Battery replacement dolly

Abstract

To provide a battery replacement dolly suitable for battery replacement.SOLUTION: A battery replacement dolly of the present disclosure includes: wheels including at least a rear wheel and a front wheel; a frame portion having a bottom frame connecting the wheels and a vertical frame rising in a vertical direction from the bottom frame; and an arm unit having a battery holding arm protruding forward from the vertical frame and capable of holding a battery. The arm unit is supported by the vertical frame so as to be movable in upward and downward directions and movable in a horizontal direction perpendicular to a traveling direction of the battery replacement dolly.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery exchange cart used when exchanging a vehicle battery. [Background technology]

[0002] Electric vehicles have become increasingly popular in recent years. There are two main methods for charging the batteries of electric vehicles.

[0003] The first method is to charge the battery directly from a commercial power source at a charging station, and the second method is to replace a low-power battery with a charged one.

[0004] The second method is suitable for large vehicles (trucks, dump trucks, buses, etc.) with large battery capacities, for which the first method would take a long time to charge. Conventionally, the second method has often been performed at battery exchange stations (sometimes called quick change stations). Battery exchange stations are described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, etc. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2021-508432 [Patent Document 2] Special Publication No. 2022-547117 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, battery exchange stations are designed to automatically exchange batteries, and require actuators to drive the arms that hold the batteries, various sensors to move the arms to the correct positions, etc., making the configuration complex. As a result, battery exchange stations have a large-scale configuration and a drawback in that the initial investment is high.

[0007] Furthermore, in order to exchange the battery at a battery exchange station, the vehicle must be driven to the designated location of the battery exchange station, which makes it difficult to exchange the battery for a vehicle whose battery is depleted and cannot drive to the battery exchange station.

[0008] One way to solve this problem is to use a hand-pushed cart to perform battery replacement, but until now, sufficient research has not been done on carts suitable for battery replacement.

[0009] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above points, and provides a battery exchange cart that is suitable for battery exchange. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] One aspect of the battery exchange cart of the present disclosure is to A battery exchange cart used when exchanging batteries, Wheels including at least rear and front wheels; a frame portion including a bottom frame connecting the wheels and a vertical frame rising vertically from the bottom frame; an arm unit having a battery holding arm that protrudes forward from the vertical frame and is capable of holding a battery; Equipped with The arm unit is supported by the vertical frame so as to be movable up and down and also movable horizontally perpendicular to the traveling direction of the battery exchange cart. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present disclosure, a battery replacement cart suitable for battery replacement can be realized. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a battery exchange cart according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] Top view of the battery exchange trolley [Figure 3] Side view of battery exchange trolley [Figure 4] A perspective view showing the battery exchange cart transporting a battery. [Figure 5] A front view of the battery replacement cart showing the arm unit lowered to its lowest position. [Figure 6] Front view of the battery exchange trolley showing the arm inserted under the battery [Figure 7] An enlarged view showing the arm inserted into the gap between the bottom of the battery and the battery mounting surface. [Figure 8] A perspective view of the battery exchange trolley seen from the rear at an angle DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A battery exchange cart according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is used, for example, when replacing a battery in a large vehicle such as a truck or a bus.

[0014] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a battery exchange cart 100 of this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a top view of the battery exchange cart 100, and Fig. 3 is a side view of the battery exchange cart 100. Furthermore, Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the battery exchange cart 100 transporting a battery 1.

[0015] The battery exchange cart 100 is moved by being manually pushed by an operator. In the following explanation, the forward direction of the battery exchange cart 100 is defined as the +Y direction, the backward direction as the -Y direction, the width direction of the battery exchange cart 100 as the ±X direction, and the up-down direction (vertical direction) of the battery exchange cart 100 as the ±Z direction.

[0016] The battery exchange cart 100 has two front wheels 101 and 102 and two rear wheels 103 and 104. The wheels 101 to 104 are attached to a bottom frame 110 and are supported by the bottom frame 110 so as to be rotatable.

