Battery swapping station control method, apparatus and system, and battery swapping station

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of battery swapping, and provides a battery swapping station control method, apparatus and system, and a battery swapping station. The method comprises: when a battery swapping trolley in the battery swapping station needs to horizontally move to a first target position along a battery swapping track, setting the relative position of the first target position and the battery swapping trolley; on the basis of the set relative position, controlling a first servo motor in the battery swapping trolley to drive the battery swapping trolley to move along the battery swapping track; in the process of the battery swapping trolley moving to the first target position, obtaining a moving distance on the basis of an encoder of the first servo motor; if the moving distance is not consistent with a first actual distance obtained based on a first ranging sensor, determining that the battery swapping trolley needs to be subjected to position compensation; on the basis of the first actual distance and the moving distance, resetting the relative position to perform position compensation on the battery swapping trolley; and on the basis of the reset relative position, continuing to control the first servo motor to drive the battery swapping trolley to move along the battery swapping track. The problem that the battery swapping trolley cannot accurately reach the target position due to slipping is solved, and positioning is more accurate.

Description

Battery swap station control method, device, system and battery swap station Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of battery swapping technology, and in particular to a battery swapping station control method, device, system and battery swapping station. Background Art

[0002] Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly common. For heavy trucks and other electric vehicles, battery swapping at battery swap stations requires a battery swapping trolley to grab the battery from the vehicle, lift it, and move it along tracks to a battery compartment for storage. The trolley then grabs the fully charged battery and moves it along the tracks to the vehicle for installation. The trolley inevitably slips while moving along the tracks, preventing it from reaching its target location and impacting the success rate of battery swaps.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention provides a battery swap station control method, device, system and battery swap station, which are used to solve the defect in the prior art that the battery swap vehicle cannot accurately reach the target position due to slipping. The battery swap vehicle can be controlled to accurately reach the target position and achieve accurate positioning.

[0005] The present invention provides a method for controlling a battery swap station, comprising:

[0006] When the battery swap trolley in the battery swap station needs to move horizontally along the battery swap track to the first target position, the relative position of the first target position and the battery swap trolley is set. The battery swap trolley is used to lift the battery on the first base and move horizontally to above the second base and then lower it to the second base;

[0007] Based on the set relative position, controlling the first servo motor in the battery-swapping trolley to drive the battery-swapping trolley to move along the battery-swapping track;

[0008] When the battery-swapping vehicle moves to the first target position, the moving distance is obtained based on the encoder of the first servo motor;

[0009] If the moving distance is inconsistent with the first actual distance obtained based on the first distance measuring sensor, it is determined that the battery-swapping vehicle needs to be position compensated, wherein the first actual distance is the distance the battery-swapping vehicle actually moves;

[0010] Resetting the relative position based on the first actual distance and the moving distance to perform position compensation on the battery-swapping vehicle;

[0011] Based on the reset relative position, continue to control the first servo motor to drive the battery-exchanging trolley to move along the battery-exchanging track.

[0012] A method for controlling a battery swap station according to the present invention further includes:

[0013] Measuring the distance to the first marker on the battery swap track by the first distance measuring sensor provided on the battery swap trolley to obtain a first measured distance;

[0014] The first actual distance is obtained based on the change in the first measured distance.

[0015] According to a battery swap station control method provided by the present invention, resetting the relative position based on the first actual distance and the moving distance to perform position compensation on the battery swap vehicle includes:

[0016] The relative position is reset based on the difference between the moving distance and the first actual distance to perform position compensation on the battery-exchanging vehicle.

[0017] A method for controlling a battery swap station according to the present invention further includes:

[0018] During the process of the battery-swapping trolley lowering the battery to the second base through the sling, the lowering speed of the battery by the battery-swapping trolley is controlled based on the second actual distance measured by the second ranging sensor. The second actual distance is the actual distance between the battery-swapping trolley and the sling.

[0019] According to a battery swap station control method provided by the present invention, the method of controlling the lowering speed of the battery by the battery swap vehicle based on the second actual distance measured by the second distance measuring sensor includes:

[0020] When the battery-swapping trolley starts to lower the battery through the sling, the battery-swapping trolley is controlled to lower the battery with a reference lowering speed as a target;

[0021] When the second actual distance represents that the battery reaches the height of the first guide column of the second base, the battery swapping trolley is controlled to lower the battery according to the first lowering speed, where the first lowering speed is the product of the second actual distance and the first preset coefficient;

[0022] When the second actual distance represents that the battery reaches the height of the second guide post of the second base, the battery swapping trolley is controlled to lower the battery according to the second lowering speed, where the second lowering speed is the product of the second actual distance and the second preset coefficient, and the height of the second guide post is less than the height of the first guide post;

[0023] When the second actual distance represents the height of the battery reaching the connector of the second base, the battery exchange vehicle is controlled to lower the battery according to the third lowering speed. The third lowering speed is determined based on the relationship between the fourth lowering speed and the preset minimum speed. The fourth lowering speed is the product of the second actual distance and the third preset coefficient. The height of the connector is less than the height of the second guide column.

