CN215360955U - Automatic butt joint charging device, charging assembly and battery replacement station - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model discloses an automatic butt-joint charging device, a charging assembly and a battery replacement station, wherein the automatic butt-joint charging device comprises: the follow-up mechanism is used for contacting the battery pack and generating first displacement movement in a first direction along with the battery pack; the electric connector is used for butting with the battery pack so as to charge and discharge the battery pack; the folding mechanism is respectively connected with the servo mechanism and the electric connector; the following mechanism drives the folding mechanism to fold, so as to drive the electric connector to move in a second direction to generate a second displacement. The movable electrical connector of the present invention does not need to have the same direction as the battery pack is transported, and the orientation of the electrical connector may be any orientation. The folding mechanism is linked through the change of the bearing of the follow-up mechanism, so that the electric connector can respond to the change in time and is in butt joint with the battery pack. The power for moving the electric connector comes from the gravity of the battery pack, external driving is not needed, and the charging device is simplified.

Description

Automatic butt joint charging device, charging assembly and battery replacement station

The application claim is 2020, 03/04/2020, entitled "automatic docking charging device, charging assembly and battery replacement station", priority of chinese utility model patent application CN 202020485005.9. The present application refers to the above-mentioned chinese patent application in its entirety.

Technical Field

The utility model relates to an automatic butt-joint charging device, a charging assembly and a battery replacement station.

Background

With social development and technological progress, electric vehicles are more and more popular with consumers, and as a power source of the electric vehicles, a battery box needs to be charged in time. Due to the requirements of endurance mileage and power, the electric quantity of a battery box required by an automobile is higher and higher, the requirement of using the automobile in partial scenes cannot be met by a traditional charging mode, the battery box needs to be replaced and placed on a charging frame for charging, and the automobile can be normally used in the charging time.

The charging rack is provided with an electric connection plug which is matched with an electric connection socket on a battery pack, when the battery pack on the electric automobile is unloaded and put on the charging rack for charging, the electric connection plug on the charging rack and the electric connection socket on the battery pack need to be butted, in the prior art, an external driving mechanism is generally used for driving the electric connection plug to approach the electric connection socket on the battery pack so as to realize butting, so that equipment in the charging rack is complex in connection and high in cost, and extra power needs to be provided for driving the electric connection plug to move.

In addition, the electric connection plug on the existing electric automobile is generally arranged on the side face, used for placing the space of the battery box, in the automobile so as to meet the stability of electric connection of the automobile in the driving process, and if the electric connection plug in the charging frame is also arranged on the side face, the electric connection can be realized only after the battery box is integrally rotated, and for the battery box with a large volume size, the problems of large occupied space, complex operation and the like can be caused in the rotating process of the battery box.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The utility model aims to overcome the defects that a charging device in the prior art is poor in adaptability and cannot be used for butting battery packs with different charging port directions, so that the position of each battery pack is adjusted complicatedly, and provides an automatic butting charging device, a charging assembly and a battery replacement station.

The utility model solves the technical problems through the following technical scheme:

an automatic docking charging device, comprising:

the follow-up mechanism is used for contacting the battery pack and generating movement of first displacement in a first direction along with the movement of the battery pack;

the electric connector is used for being butted with a battery pack so as to charge and discharge the battery pack;

the folding mechanism is respectively connected with the follow-up mechanism and the electric connector; the following mechanism drives the folding mechanism to fold, so as to drive the electric connector to move in a second direction to generate a second displacement, and the electric connector is electrically connected with or separated from the battery pack.

In the scheme, the electric connector connected to the folding mechanism moves together through the folding of the folding mechanism. Due to the different positions of the connection to the folding mechanism, the displacement of the different connection points upon folding is different. Wherein the connection point of the follower on the folding mechanism moves a first displacement and the connection point of the electrical connector on the folding mechanism moves a second displacement.

From this, this scheme is through setting up folding mechanism between servo mechanism and electric connector, and then drives the electric connector and remove in order to form the electricity and connect towards the direction of battery package, utilizes the motion that produces when servo mechanism contacts the battery package to realize the electricity automatically promptly and connects, does not need extra power drive electric connector to remove, and this linkage mode is applicable in the electric connection of the multiple orientation of battery package.

Preferably, the first direction and the second direction are parallel. Therefore, the electric connector and the follow-up mechanism move in the same parallel direction, the mutual approaching and separating motion relationship between the electric connector and the follow-up mechanism is simple, and the stable operation of the mechanism is facilitated.

Preferably, the following mechanism includes a floating disk, the floating disk bears the battery pack in a gravity direction of the battery pack, the first direction is parallel to the gravity direction of the battery pack, wherein when the battery pack is borne on the floating disk, the floating disk moves downwards in the first direction by a first displacement under the gravity of the battery pack.

