Control method and control system for battery swapping station, and computer system and medium

Abstract

A control method for a battery swapping station, wherein a lighting device and a blocking device of the battery swapping station are in a turned-off state before a battery swapping process is started. The control method comprises the following steps: in response to the start of a battery swapping process, controlling a lighting device and a blocking device to be turned on; in response to detecting that the lighting device and the blocking device are in a turned-on state, guiding a vehicle to a battery swapping platform; and in response to the completion of a battery swapping operation, performing an object detection operation in a battery swapping station, and on the basis of the result of the object detection operation, selectively controlling the lighting device and the blocking device to return to a turned-off state.

Description

Control method, control system, computer system and medium for battery swap station Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of electric vehicles, and more particularly to a control method for a battery swap station, a control system for a battery swap station, a computer system for implementing the method, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Currently, electric vehicles have two main energy recharge modes: vehicle charging and battery swapping. In the vehicle charging mode, AC slow charging results in long charging times and is limited by parking spaces. While DC fast charging shortens charging times through high power, it has a significant impact on the power grid and reduces battery life. In the battery swap mode, battery swapping stations can achieve orderly charging by interacting with the power grid, improving the overall utilization efficiency of power equipment. This allows for rapid energy recharge of electric vehicles, reducing user wait time, and ensuring battery life. Consequently, more and more users are choosing battery swapping stations to recharge their electric vehicles.

[0003] With the increasing popularity of battery swap stations, ensuring their normal operation requires significant operating costs, such as labor costs and equipment energy consumption costs. Furthermore, to improve the operational efficiency and user convenience of battery swap stations, it is also desirable to increase the intelligence level of battery swap stations while ensuring their safe operation.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to solve or at least alleviate one or more of the above problems, the following technical solutions are provided.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present application, a control method for a battery swap station is provided, wherein the lighting device and the barrier device of the battery swap station are in a closed state before the battery swap process starts, and the control method includes the following steps: controlling the lighting device and the barrier device to turn on in response to the start of the battery swap process; guiding the vehicle to the battery swap platform in response to detecting that the lighting device and the barrier device are in the open state; and performing an object detection operation in the battery swap station in response to completing the battery swap operation, and selectively controlling the lighting device and the barrier device to return to the closed state based on the result of the object detection operation.

[0007] According to a control method for a battery swap station described in one embodiment of the present application, the battery swap process starts by: receiving a battery swap request from a vehicle; and allocating a battery swap service to the vehicle based on the battery swap request.

[0008] According to the control method for a battery swap station described in one embodiment or any one of the above embodiments of the present application, the on states of the lighting device and the barrier device are detected in the following manner: using sensing data from an image sensing device and / or a photoelectric sensing device to detect the on state of the barrier device; and using sensing data from an image sensing device and / or a photosensor to detect the on state of the lighting device.

[0009] According to the control method for a battery swap station described in one embodiment or any one of the above embodiments of the present application, guiding a vehicle to a battery swap platform includes: enabling a battery swap auxiliary operation to guide the vehicle to the battery swap platform, and the battery swap auxiliary operation includes one or more of parking path planning, parking path monitoring, automatic parking guidance operation, vehicle arrival detection, and vehicle posture monitoring within the station.

[0010] According to the control method for a battery swap station described in one embodiment or any one of the above embodiments of the present application, performing an object detection operation within the battery swap station includes utilizing sensing data from an image sensing device and / or a laser scanning device to detect one or more of the following: detecting whether there is an object on the battery swap platform; detecting whether there is an object at the closed position of the barrier device.

[0011] According to the control method for a battery swap station according to one embodiment of the present application or any one of the above embodiments, the control method further includes: generating a prompt message in response to not detecting that the lighting device and the blocking device are in an on state and sending the prompt message to an operator.

[0012] According to the control method for a battery swap station described in one embodiment or any one of the above embodiments of the present application, controlling the lighting device and the blocking device to turn on and return to the closed state includes: controlling the lighting device and the blocking device to turn on and return to the closed state via switches set in the lighting device and the blocking device.

[0013] According to the control method for a battery swap station described in one embodiment or any one of the above embodiments of the present application, controlling the lighting device and the barrier device to turn on in response to the start of the battery swap process includes a combination of one or more of the following: controlling the lighting device and the barrier device to turn on at the same time in response to the start of the battery swap process; controlling the barrier device to turn on after controlling the lighting device to turn on in response to the start of the battery swap process; and controlling the lighting device to turn on after controlling the barrier device to turn on in response to the start of the battery swap process.