[0024] According to a method for controlling a battery swap station provided by the present invention, the first base is a vehicle-mounted base of an electric vehicle, and the method for controlling a battery swap station further includes:

[0025] When the lock hook on the first base for locking the battery is in the unlocked state, if the output torque of the driving mechanism of the hoist in the battery-swapping trolley is greater than or equal to the lifting torque of the battery and less than the preset torque, the driving mechanism is controlled to drive the hoist to lift the battery;

[0026] If the output torque of the driving mechanism is greater than or equal to the preset torque, the driving mechanism is controlled to stop outputting the torque.

[0027] A method for controlling a battery swap station according to the present invention further includes:

[0028] The output torque of the driving mechanism is controlled based on the preset maximum driving current of the driving mechanism.

[0029] The present invention also provides a battery swap station control device, comprising:

[0030] A position setting module is used to set the relative position between the first target position and the battery-swapping trolley when the battery-swapping trolley in the battery-swapping station needs to move horizontally along the battery-swapping track to the first target position. The battery-swapping trolley is used to lift the battery on the first base and move horizontally to above the second base before lowering it to the second base.

[0031] a motor control module, configured to control the first servo motor in the battery-swapping trolley to drive the battery-swapping trolley to move along the battery-swapping track based on the set relative position;

[0032] a distance obtaining module, configured to obtain a moving distance based on an encoder of the first servo motor during the process of the battery-swapping vehicle moving to the first target position;

[0033] a compensation determination module, configured to determine that the battery-swapping vehicle needs to be position compensated if the moving distance is inconsistent with a first actual distance obtained based on a first ranging sensor, wherein the first actual distance is the distance the battery-swapping vehicle actually moves;

[0034] A position setting module is further configured to reset the relative position based on the first actual distance and the moving distance to perform position compensation on the battery-swapping vehicle;

[0035] The motor control module is also used to continue to control the first servo motor to drive the battery-exchanging trolley to move along the battery-exchanging track based on the reset relative position.

[0036] The present invention also provides a battery swap station control system, comprising:

[0037] The battery swap trolley in the battery swap station is used to lift the battery on the first base and move it horizontally to the top of the second base and then lower it to the second base;

[0038] A controller is used to set the relative position of the first target position and the battery-exchanging cart when the battery-exchanging cart needs to move horizontally to a first target position along the battery-exchanging track, and based on the set relative position, control the first servo motor in the battery-exchanging cart to drive the battery-exchanging cart to move along the battery-exchanging track; in the process of the battery-exchanging cart moving to the first target position, obtain the moving distance based on the encoder of the first servo motor; if the moving distance is inconsistent with the first actual distance obtained based on the first ranging sensor, determine that the battery-exchanging cart needs position compensation, wherein the first actual distance is the distance the battery-exchanging cart actually moves; reset the relative position based on the first actual distance and the moving distance to perform position compensation on the battery-exchanging cart; based on the reset relative position, continue to control the first servo motor to drive the battery-exchanging cart to move along the battery-exchanging track.

[0039] The present invention also provides a battery swap station, comprising any of the battery swap station control systems described above.

[0040] The present invention also provides an electronic device, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein when the processor executes the program, any of the above-described methods for controlling a battery swap station is implemented.

[0041] The present invention also provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements any of the above-described methods for controlling a battery swap station.

[0042] The battery swap station control method provided by the present invention is as follows: when the battery swap cart in the battery swap station needs to move horizontally along the battery swap track to a first target position, the relative position of the first target position and the battery swap cart is set; based on the set relative position, the first servo motor in the battery swap cart is controlled to drive the battery swap cart to move along the battery swap track; when the moving distance obtained by the encoder of the first servo motor in the battery swap cart is inconsistent with the actual distance between the battery swap cart and the first target position measured by the first distance measuring sensor, the relative position can be reset based on the first actual distance and the moving distance to perform position compensation on the battery swap cart; the position compensation is used to eliminate the deviation between the moving distance and the first actual distance; thus, based on the reset relative position, the first servo motor is continued to be controlled to drive the battery swap cart to move along the battery swap track until it reaches the first target position, thereby reducing the positioning error of the battery swap cart, thereby making the position of the battery grabbed by the lifting device of the battery swap cart more accurate, and the battery is more stable during the lifting and lowering process, thereby improving the success rate of battery swapping. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the present invention or the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0044] FIG1 is a flow chart of a method for controlling a battery swap station according to the present invention;

[0045] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a battery swapping process at a battery swapping station provided by the present invention;

[0046] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of a battery swap station control device provided by the present invention;

[0047] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device provided by the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0049] The following describes the battery swap station control method of the present invention with reference to FIG1 and FIG2.

[0050] This embodiment provides a method for controlling a battery swap station, as shown in FIG1 , which includes at least the following steps:

[0051] Step 110: When the battery swapping trolley in the battery swapping station needs to move horizontally along the battery swapping track to the first target position, the relative position of the first target position and the battery swapping trolley is set. The battery swapping trolley is used to lift the battery on the first base and move horizontally to the top of the second base and then lower it to the second base.