The scheme utilizes the self gravity of the battery pack to realize the movement of the floating disc so as to finally drive the electric connector to move without driving the electric connector to move by additional power.

Preferably, the electrical connector is disposed above the floating tray, wherein when the battery pack is carried on the floating tray, the electrical connector is linked to the floating tray by the folding mechanism and moves downward in the second direction with a second displacement.

This scheme utilizes the gravity of battery package to make the dish that floats remove, through set up link gear between dish and the electric connector that floats, and then drives the electric connector and remove in order to form the electricity and connect towards the direction of battery package, utilizes the self gravity of battery package to realize the electricity as power promptly and connects, does not need extra power drive electric connector to remove.

Preferably, the folding mechanism folds to change a first extension length in the second direction and a second extension length perpendicular to the second direction, so as to drive the electric connector to move in a second direction for generating a second displacement, and the first extension length decreases with the increase of the second extension length. The entire length of the folding mechanism is divided into a first extension length in the second direction and a second extension length in a direction perpendicular to the second direction. The first and second lengths are determined by the degree of folding of the folding mechanism. Wherein the first extension length of the folding mechanism in the second direction contracts and expands as the folding mechanism itself contracts and expands in the second direction.

Preferably, the second displacement varies following the variation of the first extension length, and the first displacement is smaller than the second displacement. The first displacement is generated by the distance moved by the follower, the second displacement is related to the change of the first extension length, and the second displacement can be larger than the first displacement by arranging a proper connection point.

In this embodiment, the first displacement is smaller than the second displacement, so that the distance between the electrical connector and the follower mechanism changes with different states. When the battery pack is moved in, the electric connector and the battery pack are spaced at a certain interval to avoid interference; after the battery pack is moved in, the electric connector is contacted with the battery pack and is charged. Therefore, the second displacement is larger than the first displacement, so that the electric connector is gradually close to the battery pack in the moving-in process of the battery pack, and the interference generated in the movement process is avoided.

Preferably, the folding mechanism includes a folding arm and a guiding component, the folding arm is hinged in a cross manner, and the upper and lower sides of the folding arm are respectively connected to the guiding component and the electrical connector in a sliding manner, wherein the upper and lower sides of the folding arm are respectively and simultaneously slid on the guiding component and the electrical connector under the driving of the following mechanism. The guide member can guide the folding arm to repeatedly fold in a fixed trajectory, thereby ensuring the stability of the operation.

Preferably, a first sliding groove or a first sliding way is arranged on the guiding component, a second sliding groove or a second sliding way is arranged on the electric connector, two ends of the upper side and two ends of the lower side of the folding arm respectively slide in the first sliding groove or the first sliding way and the second sliding groove or the second sliding way, wherein the extending directions of the first sliding groove or the first sliding way and the second sliding groove or the second sliding way are parallel and are different from the first direction or the second direction. The first sliding chute or the first slide way and the second sliding chute or the second slide way determine and limit the folding direction of the folding arm, and the stability of each folding is ensured.

The length of the first sliding chute or the first sliding chute and the length of the second sliding chute or the second sliding chute, and the length of the folding arm determine the folding adjusting range of the folding arm. The folding mechanism comprises a first sliding chute, a second sliding chute, a folding arm and a folding mechanism, wherein the folding arm is arranged at the innermost end of the first sliding chute or the first sliding chute and the second sliding chute or the second sliding chute, the included angle between the folding arm and the second direction is the smallest, and the first extension length of the folding mechanism is the largest at the moment. At one end of the outermost side of the first sliding chute or the first slide way and the second sliding chute or the second slide way, the included angle between the folding arm and the second direction is the largest, and at the moment, the first extension length of the folding mechanism is the largest.

Preferably, the extending directions of the first sliding chute or the first slideway and the second sliding chute or the second slideway are both perpendicular to the first direction or the second direction. From this, folding arm is more smooth and easy in the slip between first spout or first slide and second spout or second slide, and the chooseing for use of first spout and second slide can also make folding arm be difficult to block when folding.

Preferably, the follower mechanism is connected to the folding arm. The servo mechanism drives the folding arm to generate first displacement, and meanwhile, other positions (including the connection position of the electric connector) on the folding arm are integrally folded along with the folding arm. The folding arm swings for a certain angle (sector swing) in the first sliding groove, at the moment, the swing amplitude of the folding arm far away from the first sliding groove is large, and the swing amplitude of the folding arm close to the first sliding groove is small, so that the electric connector can be arranged to be connected to the far position of the folding arm to generate displacement larger than the first displacement.

Preferably, the follower mechanism is connected to the hinge of the folding arm. The hinge joint of the folding arm is stable, and the hinge joint of the folding arm is stable in stress after being connected, so that unbalanced force can not be applied to the folding arm on one side in a concentrated manner, and failure of the folding mechanism is avoided.