[0014] According to the control method for a battery swap station described in one embodiment or any one of the above embodiments of the present application, selectively controlling the lighting device and the barrier device to return to the off state based on the result of the object detection operation includes: controlling the lighting device and the barrier device to return to the off state at the same time in response to the result of the object detection operation indicating that there is no object in the battery swap station; or controlling the lighting device to return to the off state after controlling the barrier device to return to the off state in response to the result of the object detection operation indicating that there is no object in the battery swap station.

[0015] According to a second aspect of the present application, a control system for a battery swap station is provided, wherein the lighting device and the barrier device of the battery swap station are in a closed state before the battery swap process starts, and the control system includes: a detection unit, which is configured to perform status detection operations on the lighting device and the barrier device and perform object detection operations within the battery swap station; a control unit, which is coupled to the detection unit and is configured to generate a first control signal for controlling the lighting device and the barrier device to turn on in response to the start of the battery swap process, and is configured to generate a second control signal for selectively controlling the lighting device and the barrier device to return to the closed state based on the result of the object detection operation from the detection unit; and a switch unit, which is coupled to the control unit and is configured to control the lighting device and the barrier device to turn on or control the lighting device and the barrier device to return to the closed state in response to receiving the first control signal and the second control signal from the control unit.

[0016] According to a control system for a battery swap station described in one embodiment of the present application, the control unit is further configured to: generate a first control signal for controlling the lighting device and the blocking device to turn on in response to receiving a battery swap request from a vehicle and allocating a battery swap service to the vehicle based on the battery swap request.

[0017] According to the control system for a battery swap station according to one embodiment or any one of the above embodiments of the present application, the detection unit is further configured to: use sensing data from an image sensing device and / or a photoelectric sensing device to detect the open state of the barrier device; and use sensing data from an image sensing device and / or a photosensor to detect the open state of the lighting device.

[0018] According to the control system for a battery swap station according to one embodiment or any one of the above embodiments of the present application, the control unit is further configured to: enable a battery swap assistance operation to guide the vehicle to the battery swap platform in response to the result of the status detection operation from the detection unit indicating that the lighting device and the blocking device are in the on state, and the battery swap assistance operation includes one or more of parking path planning, parking path monitoring, automatic parking guidance operation, vehicle arrival detection and vehicle posture monitoring in the station.

[0019] According to the control system for a battery swap station described in one embodiment or any one of the above embodiments of the present application, the detection unit is further configured to utilize sensing data from an image sensing device and / or a laser scanning device to perform object detection operations within the battery swap station in the following manner: detecting whether there is an object on the battery swap platform; detecting whether there is an object at the closed position of the barrier device.

[0020] According to the control system for a battery swap station according to one embodiment or any one of the above embodiments of the present application, the switch unit includes multiple switches, at least one of the multiple switches is arranged on the blocking device and at least another one of the multiple switches is arranged on the lighting device.

[0021] According to the control system for a battery swap station according to one embodiment of the present application or any one of the above embodiments, the control unit is further configured to: generate a prompt message in response to the result of the status detection operation from the detection unit indicating that the lighting device and the barrier device are not detected in the on state and send the prompt message to the operator.

[0022] According to the control system for a battery swap station according to one embodiment or any one of the above embodiments of the present application, the control unit is further configured to perform a combination of one or more of the following operations: generating a first control signal for controlling the lighting device and the blocking device to be turned on simultaneously in response to the start of the battery swap process; generating a first control signal for controlling the blocking device to be turned on after controlling the lighting device to be turned on in response to the start of the battery swap process; and generating a first control signal for controlling the lighting device to be turned on after controlling the blocking device to be turned on in response to the start of the battery swap process.

[0023] According to the control system for a battery swap station according to one embodiment or any one of the above embodiments of the present application, the control unit is further configured to: generate a second control signal for controlling the lighting device and the barrier device to return to the off state at the same time in response to the result of the object detection operation from the detection unit indicating that there is no object in the battery swap station; or generate a second control signal for controlling the lighting device to return to the off state after controlling the barrier device to return to the off state in response to the result of the object detection operation from the detection unit indicating that there is no object in the battery swap station.

[0024] According to a third aspect of the present application, a computer system is provided, comprising: a memory; a processor coupled to the memory; and a computer program stored on the memory and running on the processor, wherein the running of the computer program results in the execution of the steps of the control method for a battery swap station according to the first aspect of the present application.

[0025] According to a fourth aspect of the present application, a computer storage medium is provided, wherein the computer storage medium includes instructions, and the instructions, when run, execute the steps of the control method for a battery swap station according to the first aspect of the present application.