[0052] Step 120: Based on the set relative position, control the first servo motor in the battery-swapping trolley to drive the battery-swapping trolley to move along the battery-swapping track.

[0053] Step 130: When the battery-exchanging vehicle moves to the first target position, the moving distance is obtained based on the encoder of the first servo motor.

[0054] Step 140: If the moving distance is inconsistent with the first actual distance obtained based on the first ranging sensor, it is determined that the battery-swapping vehicle needs to be position compensated, wherein the first actual distance is the distance the battery-swapping vehicle actually moves.

[0055] Step 150: Reset the relative position based on the first actual distance and the moving distance to perform position compensation on the battery-swapping vehicle.

[0056] Step 160: Based on the reset relative position, continue to control the first servo motor to drive the battery-exchanging trolley to move along the battery-exchanging track.

[0057] The battery swap station of this embodiment is used to swap batteries for electric vehicles. The electric vehicles can be heavy trucks, and the battery swap station can be a heavy truck battery swap station. For example, the battery swap station can include a bracket, on which a first battery swap track along a first horizontal direction and a second battery swap track along a second horizontal direction are provided. The first and second horizontal directions are perpendicular to each other. Accordingly, the battery swap cart includes two first servo motors. The battery swap cart can move along the first battery swap track driven by the first servo motor corresponding to the first horizontal direction, and along the second battery swap track driven by the first servo motor corresponding to the second horizontal direction. A sling connected by a rope is provided below the battery swap cart. As shown in Figure 2, the battery swap cart 210 can be lifted by the sling 211 (indicated by an upward arrow in the figure) on the battery 230 on the first base 220 and moved horizontally (indicated by a leftward arrow in the figure) along the first and second battery swap tracks to the top of the second base 240, and then lowered (indicated by a downward arrow in the figure) to the second base 240. The first base can be the on-board base of the electric vehicle, and the second base can be the base of the battery compartment of the battery swap station. The first base may also be the base of a battery compartment of a battery swap station, and the second base may be the vehicle-mounted base of an electric vehicle.

[0058] The specific structures of the battery swap station and battery swap vehicle can be referred to relevant technologies and will not be elaborated here.

[0059] The solution of this embodiment can be executed by the controller of the battery-swapping vehicle.

[0060] The battery exchange track in step 110 can be the first battery exchange track or the second battery exchange track.

[0061] The first target position is the position on the battery swap track that the battery swap cart needs to reach. In the battery swap scenario, the electric vehicle can be positioned within the set battery swap area. The first target position of the battery swap cart can be obtained in advance based on the set battery swap area. The battery swap cart in this embodiment is driven by a servo motor, and the servo motor can drive the battery swap cart to move according to the set relative position (that is, the relative distance) between the battery swap cart and the first target position. The servo motor includes an encoder, and the moving distance can be represented by the value of the encoder. However, in the process of the servo motor driving the battery swap cart to move along the battery swap track, slippage is inevitable, especially when the battery swap cart uses steel wheels, it is more likely to slip, resulting in a large deviation between the moving distance represented by the value of the servo motor encoder and the actual moving distance of the battery swap cart on the battery swap track, which will affect the success rate of battery swapping.

[0062] The operation phases of the battery swapping vehicle include the acceleration phase, the constant speed phase, and the deceleration phase. Slipping mainly occurs when the battery swapping vehicle is accelerating or decelerating. When the battery swapping vehicle is in the acceleration phase, the battery swapping vehicle may not perform position compensation. When the battery swapping vehicle enters the constant speed phase from the acceleration phase, the battery swapping vehicle may perform position compensation to avoid running past the first target position due to a large speed deviation caused by slipping. When the battery swapping vehicle is in the deceleration phase, the battery swapping vehicle may perform position compensation to accurately stop at the first target position.

[0063] In this embodiment, when the moving distance is inconsistent with the actual distance between the battery-exchanging trolley and the first target position measured by the first distance measuring sensor, the relative position can be reset based on the first actual distance and the moving distance to perform position compensation on the battery-exchanging trolley. The position compensation is used to eliminate the deviation between the moving distance and the first actual distance. In this way, based on the reset relative position, the first servo motor is continued to be controlled to drive the battery-exchanging trolley to move along the battery-exchanging track until it reaches the first target position, thereby reducing the positioning error of the battery-exchanging trolley, thereby making the position of the battery grasped by the lifting device of the battery-exchanging trolley more accurate, and the battery is more stable during the lifting and lowering process, thereby improving the success rate of battery replacement.

[0064] In this embodiment, the positioning accuracy of the battery-swapping vehicle can reach ±5mm.

[0065] In an exemplary embodiment, the battery exchange station control method provided in this embodiment may also include: measuring the distance to the first marker on the battery exchange track by the first ranging sensor provided on the battery exchange vehicle to obtain a first measured distance; and obtaining the first actual distance based on the change in the first measured distance.

