Battery replacement system, battery replacement network system, and method for supplying auxiliary power

Abstract

To provide a battery swapping system, a battery swapping network system, and a method of providing ancillary electric power, for improving the utilization rate of battery swapping stations.SOLUTION: A battery swapping system has a power supply system coupled to a power grid and a grid monitoring system, a battery swapping cabinet accommodating a plurality of swappable batteries, and a control system. Verification is executed when a swappable battery is placed into the battery swapping cabinet, and the swappable battery may be charged or discharge after the verification is passed. When a grid factor is abnormal, the battery swapping system stops receiving power from the power grid and controls the swappable batteries to discharge to provide at the same time driving power to the battery swapping system and ancillary electric power to the power grid.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to power management technology, and more particularly, to a battery swapping system, a battery swapping network system, and a method for supplying auxiliary power.

Background Art

[0002] With the popularity of battery swapping electric vehicles, battery swapping stations have been widely deployed everywhere. When the power of the swappable battery of an electric vehicle is decreasing, the user can go to a nearby battery swapping station and replace it with a swappable battery having sufficient power to immediately restore the available endurance mileage of the electric vehicle. However, the demand for battery swapping is constantly changing. Each battery swapping station has periods of high usage (such as commuting hours) and periods of low usage (such as non-commuting hours and late at night), and battery swapping stations located in the suburbs usually have low utilization rates on weekdays. Therefore, how to improve the operating rate of battery swapping stations has become an important issue.

[0003] To improve the reliability of the power grid, it is necessary to improve the validity of the grid capacity, grid quality, and grid safety of the power grid. The grid capacity has to rely on more power sources to meet the load (consumption) demand, and the grid quality and grid safety can maintain the dynamic balance between the power supply capacity and the consumption through power auxiliary services to avoid power outages.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] This summary is provided to offer a simplified overview of the present disclosure for basic understanding. This summary is not an extensive or complete description of the present disclosure and is not intended to identify key / essential elements or to define the scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is a battery swapping system comprising a power supply system, at least one battery swapping cabinet, and a control system. The power supply system is coupled to a power grid and a grid monitoring system configured to detect a grid factor. At least one battery swapping cabinet is configured to accommodate a plurality of swappable batteries. The control system is coupled to the power supply system and at least one battery swapping cabinet. When a swappable battery is disposed within at least one battery swapping cabinet, the control system is configured to perform a verification on the disposed swappable battery, and the control system is further configured to control charging or discharging of a plurality of swappable batteries that have passed the verification within at least one battery swapping cabinet. When the grid factor is abnormal, the power supply system stops receiving power from the power grid, and the control system controls a plurality of swappable batteries to discharge to supply driving power to the battery swapping system and supply auxiliary power to the power grid.

[0006] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a battery swapping network system comprising a plurality of battery swapping systems and a backend system. The battery swapping systems are disposed at a plurality of geographical locations. The backend system is coupled to the plurality of battery swapping systems via the Internet and is configured to transmit a power assistance configuration to the plurality of battery swapping systems such that when the grid factor is abnormal, the plurality of battery swapping systems supply a plurality of auxiliary powers.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method of supplying auxiliary power by a battery swapping system, including supplying power to the battery swapping system by a power grid, receiving a replaceable battery by at least one battery swapping cabinet of the battery swapping system, enabling the received replaceable battery to be charged or discharged after the received replaceable battery passes verification, selecting one of a plurality of replaceable batteries disposed in at least one battery swapping cabinet and replacing it with the received replaceable battery, controlling a power supply system to stop receiving power from the power grid when a grid factor is abnormal, and controlling a plurality of replaceable batteries to discharge to supply driving power to the battery swapping system and supply auxiliary power to the power grid.

[0008] The battery swapping system, battery swapping network system, and method of supplying auxiliary power of the present disclosure can immediately supply auxiliary power from a replaceable battery to maintain the stability of the power grid when the grid factor is abnormal.

[0009] In addition to providing a battery swapping service, the present disclosure is further configured to provide a power assistance service that can improve the utilization rate of a battery swapping station and replaceable batteries.

[0010] In addition to the revenue from providing the battery swapping service, the present disclosure further obtains revenue from providing the power assistance service.

[0011] It should be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are by way of example and are intended to provide further description of the present disclosure as claimed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012] The present disclosure can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the following attached drawings.

[0013]

Figure 1

[0014]

Figure 2

[0015]

Figure 3A

[0016]

Figure 3B

[0017]

Figure 4

[0018]

Figure 5

[0019]

Figure 6

[0020]

Figure 7

[0021]

Figure 8

[0022]

Figure 9

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] To make the description of the present disclosure more detailed and complete, exemplary descriptions of embodiments and specific embodiments are provided below. However, this is not the only form of implementing or using a specific embodiment. Embodiments include the features of a plurality of specific embodiments, as well as the steps and sequences used to construct and operate these specific embodiments. However, other specific embodiments can also be used to achieve the same or equivalent functions and step sequences.

[0024] Unless otherwise defined in the present disclosure, scientific and technical terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art and are conventional. In addition, unless there is a contradiction between contexts, singular terms used in the present disclosure can include the plural forms of those terms, and plural terms used can also include the singular forms of those terms.

[0025] Furthermore, the term "coupled" used in the present disclosure can refer to direct physical or electrical contact, or indirect physical or electrical contact between two or more components. This term may also refer to two or more components or operations that operate with each other.

[0026] The "battery replacement service" means that when the replaceable battery is running low, the user can go to a nearby battery replacement system and replace the used (almost exhausted) replaceable battery with a replaceable battery having sufficient power (electricity). The above-mentioned replaceable battery can be used, for example, in electric vehicles (such as electric scooters or electric cars), smart parking poles or smart (traffic) lights and other electrical devices. Through the battery replacement service, the user can easily and quickly expand the availability of electrical devices such as the available endurance mileage of electric vehicles or the available operating time of smart parking poles.