[0026] The control scheme for a battery swap station according to one or more embodiments of the present application can automatically control the state switching of the lighting device and the barrier device of the battery swap station during the battery swap process, reduce the operating costs of the battery swap station (for example, labor costs, energy consumption costs, etc.), and at the same time improve the intelligence level of the battery swap station while ensuring the safe operation of the battery swap station, thereby improving the battery swap efficiency and user experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The above and / or other aspects and advantages of the present application will become clearer and easier to understand through the following description of various aspects in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the same or similar elements are represented by the same reference numerals. In the drawings:

[0028] FIG1 shows a flow chart of a control method for a battery swap station according to one or more embodiments of the present application.

[0029] 2A and 2B show flowcharts of a control method for a battery swap station according to one or more embodiments of the present application.

[0030] FIG3 shows a block diagram of a control system for a battery swap station according to one or more embodiments of the present application.

[0031] FIG4 shows a block diagram of a computer system according to one or more embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The present application is described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present application. However, the present application may be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. The foregoing embodiments are provided to make the disclosure herein comprehensive and complete, so as to more fully convey the scope of protection of the present application to those skilled in the art.

[0033] In the context of this application, terms such as "comprise" and "include" indicate that in addition to the units and steps directly and clearly stated in the specification and claims, the technical solution of this application does not exclude the situation where it has other units and steps that are not directly or clearly stated.

[0034] In the context of this application, unless otherwise specified, terms such as "first" and "second" do not indicate the order of units in terms of time, space, size, etc., but are only used to distinguish between units.

[0035] In the context of this application, “coupling” should be understood to include a situation where electric energy or electric signals are directly transmitted between two units, or a situation where electric energy or electric signals are indirectly transmitted via one or more intermediate units.

[0036] In the context of this application, the term "vehicle" or other similar terms is intended to refer to any suitable vehicle having a drive system consisting of at least a battery, a power conversion device, and a drive motor, such as a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, etc. A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that has two or more power sources, such as a gasoline-powered and an electric vehicle.

[0037] In the context of this application, the term "battery swap station" refers to a location that provides battery swap services for vehicles, providing electrical energy to the vehicles through battery swap operations. In one or more embodiments, the battery swap station may include lighting devices and barriers, which can be configured to be turned off before the battery swap process begins to reduce equipment energy consumption costs and ensure safety at the battery swap station.

[0038] Alternatively, the lighting device may be implemented as a lighting device used to meet the lighting requirements of the normal operation of the battery swap station, the operating requirements of sensor equipment, and decorative lighting, such as a light bar installed on the top of the battery swap station. Alternatively, the blocking device may be implemented as a device used to separate the battery swap station or the parking area within the battery swap station (e.g., a parking platform) from the outside area, such as a movable door, such as a rolling shutter door.

[0039] Hereinafter, various exemplary embodiments according to the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040] FIG1 shows a flow chart of a control method for a battery swap station according to one or more embodiments of the present application.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 1 , in step S101 , the lighting device and the blocking device are controlled to turn on in response to the start of the battery replacement process.

[0042] Optionally, the start of the battery swap process may include receiving a battery swap request from the vehicle and allocating a battery swap service to the vehicle based on the battery swap request. For example, a user may click the "Start Battery Swap" button on the vehicle screen to generate a battery swap request, and the battery swap station may automatically call the number to allocate a battery swap service to the vehicle. Exemplarily, the battery swap station may establish a communication link with the vehicle through WiFi, Bluetooth, LAN, 3G / 4G / 5G, UWB, etc. to receive a battery swap request from the vehicle and send a message to the vehicle indicating the allocated battery swap service.

[0043] In one embodiment, the lighting device and the barrier device can be turned on simultaneously at the beginning of the battery swap process to improve the efficiency of battery swapping. In one embodiment, the barrier device can be turned on after the lighting device is turned on at the beginning of the battery swap process to improve the accuracy of the subsequent detection algorithm. In one embodiment, the lighting device can be turned on after the barrier device is turned on at the beginning of the battery swap process to reduce equipment energy consumption.

[0044] In step S103, the vehicle is guided to the battery swap platform in response to detecting that the lighting device and the blocking device are in the on state.

