of the electric vehicle V. As shown in the figure, the battery case 1 includes a case body 2 in the shape of a rectangular cylinder with a bottom and an opening 2o, and a lid 3 that opens and closes the opening 2o of the case body 2. The case body 2 is formed, for example, from multiple pressed metal plates, and includes a bottom 20, a pair of side walls 21 each extending upward from corresponding side edges of the bottom 20, a ceiling 22 facing the bottom 20 at a distance, and an end wall 23. The bottom 20, the pair of side walls 21, and the ceiling 22 form a flat rectangular cylinder, and the end wall 23 closes one end of the rectangular cylinder. As a result, a rectangular opening 2o is defined at the end of the case body 2 opposite to the end wall portion 23 side.

[0012] The case body 2 accommodates a plurality of (three) batteries 10 arranged along the longitudinal direction (width direction) of an opening 2o serving as an insertion port. That is, each battery 10 is inserted into or removed from the case body 2 through the opening 2o in the extension direction of the pair of side wall portions 21. As shown in FIG. 2 , a plurality of partition walls 24 are disposed inside the case body 2 so as to be positioned between adjacent batteries 10. Furthermore, the case body 2 also accommodates a plurality of (three) receptacles (all not shown) that can be coupled to connectors provided on the corresponding batteries 10, and are disposed adjacent to the end wall portions 23. Each battery 10 is connected to an inverter or the like that drives the motor generator via the receptacles or cables (not shown). In this embodiment, the case body 2 is fixed to the floor panel so that the opening 2o faces, for example, the driver's seat side of the electric vehicle V. In this embodiment, the bottom portion 20 and the pair of side wall portions 21 of the case body 2 are integrally formed as shown in FIG. 2, but they may also be formed separately and fixed to each other.

[0013] The lid 3 is formed, for example, from a pressed metal plate, and is supported by the case body 2 via multiple hinges (not shown) so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis A. The rotation axis A extends along the lower edge of the opening 2o, i.e., along one side of the bottom 20 that defines the opening 2o. This allows the lid 3 to be opened to expose the opening 2o by rotating the lid 3 from top to bottom about the rotation axis A (tilting it forward). The lid 3 can also be closed to close the opening 2o by rotating the lid 3 from bottom to top about the rotation axis A (flipping it up). The case body 2 is further provided with a locking mechanism (not shown) that locks the lid 3 when it has closed the opening 2o.

[0014] Here, in order to improve the efficiency of the work of replacing the battery 10 in the electric vehicle V, it is necessary to make it possible to easily position and house the battery 10 in the battery case 1. For this reason, in the battery case 1, in order to improve the ease of positioning and housing the battery 10, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, a plurality of (in this embodiment, three, for example) case-side guide portions 25 having the same height H and width W are provided on the case main body 2.

[0015] The multiple case side guide portions 25 extend parallel to the side wall portions 21 from the opening 2o toward the end wall portions 23 (inside the case main body 2), and are arranged on the bottom portion 20 so as to be spaced apart in the longitudinal direction (width direction) of the opening 2o. In this embodiment, each case side guide portion 25 is formed by pressing so as to protrude from the inner surface (top surface) of the bottom portion 20, which serves as the inner bottom surface of the case main body 2, toward the interior of the case main body 2, i.e., toward the ceiling portion 22, and is located below the center in the width direction of each battery 10 housed in the case main body 2. The upper surface of each case side guide portion 25 is formed flat, and an inclined surface that connects the upper surface and the inner surface of the bottom portion 20 is formed at the end of each case side guide portion 25 on the opening 2o side and the end on the end wall portion 23 side.