[0027] The "power assistance service" is a service that can restore the power grid to a normal state when the power grid encounters unexpected events such as supply-demand imbalance or accidents. General assistance services include Regulation Reserve, Spinning Reserve and Supplemental Reserve. After many experiments, since the required duration of Regulation Reserve and Spinning Reserve is short and the supply capacity used is small, these services are suitable for implementation in a battery replacement system.

[0028] To improve the validity of the power grid capacity and the quality and safety of the grid system, power companies promote a power trading platform so that related enterprises can participate in the power trading platform to trade additional power capacity and power assistance services. Through the power trading platform, related enterprises can obtain additional revenue by providing additional power capacity or power assistance services.

[0029] The present disclosure provides a battery swapping system, a battery swapping network system, and a method for supplying auxiliary power. In addition to providing a battery swapping service, when the power system of a power company is abnormal, a replaceable battery can be immediately used to provide a power assistance service.

[0030] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a battery swapping network system S1 in some embodiments of the present disclosure. The battery swapping network system S1 includes a battery swapping system 100 and is applied to a grid monitoring system PM and a power grid PG. The grid monitoring system PM is coupled to the power grid PG and is configured to detect a grid factor of the power grid PG and determine whether the power supply capacity of the power grid PG is abnormal.

[0031] The battery swapping system 100 includes a power supply system 110, one or more battery swapping cabinets 120, and a control system 130. The power supply system 110 is coupled to the power grid PG and the grid monitoring system PM. When the power supply of the power grid PG is stable, the power supply system 110 converts alternating current (AC) power AC supplied by the power grid PG into direct current (DC) power DC suitable for the battery swapping cabinet 120 and the control system 130. When the power supply of the power grid PG is unstable or abnormal, the battery swapping system 100 can supply / output auxiliary power (AC power AC) to the power grid PG by the power supply system 110. Detailed control will be described in later paragraphs.

[0032] Each of the battery replacement cabinets 120 is coupled to the power supply system 110 and the control system 130 and includes a plurality of battery slots for accommodating a plurality of replaceable batteries B. The control system 130 is coupled to the power supply system 110 and the battery replacement cabinet 120 and is configured to control or change the operating states of the power supply system 110 and the battery replacement cabinet 120. The control system 130 may be one or more processors / controllers (including control circuits) such as, but not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU) or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). When the control system 130 includes a plurality of processors / controllers, these processors / controllers may be integrated into the same device or distributed in the battery replacement system 100. For example, the power supply controller of each device in the power supply system 110, the connection controller and the communication controller of the battery holder in each battery replacement slot, the controller of the battery replacement cabinet 120, the processor of the industrial PC, the controller of the communication module, and the like.

[0033] When a new replaceable battery B for the system is placed in the battery replacement cabinet 120 (e.g., inserted into a battery slot), the control system 130 is configured to perform verification of the placed replaceable battery B. The control system 130 can control to discharge or charge some or all of the verified replaceable battery B within the battery replacement cabinet 120. Further, the control system 130 can lock or eject the replaceable battery B that fails the verification. The above-mentioned "verification" means that the control system 130 can obtain the identification data of the replaceable battery B to confirm the legitimacy and safety of the replaceable battery B. For example, to check for any of the following situations, namely, a stolen battery, an unauthorized battery, a user whose service has been suspended, abnormal use of the battery, or forgery of battery data. The control system 130 can also search for information regarding the replaceable battery B placed on the backend system (e.g., a data server) based on the identification data. For example, personal data such as user identification data, personal privacy data, billing data, payment data, identification data of the electric vehicle, vehicle registration data, and electric vehicle data such as maintenance and repair data, battery usage data such as battery replacement time, battery replacement location, and power consumption.

[0034] The battery replacement system 100 uses the power supplied by the power grid PG to charge the replaceable battery B within the battery replacement cabinet 120, and the battery replacement system 100 further supplies auxiliary power to the power grid PG via the replaceable battery B as an auxiliary power service.

[0035] As described above, the grid monitoring system PM is configured to detect the grid factor of the power grid PG by measurement and provide the monitoring signal Sa to the battery swapping system 100. As a result, the battery swapping system 100 selectively changes its operation. In one embodiment, the monitoring signal Sa can include the grid factor. When the grid factor is abnormal, the battery swapping system 100 can determine that the value of the grid factor indicated by the received monitoring signal Sa is abnormal (for example, the grid frequency is lower than a preset frequency). In other embodiments, when the grid factor is abnormal, the battery swapping system 100 can determine that the received monitoring signal Sa includes an abnormal signal.

[0036] The aforementioned "the grid factor is abnormal" may mean that the grid factor is outside the normal range, lower than the normal value, and / or higher than the normal value. The grid factor may be frequency, voltage / current, or power. In the following embodiments, the grid factor is, by way of example, the grid frequency, but the type of the grid factor is not limited thereto. A person skilled in the art can change the type of the grid factor to be monitored / detected based on the present disclosure, such as changing to monitoring the grid voltage. Further, the situation of "the grid factor returns to normal" may mean that the grid factor returns to a normal range or a normal value that is safe and stable for operation.

[0037] Take, for example, detecting that the grid frequency is too low. If the grid frequency is lower than a preset frequency (for example, the allowable lower frequency threshold), the battery swapping system 100 or the grid monitoring system PM can confirm that the grid factor is abnormal. The aforementioned preset frequency may be lower than 60 Hz (grid frequency standard), or may be 59 Hz to 59.99 Hz, for example 59.98 Hz. If the grid frequency is higher than a preset frequency (for example, the allowable upper frequency threshold), the battery swapping system 100 or the grid monitoring system PM can confirm that the grid factor is normal. The aforementioned preset frequency may be 60 Hz to 61 Hz.

[0038] In one embodiment, the battery swapping network system S1 can determine whether the grid factor is abnormal by the grid monitoring system PM, and provide a monitoring signal Sa to the battery swapping system 100 based on the detection result. Specifically, when the grid monitoring system PM determines that the grid factor is abnormal, the generated monitoring signal Sa includes a grid factor abnormal signal (for example, a frequency abnormal signal), indicating to the battery swapping system 100 that the power grid PG is abnormal (for example, the grid frequency is too low).