[0045] Optionally, in step S103, sensing data from an image sensing device and / or a photoelectric sensing device can be used to detect the open state of the barrier device, and sensing data from an image sensing device and / or a light sensor can be used to detect the open state of the lighting device. Exemplarily, the image sensing device can be implemented as any suitable sensor, such as a camera, a lidar, a millimeter-wave radar, an ultrasonic radar, etc. Optionally, the photoelectric sensing device can include a through-beam photoelectric sensor and a reflective photoelectric sensor. In one embodiment, the transmitting end and the receiving end of the through-beam photoelectric sensor can be respectively arranged in the internal area and the external area of ​​the battery swap station that are blocked by the barrier device, so as to form an optical path for detecting the state of the barrier device. For example, when the light emitted by the transmitting end can be received at the receiving end, it can be determined that the barrier device is in the open state; otherwise, it can be determined that the barrier device is in the closed state. In one embodiment, the transmitting end and the receiving end of the reflective photoelectric sensor can be arranged on the same side of the barrier device to form an optical path for detecting the state of the barrier device. For example, when the receiving end receives light emitted by the transmitting end and reflected by the barrier device, the barrier device can be determined to be in the closed state; otherwise, the barrier device can be determined to be in the open state. For example, the photoelectric sensing device can also be implemented as a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor, which measures the "time of flight" of ultrasonic, microwave, or light signals between an emitter and a reflector to calculate the distance between them, thereby detecting the state of the barrier device. In one embodiment, a ToF sensor can be arranged on the side of the barrier device. The sensor data from the ToF sensor can be used to determine the "time of flight" between the ToF sensor's emitter and reflector, thereby determining the distance between the two. The barrier device can then be detected as being in the open state based on a comparison of this distance with a threshold distance. For example, when the distance is greater than or equal to the threshold distance, the barrier device can be determined to be in the open state; when the distance is less than the threshold distance, the barrier device can be determined to be in the closed state. For example, when the barrier device is implemented as a rolling shutter, a ToF sensor can be positioned on each side of the shutter, perpendicular to its rolling direction, as a transmitter and a reflector, to detect the distance between the two sides.

[0046] In one embodiment, the sensing data from the image sensing device can be input into a trained neural network model to detect whether the barrier device is in an open state. For example, image data showing the barrier device in an open state and the barrier device in a closed state can be used as training data to train the neural network model.

[0047] In one embodiment, whether the lighting device is in an on state can be detected based on the image type indicated by the sensing data of the image sensing device (for example, whether it indicates a color image or a grayscale image). For example, when the image type indicated by the sensing data of the image sensing device is a color image, it can be determined that the lighting device is in an on state; when the image type indicated by the sensing data of the image sensing device is a grayscale image, it can be determined that the lighting device is in an off state. In one embodiment, the intensity of ambient light can be determined based on the sensing data of the light sensor, and the determined intensity of ambient light can be compared with a threshold intensity to detect the on state of the lighting device. For example, when the intensity of ambient light determined based on the sensing data of the light sensor is greater than or equal to the threshold intensity, it can be determined that the lighting device is in an on state; when the intensity of ambient light determined based on the sensing data of the light sensor is less than the threshold intensity, it can be determined that the lighting device is in an off state.

[0048] Optionally, when the lighting device and the barrier device are not detected to be in the on state, a prompt message may be generated and sent to the operator of the battery swap station. For example, when the lighting device, the barrier device, or the lighting device and the barrier device are not detected to be in the on state for more than a predetermined time period (e.g., 1 minute) or a predetermined number of times (e.g., 3 times), a prompt message may be generated and sent to the operator of the battery swap station.

[0049] Optionally, in step S103, a battery swap assist operation may be enabled to guide the vehicle to the battery swap platform. The battery swap assist operation may include parking path planning, parking path monitoring, automatic parking guidance operation, vehicle arrival detection, and in-station vehicle posture monitoring. In one embodiment, while the vehicle is turning on automatic parking to drive into the battery swap platform, a battery swap assist operation may be enabled to accurately guide the vehicle to the battery swap platform. In one embodiment, after the vehicle is guided to the battery swap platform using the battery swap assist operation and the vehicle is detected to be in place, the battery swap operation may be automatically enabled. In one embodiment, when it is determined that the vehicle agrees to transfer control to the battery swap station, multiple ultra-wideband devices may be used to determine the vehicle's location information, and various types of sensor devices arranged at the battery swap station, such as sensor devices for positioning and tracking, may also be enabled to accurately guide the vehicle to the battery swap platform.

[0050] In step S105 , an object detection operation is performed within the battery swap station in response to the completion of the battery swap operation, and the lighting device and the barrier device are selectively controlled to return to an off state based on a result of the object detection operation.

[0051] Optionally, in step S105, performing object detection within the battery swap station may include utilizing sensing data from an image sensing device and / or a laser scanning device to detect the presence of objects on the battery swap platform and the presence of objects at or near the closed position of the barrier. For example, such objects may include, but are not limited to, persons, animals, vehicles, lost items of users, and other objects not included in the battery swap station itself.