Preferably, the follower mechanism further comprises a reset element connected to the floating disk for generating an upward pushing force on the floating disk in the first direction, wherein the reset element causes the floating disk to move in the first direction with respect to a first displacement when the battery pack is detached from the floating disk; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

the electric connector is connected with a reset element which is used for generating upward thrust on the electric connector in the second direction; the reset element causes the electrical connector to move upward in the second direction relative to a second displacement when the battery pack is disengaged from the floating disk; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

the folding mechanism is connected with a reset element; for generating an upward pushing force on the folding mechanism in the second direction; when the battery pack is separated from the floating disc, the reset element enables the first extension length of the folding mechanism to be reduced, and therefore the electric connector is driven to move upwards in the second direction relative to the second displacement.

When the folding mechanism is rigidly connected, the following mechanism, the electric connector and the folding mechanism can act together no matter what direction of movement, so that the following mechanism, the electric connector and the folding mechanism can be reset as long as one of the following mechanism, the electric connector and the folding mechanism is provided with a reset element.

When flexibly connected, the electrical connector and the folding mechanism are driven together only when the follower moves in the first direction, so that not only the follower needs to have a reset element, but also at least one of the connector and the folding mechanism needs to have a reset element.

Preferably, the restoring element is an elastic member which generates an upward pushing force by deforming.

Preferably, the automatic docking charging device includes a fixing frame, the first sliding groove is disposed on the fixing frame, and the fixing frame is slidably connected to the electric connector along the second direction.

Preferably, the fixed frame is provided with a sliding block or a guide rail, and the electric connector is provided with a guide rail or a sliding block which is matched with the sliding block or the guide rail on the fixed frame and is in sliding connection with the sliding block or the guide rail. The slide moves on the guide rail along a fixed trajectory. The slider can be arranged on the electric connector to move along with the electric connector, and can also be arranged at a relatively fixed position to guide the electric connector to move.

Preferably, the electric connector includes a connecting seat and a charging head, the charging head is disposed on the connecting seat, the second chute or the second slideway is disposed on the connecting seat, two ends of the lower side of the folding arm are slidably connected to the second chute or the second slideway, and the charging head is used for being connected with a charging port of the battery pack.

Preferably, a floating element is arranged between the connecting seat and the charging head, so that floating electric connection between the electric connector and the battery pack is realized.

The floating element achieves a floating displacement of the charging head. Therefore, even if an error occurs in the process of butting the battery pack with the charging port, the error can be corrected through the floating displacement of the charging head.

Preferably, the floating element is an elastic element, a containing cavity for containing the charging head is arranged in the connecting seat, and the charging head is arranged in the containing cavity through the elastic element.

The elastic element can play a role of buffering the movement of the charging head through the compression and the extension of the elastic element. Elastic element can one end support the head that charges, and the other end supports the inside wall that holds the chamber to make the head that charges to the motion homoenergetic of the inside wall that holds the chamber can smoothly realize.

Preferably, the charging head is further provided with a positioning pin or a positioning hole for butting with the positioning hole or the positioning pin arranged on the battery pack.

The utility model also discloses a charging assembly which comprises the automatic butt joint charging device.

The utility model also discloses a power exchanging station, which comprises:

the vehicle-carrying platform is used for parking the electric vehicle so as to replace the battery pack;

the charging assembly is used for placing a battery pack and comprises the automatic butt joint charging device;

and the battery replacing equipment is used for taking, placing and transferring the batteries between the electric vehicle and each charging bin of the charging assembly.

The positive progress effects of the utility model are as follows: the movable electrical connector of the present invention does not need to have the same direction as the battery pack is transported, and the orientation of the electrical connector may be any orientation. The folding mechanism is linked through the change of the bearing of the follow-up mechanism, so that the electric connector can respond to the change in time and is in butt joint with the battery pack. The power for moving the electric connector comes from the gravity of the battery pack, external driving is not needed, and the internal structure of the charging device is simplified.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a charging assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the utility model.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an automatic docking charging device according to a preferred embodiment of the utility model.

Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the automatic docking charging device with the fixing frame removed according to the preferred embodiment of the utility model.

Fig. 4 is a rear view of the automatic docking charging device with the fixing frame removed according to the preferred embodiment of the utility model.

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating a contracted state of the folding mechanism according to the preferred embodiment of the utility model.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the folding mechanism in an expanded state according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a rear view of an automatic docking charging device according to another embodiment of the present invention with a fixing frame removed.

Fig. 8 is a schematic side view of an automatic docking charging device according to a preferred embodiment of the utility model.

Fig. 9 is a bottom structural view of the electrical connector according to the preferred embodiment of the utility model.

Fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a power swapping station according to a preferred embodiment of the utility model.

Detailed Description

The utility model is further illustrated by the following examples, which are not intended to limit the scope of the utility model.

As shown in fig. 1 to 9, in the charging assembly 2 of the present embodiment, a plurality of charging bins D are disposed in the charging assembly 2. And an automatic butt-joint charging device 20 is correspondingly arranged in each charging bin D.

As shown in fig. 2 to 4, the automatic docking charging device 20 of the present embodiment includes a follower mechanism 21, an electrical connector 22, and a folding mechanism 23, and the follower mechanism 21 and the electrical connector 22 are connected to the folding mechanism 23 to realize linkage.

The following mechanism 21 is used for contacting the battery pack and generating a movement of a first displacement m in a first direction A following the movement of the battery pack. In particular, the following mechanism 21 mainly comprises a floating disc 211, the floating disc 211 carries the battery pack in the gravity direction of the battery pack, and the floating disc 211 may be embodied as a flat plate structure, a frame structure or other structural members that can be used to support the battery pack and can move in the first direction. Because the floating tray 211 supports the battery pack in the gravity direction of the battery pack, preferably, the first direction a is parallel to the gravity direction of the battery pack, so that when the battery pack is supported on the floating tray 211, the floating tray 211 moves downwards in the first direction a by the gravity of the battery pack by a first displacement m, and the movement of the floating tray 211 is realized completely by the self-gravity of the battery pack without depending on additional power drive.

The electrical connector 22 is used to interface with the battery pack to charge and discharge the battery pack. Preferably, the electrical connector 22 may be arranged above the floating disc 211, for example, the electrical connector 22 may be arranged on a beam of the charging stand directly by means of a mounting seat or the like. Thus, when a battery pack is carried on the floating tray 211, the electrical connector 22 can be coupled to the floating tray 211 by the folding mechanism 23 and moved downwardly in the second direction B by the second displacement n, as shown in fig. 5 and 6. Of course, the placement of the electrical connector 22 below or otherwise oriented with respect to the floating disk 211 is not precluded.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 8 and 9, the electrical connector 22 of the present embodiment includes a connection seat 222 and a charging head 221, wherein the charging head 221 is disposed on the connection seat 222, and the charging head 221 is used for connecting with a charging port of a battery pack. The electrical connector 22 further includes a base 224, a sliding block 252 or a guiding rail 251 is fixed on the base 224, and is slidably connected with the corresponding guiding rail 251 or sliding block 252, and the connecting seat 222 extends in a direction away from the sliding block 252 and the guiding rail 251.

A floating member 223 is provided between the connection holder 222 and the charging head 221 to achieve a floating electrical connection between the electrical connector 22 and the battery pack. The floating member 223 achieves floating displacement of the charging head 221. In this way, even if there is an error in the process of docking with the charging port of the battery pack, the error can be corrected by the floating displacement of the charging head 221. The floating element 223 is an elastic element, a containing cavity for containing the charging head 221 is arranged in the connecting seat 222, and the charging head 221 is arranged in the containing cavity through the elastic element. The elastic element here may be a spring or an element made of another material capable of generating deformation.

The elastic member may play a role of buffering the movement of the charging head 221 by its own compression and extension. Elastic element can one end support and charge head 221, and the other end supports and holds the inside wall that holds the chamber to make the motion homoenergetic of charging head 221 for the inside wall that holds the chamber smoothly realize.

The charging head 221 is further provided with a positioning pin 220 or a positioning hole for butting with the positioning hole or the positioning pin 220 arranged on the battery pack.

The folding mechanism 23 is connected to the follower mechanism 21 and the electrical connector 22, respectively. The following mechanism 21 can drive the folding mechanism 23 to fold during the process of loading and unloading the battery pack, so as to drive the electrical connector 22 to move in a second direction B by a second displacement n, so as to electrically connect or disconnect the electrical connector 22 with or from the battery pack.

In order to simplify the moving relationship between the electrical connector 22 and the battery pack, the first direction a and the second direction B are parallel to each other, so that the two move in the same parallel direction, which is more beneficial to the stable operation of the mechanism.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 5 and fig. 6, the folding mechanism 23 of the present embodiment folds to change the first extending length Y in the second direction B and the second extending length X perpendicular to the second direction B, so as to drive the electrical connector 22 to move by the second displacement n in the second direction B, and the first extending length Y decreases with the increase of the second extending length X.