[0066] In practical applications, a first fixed marker can be set on the battery swap track, and a first distance measuring sensor can be set on the battery swap cart. The first distance measuring sensor is used to measure the distance to the first marker as the first measurement distance. When the battery swap cart moves, the first measurement distance measured by the first distance measuring sensor will also change. After setting the relative position, the change in the first measurement distance before and after the battery swap cart moves can represent the first actual distance. For example, before the battery swap cart moves, the first measurement distance obtained by the first distance measuring sensor is 1000mm. After the battery swap cart moves, the first measurement distance obtained by the first distance measuring sensor is 600mm. The change in the first measurement distance is 400mm, which means that the battery swap cart actually moves 400mm.

[0067] The first distance measuring sensor can be a laser distance measuring sensor, and the first marker can be a reflector. Of course, it can also be other distance measuring sensors, such as a radar distance measuring sensor, etc.

[0068] In this embodiment, the distance to the first marker on the battery exchange track is measured by the first ranging sensor arranged on the battery exchange cart. In this way, the actual moving distance of the battery exchange cart can be accurately obtained, which is convenient for accurately determining whether position compensation is required by combining the moving distance obtained by the encoder of the servo motor.

[0069] In an exemplary embodiment, the resetting of the relative position based on the first actual distance and the moving distance to perform position compensation on the battery-exchanging vehicle may specifically include: resetting the relative position based on the difference between the moving distance and the first actual distance to perform position compensation on the battery-exchanging vehicle.

[0070] Exemplarily, the difference between the moving distance and the first actual distance is set as a relative position to perform position compensation on the battery-exchanging vehicle.

[0071] For example, the relative setting between the first target position and the battery-swapping cart is 450mm. If the battery-swapping cart actually moves 400mm due to slipping, there is still 50mm to reach the first target position. The 50mm can be compensated for and the relative position can be reset to 50mm. The encoder of the first servo motor can be encoded according to the reset relative position, thereby accurately driving the battery-swapping cart to the first target position.

[0072] In this embodiment, the relative position is reset based on the difference between the moving distance and the first actual distance to perform position compensation on the battery-exchanging vehicle, which can accurately eliminate the deviation between the moving distance and the first actual distance and make positioning more accurate.

[0073] In an exemplary embodiment, the battery swap station control method may further include: in the process of the battery swap cart lowering the battery to the second base through the sling, controlling the lowering speed of the battery by the battery swap cart based on the second actual distance measured by the second ranging sensor, where the second actual distance is the actual distance between the battery swap cart and the sling.

[0074] In actual applications, a second fixed marker can be set on the side of the sling close to the battery-exchange trolley, and a second ranging sensor can be set on the battery-exchange trolley. The second ranging sensor is used to measure the distance to the second marker as the second measurement distance. When the battery-exchange trolley lowers the battery to the second base through the sling, the second measurement distance measured by the second ranging sensor will also change. The second measurement distance can represent the lowering distance of the battery. The larger the second measurement distance, the smaller the distance between the battery and the second base, that is, the closer the battery is to the second base. When the battery is installed on the second base, the position reached by the second marker is the second target position. During implementation, with the second target position as the target, the battery-exchange trolley is controlled to lower the battery to the second base through the sling.

[0075] The second distance measuring sensor can be a laser distance measuring sensor, and the second marker can be a reflector. Of course, it can also be other distance measuring sensors, such as a radar distance measuring sensor, etc.

[0076] In related technologies, when a battery-swapping trolley lowers a battery through a sling, it directly switches between high and low speeds, resulting in uneven speed switching. Sudden speed changes cause the battery's lowering speed to be uncontrollable and non-uniform. In this embodiment, the battery-swapping trolley controls the battery lowering speed based on the second actual distance measured by the second ranging sensor, thereby associating the battery lowering speed with the lowering distance. This solves the problem of the sling's uncontrollable lowering speed when lowering the battery, making the battery lowering speed stable and controllable, and enabling smooth switching of the lowering speed. This ensures that the battery can be easily removed and placed while ensuring the battery-swapping time.

[0077] In an exemplary embodiment, controlling the lowering speed of the battery by the battery swapping vehicle based on the second actual distance measured by the second distance measuring sensor may specifically include:

[0078] When the battery-swapping trolley starts to lower the battery through the sling, the battery-swapping trolley is controlled to lower the battery with a reference lowering speed as a target;

[0079] When the second actual distance represents that the battery reaches the height of the first guide column of the second base, the battery swapping trolley is controlled to lower the battery according to the first lowering speed, where the first lowering speed is the product of the second actual distance and the first preset coefficient;

[0080] When the second actual distance represents that the battery reaches the height of the second guide post of the second base, the battery swapping trolley is controlled to lower the battery according to the second lowering speed, where the second lowering speed is the product of the second actual distance and the second preset coefficient, and the height of the second guide post is less than the height of the first guide post;

[0081] When the second actual distance represents the height of the battery reaching the connector of the second base, the battery exchange vehicle is controlled to lower the battery according to the third lowering speed. The third lowering speed is determined based on the relationship between the fourth lowering speed and the preset minimum speed. The fourth lowering speed is the product of the second actual distance and the third preset coefficient. The height of the connector is less than the height of the second guide column.