[0017] Here, the distance between front wheels 101 and 102 is greater than the distance between rear wheels 103 and 104. This increases stability in the front section, allowing a heavy battery 1 (FIG. 4) to be transported in a stable state. For example, the weight of battery 1 is about 180 kg. Of course, the weight of battery 1 is not limited to this.

[0018] The battery exchange cart 100 has a vertical frame 120 that rises in the vertical direction (+Z direction) from a bottom frame 110. An arm unit 130 is attached to the vertical frame 120. In addition, a drive unit 140 is mounted on the vertical frame 120.

[0019] The arm unit 130 is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction (±Z direction) by a guide rail 121 provided on the vertical frame 120. As will be described later, a linear guide 123 (FIG. 8) is actually attached to the guide rail 121 so as to be movable in the vertical direction (±Z direction), and the arm unit 130 is supported by the vertical frame 120 via the linear guide 123 so as to be movable in the vertical direction (±Z direction).

[0020] The arm unit 130 protrudes forward (in the forward direction (+Y direction) of the battery exchange cart 100) from the vertical frame 120 and has battery holding arms (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "arms") 131, 132 that can hold the battery 1. The arms 131, 132 are a pair of arms that face each other horizontally.

[0021] Arm 131 is provided with locking claws 131a and 131b, and arm 132 is provided with locking claws 132a and 132b. A battery mounting surface 131c is formed between locking claw 131a and locking claw 131b. Similarly, a battery mounting surface 132c is formed between locking claw 132a and locking claw 132b.

[0022] As can be seen from the figure, the locking claws 131a, 131b, 132a, 132b and the mounting surfaces 131c, 132c are formed on opposing surfaces of the arm main body of the arms 131, 132. In this embodiment, the locking claws 131a, 131b, 132a, 132b are arranged to fit within the height range of the arm main body. This reduces the effective thickness of the arms 131, 132 in the vertical direction compared to when the locking claws 131a, 131b, 132a, 132b and the mounting surfaces 131c, 132c are formed on, for example, the upper part of the arm main body, making it easier to insert the arms 131, 132 into the gap below the battery 1.

[0023] The arm width between arms 131 and 132, the distance between locking claws 131a and 131b, and the distance between locking claws 132a and 132b are set to fit the size of the held battery 1. As a result, the battery 1 is positioned and held in a predetermined position on arms 131 and 132, with movement in the ±X directions restricted by the opposing surfaces of arms 131 and 132, and movement in the ±Y directions restricted by locking claws 131a, 131b, 132a, and 132b.

[0024] The drive unit 140 has a handle 141, a screw jack part 142, a movable pulley mechanism part 143, and a chain 144. The movable pulley mechanism part 143 is supported on the vertical frame 120 so as to be slidable in the up and down direction. One end of the chain 144 is connected to the vertical frame 120, and the other end is connected to the arm unit 130 via the movable pulley mechanism part 143.

[0025] When the handle 141 is rotated by the user, the movable pulley mechanism 143 is moved up and down (±Z direction) by the screw jack 142. For example, when the handle 141 is rotated clockwise, the movable pulley mechanism 143 is moved upward. In contrast, when the handle 141 is rotated counterclockwise, the movable pulley mechanism 143 is moved downward.

[0026] When the movable pulley mechanism 143 moves upward, the arm unit 130 moves upward accordingly, pulled by the chain 144. Conversely, when the movable pulley mechanism 143 moves downward, the arm unit 130 moves downward accordingly.

[0027] In the present embodiment, the movable pulley mechanism 143 is configured to be able to move the arm unit 130 in the vertical direction by a distance that is twice the distance that the movable pulley mechanism 143 itself moves in the vertical direction. However, this is not limited to twice, and the point is that the movable pulley mechanism 143 may be configured to be able to move the arm unit 130 a distance that is greater than the distance that the movable pulley mechanism 143 itself moves in the vertical direction.

[0028] This increases the distance that arm unit 130 moves up and down in response to the operation of handle 141, thereby reducing the burden on the user when moving arm unit 130 up and down.