[0039] In other embodiments, the battery swapping network system S1 can determine whether the grid factor is abnormal via the battery swapping system 100. Specifically, after detecting the grid factor, the grid monitoring system PM can provide the monitoring signal Sa to the battery swapping system 100 continuously, periodically, or irregularly. The aforementioned provided monitoring signal Sa includes the signal of the aforementioned grid factor (grid frequency). Then, the battery swapping system 100 can continuously, periodically, or irregularly determine whether the power grid PG is abnormal based on the received grid factor, such as whether the grid frequency is lower than a preset frequency.

[0040] When the grid factor is abnormal, the power supply system 110 stops receiving power from the power grid PG and suppresses the consumption of the power grid PG. Further, the control system 130 controls the replaceable battery B in the battery replacement cabinet 120 to discharge and supply driving power to the battery replacement system 100, and at the same time, can send the auxiliary power back to the power grid PG to increase the standby power.

[0041] Specifically, when the balance between the consumption amount of the power grid PG and the power supply capacity is broken (for example, caused by instantaneous or temporary overload), the grid factor becomes abnormal and the balance cannot be restored immediately, the power grid PG will collapse. In the present disclosure, the battery replacement network system formed by a plurality of battery replacement systems 100 can jointly reduce the consumption amount and increase the power supply amount. As a result, the power grid PG can quickly restore the balance between the consumption amount and the power supply capacity and stabilize the power supply quality.

[0042] When the grid factor is normal, the power supply system 110 receives power from the power grid PG as driving power and charges the replaceable battery B in the battery replacement cabinet 120.

[0043] In addition to more efficiently using all the replaceable batteries B arranged in the battery replacement system 100, the present disclosure can allow users to have additional benefits by providing power assistance services and energy trading. Also, the replaceable battery B installed in the battery replacement system 100 may be used for the battery replacement service.

[0044] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a battery replacement network system S2 in some embodiments of the present disclosure. In FIG. 2, similar components associated with the embodiment of FIG. 1 are labeled with the same numbers for ease of understanding. The specific principles of similar components have been described in detail in the previous paragraph and will not be repeated here, except when they are in a cooperative relationship with the components of FIG. 2.

[0045] The battery replacement network system S2 includes a plurality of battery replacement systems (in FIG. 2, two battery replacement systems 200A to 200B are taken as examples, but the number of battery replacement systems is not limited to this). Each of the battery replacement systems can have the same or similar architecture, such as the battery replacement system 100 shown in FIG. 1, the battery replacement system 200B shown in FIG. 2, or the battery replacement system of any embodiment.

[0046] In one embodiment, the battery replacement system 200A can include a power supply system 210, one or more battery replacement cabinets 220, and a control system 230.

[0047] The power supply system 210 includes a power switch module 211 and a power conversion module 212. The power switch module 211 is coupled to the power grid PG and the power conversion module 212, and is configured to transmit AC power AC from the power grid PG to the power conversion module 212 (via a power input connection), or to transmit the AC power AC returning from the power conversion module 212 to the power grid PG (via a power output connection). Specifically, when the power input connection between the power supply system 210 and the power grid PG is interrupted, the power supply system 210 stops receiving power from the power grid PG. When the power input connection is restored, the power supply system 210 starts receiving power from the power grid PG. The aforementioned power input connection and power output connection may be implemented by the same cable (changing the power flow direction by a switch) or different cables (each used for a different power flow direction), and these are not limited here.

[0048] In one embodiment, when it is determined that the grid factor is abnormal based on the monitoring signal Sa, the power switch module 211 can automatically cut off the power input connection. Then, when the grid factor returns to normal / recovers, the power switch module 211 can automatically restore the power input connection.

[0049] In one embodiment, if the grid factor remains abnormal even after a preset time has elapsed, it can indicate that there are serious problems with the power grid PG (e.g., a serious shortage of power supply capacity, or a failure of important equipment), and it is difficult to restore stability through power auxiliary services. At this time, the power switch module 211 can automatically restore the power input connection to avoid supplying meaningless and unbeneficial auxiliary power.

[0050] In one embodiment, during the period of supplying auxiliary power, if the state of charge (SoC) of all (or part) of the replaceable battery B in the battery replacement cabinet 220 is lower than a preset SoC lower limit threshold (which can also be set to, for example, 20%, 15%, or 10%), the power switch module 211 can automatically restore the power input connection to prevent an increase in damage to the soundness of the replaceable battery B due to the available power capacity of the replaceable battery B being too low.

[0051] In one embodiment, during the period of supplying auxiliary power, if the power of a part of the replaceable battery B in the battery replacement cabinet 220 is lower than a preset SoC lower limit threshold, the control system 230 can be set to stop the discharge of a part of the replaceable battery B, and the remaining part of the replaceable battery B continues to supply auxiliary power to avoid an increase in the consumption of a part of the replaceable battery B due to low power.

[0052] The power conversion module 212 is coupled to the power switch module 211, the battery replacement cabinet 220, and the control system 230. The power conversion module 212 is configured to convert the AC power AC from the power grid PG into DC power DC suitable for the control system 230 and the battery replacement cabinet 220. The power conversion module 212 is further configured to convert the DC power DC from the replaceable battery B into AC power AC suitable for the power grid PG.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 2, in one embodiment, each of the battery replacement cabinets 220 can include a plurality of battery slots 221. Each of the battery slots 221 includes a controller 222, a connector 223, and a data transmitter 224. The controller 222 is coupled to the connector 223 and the data transmitter 224, and is configured to detect the connection state of the connector 223 and drive the data transmitter 224. The data transmitter 224 can include a wired transmission module or a wireless transmission module such as a signal pin or a near field communication (NFC) module.

