Battery pack replacement system

Abstract

To provide a battery pack replacement system capable of easily replacing battery packs densely arranged in a case.SOLUTION: A battery pack replacement system according to the present disclosure is a battery pack replacement system 100 including a battery unit 10 including a battery pack 11 in which a direction of one side of a bottom surface is a conveying direction and a pipe 12 which is fixed along a lower surface or a side surface of the battery pack 11 and in which the conveying direction is a longitudinal direction, a case 20 in which the battery units 10 are stacked and accommodated, and a bar member 30 which is inserted into the pipe 12 along the conveying direction and includes a movable portion 31 capable of being lifted and lowered in a stacking direction of the battery units 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery pack replacement system. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a storage battery system in which multiple battery packs are stacked and housed in a case. When durability is required for a storage battery system, the weight of the battery packs becomes heavy. During battery pack maintenance, when removing a battery pack from a case or inserting a new battery pack into the case, a heavy battery pack makes it difficult to replace. To address this issue, Patent Document 1 discloses a method in which the battery pack slides and moves by sliding on rollers attached to the battery pack. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-038002 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As storage battery systems continue to become smaller and the number of battery packs that can be loaded increases, it becomes necessary to place the battery packs closer together inside the case, which may make it even more difficult to replace the battery packs.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and provides a battery pack replacement system that allows battery packs densely arranged in a case to be easily replaced. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A battery pack replacement system according to the present disclosure includes a battery unit including a battery pack whose transport direction is along one side of a bottom surface, and a pipe fixed along a bottom surface or side surface of the battery pack and whose longitudinal direction is the transport direction, a case for accommodating a stack of the battery units, and a rod member inserted into the pipe along the transport direction and having a movable part that can be raised and lowered in the stacking direction of the battery units, wherein the battery units are transported to the case along the transport direction and accommodated in the case by placing the pipe on an upper surface of a protrusion that protrudes from an inner wall of a side surface of the case, the pipe having a hole on the surface that rests on the protrusion, and the rod member inserted into the pipe causes the movable part to protrude from within the pipe through the hole, thereby separating the pipe from the protrusion, and the movable part is retracted into the pipe to place the pipe on the protrusion, thereby enabling easy replacement of battery packs arranged closely within the case.

[0007] The battery pack replacement system transports the battery unit into or out of the case by pushing or pulling the battery unit in the transport direction while the movable part is protruding from inside the pipe through the hole, thereby separating the pipe and the protruding part.

[0008] The movable part may be a roller.

[0009] The movable portion may be pneumatically driven to move up and down.

[0010] The cross-sectional outline of the pipe may be rectangular. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The present invention can provide a battery pack replacement system that allows easy replacement of battery packs densely arranged in a case. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a battery unit housed in a case according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the battery pack exchange system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a rod member according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the battery pack exchange system when the movable part is in the raised or lowered state. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a battery pack replacement method according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state of battery pack replacement according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Embodiment 1 The battery pack exchange system according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0014] <Battery pack exchange system configuration> First, the configuration of a battery pack exchange system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 4. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a battery unit housed in a case according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a battery pack exchange system according to the first embodiment. Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a rod member according to the first embodiment. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a battery pack exchange system when a movable part is in a raised state or a lowered state.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the battery pack exchange system 100 includes a battery unit 10, a case 20, and a rod member 30.

[0016] The battery unit 10 includes a battery pack 11 and a pipe 12. The battery pack 11 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The number of battery packs 11 per battery unit 10 is not limited to one, and may be multiple. The battery pack 11 includes therein components and electrodes that constitute a secondary battery (not shown). In the first embodiment, the secondary battery in the battery pack 11 is not particularly limited. For example, the battery pack 11 may include various types of secondary batteries, such as a lithium-ion battery, a nickel-metal hydride battery, or a lead-acid battery.

[0017] In the following description, an xyz three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system will be used where appropriate. The x, y, and z directions are parallel to the sides of the rectangular parallelepiped battery pack 11. Here, the direction in which the battery unit 10 is transported to the case 20 is the direction of one of the sides of the bottom surface of the battery pack 11. In the first embodiment, the y direction is the transport direction. In the following description, the z direction is the vertical direction, and the xy plane is the horizontal plane. Of course, the z direction may be inclined from the vertical direction, and the xy plane may also be inclined from the horizontal plane.

[0018] The pipe 12 is fixed along the bottom or side surface of the battery pack 11 by fastening with one or more bolts 121. The fixing method is not particularly limited. For example, welding or adhesive bonding with chemicals may be used. The pipe 12 is formed with its longitudinal direction aligned with the conveyance direction (y direction). The shape of the cross-sectional outline of the pipe 12 is not particularly limited. In the first embodiment, the cross-sectional outline of the pipe 12 is rectangular. The rectangular outline ensures stable installation of the battery pack 11 in the case 20. The cross-sectional outline of the pipe 12 is not limited to a rectangular shape, and may be circular, triangular, or the like.