[0029] 2, in this embodiment, the arm width d1 between the pair of arms 131, 132 is smaller than the wheel width d2 between the pair of front wheels 101, 102. More specifically, the distance d1 between the outside of the arm 131 and the outside of the arm 132 (i.e., the arm width) is smaller than the distance d2 between the inside of the front wheel 101 and the inside of the front wheel 102 (i.e., the wheel width). This allows the arms 131, 132 to fit into the space between the front wheels 101, 102 and the bottom frame 110. As a result, the arms 131, 132 can be lowered to the position of the battery mounting surface.

[0030] Figure 5 is a front view of the battery exchange cart 100, showing the arm unit 130 lowered to its lowest position. As can be seen from Figure 5, by making the arm width d1 smaller than the wheel width d2, the arms 131 and 132 can be lowered to the battery placement surface without being interfered with by the front wheels 101 and 102.

[0031] 6 is a front view of the battery exchange cart 100 showing the state in which the arms 131 and 132 are inserted below the battery 1. Legs 1a are provided on the underside of the battery 1, which creates a gap equal to the height of the legs 1a between the underside of the battery 1 and the battery placement surface. The arms 131 and 132 are inserted into this gap.

[0032] Figure 7 is an enlarged view showing the state in which the arms 131, 132 are inserted into the gap between the underside of the battery 1 and the battery mounting surface. As can be seen from Figure 7, the arm 132 (131) is lowered to a position very close to the battery mounting surface. The height of the locking claw 132a (131a) is lower than the height of the leg 1a.

[0033] Incidentally, if the height of the legs 1a is made higher than the height of the front wheels 101, 102, for example, the gap between the underside of the battery 1 and the battery mounting surface will be larger, and it is thought that the battery 1 can be lifted even if the height of the arms 131, 132 is higher than the front wheels 101, 102. However, the greater the height of the legs 1a, the more unstable the battery 1 becomes. With the configuration of this embodiment, the battery 1 can be lifted without such inconvenience.

[0034] In addition to this configuration, the arm unit 130 is supported by the vertical frame 120 so that it can move in horizontal directions (±X directions) perpendicular to the traveling direction (±Y directions) of the battery exchange cart 100. In this way, by configuring the arm unit 130 to be movable not only in the up and down directions (±Z directions) but also in horizontal directions (±X directions) perpendicular to the traveling direction, it is possible to reduce the effort required by the user to align the battery 1 when placing it on the battery exchange cart 100 and installing it in a vehicle.

[0035] 8 is a perspective view of the battery exchange cart 100, viewed obliquely from the rear. A linear guide 123 extending in the ±X directions is provided on the vertical frame 120. The arm unit 130 is supported by the linear guide 123 so as to be slidable in the ±X directions. Here, the linear guide 123 is supported by the vertical frame 120 so as to be movable in the up and down direction, and is moved in the up and down direction via a movable pulley mechanism 143.

[0036] That is, the arm unit 130 is supported by the vertical frame 120 so as to be movable in the up and down directions (±Z directions) and also in the horizontal directions (±X directions) perpendicular to the traveling direction (±Y directions) of the battery exchange cart 100. The movement of the arm unit 130 in the ±X directions is performed manually by the user.

[0037] Next, the operation of the battery exchange cart 100 will be described.

[0038] First, the user lowers the arm unit 130 to the lowest position by operating the handle 141. Next, while holding the grip 122 provided on the vertical frame 120, the user pushes the battery exchange cart 100 forward (in the +Y direction), thereby inserting the arms 131 and 132 into the gap between the underside of the battery 1 and the battery placement surface, as shown in Figure 7 .

[0039] Next, the user operates the handle 141 to raise the arm unit 130. As a result, the battery 1 is positioned and held in a predetermined position on the arms 131, 132, as shown in Figure 4. In this state, the user transports the battery 1 to the vehicle in which it will be installed.

[0040] The user moves the battery exchange cart 100 so that the battery 1 is positioned above the battery mounting location on the vehicle. When aligning the battery with the battery mounting location, it is necessary to align the position in the ±Y direction with the position in the ±X direction. In this embodiment, the arm unit 130 can be moved in the ±X direction relative to the main body of the battery exchange cart 100, making it easy to align the battery with the battery mounting location.