[0054] In one embodiment, the connector 223 and the data transmitter 224 may be disposed in the battery slot 221. When the replaceable battery B is disposed in any of the battery slots 221 and the connector 223 is coupled to the replaceable battery B in which the connector 223 is disposed, the data transmitter 224 can communicate with the replaceable battery B (for example, the signal pin of the data transmitter 224 is connected to the replaceable battery B, or the replaceable battery B is located within the NFC effective communication range of the data transmitter 224). As a result, the control system 230 can verify the replaceable battery B and read or write data.

[0055] Hereinafter, a method will be described in which the power conversion module 212 converts the AC power AC of the power grid PG into DC power DC suitable for the battery replacement system, and converts the DC power DC of the replaceable battery B into AC power AC that can be sent back to the power grid PG. To perform the above-described power conversion, the power conversion module 212 may apply the configuration of the power conversion module 212A as shown in FIG. 3A, or may apply the configuration of the power conversion module 212B as shown in FIG. 3B.

[0056] In the embodiment of FIG. 3A, the power conversion module 212A can include one or more electromagnetic interference filter modules 310, one or more AC / DC conversion modules 320, and one or more bidirectional DC / DC conversion modules 330. The electromagnetic interference filter module 310 is coupled to the power grid PG. When the battery swapping system 200A receives power from the power grid PG directly or via the power switch module 211, the electromagnetic interference filter module 310 is configured to filter the noise of the AC power AC (as shown in FIG. 2) supplied by the power grid PG. The AC / DC conversion module 320 is configured to receive the filtered AC power AC, convert the AC power AC into DC power DC, and output the DC power DC to the bidirectional DC / DC conversion module 330.

[0057] The bidirectional DC / DC conversion module 330 is coupled to the AC / DC conversion module 320, the battery swapping cabinet 220, and the control system 230. When the power grid PG is used as a power source, the bidirectional DC / DC conversion module 330 is configured to convert the DC power supplied by the AC / DC conversion module 320 into a voltage suitable for the battery swapping cabinet 220 and the control system 230. When the replaceable battery B in the battery swapping cabinet 220 is used as a power source, the bidirectional DC / DC conversion module 330 is configured to convert the voltage of the DC power DC supplied by the replaceable battery B into a voltage suitable for the control system 230.

[0058] In one embodiment, when the AC / DC conversion module 320 is a unidirectional (one-way) AC / DC converter, the power supply system 210 can further include one or more inverters 340. The inverter 340 is coupled between the electromagnetic interference filter module 310 and the bidirectional DC / DC conversion module 330 and is configured to receive the DC power DC (the power source is the replaceable battery B) converted by the bidirectional DC / DC conversion module 330. The inverter 340 converts the DC power DC into AC power AC and outputs the AC power AC to supply auxiliary power.

[0059] In the embodiment of FIG. 3B, the difference from the embodiment of FIG. 3A is that the AC / DC conversion module 320 may be a bidirectional AC / DC converter. Therefore, the AC / DC conversion module 320 can receive the AC power AC filtered from the electromagnetic interference filter module 310, convert it into DC power DC, and output it. The AC / DC conversion module 320 can also receive the DC power DC converted by the bidirectional DC / DC conversion module 330, convert it into AC power AC, and output it to supply auxiliary power.

[0060] It is worth mentioning that in the embodiments of FIGS. 3A and 3B, the bidirectional DC / DC conversion module 330 is used to achieve DC power conversion in the forward direction (i.e., the flow of power from the power grid PG to the battery swapping network S2) and the reverse direction (i.e., the flow of power from the battery swapping network S2 to the power grid PG), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0061] In some embodiments, the bidirectional DC / DC conversion module 330 may be replaced by a plurality of unidirectional DC / DC conversion modules to achieve forward and reverse DC power conversion respectively.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 2, in some embodiments, when the power grid PG is abnormal (e.g., detecting an abnormal grid factor), the battery swapping system 200A first performs "consumption reduction" and can further transmit auxiliary power to the power grid PG to restore stability to the power grid PG. To achieve the above-mentioned "consumption reduction", the battery swapping system 200A operates by switching to an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) mode. The battery swapping system 200A reduces the consumption of the power grid PG by changing to a replaceable battery B as a power source and stopping receiving power from the power grid PG. Specifically, the battery swapping system 200A pre-selects at least one replaceable battery B having sufficient power from all the verified replaceable batteries B in the battery swapping cabinet 220 and sets the selected replaceable battery B as the UPS battery.

[0063] In the UPS mode, since the UPS battery must be used as the power source for the driving power, when the battery swapping system 200A receives power from the power grid PG, the UPS battery is set to a standby state of "non-chargeable, discharge ready". In one embodiment, the UPS battery may be set not to supply power to the power grid PG so that all the power of the UPS battery can be used to drive the battery swapping system 200A. In another embodiment, the UPS battery may be set to supply power to the power grid PG. In other words, in the UPS mode, in addition to driving the battery swapping system 200A, the power of the UPS battery can be further used as part of the power source for the auxiliary power.

[0064] When the grid factor is abnormal, the battery swapping system 200A can first control the power switch module 211 to stop receiving power from the power grid PG, thereby cutting off the power input connection between the power supply system 210 and the power grid PG, in order to reduce the consumption. At this time, the battery swapping system 200A may operate in UPS mode. The battery swapping system 200A may use the power of the UPS battery as the driving power.

[0065] In some embodiments, the battery swapping system 200A can first further exclude the UPS battery from all the verified swappable batteries B in the battery swapping cabinet 220, and then select "all or part of the remaining swappable batteries B", and set the selected swappable battery B as the UPS auxiliary battery. When the battery swapping system 200A uses the power grid PG as the power source, the UPS auxiliary battery can be charged as usual. When the battery swapping system 200A stops receiving power from the power grid PG, the control system 230 can switch / change to the UPS mode, and the UPS battery first supplies the driving power to avoid interruption of the power supply. Then, the control system 230 controls and changes the operation of the UPS auxiliary battery using the driving power provided by the UPS battery (for example, switching from the chargeable state to the dischargeable state), and as a result, the UPS auxiliary battery is controlled to start discharging and provide more driving power. Further, the battery swapping system 200A can control the UPS auxiliary battery and / or other available swappable batteries B (for example, the swappable battery B that can be replaced) to discharge simultaneously to supply auxiliary power to the power grid PG.