The entire length of the folding mechanism 23 is divided into a first extending length Y in the second direction B and a second extending length X in a direction perpendicular to the second direction B. The first extension length Y and the second extension length X are determined by the degree of folding of the folding mechanism 23. Wherein the first extension length Y of the folding mechanism 23 in the second direction B is contracted and expanded as the folding mechanism 23 itself is contracted and expanded in the second direction B. In other words, in the case where both the first direction a and the second direction B are parallel to the gravity direction of the battery pack, when the extension length of the folding mechanism is shortened in the vertical direction, the extension length thereof is increased in the horizontal direction, whereas when the extension length of the folding mechanism is increased in the vertical direction, the extension length thereof is shortened in the horizontal direction.

Furthermore, since the bottom of the battery pack 4 is higher than the surface of the floating tray 211 during the process of entering the charging chamber D, the distance between the electrical connector 22 and the surface of the floating tray 211 is greater than the height of the battery pack to avoid interference; therefore, after the battery pack 4 is placed on the floating plate 21, the electrical connector 22 must move a distance greater than the floating plate 211 to achieve electrical connection between the electrical connector 22 and the battery pack. Therefore, the second displacement n in this embodiment is required to follow the change of the first extension length Y, and the first displacement m is smaller than the second displacement n.

The relationship between the first displacement m and the second displacement n can be adjusted by changing the connection point between the electrical connector 22 and the folding mechanism 23 and by changing the connection point between the follower mechanism 21 and the folding mechanism 23, and the position of only one of the connection points or the positions of the two connection points can be selectively changed, which is determined by those skilled in the art according to actual needs.

Specifically, the electrical connector 22 in the present embodiment is connected to the outer edge of the folding portion of the folding mechanism 23 (taking a cross-shaped folding mechanism as an example, the electrical connector 22 is connected to the end of the cross), so that the second displacement n of the electrical connector 23 is equal to the change of the first extension length Y of the entire folding mechanism in the second direction B. Of course, in other embodiments, if the electrical connector 22 is connected to the position 2/3 of the folding mechanism 23 from top to bottom, the second displacement n of the electrical connector 23 is equal to the change of 2/3 times the first extension length Y of the entire folding mechanism in the second direction B.

Since the first displacement m is generated by the distance traveled by the follower 21, the second displacement n is related to the change in the first extension length Y, as shown in fig. 5 and 6, and the second displacement n can be made larger than the first displacement m by providing suitable connection points.

From this, this scheme is through setting up folding mechanism 23 between follow-up mechanism 21 and electric connector 22, and then drive electric connector 22 and remove in order to form the electricity and connect towards the direction of battery package, the motion that produces when utilizing follow-up mechanism 21 to bear the weight of the battery package has realized the electricity automatically promptly, or drive electric connector 22 and remove towards the direction of keeping away from the battery package, utilize follow-up mechanism 21 to follow the uninstallation of battery package promptly and move in order to realize the purpose of breaking off the electricity connection, do not need extra power drive electric connector 22 to remove, and this linkage mode is applicable in the electric connection of the multiple orientation of battery package.

Specifically, the folding mechanism 23 may adopt the following structure: as shown in fig. 4-6, the folding mechanism 23 includes a folding arm 231 and a guiding member 28, which are hinged in a cross manner, and the upper and lower sides of the folding arm 231 are slidably connected to the guiding member 28 and the electrical connector 22, respectively, wherein the upper and lower sides of the folding arm 231 are slid on the guiding member 28 and the electrical connector 22 simultaneously under the driving of the follower mechanism 21. The guide member 28 can guide the folding arm 231 to repeatedly fold in a fixed trajectory, thereby ensuring the stability of the operation.

The guiding member 28 is provided with a first sliding slot 281, the electrical connector 22 is provided with a second sliding slot 225, specifically, the second sliding slot 225 is provided on the connecting seat 222, two ends of the upper side and two ends of the lower side of the folding arm 231 respectively slide on the first sliding slot 281 and the second sliding slot 225, wherein the extending directions of the first sliding slot 281 and the second sliding slot 225 are parallel and are different from the first direction a or the second direction B. The first and second sliding slots 281 and 225 determine a folding direction of the folding arm 231.

The lengths of both the first and second chutes 281 and 225, as well as the length of the folding arm 231 itself, together determine the folding adjustment range of the folding arm 231. At the innermost end of the first sliding slot 281 and the second sliding slot 225, the angle between the folding arm 231 and the second direction B is the smallest, and at this time, the first extending length Y of the folding mechanism 23 is the largest. As shown in fig. 5, at one end of the outermost sides of the first sliding chute 281 and the second sliding chute 225, the angle between the folding arm 231 and the second direction B is the largest, and at this time, the first extending length Y of the folding mechanism 23 is the largest.

The extending directions of the first sliding chute 281 and the second sliding chute 225 are perpendicular to the first direction a or the second direction B. Thereby, the sliding of the folding arm 231 between the first and second sliding grooves 281 and 225 is smoother. And is not easy to be locked on the first sliding chute 281 and the second sliding chute 225.