[0019] The number of pipes 12 for one battery unit 10 is not limited to one, and may be multiple. In the first embodiment, the number of pipes 12 for one battery unit 10 is two. Here, the pipes 12 are provided at both ends of the battery pack 11 in the x direction. The pipes 12 have hollow portions. The rod members 30 are inserted into the hollow portions along the conveyance direction (y direction). The pipes 12 have one or more holes 122 on their bottom surface (the surface on the -z side).

[0020] The case 20 is a case that houses one or more stacked battery units 10. In the present embodiment 1, the z direction is the stacking direction of the battery units 10. The case 20 has protrusions 21 that protrude inward from the inner walls of the side surfaces. The protrusions 21 are provided on one of the side surfaces of the case 20 and on the side surface opposite the one provided on the other side surface. The protrusions 21 are plate-shaped members that support both ends of the battery unit 10. The side surface of the case 20 on which the protrusions 21 are provided is parallel to the yz plane. The side surface of the case 20 that is parallel to the xz plane has an opening for inserting and removing the battery unit 10.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2 , the battery unit 10 transported into the case 20 is housed in the case 20 by placing the pipes 12 provided on the battery unit 10 on the upper surfaces (+z direction side) of the protrusions 21. The case 20 may be shelf-shaped with multiple tiers of protrusions 21 arranged in the stacking direction (z direction). The shelf-shaped case 20 can house multiple stacked battery units 10 by placing the pipes 12 of the battery unit 10 on the protrusions 21 provided on each tier. The housed battery unit 10 may also be fixed to the case 20 by fastening the pipes 12 and protrusions 21 with bolts, rivets, etc.

[0022] The rod member 30 is used to transport the battery unit 10 into or out of the case 20 when replacing the battery unit 10 inside the case 20. When not replacing the battery unit 10, the rod member 30 may become part of the case 20 by being attached to a door or reinforcing frame of the case 20. As shown in FIG. 3 , the rod member 30 includes a movable portion 31, a support portion 32, and a transmission portion 33.

[0023] The movable part 31 is a member that can move up and down in the stacking direction (z direction). The movable part 31 moves up and down in the stacking direction (z direction) by air pressure drive. The drive method is not limited to air pressure drive, and may be, for example, electric drive or hydraulic drive. In the case of air pressure drive, damage to the battery pack 11 due to leakage of electricity or oil can be suppressed.

[0024] In the first embodiment, the movable part 31 is a roller. The roller is attached to the rod member 30 so that the longitudinal direction (y direction) of the rod member 30 is the moving direction. The movable part 31, which is a roller, slides on the protruding part 21, so that the battery unit 10 can be easily transported in or out of the case 20. Note that the movable part 31 is not limited to a roller. For example, the protruding part 21 may be made of a material whose coefficient of friction with respect to the protruding part 21 is smaller than the coefficient of friction of the pipe 12 with respect to the protruding part 21.

[0025] A plurality of movable parts 31 are provided for one support part 32. For example, in one support part 32, a plurality of movable parts 31 are arranged side by side in the y direction. The movable parts 31 are connected to the other movable parts 31 by transmission parts 33. The transmission parts 33 are provided on the rod member 30 to supply air pressure, electric current, or hydraulic pressure to the movable parts 31. In the case of air pressure drive or hydraulic drive, a tube is used as the transmission part 33, and in the case of electric drive, a wiring is used as the transmission part 33. The transmission part 33 is connected to a drive source (not shown) via an inlet 331. In order to prevent the transmission part 33 from sagging, the transmission part 33 is fixed to the support part 32 by a fixing part 34 such as a clamp.

[0026] When the battery unit 10 is transported out of the case 20, the rod member 30 is inserted into the pipe 12 along the transport direction (y direction) as shown in FIG. 3. After insertion, the positions of the movable part 31 and the hole 122 are aligned in the xy plane. When the movable part 31 is in the raised state (+z direction), the movable part 31 is housed inside the pipe 12. In this case, the pipe 12 is placed on the protruding part 21 as shown in FIG. 4.

[0027] On the other hand, when the movable part 31 is in a lowered state (-z direction), the movable part 31 protrudes from inside the pipe 12 through the hole 122. In this case, as shown in Fig. 4, the battery unit 10 is lifted by the movable part 31, and the pipe 12 is separated from the protruding part 21. With the pipe 12 and the protruding part 21 separated, the battery unit 10 can be transported into or out of the case 20 by pushing or pulling the battery unit 10 in the transport direction (y direction).