[0066] In one embodiment, the battery replacement system 200A can be controlled to use only the UPS battery as a power source and have all other replaceable batteries B (including the UPS auxiliary battery and the replaceable battery B that can be replaced) discharge simultaneously to supply higher power of auxiliary power to the power grid PG.

[0067] In one embodiment, when the battery replacement system 200A is in the service mode (using the power grid PG as a power source) or the UPS mode (using the replaceable battery B as a power source), the UPS battery and / or the UPS auxiliary battery may be set to be non-replaceable.

[0068] In one embodiment, the UPS battery and / or the UPS auxiliary battery may be set to be non-replaceable only in the UPS mode. In the service mode, if the battery replacement system 200A loses the battery originally assigned as the UPS battery and / or the UPS auxiliary battery due to the battery replacement service, the control system 230 can automatically assign another replaceable battery B as the current UPS battery and / or the current UPS auxiliary battery, or the control system 230 can refrain from assigning any UPS auxiliary battery (when the UPS auxiliary battery is lost).

[0069] In one embodiment, the battery replacement system 200A can provide a battery replacement service (including supplying auxiliary power) in both the service mode and the UPS mode. In one embodiment, during a switching period such as switching from the service mode to the UPS mode or from the UPS mode to the service mode, the battery replacement system 200A can suspend the battery replacement service until the switching period is completed. The aforementioned suspension time shall not exceed 10 seconds.

[0070] In one embodiment, when the battery replacement system 200A is supplying auxiliary power, the battery replacement service can be temporarily stopped to avoid a power drop in the auxiliary power. Taking "Regulation Reserve" as an example, since the time for supplying the above-mentioned auxiliary power is usually from several minutes to several tens of minutes, the temporary stop time of the battery replacement service is not too long.

[0071] In one embodiment, the control system 230 sets so that a preset number (for example, 2 or 4) of replaceable batteries B having sufficient power (for example, whose SoC exceeds 80%) cannot be discharged, and can prevent the battery level from dropping during the period when this replaceable battery B discharges to supply auxiliary power. Therefore, during the period of supplying auxiliary power, the battery replacement service can be surely provided using the replaceable battery B having sufficient power.

[0072] Referring to FIG. 2, in some embodiments, the battery replacement network system S2 can include a plurality of battery replacement systems 200A, 200B, and further includes a back-end system 200C. Each of the battery replacement systems 200A, 200B is located at a different geographical location. Further, each of the battery replacement systems 200A and 200B can be provided with grid monitoring systems PM1 and PM2 respectively for monitoring the grid factor at each geographical location. The grid monitoring systems PM1, PM2 are connected to the Internet N and communicate with the back-end system 200C and other servers (for example, the management server of the energy trading platform) via the Internet N.

[0073] The backend system 200C is connected to the battery replacement systems 200A and 200B via the Internet N. The backend system 200C is configured to transmit a power assistance configuration to the battery replacement systems 200A and 200B. The power assistance configuration is configured to control the battery replacement systems 200A and 200B to supply a plurality of auxiliary powers when the grid factor is abnormal.

[0074] This disclosure further includes a standby preparation stage. Specifically, the power assistance configuration can include an assigned standby period. During the assigned standby period, if the grid factor is abnormal, the battery replacement systems 200A and 200B can perform consumption reduction and supply additional auxiliary power. On the other hand, during the assigned standby period, if the grid factor is normal, the battery replacement systems 200A and 200B receive power from the power grid PG.

[0075] The assigned standby period can be arbitrarily set. For example, it may be set during a period of low demand for battery replacement services or during a period of high demand for power consumption of the power grid PG. Outside the assigned standby period, the battery replacement systems 200A and 200B may stop receiving the monitoring signals Sa from the grid monitoring systems PM1 and PM2, and do not perform consumption reduction or supply auxiliary power when the grid factor is abnormal. Alternatively, the battery replacement systems 200A and 200B can continue to receive the monitoring signals Sa, but do not perform consumption reduction or supply auxiliary power when the grid factor is abnormal.

[0076] The present disclosure further includes steps of configuring a power assist configuration. In one embodiment, the back-end system 200C can evaluate the power supply capabilities of a plurality of battery swapping systems 200A and 200B based on historical data, and then generate a power assist configuration accordingly. Specifically, the back-end system 200C calculates power supply capacity data based on the operation history data of the battery swapping systems 200A and 200B. The "power supply capacity data" includes the supply capacity of the battery swapping systems 200A and 200B, and the back-end system 200C obtains "service winning bid data" based on the power supply capacity data. The service winning bid data may be obtained via automated computer bidding or manual bidding.

[0077] In one embodiment, the service winning bid data can include the winning bid capacity of operators of the battery swapping systems 200A and 200B who have committed to providing a power amount after winning the bid and signing the contract. Next, the back-end system 200C generates / sets a power assist configuration based on the service winning bid data.

[0078] In one embodiment, the power assist configuration may be configured to indicate the total supply capacity of the plurality of battery swapping systems 200A and 200B, and the total may be greater than the winning bid capacity. Therefore, during the provision of auxiliary power, even if the battery swapping systems 200A and 200B reduce the power of the auxiliary power due to the provision of the battery swapping service, the total actual power supply can still be made to match the winning bid capacity.

[0079] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a method for supplying auxiliary power by a battery swapping system in some embodiments of the present disclosure. This method includes steps S10 to S40. In step S10, when the execution of the method starts, power may be supplied from the power grid PG to the battery swapping system 200A. As described above, the battery swapping network system S2 of the present disclosure may be applied to a plurality of battery swapping systems 200A and 200B simultaneously. Since the control of the plurality of battery swapping systems 200A and 200B is the same, the battery swapping system 200A is used as an example for illustration.