Preferably, as shown in fig. 7, the second sliding slot 225 may be a sliding slot (similar to the sliding slot with the unclosed upper edge), that is, only an elongated rib is provided on the electrical connector 222, and both ends of the lower side of the folding arm 231 abut against the upper side of the rib and can slide along the rib, so that the folding arm 231 is not easily locked when folded. The first sliding slot 281 may be a sliding slot (similar to a sliding slot with an unclosed lower edge), that is, an elongated rib is provided on the guide member 28, and both ends of the upper side of the folding arm 231 abut against the lower side of the rib and can slide along the rib. The combination of the chute and the slide is not limited thereto and may be interchanged.

With the above-described structure of the folding mechanism 23, the following mechanism 21 of the present embodiment is preferably connected to the hinge of the folding arm 231. The hinged part of the folding arm 231 is stable, and the stress of the hinged part of the folding arm 231 is stable after connection, so that the uneven force application to the folding arm 231 on one side cannot be concentrated, and the failure of the folding mechanism 23 is avoided.

Wherein, a flexible connection or a rigid connection can be adopted between the following mechanism 21 and the folding arm 231. The so-called flexible connection may be that the follower 21 is connected to the folding arm 231 by a cable 27. The rigid connection may be such that the follower mechanism 21 is connected to the folding arm 231 by a steel plate, a link, or the like.

While the follower mechanism 21 drives the folding arm 231 to generate the first displacement m, other positions (including the connection position of the electrical connector 22) on the folding arm 231 are integrally folded along with the folding arm 231. The folding arm 231 is rotated by a certain angle α in the first sliding slot 281, and at this time, the swing amplitude of the folding arm 231 away from the first sliding slot 281 is large, and the swing amplitude of the folding arm 231 close to the first sliding slot 281 is small, so that the electrical connector 22 can be arranged to generate a displacement greater than the first displacement m at a position far from the folding arm 231. For example, the hinge joint of the follower 21 connected by the cable 27 is at the center of the folding arm 231, and the electric connector 22 is connected at the bottom end of the folding arm 231, and after the folding arm swings by the angle α, the first displacement m is only half of the second displacement n.

The present embodiment may adopt different mounting manners of the reset element based on different connection manners adopted between the follower mechanism 21 and the folding arm 231.

For example, when flexibly connected, the electrical connector 22 and the folding mechanism 23 are brought together only when the follower mechanism 21 moves in the first direction a, so that not only the follower mechanism 21 but also at least one of the connector and the folding mechanism 23 requires a return element.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the following mechanism 21 and the folding mechanism 23 are connected by a wire rope 27. The follower mechanism 21 of this embodiment therefore further comprises a reset element 261, which reset element 261 is connected to the floating disc 211 for generating an upward pushing force on the floating disc 211 in the first direction a, wherein the reset element generates a movement of the floating disc 211 in the first direction a relative to the first displacement m when the battery pack is disengaged from the floating disc 211. At the same time, a reset element 262 is attached to at least one of the electrical connector 22 or the folding mechanism 23. For example, a reset element 262 is coupled to the electrical connector 22 to provide an upward pushing force on the electrical connector 22 in the second direction B, such that when the battery pack is disengaged from the floating tray 211, the reset element 262 moves the electrical connector 22 and the folding mechanism 23 upward in the second direction B relative to the second displacement n. For another example, a reset element is connected to the folding mechanism 23 to generate an upward pushing force on the folding mechanism 23 in the second direction B; when the battery pack is disengaged from the floating tray 211, the reset element causes the first extension Y of the folding mechanism 23 to decrease, thereby moving the electrical connector 22 upward in the second direction B relative to the second displacement n. Since the electrical connector 22 is connected to the folding arm of the folding mechanism 23, no matter whether the electrical connector 22 or the folding mechanism 23 is pushed in the second direction B, the two will be moved upward in the second direction B simultaneously by the second displacement n, and therefore, it is of course also possible to connect a reset element to both the electrical connector 22 and the folding mechanism 23.

For another example, when rigidly connected, the following mechanism 21, the electrical connector 22 and the folding mechanism 23 will move together regardless of the direction of movement, so that the following mechanism 21, the electrical connector 22 and the folding mechanism 23 can be reset as long as there is a reset element in one of the three. The mounting and action principle of the reset element is connected with the flexible circuit, and the detailed description is omitted.

The return elements can be identical or different and are embodied as elastic elements which are deformed to generate an upward thrust, for example, a conventional spring or the like.