[0041] For example, in a configuration in which the arm unit 130 cannot be moved in the ±X directions relative to the main body of the battery exchange cart 100, if the position in the ±X directions is misaligned, the battery exchange cart 100 must be moved backward and forward multiple times to adjust the position in the ±X directions, which makes alignment time-consuming. In contrast, the configuration of this embodiment reduces the time required for this alignment.

[0042] After aligning the battery with the mounting location, the user lowers the arm unit 130 by operating the handle 141. This causes the battery 1 to be mounted in the specified position on the vehicle.

[0043] As described above, the battery exchange cart 100 of this embodiment comprises a frame portion having wheels 101-104 including at least rear wheels 103, 104 and front wheels 101, 102, a bottom frame 110 connecting the wheels 101-104, and a vertical frame 120 rising vertically from the bottom frame 110, and an arm unit 130 having battery holding arms 131, 132 that protrude forward (+Y direction) from the vertical frame 120 and can hold a battery 1, and the arm unit 130 is supported on the vertical frame 120 so that it can move in the up and down directions (±Z directions) and also in the horizontal direction (±X direction) perpendicular to the traveling direction (±Y direction) of the battery exchange cart 100.

[0044] This makes it possible to realize a battery exchange cart 100 that is suitable for battery exchange.

[0045] The above-described embodiments are merely examples of specific embodiments of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited by these embodiments. In other words, the present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the gist or main characteristics thereof.

[0046] In the above embodiment, an example of using the battery exchange cart 100 to load a battery 1 onto a vehicle has been described, but the battery exchange cart 100 may also be used when removing and transporting a battery 1 loaded onto a vehicle, or may simply be used when transporting the battery 1.

[0047] In the above embodiment, the screw jack unit 142 is provided and the movable pulley mechanism unit 143 is moved up and down by the screw jack unit 142. However, the means for moving the movable pulley mechanism unit 143 up and down is not limited to the screw jack unit 142. For example, the movable pulley mechanism unit 143 may be moved up and down by a hydraulic mechanism or the like.

[0048] The handle 141 in the above-described embodiment may be operated by a user by directly turning it with his / her hands, or may be operated by using a tool such as an impact wrench. [Industrial Applicability]

[0049] The present disclosure is widely applicable to battery replacement trolleys used when replacing vehicle batteries. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1 battery 1a leg 100 Battery exchange trolley 101, 102 front wheels 103, 104 rear wheels 110 Bottom Frame 120 Vertical Frame 121 Guide rail 122 Gripping part 123 Linear guide 130 Arm Unit 131, 132 Arms 131a, 131b, 132a, 132b Locking claw 131c, 132c Placement surface 140 Drive Unit 141 Handle 142 Screw jack part 143 Moving pulley mechanism section 144 Chain

Claims

1. A battery exchange cart used when exchanging batteries, Wheels including at least rear and front wheels; a frame portion including a bottom frame connecting the wheels and a vertical frame rising vertically from the bottom frame; an arm unit having a battery holding arm that protrudes forward from the vertical frame and is capable of holding a battery; Equipped with the arm unit is supported by the vertical frame so as to be movable in a vertical direction and in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the battery exchange cart; Battery change trolley.

2. the battery holding arms are a pair of arms facing each other in the horizontal direction, The pair of arms are provided with locking claws that lock the battery, The locking claws are formed on opposing surfaces of the pair of arms, The battery exchange cart according to claim 1.

3. The battery holding arm has a pair of arms, and the front wheels have a pair of front wheels, an arm width, which is the distance between the pair of arms, being smaller than a wheel width, which is the distance between the pair of front wheels; The battery exchange cart according to claim 1.

4. Further provided is a movable pulley mechanism that moves the arm unit in the up and down direction. The battery exchange cart according to claim 1.

5. The movable pulley mechanism is attached to the vertical frame so as to be movable in the up and down direction, and is configured to be able to move the arm unit a distance greater than the up and down movement distance of the arm unit itself. The battery exchange cart according to claim 4.

Images