[0016] 1, in the battery case 1, a plurality of (for example, three in this embodiment) lid-side guide portions 35 having the same height and width are disposed on the lid body 3 so as to align with the corresponding case-side guide portions 25 when the lid body 3 is open (fully open). The lid-side guide portions 35 are formed by pressing so as to protrude from the inner surface of the lid body 3 toward the interior of the case body 2 and to be aligned at intervals in the longitudinal direction (width direction) of the lid body 3, and are located below the center in the width direction of each battery 10 to be inserted into or removed from the case body 2. The upper surface of each lid-side guide portion 35 is formed flat and is included in approximately the same plane as the upper surface of the corresponding case-side guide portion 25 when the lid body 3 is open (fully open). Furthermore, an inclined surface 35a is formed at the end of each lid side guide portion 35 on the free end side of the lid body 3, connecting the upper surface of the lid side guide portion 35 to the inner surface of the lid body 3, and an inclined surface 35b is formed at the end of each lid side guide portion 35 on the rotation axis A side, connecting the upper surface of the lid side guide portion 35 to the inner surface of the lid body 3.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2 , the battery 10 also includes a guided portion 11 that engages with the case-side guide portion 25 of the case body 2 and the lid-side guide portion 35 of the lid 3. In this embodiment, the guided portion 11 is a pair of ridges (rails) that protrude downward from the bottom surface of the battery 10 (pack case) and extend in the longitudinal direction of the battery 10. The pair of ridges extend parallel to each other at a distance slightly larger than the width of the case-side guide portion 25 and the lid-side guide portion 35, and are in sliding contact with the corresponding side surfaces of the case-side guide portion 25 and the lid-side guide portion 35 and the inner surface of the bottom portion 20. Furthermore, at least one end surface of each battery 10 (pack case) is provided with an abutment member 15 (see FIG. 1 ) made of an elastic material such as rubber or resin. The abutment member 15 is positioned below the handle portion 12 of the battery 10 and has a surface that slopes away from the end surface of the battery 10 from the top surface to the bottom surface of the battery 10.

[0018] The battery charging device 50 is, for example, a DC rapid charger, and is installed in a parking facility for the electric vehicle V, a loading and unloading facility, or the like. In this embodiment, the battery charging device 50 includes an AC / DC converter that converts AC power supplied from an AC power source outside the vehicle, such as a commercial power source, into DC power, a DC / DC converter that boosts the DC power output from the AC / DC converter, a control device that controls these electrical devices (none of which are shown), a plurality of battery cases 1 (for example, three in this embodiment), a housing 55 that houses these components, and the like. However, the battery charging device 50 may also be an AC charger. In this embodiment, the plurality of battery cases 1 are arranged vertically in the housing 55, as shown in FIG. 1 .

[0019] The multiple battery cases 1 of the battery charging device 50 are identical to the battery cases 1 mounted on the electric vehicle V, and each defines a battery storage section of the battery charging device 50. Therefore, the width a and height b of the battery storage section in the battery charging device 50, the orientation (extension direction) of each case-side guide section 25 relative to the opening 2o, the intervals c1 and c2 between the multiple case-side guide sections 25, and the intervals d1, d2, d3, d4, d5, and d6 between each case-side guide section 25 and the adjacent side wall section 21 or partition wall 24 (all see FIG. 2 ) are all the same as those of the battery storage section in the electric vehicle V. Furthermore, multiple (three) receptacles (all not shown) that can be coupled with connectors provided on the corresponding batteries 10 are arranged adjacent to the end wall section 23 inside the case main body 2 of each battery case 1 of the battery charging device 50. Each battery 10 is connected to the power device (DC / DC converter) of the battery charging device 50 via the receptacle or the like.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 1, the battery transport cart 100 includes a cart body 101 including a base frame, a plurality of (at least three) casters, a handle, etc., and a top plate 110 that is supported by the cart body 101 (base frame) via a lifting mechanism (lifter) 105 so as to be able to move up and down. Also, as shown in Fig. 3, a battery mounting plate 120 made of, for example, metal is fixed to the upper surface of the top plate 110 of the battery transport cart 100 via a plurality of bolts. Furthermore, a battery support plate 140 is rotatably connected to one end of the top plate 110 and the battery mounting plate 120 via a hinge 130.

[0021] The battery mounting plate 120 has a common configuration with the bottom 20 of the battery case 1 (case body 2) and includes a plurality of (for example, three in this embodiment) carriage-side guide portions 125. In other words, the battery mounting plate 120 corresponds to the bottom 20 of the case body 2, which is integrated with the pair of side walls 21, from which both of the pair of side walls 21 have been at least partially removed. Furthermore, the length of the carriage-side guide portions 125 of the battery mounting plate 120 in the extension direction is set to be shorter than the length of the battery 10 in the longitudinal direction. The battery mounting plate 120 is fixed to the top plate 110 so that the carriage-side guide portions 125 are aligned in parallel at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the top plate 110 (the traveling direction of the battery transport cart 100).

[0022] The multiple cart-side guide portions 125 are formed by press working so as to protrude upward from the bottom surface of the battery mounting plate 120. Each cart-side guide portion 125 has the same height as the height H of the case-side guide portion 25 of the battery case 1 and the same width as the width W of the case-side guide portion 25, and is capable of engaging with the guided portion 11 of the battery 10. The intervals between the multiple cart-side guide portions 125 are the same as the intervals c1, c2 between the multiple case-side guide portions 25 of the battery case 1. The top surface of each cart-side guide portion 125 is formed flat, and an inclined surface that connects the top surface to the bottom surface of the battery mounting plate 120 is formed at the end of each cart-side guide portion 125 opposite the battery support plate 140 side.