The automatic docking charging device 20 of the present embodiment will be described below by taking as an example the case of placing a battery pack on the floating tray 211 and unloading the battery pack, and moving the floating tray 211 up and down in the direction of gravity:

1. placing the battery pack on the floating disc 211 (the action of placing the battery pack usually needs to be realized by external force, such as a stacker crane and the like)

When the battery pack contacts the floating disc 211 and the floating disc 211 bears the gravity of the battery pack, the floating disc 211 starts to move vertically downwards under the action of the gravity of the battery pack, at the moment, the floating disc 211 generates a vertical downward pulling force on the folding mechanism 23, so that the folding mechanism 23 is folded (specifically, the folding mechanism can be folded in the horizontal direction), the folding mechanism 23 drives the electric connector 22 to start to move vertically downwards, when the floating disc 211 moves vertically downwards for a first displacement m, the electric connector 22 moves vertically downwards for a second displacement n, and when the movement is stopped, the electric connector 22 is just electrically connected with the battery pack, so that the battery pack is charged or discharged in the charging bin D.

2. Unloading the battery pack from the floating tray 211 (usually by means of external forces to remove the battery pack from the floating tray 211, e.g. a stacker or the like)

When the battery pack needs to be taken out from the charging bin D, an external force is needed to support the battery pack, the force borne by the floating disc 211 is reduced, the floating disc 211 starts to move vertically upwards along with the upward support of the battery pack, meanwhile, the folding mechanism 23 is folded by a vertical upward thrust (specifically, the folding mechanism can be folded in the vertical direction), the folding mechanism 23 is folded to drive the electric connector 22 to start to move vertically upwards, so that the electric connector 22 is separated from the battery pack, when the floating disc 211 vertically moves upwards for a first displacement m, the electric connector 22 vertically moves upwards for a second displacement n, and finally, the initial state of the charging bin D when empty is recovered.

The above description has been made only for the case where the electrical connector 22 is mounted above the floating disk 211, but it can also be deduced therefrom for the case where the electrical connector 22 is mounted below the floating disk 211 or at other orientations.

In another embodiment, based on the previous embodiment, in order to better guide the electrical connector 22 to move stably, as shown in fig. 2, the automatic docking charging device 20 further includes a fixing frame 24, the first sliding slot 281 is disposed on the fixing frame 24, and the fixing frame 24 is slidably connected with the electrical connector 22 along the second direction B.

Specifically, the fixing frame 24 includes a guide rail 251, and the electrical connector 22 includes a sliding block 252 slidably connected to the guide rail 251 of the fixing frame 24. The slider 252 moves on the guide 251 along a fixed trajectory. In practice, the slider 252 may be disposed on the electrical connector 22 to move with the electrical connector 22, or may be disposed in a relatively fixed position to guide the movement of the electrical connector 22. In addition, the positions of the guide 251 and the slider 252 may be interchanged, i.e., the guide 251 may be disposed on the electrical connector 22 and the slider 252 may be disposed on the fixing frame 24.

The electrical connector 22 is moved together when connected to the folding mechanism 23 in this embodiment by folding the folding mechanism 23 over itself. Wherein the displacement of the different points of attachment during folding is different due to the different points of attachment to the folding mechanism 23. Wherein the connection point of the follower mechanism 21 on the folding mechanism 23 is moved by a first displacement m and the connection point of the electrical connector 22 on the folding mechanism 23 is moved by a second displacement n, as shown in fig. 6.

The embodiment also provides a power swapping station.

As shown in fig. 10, the swapping station includes:

the vehicle-carrying platform is used for stopping the electric vehicle 3 so as to replace the battery pack 4;

the charging assembly 2 is used for placing the battery pack 4 and comprises an automatic butt joint charging device 20;

and the battery replacing equipment is used for taking, placing and transferring the batteries between the electric vehicle and each charging bin D of the charging assembly 2.

The movable electrical connector of the present invention does not need to have the same direction as the battery pack is transported, and the orientation of the electrical connector may be any orientation. The folding mechanism is linked through the change of the bearing of the follow-up mechanism, so that the electric connector can respond to the change in time and is in butt joint with the battery pack. The power for moving the electric connector comes from the gravity of the battery pack, external driving is not needed, and the internal structure of the charging device is simplified.

While specific embodiments of the utility model have been described above, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that this is by way of example only, and that the scope of the utility model is defined by the appended claims. Various changes and modifications to these embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the utility model, and these changes and modifications are within the scope of the utility model.

Claims (21)

1. An automatic docking charging device, comprising:

the follow-up mechanism is used for contacting the battery pack and generating movement of first displacement in a first direction along with the movement of the battery pack;

the electric connector is used for being butted with a battery pack so as to charge and discharge the battery pack;

the folding mechanism is respectively connected with the follow-up mechanism and the electric connector; the following mechanism drives the folding mechanism to fold, so as to drive the electric connector to move in a second direction to generate a second displacement, and the electric connector is electrically connected with or separated from the battery pack.

2. The automatic docking charging device of claim 1, wherein said first direction and said second direction are parallel.