[0052] In one embodiment, when the result of the object detection operation indicates that there is no object within the battery swap station, the lighting device and the barrier device can be controlled to return to the off state simultaneously, thereby reducing equipment energy consumption costs. In one embodiment, when the result of the object detection operation indicates that there is no object within the battery swap station, the lighting device can be controlled to return to the off state after the barrier device is controlled to return to the off state. This allows the object detection operation to continue within the battery swap station while the barrier device is controlled to return to the off state, thereby improving the safety of the battery swap station.

[0053] In one embodiment, a camera arranged in a battery swap station (for example, arranged on a battery swap platform) can be used to capture images and the captured images can be processed using a neural network model to detect whether there is an object on the battery swap platform and whether there is an object at the closed position of the barrier device based on the processing results of the neural network model. For example, the neural network model can be defined as Define the set of one or more images captured by the camera (for example, multiple images corresponding to multiple areas in the battery swap station) as I. If the processing result of the convolutional neural network is defined as η, and the threshold used by the neural network is Δ. Then the above neural network model is based on The processing result can be defined as:

[0054] in, Indicates that there is an object on the battery swap platform or an object in the closed position of the barrier device. Indicates that there is no object on the battery swap platform and no object in the closed position of the barrier device.

[0055] In one embodiment, the sensing data of a laser scanning device arranged in the battery swap station (for example, arranged on the wall of the battery swap station) can be used to determine the three-dimensional coordinates of the space within the station, and the three-dimensional coordinates of the space within the station can be compared with the three-dimensional coordinates of the space within the station where no object exists to detect whether there is an object in the battery swap station. In one embodiment, the switches provided in the lighting device and the barrier device can be used to control the lighting device and the barrier device to turn on and return to the off state. In one embodiment, the switches provided in the lighting device and the barrier device can be implemented as relay switches, which are automatic switches that can control a larger current using a smaller current.

[0056] The control method for a battery swap station proposed in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present application can automatically control the on / off state switching of the lighting device of the battery swap station during the battery swap process, significantly reducing energy consumption costs. As an example, the following Table 1 shows the energy consumption comparison before and after the application of the on / off state switching at the battery swap station based on statistical data:

[0057] Table 1

[0058] The control method for a battery swap station proposed in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present application can automatically control the state switching of the lighting device and the barrier device of the battery swap station during the battery swap process, thereby reducing the operating costs of the battery swap station (for example, labor costs, energy consumption costs, etc.), while improving the intelligence level of the battery swap station while ensuring the safe operation of the battery swap station, thereby improving the battery swap efficiency and user experience.

[0059] Figures 2A and 2B show flowcharts of a control method for a battery swap station according to one or more embodiments of the present application, wherein Figure 2A shows a flowchart of a control method for a battery swap station at the start stage of battery swapping according to one or more embodiments of the present application, and Figure 2B shows a flowchart of a control method for a battery swap station at the end stage of battery swapping according to one or more embodiments of the present application.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 2A , in step S201 , the lighting device is controlled to turn on in response to the start of the battery replacement process.

[0061] In step S203, the blocking device is controlled to open.

[0062] It should be noted that the execution order of steps S201 and S203 can be changed. As an example, the lighting device and the barrier device can be turned on simultaneously at the beginning of the battery swap process to improve battery swap efficiency; the barrier device can be turned on after the lighting device is turned on at the beginning of the battery swap process to improve the accuracy of the subsequent detection algorithm; and the lighting device can be turned on after the barrier device is turned on at the beginning of the battery swap process to reduce equipment energy consumption.

[0063] In step S205, the barrier device is detected to determine if it is open. Alternatively, sensing data from an image sensing device and / or a photoelectric sensing device may be used to detect whether the barrier device is open. If the barrier device is detected to be open, the process proceeds to step S207; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S209. Alternatively, the process proceeds to step S209 if the barrier device is not detected to be open for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 1 minute) or a predetermined number of times (e.g., 3 times).

[0064] In step S207, the vehicle is guided to the battery swap platform. Optionally, a battery swap assistance operation can be enabled to guide the vehicle to the battery swap platform. The battery swap assistance operation can include parking path planning, parking path monitoring, automatic parking guidance operation, vehicle arrival detection, and vehicle posture monitoring in the station.

[0065] In step S209 , prompt information is generated and sent to the operator.

[0066] As shown in FIG2B , in step S201 ′, an object detection operation is performed within the battery swap station in response to completion of the battery swap operation. Optionally, the object detection operation can be performed within the battery swap station using sensing data from an image sensor and / or a laser scanning device.