[0082] As shown in Figure 2, the second base includes a first guide post 241, a second guide post 242, and a connector 243, which are arranged in descending order. The first and second guide posts 241 and 242 are used to guide and locate the battery. The connector 243 can be connected to the positive and negative terminals of the battery. The first and second bases have the same structure.

[0083] The battery-exchange trolley can drive the sling through a driving mechanism such as a second servo motor. When the battery is lowered to contact the second base, the battery contacts the first guide column 241, the second guide column 242 and the connector 243 in sequence, and accordingly, different lowering speeds are adopted. The lowering speed is also the speed at which the battery is lowered. The reference lowering speed is the maximum lowering speed reached when lowering at a uniform speed. When the battery starts to be lowered, the reference lowering speed is reached first, and then it is reduced to the first lowering speed, the second lowering speed and the third lowering speed in sequence.

[0084] The first preset coefficient, the second preset coefficient and the third preset coefficient can be obtained in advance through testing.

[0085] The reference lowering speed and the preset minimum speed can also be set according to actual conditions. For example, the preset minimum speed is 10 mm / s. The reference lowering speed is greater than the first lowering speed, the second lowering speed, the third lowering speed and the fourth lowering speed. When the fourth lowering speed is less than the preset minimum speed, the third lowering speed is the preset minimum speed, and when the fourth lowering speed is greater than or equal to the preset minimum speed, the third lowering speed is the fourth lowering speed. In this way, by limiting the lowering speed by the preset minimum speed, the duration of battery lowering can be reduced, and the problem of the second servo motor stalling due to the lowering speed being too low can be avoided.

[0086] The solution of this embodiment can be based on the second actual distance feedback closed-loop control to solve the problem of the battery being lowered too fast, causing collisions and damaging the connector. During the process of lowering the battery to the vehicle base, different lowering speeds are used to smoothly enter the first guide post, the second guide post and the connector, effectively avoiding the situation where the battery seriously collides with the first guide post and the second guide post when approaching the vehicle base, and also avoiding the situation where the connector is damaged due to the excessive lowering speed, resulting in the electric vehicle being unable to drive.

[0087] In an exemplary embodiment, the first base is a vehicle-mounted base of an electric vehicle, and the battery swap station control method further includes:

[0088] When the lock hook on the first base for locking the battery is in the unlocked state, if the output torque of the driving mechanism of the hoist in the battery-swapping trolley is greater than or equal to the lifting torque of the battery and less than the preset torque, the driving mechanism is controlled to drive the hoist to lift the battery;

[0089] If the output torque of the driving mechanism is greater than or equal to the preset torque, the driving mechanism is controlled to stop outputting the torque.

[0090] Among them, the preset torque is greater than the lifting torque of the battery, for example, it can be 1.5 times the lifting torque of the battery. In actual applications, the vehicle status can be monitored by the control end of the battery swap station. The vehicle status includes the locking state of the lock hook. If the locking state is unlocked, the battery can be lifted. In order to avoid lifting the electric vehicle in the process of lifting the battery, when the output torque of the drive mechanism of the hoist is greater than or equal to the lifting torque of the battery and less than the preset torque, the drive mechanism is controlled to drive the hoist to lift the battery. The output torque of the battery swap car is greater than or equal to the preset torque, and the drive mechanism is controlled to stop outputting torque. Specifically, the second servo motor is controlled to stop outputting torque. This can reduce the risk of battery swapping, protect battery swapping equipment, and ensure the safety of battery swapping.

[0091] In an exemplary embodiment, the battery swap station control method may further include: controlling the output torque of the driving mechanism with a preset maximum driving current of the driving mechanism as a limit.

[0092] The driving current of the drive mechanism of the hoist can be the driving current of the second servo motor. In practice, the driving current of the drive mechanism can be limited, and thus the output torque can be limited. In this way, the risk of the electric vehicle being lifted can be reduced, further ensuring the safety of battery replacement.

[0093] The battery swap station control device provided by the present invention is described below. The battery swap station control device described below and the battery swap station control method described above can be referenced to each other.

[0094] This embodiment provides a battery swap station control device, as shown in FIG3 , including:

[0095] The position setting module 301 is used to set the relative position between the first target position and the battery swapping trolley when the battery swapping trolley in the battery swapping station needs to move horizontally along the battery swapping track to the first target position. The battery swapping trolley is used to lift the battery on the first base and move horizontally to the top of the second base and then lower it to the second base;

[0096] The motor control module 302 is used to control the first servo motor in the battery-swapping trolley to drive the battery-swapping trolley to move along the battery-swapping track based on the set relative position;

[0097] A distance obtaining module 303 is configured to obtain a moving distance based on an encoder of the first servo motor during the process of the battery-swapping vehicle moving to the first target position;

[0098] a compensation determination module 304, configured to determine that the battery-swapping vehicle needs position compensation if the moving distance is inconsistent with a first actual distance obtained based on the first ranging sensor, wherein the first actual distance is the distance the battery-swapping vehicle actually moves;

[0099] The position setting module 301 is further configured to reset the relative position based on the first actual distance and the moving distance to perform position compensation on the battery-swapping vehicle;

[0100] The motor control module 302 is also used to continue to control the first servo motor to drive the battery-exchanging vehicle to move along the battery-exchanging track based on the reset relative position.