[0023] The battery support plate 140 includes a flat bottom surface and a side wall portion that opens on the battery mounting plate 120 side. As shown in Fig. 3, the battery support plate 140 can be fixed by fixtures (stays) 150 in an upwardly flipped state so as to extend parallel (horizontally) to the top plate 110. In this case, the bottom surface of the battery support plate 140 is included in approximately the same plane as the bottom surface of the battery mounting plate 120. Furthermore, by releasing the fixation of the battery support plate 140 by the fixtures 150, the battery support plate 140 can be rotated so as to extend in the vertical direction and stored downward (folded).

[0024] Next, a procedure for replacing the battery 10 mounted on the electric vehicle V will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Here, a procedure for replacing the multiple batteries 10 (for example, three in this embodiment) that had been housed in the battery case 1 of the electric vehicle V with multiple batteries 10 in a fully charged state that have been charged by the battery charging device 50 will be described in response to a decrease in the SOC of the multiple batteries 10 mounted on the electric vehicle V.

[0025] After the electric vehicle V has stopped, the worker removes the cover and other parts from the battery case 1 and opens the lid 3 to expose the opening 2o of the case body 2. The opened lid 3 extends from the lower edge of the opening 2o to the side opposite the case body 2 (see FIG. 1), and each lid-side guide portion 35 of the lid 3 aligns with the corresponding case-side guide portion 25 formed on the inner surface of the bottom 20 of the case body 2 so as to extend in the insertion / removal direction of the battery 10 (the extension direction of the pair of side wall portions 21). The worker also parks (pulls alongside) the empty battery transport cart 100 to the side (nearby) of the electric vehicle V, with the battery support plate 140 stored downward, as shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b). Furthermore, the worker adjusts the position of the battery transport cart 100 by operating the lifting mechanism 105 as necessary so that each cart side guide portion 125 of the battery mounting plate 120 is aligned with the corresponding lid side guide portion 35 of the lid body 3 and the case side guide portion 25 of the case main body 2.

[0026] 4(b) and 4(c), by storing the battery support plate 140 of the battery transport cart 100 downward, space is created around the battery transport cart 100, allowing the worker to get closer to the battery case 1, i.e., the electric vehicle V, to perform the battery replacement work. Furthermore, by engaging the guided portion 11 of each battery 10 with the corresponding lid-side guide portion 35 and cart-side guide portion 125, the multiple batteries 10 can be smoothly pulled out onto the battery mounting plate 120 of the battery transport cart 100 while being guided by the lid-side guide portion 35 and cart-side guide portion 125.

[0027] After placing (pulling out) all of the batteries 10 of the electric vehicle V onto the battery mounting plate 120, the worker flips up the battery support plate 140 as shown in FIG. 4(d) and fixes the battery support plate 140 with the fixing brackets 150 so that it extends parallel (horizontally) to the top plate 110 (see FIG. 3). As a result, the bottom surface of the battery support plate 140 is included in approximately the same plane as the bottom surface of the battery mounting plate 120, so that the parts of each battery 10 protruding from the battery mounting plate 120 can be supported from below. As a result, it becomes possible to stably transport the multiple batteries 10 from the electric vehicle V to the battery charging device 50.

[0028] The worker parks (pulls up alongside) the battery transport cart 100 carrying multiple batteries 10 to the side (nearby) of the battery charging device 50, and operates the lifting mechanism 105 as necessary to move the battery mounting plate 120 of the battery transport cart 100 close to the empty battery case 1 of the battery charging device 50. The worker also opens the lid 3 of the corresponding battery case 1 to expose the opening 2o of the case body 2, and adjusts the position of the battery transport cart 100 so that each cart-side guide portion 125 of the battery mounting plate 120 is aligned with the corresponding lid-side guide portion 35 of the lid 3 and the case-side guide portion 25 of the case body 2. The worker then releases the battery support plate 140 from the fixing brackets 150, rotates the battery support plate 140 so that it extends vertically, and stores it downward.

[0029] As a result, the worker can push the battery 10, guided by the cart-side guide portions 125, lid-side guide portions 35, and case-side guide portions 25, into the corresponding battery case 1 of the battery charging device 50, creating space around the battery transport cart 100, and get closer to the battery charging device 50 to perform the battery replacement work. In addition, in this embodiment, the spacing between the multiple case-side guide portions 25 of the battery case 1 that define the battery storage section of the battery charging device 50 is determined to match the mounting state of the multiple batteries 10 on the electric vehicle V and the battery transport cart 100. That is, by aligning each cart-side guide portion 125 of the battery mounting plate 120 with the corresponding lid-side guide portion 35 of the lid body 3 and pushing the battery 10 on the battery mounting plate 120 into the case main body 2, the guided portion 11 of the battery 10 is guided by the lid-side guide portions 35 and case-side guide portions 25 and moves smoothly to the back side of the case main body 2. This makes it possible to easily position and store each battery 10 in the battery case 1.