[0067] In step S203', the presence of an object within the battery swap station is determined based on the results of the object detection operation. Alternatively, the presence of an object on the battery swap platform and in the closed position of the barrier device can be determined based on the results of the object detection operation. If the object detection operation determines that no object is within the battery swap station, the process proceeds to step S205'; otherwise, the process returns to step S201'.

[0068] In step S205 ′, the lighting device and the blocking device are controlled to return to the off state.

[0069] In one embodiment, the lighting device and the barrier device can be controlled to return to the off state simultaneously to reduce equipment energy consumption costs. In one embodiment, the lighting device can be controlled to return to the off state after the barrier device is controlled to return to the off state, so that object detection operations can continue to be performed within the battery swap station while the barrier device is controlled to return to the off state, thereby improving the safety of the battery swap station.

[0070] Optionally, the control method for a battery swap station according to one or more embodiments of the present application may further include detecting whether the lighting device and the barrier device have returned to the off state after step S205'. Optionally, sensing data from an image sensor and / or a photoelectric sensor may be used to detect whether the barrier device has returned to the off state, and sensing data from an image sensor and / or a photosensor may be used to detect whether the lighting device has returned to the off state. In one embodiment, the sensing data of the image sensing device may be input into a trained neural network model to detect whether the barrier device has returned to the off state. In one embodiment, whether the lighting device has returned to the off state may be detected based on the image type indicated by the sensing data of the image sensing device (for example, whether it indicates a color image or a grayscale image). In one embodiment, the intensity of the ambient light may be determined based on the sensing data of the photosensor, and the determined intensity of the ambient light may be compared with a threshold intensity to detect whether the lighting device has returned to the off state.

[0071] FIG3 shows a block diagram of a control system for a battery swap station according to one or more embodiments of the present application.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 3 , a control system 300 for a battery swap station includes a detection unit 310 , a control unit 320 , and a switch unit 330 .

[0073] The detection unit 310 is configured to perform status detection operations on the lighting devices and barrier devices of the battery swap station and perform object detection operations within the battery swap station. It should be noted that the detection unit 310 can use various sensing data to perform status detection operations and object detection operations with reference to the description above.

[0074] The control unit 320 is coupled to the detection unit 310 and is configured to generate a first control signal for controlling the lighting device and the barrier device to turn on in response to the start of the battery replacement process, and is configured to generate a second control signal for selectively controlling the lighting device and the barrier device to return to the off state based on the result of the object detection operation from the detection unit 310.

[0075] Optionally, the control unit 320 can be configured to generate a first control signal for controlling the lighting device and the barrier device to be turned on in response to receiving a battery replacement request from the vehicle and allocating a battery replacement service to the vehicle based on the battery replacement request, and send the generated first control signal to the switch unit 330. In one embodiment, the control unit 320 can be configured to generate a first control signal for controlling the lighting device and the barrier device to be turned on at the same time in response to the start of the battery replacement process, so as to improve the battery replacement efficiency. In one embodiment, the control unit 320 can be configured to generate a first control signal for controlling the barrier device to be turned on after controlling the lighting device to be turned on in response to the start of the battery replacement process, so as to improve the accuracy of the subsequent detection algorithm. In one embodiment, the control unit 320 can be configured to generate a first control signal for controlling the lighting device to be turned on after controlling the barrier device to be turned on in response to the start of the battery replacement process, so as to reduce the energy consumption of the equipment.

[0076] Optionally, the control unit 320 can be configured to enable a battery swap assistance operation to guide the vehicle to the battery swap platform in response to the result of the status detection operation from the detection unit 310 indicating that the lighting device and the barrier device are in the on state, and the battery swap assistance operation includes one or more of parking path planning, parking path monitoring, automatic parking guidance operation, vehicle arrival detection and vehicle posture monitoring within the station.

[0077] Optionally, the control unit 320 may be configured to generate a prompt message in response to the result of the status detection operation from the detection unit 310 indicating that the lighting device and the barrier device are not detected to be in the on state, and send the generated prompt message to the operator.

[0078] Alternatively, the control unit 320 may be configured to generate a second control signal for controlling the lighting device and the barrier device to simultaneously return to the off state in response to the result of the object detection operation from the detection unit 310 indicating that the object is not present within the battery swap station. Alternatively, the control unit 320 may be configured to generate a second control signal for controlling the lighting device to return to the off state after controlling the barrier device to return to the off state in response to the result of the object detection operation from the detection unit 310 indicating that the object is not present within the battery swap station.