3. The automatic docking charging apparatus of claim 2, wherein said follower mechanism comprises a floating disk that carries said battery pack in a direction of gravity of said battery pack, said first direction being parallel to a direction of gravity of said battery pack, wherein said floating disk moves downwardly in said first direction by a first displacement under the force of gravity of said battery pack when said battery pack is carried on said floating disk.

4. The automatic docking and charging device of claim 3, wherein said electrical connector is disposed above said floating disk;

when the battery pack is loaded on the floating disc, the electric connector is linked with the floating disc through the folding mechanism and moves downwards in the second direction to generate second displacement.

5. The automatic docking charging apparatus of claim 3,

the folding mechanism is folded to change a first extension length of the folding mechanism in the second direction and a second extension length of the folding mechanism perpendicular to the second direction, so that the electric connector is driven to move in a second direction to generate a second displacement, and the first extension length is reduced along with the increase of the second extension length.

6. The automatic docking charging device of claim 5, wherein said second displacement varies following a change in said first extension length, and said first displacement is less than said second displacement.

7. The automatic docking charging device of claim 6, wherein the folding mechanism comprises a folding arm and a guiding member, the folding arm is hinged to the guiding member and the guiding member, and the folding arm is connected to the guiding member and the electrical connector in a sliding manner, wherein the folding arm slides on the guiding member and the electrical connector simultaneously.

8. The automatic docking charging device according to claim 7, wherein the guiding member is provided with a first sliding groove or a first sliding way, the electrical connector is provided with a second sliding groove or a second sliding way, and two ends of the upper side and two ends of the lower side of the folding arm respectively slide on the first sliding groove or the first sliding way and the second sliding groove or the second sliding way, wherein the extending directions of the first sliding groove or the first sliding way and the second sliding groove or the second sliding way are parallel and are different from the first direction or the second direction.

9. The automatic docking charging device of claim 8, wherein the first chute or slide and the second chute or slide each extend in a direction perpendicular to the first direction or the second direction.

10. The automatic docking and charging device of claim 8, wherein said follower is attached to said folding arm.

11. The automatic docking and charging device of claim 8, wherein said follower is attached to a hinge of said folding arm.

12. The automatic docking charger of claim 11 wherein said follower mechanism further comprises a reset element, said reset element being coupled to said floating disk for generating an upward thrust on said floating disk in said first direction; the reset element causes movement of the floating disk in the first direction relative to a first displacement when the battery pack is disengaged from the floating disk; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

the electric connector is connected with a reset element which is used for generating upward thrust on the electric connector in the second direction; the reset element causes the electrical connector to move upward in the second direction relative to a second displacement when the battery pack is disengaged from the floating disk; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

the folding mechanism is connected with a reset element; for generating an upward pushing force on the folding mechanism in the second direction; when the battery pack is separated from the floating disc, the reset element enables the first extension length of the folding mechanism to be reduced, and therefore the electric connector is driven to move upwards in the second direction relative to the second displacement.

13. The automatic docking charger of claim 12 wherein said reset element is a resilient member that deforms to produce an upward pushing force.

14. The automatic docking and charging device of claim 8, wherein the automatic docking and charging device comprises a fixing frame, the first sliding groove or the first sliding way is disposed on the fixing frame, and the fixing frame is slidably connected to the electrical connector along the second direction.

15. The automatic docking and charging device of claim 14, wherein the holder comprises a sliding block or a guiding rail, and the electrical connector comprises a guiding rail or a sliding block which is slidably connected with the sliding block or the guiding rail of the holder.

16. The charging device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the electrical connector comprises a connecting seat and a charging head, the charging head is disposed on the connecting seat, the second sliding groove or the second sliding way is disposed on the connecting seat, two ends of the lower side of the folding arm are slidably connected to the second sliding groove or the second sliding way, and the charging head is configured to be connected to a charging port of a battery pack.

17. A charging arrangement as claimed in claim 16, in which a floating member is provided between the connection socket and the charging head to effect a floating electrical connection between the electrical connector and the battery pack.

18. The charging device of claim 17, wherein the floating member is an elastic member, and a receiving cavity for receiving the charging head is formed in the connecting base, and the charging head is disposed in the receiving cavity through the elastic member.

19. A charging arrangement as claimed in claim 16, in which the charging head is further provided with locating pins or holes for interfacing with locating holes or pins provided on the battery pack.

20. A charging assembly, comprising an automatic docking charging device according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

21. A power swapping station, comprising:

the vehicle-carrying platform is used for parking the electric vehicle so as to replace the battery pack;

a charging assembly for housing a battery pack, comprising the automatic docking charging apparatus of claims 1-20;

and the battery replacing equipment is used for taking, placing and transferring the batteries between the electric vehicle and each charging bin of the charging assembly.

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