[0101] In an exemplary embodiment, the distance acquisition module is also used to measure the distance to the first marker on the battery exchange track by using the first ranging sensor provided on the battery exchange vehicle to obtain a first measured distance; and obtain the first actual distance based on the change in the first measured distance.

[0102] In an exemplary embodiment, the location setting module 301 is specifically configured to:

[0103] The relative position is reset based on the difference between the moving distance and the first actual distance to perform position compensation on the battery-exchanging vehicle.

[0104] In an exemplary embodiment, the battery swap station control device further includes:

[0105] The sling control module is used to control the lowering speed of the battery by the battery-swapping trolley based on the second actual distance measured by the second ranging sensor during the process of the battery-swapping trolley lowering the battery to the second base through the sling. The second actual distance is the actual distance between the battery-swapping trolley and the sling.

[0106] In an exemplary embodiment, the spreader control module is specifically configured to:

[0107] When the battery-swapping trolley starts to lower the battery through the sling, the battery-swapping trolley is controlled to lower the battery with a reference lowering speed as a target;

[0108] When the second actual distance represents that the battery reaches the height of the first guide column of the second base, the battery swapping trolley is controlled to lower the battery according to the first lowering speed, where the first lowering speed is the product of the second actual distance and the first preset coefficient;

[0109] When the second actual distance represents that the battery reaches the height of the second guide post of the second base, the battery swapping trolley is controlled to lower the battery according to the second lowering speed, where the second lowering speed is the product of the second actual distance and the second preset coefficient, and the height of the second guide post is less than the height of the first guide post;

[0110] When the second actual distance represents the height of the battery reaching the connector of the second base, the battery exchange vehicle is controlled to lower the battery according to the third lowering speed. The third lowering speed is determined based on the relationship between the fourth lowering speed and the preset minimum speed. The fourth lowering speed is the product of the second actual distance and the third preset coefficient. The height of the connector is less than the height of the second guide column.

[0111] In an exemplary embodiment, the hoist control module is further configured to, when the lock hook on the first base for locking the battery is in an unlocked state, control the drive mechanism to drive the hoist to lift the battery if the output torque of the drive mechanism of the hoist in the battery-swapping trolley is greater than or equal to the lifting torque of the battery and less than a preset torque;

[0112] If the output torque of the driving mechanism is greater than or equal to the preset torque, the driving mechanism is controlled to stop outputting the torque.

[0113] In an exemplary embodiment, the spreader control module is further configured to control the output torque of the drive mechanism based on a preset maximum drive current of the drive mechanism.

[0114] The battery swap station control system provided by the present invention is described below. The battery swap station control system described below and the battery swap station control method described above can be referenced to each other.

[0115] This embodiment provides a battery swap station control system, including:

[0116] The battery swap trolley in the battery swap station is used to lift the battery on the first base and move it horizontally to the top of the second base and then lower it to the second base;

[0117] A controller is used to set the relative position of the first target position and the battery-exchanging cart when the battery-exchanging cart needs to move horizontally to a first target position along the battery-exchanging track, and based on the set relative position, control the first servo motor in the battery-exchanging cart to drive the battery-exchanging cart to move along the battery-exchanging track; in the process of the battery-exchanging cart moving to the first target position, obtain the moving distance based on the encoder of the first servo motor; if the moving distance is inconsistent with the first actual distance obtained based on the first ranging sensor, determine that the battery-exchanging cart needs position compensation, wherein the first actual distance is the distance the battery-exchanging cart actually moves; reset the relative position based on the first actual distance and the moving distance to perform position compensation on the battery-exchanging cart; based on the reset relative position, continue to control the first servo motor to drive the battery-exchanging cart to move along the battery-exchanging track.

[0118] A first fixed marker is set on the battery exchange track, and a first ranging sensor is set on the battery exchange vehicle. The first ranging sensor is used to measure the distance to the first marker, and obtain the first measured distance to obtain the first actual distance based on the change in the first measured distance.

[0119] The specific implementation of the controller can refer to the above embodiments of the battery swap station control method, which will not be described here in detail.

[0120] In an exemplary embodiment, the battery-swapping trolley may further include: a second servo motor for driving the sling.

[0121] In an exemplary embodiment, a second fixed marker is provided on one side of the sling close to the battery-swapping trolley, and the battery-swapping trolley may further include: a second ranging sensor, which is used to measure the distance to the second marker.

[0122] This embodiment also provides a battery swap station, including a battery swap station control system as provided in any of the above embodiments.