[0079] The switch unit 330 is coupled to the control unit 320 and configured to control the lighting device and the barrier device to turn on or return to an off state in response to receiving the first control signal and the second control signal from the control unit 320 .

[0080] Optionally, the switch unit 330 may include multiple switches, at least one of which may be provided on the barrier device, and at least another of which may be provided on the lighting device. In one embodiment, relay switches may be provided in the lighting device and the barrier device to control the on and off of the lighting device and the barrier device, respectively. In one embodiment, a relay switch array may be provided in combination to simultaneously control the on and off of the lighting device and the barrier device.

[0081] According to one or more embodiments of the present application, the control system for a battery swap station proposed can automatically control the state switching of the lighting device and the barrier device of the battery swap station during the battery swap process by designing a control unit and its corresponding control logic, thereby reducing the operating costs of the battery swap station (for example, labor costs, energy consumption costs, etc.), while improving the intelligence level of the battery swap station while ensuring the safe operation of the battery swap station, thereby improving the battery swap efficiency and user experience. According to one or more embodiments of the present application, the control system for a battery swap station proposed is simple in structure, easy to implement, and saves hardware costs.

[0082] FIG4 shows a block diagram of a computer system according to one or more embodiments of the present application.

[0083] As shown in Figure 4, the computer system 40 includes a memory 410 (for example, a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, ROM, a hard disk drive, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk), a processor 420, and a computer program 430 stored on the memory 410 and executable on the processor 420. The execution of the computer program 430 implements a control method for a battery swap station according to one or more embodiments of the present application.

[0084] In addition, the present application may also be implemented as a computer storage medium, in which a program for causing a computer to execute the control method for a battery swap station according to one aspect of the present application is stored.

[0085] Here, as computer storage media, various types of computer storage media can be used, such as disks (for example, magnetic disks, optical disks, etc.), cards (for example, memory cards, optical cards, etc.), semiconductor memories (for example, ROMs, non-volatile memories, etc.), and tapes (for example, magnetic tapes, cassette tapes, etc.).

[0086] In the applicable situation, the combination of hardware, software or hardware and software can be used to realize the various embodiments provided by the application. Moreover, in the applicable situation, without departing from the scope of the application, the various hardware components and / or software components set forth herein can be combined into a composite component comprising software, hardware and / or both. In the applicable situation, without departing from the scope of the application, the various hardware components and / or software components set forth herein can be divided into a subcomponent comprising software, hardware or both. In addition, in the applicable situation, it is contemplated that the software component can be implemented as a hardware component, and vice versa.

[0087] Software according to the present application (such as program code and / or data) can be stored on one or more computer storage media. It is also contemplated that the software identified herein can be implemented using one or more general or special computers and / or computer systems, networked and / or otherwise. Where applicable, the order of the various steps described herein can be changed, combined into composite steps and / or divided into sub-steps to provide the features described herein.

[0088] The embodiments and examples set forth herein are provided to best illustrate embodiments according to the present application and its specific applications, and thereby enable those skilled in the art to make and use the present application. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above description and examples are provided for ease of illustration and example only. The descriptions set forth are not intended to be exhaustive of all aspects of the present application or to limit the present application to the precise forms disclosed.

Claims

1. A control method for a battery swap station, characterized in that: The lighting device and the barrier device of the battery swap station are in a closed state before the battery swap process begins, and the control method includes the following steps: In response to the start of the battery replacement process, the lighting device and the blocking device are controlled to turn on; In response to detecting that the lighting device and the blocking device are in an on state, guiding the vehicle to a battery exchange platform; as well as An object detection operation is performed within the battery swap station in response to completing the battery swap operation, and the lighting device and the blocking device are selectively controlled to return to the off state based on a result of the object detection operation.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the battery replacement process starts comprising: Receiving a battery replacement request from a vehicle; Allocating a battery replacement service to the vehicle based on the battery replacement request, The opening states of the lighting device and the blocking device are detected by: Detecting the opening state of the barrier device using sensing data from an image sensing device and / or a photoelectric sensing device; as well as Using sensing data from an image sensing device and / or a light-sensitive sensor to detect the on state of the lighting device, Guiding vehicles to the battery swap platform includes: Enabling a battery swap assistance operation to guide the vehicle to the battery swap platform, the battery swap assistance operation including one or more of parking path planning, parking path monitoring, automatic parking guidance operation, vehicle arrival detection, and in-station vehicle posture monitoring, The object detection operation performed in the battery swap station includes using sensing data from an image sensing device and / or a laser scanning device to detect one or more of the following: Detecting whether there is an object on the battery swap platform; The presence of an object in the closed position of the barrier device is detected.

3. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the control method further comprises: In response to not detecting that the lighting device and the blocking device are in the on state, a prompt message is generated and sent to an operator.

4. The control method according to claim 1, wherein controlling the lighting device and the blocking device to turn on and return to the closed state comprises: The lighting device and the blocking device are controlled to turn on and return to the closed state via switches provided in the lighting device and the blocking device. Wherein, in response to the start of the power replacement process, controlling the lighting device and the blocking device to turn on includes a combination of one or more of the following: In response to the start of the battery replacement process, the lighting device and the blocking device are controlled to be turned on simultaneously; In response to the battery replacement process starting, after controlling the lighting device to turn on, controlling the blocking device to turn on; as well as In response to the battery replacement process starting, the lighting device is controlled to be turned on after the blocking device is controlled to be turned on. Wherein selectively controlling the lighting device and the blocking device to return to the off state based on the result of the object detection operation comprises: controlling the lighting device and the blocking device to simultaneously return to the off state in response to a result of the object detection operation indicating that no object is present in the battery swap station; or The lighting device is controlled to return to the off state after the blocking device is controlled to return to the off state in response to a result of the object detection operation indicating that an object is not present within the battery swap station.

5. A control system for a battery swap station, characterized in that: The lighting device and the barrier device of the battery swap station are in a closed state before the battery swap process begins, and the control system includes: A detection unit configured to detect the execution status of the lighting device and the blocking device detecting operations and performing object detection operations in said battery swap station; a control unit coupled to the detection unit and configured to generate a first control signal for controlling the lighting device and the blocking device to turn on in response to the start of the power replacement process, and to generate a second control signal for selectively controlling the lighting device and the blocking device to return to the off state based on a result of the object detection operation from the detection unit; and A switch unit is coupled to the control unit and configured to control the lighting device and the blocking device to turn on or return the lighting device and the blocking device to the off state in response to receiving the first control signal and the second control signal from the control unit.

6. The control system according to claim 5, wherein the control unit is further configured to: generating a first control signal for controlling the lighting device and the blocking device to be turned on in response to receiving a battery replacement request from a vehicle and allocating a battery replacement service to the vehicle based on the battery replacement request, Wherein the detection unit is further configured to: Detecting the opening state of the barrier device using sensing data from an image sensing device and / or a photoelectric sensing device; and Using sensing data from an image sensing device and / or a light-sensitive sensor to detect the on state of the lighting device, Wherein the control unit is further configured to: In response to the result of the state detection operation from the detection unit indicating that the lighting device and the blocking device are in the on state, a battery swapping auxiliary operation is enabled to guide the vehicle to the battery swapping platform, wherein the battery swapping auxiliary operation includes one or more of parking path planning, parking path monitoring, automatic parking guidance operation, vehicle arrival detection, and in-station vehicle posture monitoring, The detection unit is further configured to use the sensing data from the image sensing device and / or the laser scanning device to perform object detection in the battery swap station in the following manner: Test operation: Detecting whether there is an object on the battery swap platform; The presence of an object in the closed position of the barrier device is detected.

7. The control system according to claim 5, wherein the switch unit comprises a plurality of switches, at least one of the plurality of switches is provided at the blocking device and at least another one of the plurality of switches is provided at the lighting device.

8. The control system according to claim 5, wherein the control unit is further configured to: generating a prompt message in response to the result of the state detection operation from the detection unit indicating that the lighting device and the blocking device are not detected to be in the turned-on state and sending the prompt message to an operator, The control unit is further configured to perform one or more of the following operations: In response to the start of the battery replacement process, a first control signal is generated for controlling the lighting device and the blocking device to be turned on simultaneously; generating a first control signal for controlling the blocking device to turn on after controlling the lighting device to turn on in response to the start of the battery replacement process; as well as generating a first control signal for controlling the lighting device to be turned on after controlling the blocking device to be turned on in response to the battery replacement process starting, Wherein the control unit is further configured to: generating a second control signal for controlling the lighting device and the blocking device to simultaneously return to the off state in response to a result of the object detection operation from the detection unit indicating that an object is not present in the battery swap station; or A second control signal for controlling the lighting device to return to the off state after controlling the blocking device to return to the off state is generated in response to a result of the object detection operation from the detection unit indicating that an object is not present within the battery swap station.

9. A computer system, characterized in that: The computer system comprises: Memory; a processor coupled to the memory; and A computer program stored on the memory and running on the processor, wherein the running of the computer program leads to the execution of the control method for a battery swap station according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer storage medium comprises instructions, which, when executed, execute the control method for a battery swap station according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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