Ground-Level Battery Replacement Device with Pivotable Pushing Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery replacement systems for vehicles are bulky, expensive, and difficult to integrate into existing infrastructure, especially outdoors, due to the need for buried equipment or vehicle elevation, and struggle with accurate positioning and handling of heavy batteries.
Innovation Solution
A device with a transporting system partially or fully above ground, using two push devices that are displaceable and pivotable to automatically transport batteries into and out of a storage space, with means for sensing and adjusting position to accommodate imprecise vehicle alignment and heavy battery handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If battery replacement equipment is buried in the floor or requires vehicle elevation, then battery replacement can be performed automatically, but the equipment becomes bulky, expensive, and difficult to integrate into existing infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of bringing the vehicle up to the battery replacement equipment (as in conventional systems requiring ramps or elevation), the invention inverts the approach by bringing the battery replacement equipment down to the vehicle's battery storage space at ground level. The transporting device moves along the vehicle's side at ground level and inserts batteries through a horizontally disposed door in the undercarriage, eliminating the need for bulky elevation infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the dimensional approach from vertical (requiring vehicle elevation or buried equipment) to horizontal (ground-level operation alongside the vehicle). The transporting device operates in the horizontal plane, moving parallel to the vehicle's longitudinal direction and transferring batteries through a horizontal door opening in the undercarriage.
2Productivity
If heavy batteries (at least 100 kg) are handled automatically, then replacement efficiency increases, but positioning accuracy becomes more difficult to achieve with imprecise vehicle alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The transporting device incorporates dynamic adjustment capabilities through pivotable pushing devices that can adapt their angular position in real-time. The second pushing device is pivotable in relation to the first pushing device in a plane spanned by the first and second directions, allowing the system to compensate for angular misalignment between the transporting device and the vehicle's battery storage space.
Solution Approach 2:
The device includes sensing means for detecting the position of the battery storage space in relation to the transporting device. This feedback mechanism allows the system to automatically adjust the positioning and angular orientation of the pushing devices to achieve precise battery transfer even when the vehicle is not perfectly aligned with the transporting device.
3Device complexity
If a single pushing device is used for battery transport, then the system is simpler, but it cannot simultaneously handle heavy batteries and accommodate angular misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pushing function is segmented into two separate pushing devices with distinct functions. The first pushing device is responsible for transporting the battery along the vehicle's side in the longitudinal direction, while the second pushing device is responsible for inserting the battery into the storage space through the horizontal door. This segmentation allows each device to be optimized for its specific function while working together to solve the angular misalignment problem.
Solution Approach 2:
The two pushing devices are combined in a coordinated manner where the first pushing device brings the second pushing device along with it in the first direction. This merging of functions allows the system to simultaneously achieve long-distance transport and precise angular insertion, combining the advantages of both simple transport and adaptive positioning.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3
AI summary
Device (110) for battery replacement in a vehicle (100) with a storage space (103,106) for a battery (160), which device comprises a battery transporting device (130) which is installed at least partly above ground and which is associated with a width direction (B) and a horizontal depth direction (D) which is perpendicular to the width direction, wherein the device is arranged to sense a position of the storage space. The invention is characterised in that the transporting device comprises a first pushing device (140) and a second pushing device (150), which first pushing device displaces the second pushing device and which second pushing device supports the battery, in that the first pushing device is displaceable in the depth direction, in that the second pushing device, in relation to the first pushing device, is both displaceable in the width direction and pivotable in relation to the supporting plane of the first pushing device. The invention also relates to a method for battery replacement using such a device.