[0123] FIG4 illustrates a schematic diagram of the physical structure of an electronic device. As shown in FIG4 , the electronic device may include: a processor 410, a communications interface 420, a memory 430, and a communication bus 440. The processor 410, the communications interface 420, and the memory 430 communicate with each other via the communication bus 440. The processor 410 may call the logic instructions in the memory 430 to execute the battery swap station control method, which includes:

[0124] When the battery swap trolley in the battery swap station needs to move horizontally along the battery swap track to the first target position, the relative position of the first target position and the battery swap trolley is set. The battery swap trolley is used to lift the battery on the first base and move horizontally to above the second base and then lower it to the second base;

[0125] Based on the set relative position, controlling the first servo motor in the battery-swapping trolley to drive the battery-swapping trolley to move along the battery-swapping track;

[0126] When the battery-swapping vehicle moves to the first target position, the moving distance is obtained based on the encoder of the first servo motor;

[0127] If the moving distance is inconsistent with the first actual distance obtained based on the first distance measuring sensor, it is determined that the battery-swapping vehicle needs to be position compensated, wherein the first actual distance is the distance the battery-swapping vehicle actually moves;

[0128] Resetting the relative position based on the first actual distance and the moving distance to perform position compensation on the battery-swapping vehicle;

[0129] Based on the reset relative position, continue to control the first servo motor to drive the battery-exchanging trolley to move along the battery-exchanging track.

[0130] In addition, the logic instructions in the above-mentioned memory 430 can be implemented in the form of a software functional unit and can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium when sold or used as an independent product. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0131] On the other hand, the present invention further provides a computer program product, comprising a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer program comprises program instructions. When the program instructions are executed by a computer, the computer is capable of executing the battery swap station control method provided by the above methods, the method comprising:

[0132] When the battery swap trolley in the battery swap station needs to move horizontally along the battery swap track to the first target position, the relative position of the first target position and the battery swap trolley is set. The battery swap trolley is used to lift the battery on the first base and move horizontally to above the second base and then lower it to the second base;

[0133] Based on the set relative position, controlling the first servo motor in the battery-swapping trolley to drive the battery-swapping trolley to move along the battery-swapping track;

[0134] When the battery-swapping vehicle moves to the first target position, the moving distance is obtained based on the encoder of the first servo motor;

[0135] If the moving distance is inconsistent with the first actual distance obtained based on the first distance measuring sensor, it is determined that the battery-swapping vehicle needs to be position compensated, wherein the first actual distance is the distance the battery-swapping vehicle actually moves;

[0136] Resetting the relative position based on the first actual distance and the moving distance to perform position compensation on the battery-swapping vehicle;

[0137] Based on the reset relative position, continue to control the first servo motor to drive the battery-exchanging trolley to move along the battery-exchanging track.

[0138] In another aspect, the present invention further provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, is implemented to perform the above-mentioned power swap station control method, the method comprising:

[0139] When the battery swap trolley in the battery swap station needs to move horizontally along the battery swap track to the first target position, the relative position of the first target position and the battery swap trolley is set. The battery swap trolley is used to lift the battery on the first base and move horizontally to above the second base and then lower it to the second base;

[0140] Based on the set relative position, controlling the first servo motor in the battery-swapping trolley to drive the battery-swapping trolley to move along the battery-swapping track;

[0141] When the battery-swapping vehicle moves to the first target position, the moving distance is obtained based on the encoder of the first servo motor;

[0142] If the moving distance is inconsistent with the first actual distance obtained based on the first distance measuring sensor, it is determined that the battery-swapping vehicle needs to be position compensated, wherein the first actual distance is the distance the battery-swapping vehicle actually moves;

[0143] Resetting the relative position based on the first actual distance and the moving distance to perform position compensation on the battery-swapping vehicle;

[0144] Based on the reset relative position, continue to control the first servo motor to drive the battery-exchanging trolley to move along the battery-exchanging track.

[0145] The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, i.e., they may be located in one location or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the modules may be selected based on actual needs to achieve the objectives of the present embodiment. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will be able to understand and implement the present invention without inventive effort.

[0146] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that each embodiment can be implemented by means of software plus a necessary general hardware platform, or of course, by hardware. Based on this understanding, the essence of the above technical solution or the part that contributes to the existing technology can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as ROM / RAM, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, etc., and includes a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in each embodiment or certain parts of the embodiments.

[0147] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a battery swap station, characterized in that: include: When the battery swapping trolley in the battery swapping station needs to move horizontally along the battery swapping track to the first target position, the relative position between the first target position and the battery swapping trolley is set, and the battery swapping trolley is used to lift the battery on the first base and move horizontally to above the second base and then lower it to the second base; Based on the set relative position, controlling the first servo motor in the battery swapping trolley to drive the battery swapping trolley to move along the battery swapping track; In the process of the battery-swapping vehicle moving to the first target position, obtaining a moving distance based on an encoder of the first servo motor; If the moving distance is inconsistent with the first actual distance obtained based on the first distance measuring sensor, it is determined that the battery swapping vehicle needs to perform position compensation, wherein the first actual distance is the distance the battery swapping vehicle actually moves; Resetting the relative position based on the first actual distance and the moving distance to perform position compensation on the battery-swapping vehicle; Based on the reset relative position, continue to control the first servo motor to drive the battery exchange vehicle to move along the battery exchange track.