[0028] <How to replace the battery pack> Next, a method for replacing the battery pack 11 by the battery pack replacement system 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 5 and 6. Fig. 5 is a flowchart of the battery pack replacement method according to the first embodiment. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a battery pack replacement situation according to the first embodiment.

[0029] Here, a method for transporting the battery unit 10 out of the case 20 will be described. The method for transporting the battery unit 10 into the case 20 is carried out by reversing the procedure of the method described here.

[0030] First, the battery unit 10 and the case 20 are released from their fixed positions (step S101). This release is performed by removing the bolts or rivets fastening the pipe 12 and the protrusion 21. If the battery unit 10 and the case 20 are not fixed to each other, step S101 is not performed.

[0031] Next, the rod member 30 is inserted into the pipe 12 along the conveying direction (y direction) (step S102). At the time of insertion, the movable part 31 is in an elevated state (+z direction) and is therefore housed in the pipe 12. The rod member 30 is inserted into the pipe 12 so that the positions of the movable part 31 and the hole 122 coincide with each other in the xy plane.

[0032] Next, the movable part 31 protrudes from inside the pipe 12 through the hole 122 (step S103). In the first embodiment, the movable part 31 is lowered by air pressure drive. Then, the movable part 31 protrudes from inside the pipe 12 toward the protruding part 21 (in the -z direction) through the hole 122. Then, the battery unit 10 is lifted by the movable part 31, and the pipe 12 moves away from the protruding part 21.

[0033] Next, the battery unit 10 is transported out of the case 20 (step S104). With the pipe 12 and the protruding portion 21 spaced apart, the battery unit 10 is pushed or pulled in the transport direction (y direction). Then, the movable portion 31, which is a roller, slides on the protruding portion 21 in the transport direction (y direction), and the battery unit 10 is transported out of the case 20. For example, as shown in FIG. 6 , the battery unit 10 is transported out of the case 20 by being drawn out onto the receiving stand 40. The act of pushing or pulling the battery unit 10 in the transport direction (y direction) may be performed by a worker or a robot. Alternatively, the battery unit 10 may be transported out of the case 20 by the rollers moving on their own.

[0034] Next, the movable part 31 is stored in the pipe 12 (step S105). In the first embodiment, the movable part 31 is raised by air pressure drive. Then, the movable part 31 is stored in the pipe 12. Then, the pipe 12 is placed on the receiving stand 40, for example, as shown in FIG. 6.

[0035] Finally, the rod member 30 is pulled out of the pipe 12 along the conveying direction (y direction) (step S106). Note that when the rod member 30 is pulled out, the movable part 31 is in the raised state (+z direction) and is therefore stored in the pipe 12. The pulled-out rod member 30 may be used to replace another battery pack 11.

[0036] As described above, according to the battery pack replacement system of the present disclosure, by using a rod member 30 equipped with a movable part 31 that can be raised and lowered in the stacking direction (z direction), the battery unit 10 can be easily transported in or out of the case 20 even if the case 20 has little space due to the battery units 10 being densely stacked.

[0037] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 10 Battery unit 11 Battery pack 12 Pipes 20 cases 21 Protrusion 30 Bar member 31 Moving parts 32 Support part 33 Transmission section 34 Fixed part 40 Cradle 100 Battery Pack Replacement System 121 volts 122 holes 331 Inlet

Claims

1. a battery unit including a battery pack having a transport direction along one side of a bottom surface thereof, and a pipe fixed along a bottom surface or a side surface of the battery pack and having a longitudinal direction in the transport direction; a case for accommodating the stacked battery units; a rod member that is inserted into the pipe along the conveyance direction and has a movable part that can move up and down in the stacking direction of the battery units; A battery pack exchange system comprising: the battery unit is transported to the case along the transport direction, and is housed in the case by placing the pipe on an upper surface of a protrusion that protrudes inward from an inner wall of a side surface of the case; the pipe has a hole on the surface that is placed on the protrusion; The rod member inserted into the pipe is The movable portion is caused to protrude from inside the pipe through the hole, thereby separating the pipe from the protruding portion; The movable portion is housed in the pipe, thereby placing the pipe on the protruding portion. Battery pack replacement system.

2. the movable portion is caused to protrude from inside the pipe through the hole, and the pipe and the protruding portion are separated from each other, and the battery unit is transported into or out of the case by pushing or pulling the battery unit in the transport direction. The battery pack exchange system according to claim 1 .

3. The movable part is a roller.

3. The battery pack exchange system according to claim 1.

4. The movable part is lifted and lowered by air pressure drive. The battery pack exchange system according to claim 3 .

5. The cross-sectional outer shape of the pipe is rectangular. The battery pack exchange system according to claim 4 .

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