[0030] As described above, the battery case 1 and the battery transport cart 100 allow multiple replaceable batteries 10 to be transferred between the electric vehicle V and the battery charging device 50 via the battery transport cart 100 while maintaining the batteries 10 mounted on the electric vehicle V. As a result, the multiple replaceable batteries 10 can be easily and smoothly transferred between the electric vehicle V and the battery charging device 50, improving the efficiency and reducing the time required for battery replacement work.

[0031] After storing the batteries 10 from the electric vehicle V in the empty battery cases 1 of the battery charging device 50, the worker places (pulls out) the charged batteries 10 stored in the other battery cases 1 of the battery charging device 50 onto the battery mounting plate 120 of the battery transport cart 100 according to the procedure described above. The worker then transfers (stores) the batteries 10 from the battery transport cart 100 into the battery case 1 of the target electric vehicle V. Furthermore, each lid-side guide portion 35 of the lid body 3 protrudes from the inner surface of the lid body 3 toward the inside of the case body 2 and abuts against a contact member 15 provided on the end face of the battery 10 when the lid body 3 is completely closed. This effectively prevents the batteries 10 from rattling inside the battery case 1 while the electric vehicle V is traveling, for example. Additionally, since there is no need to provide a separate support portion for the batteries 10 in the battery case 1, increases in cost and size of the battery case 1 can be effectively prevented.

[0032] In the battery charging device 50, the battery case 1 defining the battery storage compartment is incorporated into the housing 55, but this is not limiting. That is, as long as at least the orientation (extension direction) of the guide portions relative to the entrance of the battery storage compartment and the spacing between the guide portions are the same as those of the electric vehicle V and the battery transport cart 100, the battery storage compartment of the battery charging device 50 may be defined by dedicated members. Furthermore, the case-side guide portions 25 of the case body 2, the lid-side guide portions 35 of the lid 3, and the cart-side guide portions 125 of the battery transport cart 100 do not necessarily have to be protrusions protruding from the inner surface of the bottom 20, the lid 3, or the battery mounting plate 120, but may be recesses recessed from the inner surface of the bottom 20, the lid 3, or the battery mounting plate 120. Furthermore, the guided portions 11 of the battery 10 do not necessarily have to protrude from the bottom surface of the battery 10, but may be recesses engageable with the case-side guide portions 25, the lid-side guide portions 35, and the cart-side guide portions 125. Furthermore, the electric vehicle V may be a battery electric vehicle (BEV) or a hybrid vehicle (HEV, PHEV). Furthermore, the battery case 1 may be mounted on a moving body other than the electric vehicle V, such as a railway vehicle, or may be installed in fixed equipment other than the battery charging device 50. Furthermore, the battery charging device 50 may be a mobile charger that can move toward and away from the electric vehicle V. Furthermore, the battery case 1 may be configured to accommodate a single replaceable battery 10.

[0033] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the above-described embodiment is merely a specific form of the invention described in the Summary of the Invention, and does not limit the elements of the invention described in the Summary of the Invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0034] The invention of the present disclosure can be used in the battery transport cart manufacturing industry, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1 battery case, 2 case body, 2o opening, 20 bottom, 21 side wall, 22 ceiling, 23 end wall, 24 partition wall, 25 case side guide, 3 lid, 35 lid side guide, 10 battery, 11 guided portion, 50 battery charging device, 55 housing, 100 battery transport cart, 101 body, 105 lifting mechanism, 110 top plate, 120 battery mounting plate, 125 cart side guide, 130 hinge, 140 battery support plate, 150 fixing bracket, V electric vehicle.

Claims

[Claim 1] A battery transport vehicle for transporting at least one replaceable battery, a battery mounting plate having a guide portion that extends in the longitudinal direction of the battery and engages with a guided portion formed on the battery, the length of the guide portion in the extending direction being shorter than the length of the battery in the longitudinal direction; a battery support plate that is rotatably connected to one end of the battery mounting plate in the extending direction of the guide portion, that is raised up to support from below a portion of the battery protruding from the battery mounting plate, and that is stored downward to be spaced apart from the portion of the battery; A battery transport cart equipped with:

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