2. The method for controlling a battery swap station according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: The first distance measuring sensor provided on the battery swapping vehicle measures the distance to the first marker on the battery swapping track to obtain a first measured distance; The first actual distance is obtained based on the change in the first measured distance.

3. The method for controlling a battery swap station according to claim 2, characterized in that: The resetting of the relative position based on the first actual distance and the moving distance to perform position compensation on the battery-swapping vehicle includes: The relative position is reset based on the difference between the moving distance and the first actual distance to perform position compensation on the battery-exchanging vehicle.

4. The method for controlling a battery swap station according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: Also includes: During the process of the battery swapping vehicle lowering the battery to the second base through the hoist, the lowering speed of the battery by the battery swapping vehicle is controlled based on the second actual distance measured by the second ranging sensor, and the second actual distance is the actual distance between the battery swapping vehicle and the hoist.

5. The method for controlling a battery swap station according to claim 4, characterized in that: The step of controlling the lowering speed of the battery by the battery swapping vehicle based on the second actual distance measured by the second distance measuring sensor includes: When the battery-swapping trolley starts to lower the battery through the sling, the battery-swapping trolley is controlled to lower the battery with a reference lowering speed as a target; When the second actual distance represents the height when the battery reaches the first guide column of the second base, the battery swapping vehicle is controlled to lower the battery according to the first lowering speed, and the first lowering speed is the product of the second actual distance and the first preset coefficient; When the second actual distance represents the height of the second guide column of the second base, the battery swapping vehicle is controlled to lower the battery at a second lowering speed, where the second lowering speed is the product of the second actual distance and a second preset coefficient, and the height of the second guide column is less than the height of the first guide column; When the second actual distance represents the height of the battery reaching the connector of the second base, the battery exchange vehicle is controlled to lower the battery according to the third lowering speed. The third lowering speed is determined based on the relationship between the fourth lowering speed and the preset minimum speed. The fourth lowering speed is the product of the second actual distance and the third preset coefficient. The height of the connector is less than the height of the second guide column.

6. The method for controlling a battery swap station according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The first base is a vehicle-mounted base of an electric vehicle, and the battery swap station control method further includes: When the lock hook on the first base for locking the battery is in an unlocked state, if the output torque of the driving mechanism of the hoist in the battery-swapping vehicle is greater than or equal to the lifting torque of the battery and less than the preset torque, the driving mechanism is controlled to drive the hoist to lift the battery; If the output torque of the driving mechanism is greater than or equal to the preset torque, the driving mechanism is controlled to stop outputting the torque.

7. The method for controlling a battery swap station according to claim 6, characterized in that: Also includes: The output torque of the driving mechanism is controlled with the preset maximum driving current of the driving mechanism as a limit.

8. A control device for a battery swap station, characterized in that: include: A position setting module, which is used to set the relative position between the first target position and the battery swapping trolley when the battery swapping trolley in the battery swapping station needs to move horizontally along the battery swapping track to the first target position. The battery swapping trolley is used to lift the battery on the first base and move horizontally to the top of the second base and then lower it to the second base; A motor control module, used for controlling the first servo motor in the battery-swapping trolley to drive the battery-swapping trolley to move along the battery-swapping track based on the set relative position; A distance acquisition module, used for obtaining a moving distance based on an encoder of the first servo motor during the process of the battery-swapping vehicle moving to the first target position; A compensation determination module, configured to determine that the battery-swapping vehicle needs to be positionally compensated if the moving distance is inconsistent with a first actual distance obtained based on a first distance-measuring sensor, wherein the first actual distance is a distance that the battery-swapping vehicle actually moves; A position setting module is further used to reset the relative position based on the first actual distance and the moving distance to perform position compensation on the battery-swapping vehicle; The motor control module is also used to continue to control the first servo motor to drive the battery exchange vehicle to move along the battery exchange track based on the reset relative position.

9. A control system for a battery swap station, characterized in that: include: The battery swapping trolley in the battery swapping station is used to lift the battery on the first base and move it horizontally to the top of the second base and then lower it to the second base; A controller, used for setting the relative position between the first target position and the battery-swapping trolley when the battery-swapping trolley needs to move horizontally along the battery-swapping track to the first target position, and controlling the first servo motor in the battery-swapping trolley to drive the battery-swapping trolley to move along the battery-swapping track based on the set relative position; During the process of the battery swapping cart moving to the first target position, the moving distance is obtained based on the encoder of the first servo motor; if the moving distance is inconsistent with the first actual distance obtained based on the first ranging sensor, it is determined that the battery swapping cart needs to be position compensated, wherein the first actual distance is the distance actually moved by the battery swapping cart; based on the first actual distance and the moving distance, the relative position is reset to perform position compensation on the battery swapping cart; based on the reset relative position, the first servo motor is continued to be controlled to drive the battery swapping cart to move along the battery swapping track.

10. A battery swap station, characterized in that: It includes the battery swap station control system as claimed in claim 9.

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