[0080] In step S20, the battery swapping network system S2 monitors the grid factor. When the battery swapping system 200A receives an abnormal signal (for example, a frequency abnormal signal), it can be confirmed that the grid factor is abnormal. The method for determining whether the "grid factor is abnormal" includes at least the following two embodiments.

[0081] In the first embodiment, the grid monitoring system PM1 may determine whether the grid factor (for example, grid frequency, voltage / current, or power) exceeds a preset range, and generate a monitoring signal Sa based on the determination result. For example, when the determination result is abnormal, the monitoring signal Sa includes a frequency abnormal signal, and the monitoring signal Sa is transmitted to the battery swapping system 200A, and the battery swapping system 200A confirms / determines that the grid factor is abnormal.

[0082] In the second embodiment, the monitoring signal Sa generated by the grid monitoring system PM1 may include the grid factor. Therefore, when the grid factor is abnormal, the battery swapping system 200A can determine that the grid factor included in the received monitoring signal Sa is an abnormal value. For example, the battery swapping system 200A determines whether the grid frequency of the monitoring signal Sa is lower than a preset frequency.

[0083] In step S30, when the grid factor is abnormal, the battery swapping system 200A changes its operation and stops receiving power from the power grid PG. The battery swapping system 200A controls the swappable battery B to discharge so that the electricity discharged from the swappable battery B is used as driving power for the battery swapping system 200A and auxiliary power is supplied to the power grid PG (for example, switches / modifies to be powered by the swappable battery B).

[0084] Also, in step S40, the battery swapping system 200A can provide a battery swapping service regardless of the monitoring result of the grid factor. That is, at least a part of the swappable batteries B in the battery swapping cabinet 220 may be provided to the user for swapping.

[0085] Referring to FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, FIG. 5 is a detailed flowchart of step S40, "providing a battery swapping service" in FIG. 4. In step S400, the battery swapping cabinet 220 is configured to receive the swappable battery B disposed / inserted into the battery slot 221.

[0086] In step S402, the control system 230 verifies the disposed / inserted swappable battery B. After the swappable battery B passes the verification, the battery swapping system 200A enables charging or discharging of the swappable battery B.

[0087] In step S404, the control system 230 selects one of the replaceable batteries B from the battery replacement cabinet 220. Usually, the selected replaceable battery B is different from the replaceable battery B that has been placed / inserted, and the SoC of the selected replaceable battery B needs to be higher than a preset value (for example, 80%). If the replaceable battery B that has been placed / inserted has sufficient power (for example, the battery level such as SoC is higher than the battery levels of all replaceable batteries B in the battery replacement cabinet 220 or higher than a preset value), the replaceable battery B that has been placed / inserted is selected to be discharged in order to prevent the user from obtaining a replaceable battery B with a lower SoC after battery replacement.

[0088] In step S406, the battery replacement cabinet 220 is configured to provide the selected replaceable battery B to the user in order to complete the battery replacement service.

[0089] Referring to FIGS. 2, 4, and 6, FIG. 6 is a detailed flowchart of step S10 in FIG. 4. In step S100, the control system 230 drives the power supply system 210 to open / establish / conduct the power input connection between the power supply system 210 and the power grid PG, so that the power from the power grid PG can be input into the battery replacement system 200A.

[0090] In step S102, the power supply system 210 converts the AC power AC from the power grid PG into DC power DC. As a result, the converted DC power DC is suitable for the control system 230 and the battery replacement cabinet 220 as shown in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

[0091] Referring to FIGS. 2, 4 and 7, FIG. 7 is a detailed flowchart of step S30 "Supply auxiliary power" in FIG. 4. In step S300, when the grid factor is abnormal, the control system 230 controls the power supply system 210 to cut off the power input connection between the power supply system 210 and the power grid PG so as to stop the power supply from the power grid PG.

[0092] In step S302, after the power input connection is cut off, the battery replacement system 200A is switched to the UPS mode.

[0093] In step S304, the power supply system 210 converts the DC power DC from the replaceable battery B into AC power AC so that the converted AC power AC is suitable for the power grid PG.

[0094] Referring to FIGS. 2, 4 and 8, FIG. 8 is a detailed flowchart of step S302 "Switch to UPS mode" in FIG. 7. Step S302 includes steps S3020 to S3026. Steps S3020 and S3022 may be executed when the battery replacement system 200A uses the power grid PG power as a power source, when shipping from the factory, when installing software and firmware updates, or when receiving a remote operation.

[0095] In step S3020, the control system 230 selects at least one replaceable battery from among a plurality of verified replaceable batteries B having sufficient power within the battery replacement cabinet 220, and sets the selected replaceable battery as the UPS battery. As described above, when using the power grid PG as the power source, the UPS battery is set to be non - chargeable and is set to be prepared for discharge. In one embodiment, the control system 230 may be configured to always set the replaceable battery B at a designated position as the UPS battery. For example, the above - mentioned designated position may be the first battery slot 221 in the first column of the main battery replacement cabinet 220 (for example, the battery replacement cabinet 220 equipped with the control system 230), or the first battery slot 221 in the first column of each battery replacement cabinet 220, but is not limited thereto.

[0096] In step S3022, the control system 230 further selects at least one replaceable battery from among the plurality of verified replaceable batteries B within the battery replacement cabinet 220, and sets the selected replaceable battery as the UPS auxiliary battery. The UPS auxiliary battery is different from the UPS battery.

[0097] In step S3024, when the battery replacement system 200A stops receiving power from the power grid PG, the battery replacement system 200A continuously supplies driving power from the UPS battery to enable switching to the UPS mode.

[0098] In step S3026, when the battery replacement system 200A obtains driving power from the UPS battery, the battery replacement system 200A controls the UPS auxiliary battery to start discharging so that the UPS auxiliary battery supplies driving power and auxiliary power is supplied by all or part of the replaceable batteries B.

[0099] Referring to FIGS. 2, 4 and 9, FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing specific steps of a method in some embodiments of the present disclosure. In step S50, the backend system 200C calculates the power supply capacity data of each battery swapping system 200A, 200B based on the operation history data of the plurality of battery swapping systems 200A, 200B. The power supply capacity data may include the supply capacity of the battery swapping systems 200A, 200B.

[0100] In step S52, the backend system 200C uses the power supply capacity data for bidding to obtain the winning bid data of the service. The winning bid data of the service may be obtained by automatic computer bidding or manual bidding. The content of the winning bid data of the service is based on the specifications of the signed power service contract. The above-mentioned winning bid data of the service can include the total bidding capacity (i.e., the minimum power that the power auxiliary service must provide).

[0101] In step S54, the backend system 200C constructs a plurality of power auxiliary configurations based on the winning bid data of the service, and each power auxiliary configuration corresponds to each battery swapping system 200A, 200B.

[0102] In step S56, the backend system 200C transmits the power auxiliary configuration to the corresponding battery swapping systems 200A, 200B. In step S58, the battery swapping systems 200A, 200B are in a standby state, ready to execute the power auxiliary service based on the power auxiliary configuration, and provide the battery swapping service. The total supply capacity of the battery swapping systems 200A, 200B indicated by the above power auxiliary configuration is greater than the total bidding capacity to ensure the performance of the power service contract.

[0103] The method of the present disclosure can provide real-time power assistance services by a plurality of replaceable batteries B housed in the battery exchange systems 200A and 200B when the power grid of the power company is abnormal. Thereby, not only can each replaceable battery B be fully utilized, but also the profit obtained by providing the power assistance services can be obtained.

[0104] Through the battery exchange system, the battery exchange network system, and the method of supplying auxiliary power of the present disclosure, when the power grid of the power company is abnormal, the replaceable batteries in the battery exchange system immediately provide power assistance services to restore the stability to the power grid. In addition to appropriately using all the batteries in the battery exchange system, it is also possible to obtain profits from the provision of the power assistance services. Furthermore, the battery exchange system can further provide battery exchange services using the housed batteries.

Claims

1. A battery swapping system, comprising: A power supply system coupled to a power grid, and a grid monitoring system configured to detect a grid factor; At least one battery swapping cabinet configured to accommodate a plurality of replaceable batteries; A control system coupled to the power supply system and the at least one battery swapping cabinet, configured to perform verification on a placed replaceable battery when the replaceable battery is placed within the at least one battery swapping cabinet, and further configured to control the plurality of verified replaceable batteries within the at least one battery swapping cabinet to charge or discharge; Comprising; When the grid factor is abnormal, the power supply system stops receiving power from the power grid, and the control system controls the plurality of replaceable batteries to discharge to supply driving power to the battery swapping system and supply auxiliary power to the power grid; The power supply system comprises: A power switch module configured to cut off the power input connection between the power supply system and the power grid and stop receiving power from the power grid when the grid factor is abnormal; The power switch module is further configured to restore the power input connection after a preset time or when one or more of the plurality of replaceable batteries have a state of charge (SoC) lower than a preset SoC lower threshold when the grid factor returns to normal; A power conversion module coupled to the power switch module, configured to convert AC power from the power grid into DC power suitable for the control system and the at least one battery swapping cabinet, and configured to convert DC power from the plurality of replaceable batteries into AC power suitable for the power grid; A battery swapping system comprising the above.

2. The control system is configured to receive a monitoring signal from the grid monitoring system, and the monitoring signal includes a frequency anomaly signal or indicates a grid frequency lower than a preset frequency when the grid factor is abnormal. The battery swapping system according to claim 1.

3. A battery swapping system, A power supply system coupled to a power grid, and a grid monitoring system configured to detect a grid factor, At least one battery swapping cabinet configured to accommodate a plurality of replaceable batteries, A control system coupled to the power supply system and the at least one battery swapping cabinet, configured to perform verification on the arranged replaceable battery when the replaceable battery is arranged in the at least one battery swapping cabinet, and further configured to control the plurality of verified replaceable batteries in the at least one battery swapping cabinet to charge or discharge. A control system, Comprising, When the grid factor is abnormal, the power supply system stops receiving power from the power grid, and the control system controls the plurality of replaceable batteries to discharge to supply driving power to the battery swapping system and supply auxiliary power to the power grid. At least one of the plurality of replaceable batteries is set as a UPS battery. When the power supply system stops receiving power from the power grid, the battery swapping system receives the driving power from the UPS battery. When the power supply system receives power from the power grid, the UPS battery is set to non-chargeable and set to be prepared for discharge. At least a part of the plurality of replaceable batteries is set as a UPS auxiliary battery. When the battery swapping system stops receiving power from the power grid, first the UPS battery is configured to supply the driving power, and then the UPS auxiliary battery is controlled to discharge to supply the driving power. A battery swapping system.

4. When the control system stops receiving power from the power grid, the control system is configured to perform a verification on the disposed replaceable battery, and is configured to select one of the plurality of replaceable batteries and replace it with the disposed replaceable battery. The battery exchange system according to claim 3.

5. The at least one battery exchange cabinet includes a plurality of battery slots, each of the plurality of battery slots includes a connector, a data transmitter, and a controller. When a replaceable battery is disposed in one of the plurality of battery slots and the connector is coupled to the replaceable battery, the data transmitter is configured to communicate with the replaceable battery. The battery exchange system according to claim 3.

6. A battery exchange system, A power supply system coupled to a power grid, and a grid monitoring system configured to detect a grid factor; At least one battery exchange cabinet configured to accommodate a plurality of replaceable batteries; A control system coupled to the power supply system and the at least one battery exchange cabinet. When a replaceable battery is disposed in the at least one battery exchange cabinet, the control system is configured to perform a verification on the disposed replaceable battery, and is further configured to control the plurality of replaceable batteries that pass the verification in the at least one battery exchange cabinet to charge or discharge. A control system; Comprising, When the grid factor is abnormal, the power supply system stops receiving power from the power grid, and the control system controls the plurality of replaceable batteries to discharge to supply driving power to the battery exchange system and supply auxiliary power to the power grid. The power supply system, At least one electromagnetic interference filter module configured to filter the noise of the AC power supplied by the power grid. At least one AC / DC conversion module configured to receive the AC power filtered by the at least one electromagnetic interference filter module and configured to output DC power; At least one bidirectional DC / DC conversion module coupled to the at least one AC / DC conversion module and the at least one battery replacement cabinet, configured to convert the voltage of the DC power to be suitable for the at least one battery replacement cabinet, and configured to convert the voltage of the DC power supplied by the plurality of replaceable batteries to a voltage suitable for the control system. At least one bidirectional DC / DC conversion module; A battery replacement system comprising:

7. The at least one AC / DC conversion module includes a unidirectional AC / DC converter, and the power supply system At least one inverter configured to receive the DC power converted by the at least one bidirectional DC / DC conversion module and configured to output AC power to supply the auxiliary power; The battery replacement system according to claim 6, further comprising:

8. The at least one AC / DC conversion module includes a bidirectional AC / DC converter, and is configured to receive the DC power converted by the at least one bidirectional DC / DC conversion module and configured to output AC power to supply the auxiliary power. The battery replacement system according to claim 6.

9. A plurality of battery replacement systems according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of battery replacement systems are arranged at a plurality of geographical locations; A backend system coupled to the plurality of battery replacement systems via the Internet and configured to transmit a power assistance configuration to the plurality of battery replacement systems so that the plurality of battery replacement systems supply a plurality of auxiliary powers when the grid factor is abnormal; A battery replacement system comprising:

10. The power assistance configuration includes an assigned standby period. During the assigned waiting period, the battery replacement system supplies the plurality of auxiliary powers when the grid factor is abnormal and receives power from the power grid when the grid factor is normal. The battery replacement system according to claim 9.

11. Supplying power to the battery replacement system by a power grid; Receiving a replaceable battery by at least one battery replacement cabinet of the battery replacement system; After the received replaceable battery passes verification, enabling the received replaceable battery to be charged or discharged, selecting one of the plurality of replaceable batteries arranged in the at least one battery replacement cabinet, and replacing it with the received replaceable battery; When the grid factor of the power grid is abnormal, controlling the battery replacement system to stop receiving power from the power grid, controlling the plurality of replaceable batteries to discharge to supply driving power to the battery replacement system and supply auxiliary power to the power grid; Setting at least one of the plurality of replaceable batteries as a UPS battery; When receiving power from the power grid is stopped, supplying the driving power by the UPS battery; Setting at least a part of the plurality of replaceable batteries as UPS auxiliary batteries; When the power grid is used as a power source, setting the UPS battery to be non-chargeable and setting it for discharging; further comprising; Controlling the plurality of replaceable batteries to discharge to supply the driving power to the battery replacement system includes: When the battery replacement system stops receiving power from the power grid, supplying the driving power by the UPS battery, and then controlling the UPS auxiliary battery to discharge to supply the driving power A method for supplying auxiliary power including.

12. Receiving a monitoring signal, and determining that the grid factor is abnormal when the monitoring signal includes a frequency abnormal signal or indicates a grid frequency lower than a preset frequency; The method for supplying auxiliary power according to claim 11, further comprising.

13. Supplying power to the battery swapping system by the power grid includes establishing a power input connection between the battery swapping system and the power grid to receive power from the power grid, and converting the AC power from the power grid into DC power suitable for a control system and the at least one battery swapping cabinet of the battery swapping system, Controlling the battery swapping system to stop receiving power from the power grid and controlling the plurality of replaceable batteries to discharge includes cutting off the power input connection to stop receiving power from the power grid, and converting the DC power from the plurality of replaceable batteries into AC power suitable for the power grid. The method for supplying auxiliary power according to claim 11.

14. A method for supplying auxiliary power, comprising: supplying power to a battery swapping system by a power grid; receiving a replaceable battery by at least one battery swapping cabinet of the battery swapping system; after the received replaceable battery passes verification, enabling the received replaceable battery to be charged or discharged, selecting one of the plurality of replaceable batteries arranged in the at least one battery swapping cabinet, and exchanging it with the received replaceable battery; when the grid factor of the power grid is abnormal, controlling the battery swapping system to stop receiving power from the power grid, controlling the plurality of replaceable batteries to discharge, supplying driving power to the battery swapping system, and supplying auxiliary power to the power grid; a backend system transmitting a power assistance configuration to a plurality of the battery swapping systems via the Internet, such that the plurality of battery swapping systems supply the auxiliary power based on the power assistance configuration; the power assistance configuration includes an assigned standby period, and the plurality of battery swapping systems supply the auxiliary power based on the power assistance configuration; during the assigned standby period, when the grid factor is abnormal, supplying the auxiliary power by the plurality of battery swapping systems. During the assigned waiting period, when the grid factor is normal, receiving power from the power grid by the plurality of battery swapping systems.

15. Supplying power to a battery swapping system by a power grid. Receiving a replaceable battery by at least one battery swapping cabinet of the battery swapping system. After the received replaceable battery passes verification, enabling the received replaceable battery to be charged or discharged, selecting one of the plurality of replaceable batteries arranged in the at least one battery swapping cabinet, and replacing it with the received replaceable battery. When the grid factor of the power grid is abnormal, controlling the battery swapping system to stop receiving power from the power grid, discharging the plurality of replaceable batteries to supply driving power to the battery swapping system, and controlling to supply auxiliary power to the power grid. A back-end system transmits a power assistance configuration to a plurality of the battery swapping systems via the Internet, and as a result, the plurality of battery swapping systems supply the auxiliary power based on the power assistance configuration. Calculating power supply capacity data based on the operation history data of the plurality of battery swapping systems, where the power supply capacity data includes the plurality of supply capacities of the plurality of battery swapping systems. Obtaining bid-winning data of a service based on the power supply capacity data, where the bid-winning data of the service includes the total bid capacity. Configuring the power assistance configuration based on the bid-winning data of the service, where the total of the plurality of supply capacities of the plurality of battery swapping systems indicated by the power assistance configuration is configured to be greater than the total bid capacity. A method for supplying auxiliary power, including the above.

Images