JP2009137366A - Battery exchange system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a battery exchange system capable of easily performing a series of processes of exchanging, charging and storing a battery. <P>SOLUTION: The battery exchange system 3 is provided for exchanging a battery unit 2 which is used for at least a part of power sources of a transport vehicle 1 and attachable/detachable to/from the transport vehicle 1. The battery exchange system comprises unit attaching/detaching parts (31, 32) which detach the battery unit 2 from the transport vehicle 1 and attach a new battery unit 2X to the transport vehicle 1, a unit storage part 33 for successively storing the battery units 2 detached by the unit attaching/detaching parts (31, 32), a charging unit for charging the battery unit 2 stored in the unit storage part 33, and a conveying part for conveying the battery unit 2 charged by the charging part to the unit attaching/detaching parts (31, 32) as a new battery unit 2X to be attached to the transport vehicle 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates generally to a battery replacement system, and more particularly to a battery replacement system suitable for replacement of a battery used as a power source of at least a part of a transportation system such as an automobile or a motorcycle.

  In recent years, along with attention to environmental measures and energy issues, many transportation vehicles such as automobiles and motorcycles that run on electricity instead of or in combination with fossil fuels have been proposed. Among such transportation systems, there is a transportation system that travels while driving a motor or the like by the battery after the battery inside is charged by external power. In order to spread such a transportation system, it is also necessary to develop an infrastructure provided with a facility for charging a battery at a necessary place.

  By the way, for the purpose of ensuring a constant continuous transport distance and a constant continuous transport time, a battery having a large capacity is mounted in such a transport. A full charge of a battery having a large capacity requires a very long charge time, so that the staying time of the transportation facility in the facility for charging the battery is prolonged and the transportation efficiency is hindered. On the other hand, if the battery can be charged rapidly in the facility, the residence time of the transportation facility can be shortened. However, it is necessary to develop a quick charger and, in some cases, a new battery that supports rapid charging.

  On the other hand, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a battery replacement system for an electric vehicle that allows a driver to replace a cartridge-type case containing a charged battery and easily obtain a power source for the vehicle in a short time. is doing.

Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a battery distribution management system that manages the distribution of charged batteries among a plurality of stations that replace batteries. It states that a charged battery can be efficiently distributed between the stations, and that it is possible to save the driver's charge work.
JP 2004-214160 A JP 2007-182310 A

  By the way, it is impossible for all drivers who have different knowledge of automobiles or the like to replace batteries for automobiles that they own. In addition, even if it becomes convenient for the service provider to replace the battery as a service, the actual equipment and operation such as charging, storage, and quality control of the battery after replacement will be convenient. Various issues remain to be solved.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described situation, and its main object is to provide a battery replacement system that can facilitate a series of steps of battery replacement, charging, and storage. is there.

  The battery exchange system according to the present invention is a battery exchange system for exchanging a battery unit that is used as a power source of at least a part of a transportation facility and is configured to be detachable from the transportation facility. A unit attaching / detaching unit for removing the battery unit from the transporting facility and mounting a new battery unit to the transporting unit, a unit storing unit for sequentially storing the battery units removed by the unit attaching / detaching unit, and the unit storing unit A charging unit that charges the battery unit stored in the battery unit, and a transport unit that transports the battery unit charged by the charging unit to the unit attaching / detaching unit as a new battery unit to be attached to the transportation facility. Features.

  In other words, the battery units removed in the unit attaching / detaching unit are sequentially stored in the unit storing unit and charged, and the charged battery units are transported to the unit attaching / detaching unit to be mounted on the transportation facility as new battery units. It will be taken over. Therefore, the battery replacement operation becomes very simple and can be completed in a short time, and the convenience of charging and storage of the battery unit is extremely high. That is, a series of steps related to the battery replacement work can be facilitated.

  A battery exchange system according to an embodiment of the present invention is a battery exchange system for exchanging a battery unit that is used as a power source of at least a part of a transportation facility and is configured to be detachable from the transportation facility. The battery exchange system includes a unit attaching / detaching unit for removing a battery unit from the transport and attaching a new battery unit to the transport, and a unit storage for sequentially storing the battery units removed by the unit attaching / detaching unit. A charging unit that charges the battery unit stored in the unit storage unit, and a transport unit that transports the battery unit charged by the charging unit to the unit attaching / detaching unit as a new battery unit to be attached to the transportation facility. And having. With this configuration, the battery replacement work becomes very simple and takes a short time, and the convenience of charging and storage of the battery unit is extremely high, facilitating a series of steps involved in the battery replacement work. Can do it.

  In the above aspect, the unit storage unit includes a plurality of unit holding units each having a charging terminal that houses or holds a battery unit for each battery unit and is electrically connected to an electrode of the battery unit, and the charging unit includes: A charging line coupled to the charging terminal and a charging circuit for supplying a charging current to the charging terminal through the charging line, and charging of the battery unit is started in a stored order or a predetermined order. I have to. With this configuration, it is possible to hold, store, and charge the battery unit appropriately and safely. Here, the “predetermined order” may be, for example, the order in which the charge levels of the battery units are low.

  More specifically, in the unit attaching / detaching portion, a unit release field used for removing the battery unit from the transportation facility and a unit mounting field used for mounting the battery unit in the transportation facility are separated. The plurality of unit holding portions are arranged such that a battery unit is delivered from the release field or the vicinity thereof, and arranged from the release field or the vicinity thereof to the mounting field or the vicinity thereof, and the unit storage Each time the battery unit is stored in the unit, the transfer unit can move from the release field or the vicinity thereof to the mounting field or the vicinity thereof, and is charged to the attachment field or the vicinity thereof. You may make it deliver a battery unit. With this configuration, a battery replacement worker can perform replacement work in a fixed work place called a unit release place and a unit attachment place, and without mistakes, for example, a battery unit that is not fully charged can be attached to an automobile, It is possible to provide a safe and stable work environment without accidentally storing the battery unit to be charged in an inappropriate place.

  Here, each time at least one battery unit is stored in the unit storage unit, a control unit that controls the transport unit to move the unit holding unit at least one step may be provided. With this configuration, the battery unit can be reliably moved to the charging process each time an exchange operation occurs.

  Furthermore, the control unit may control the transport unit to move the unit holding unit from the release field or the vicinity thereof to the mounting field or the vicinity thereof over a predetermined charging time of the battery unit, Further, the predetermined charging time may be a time longer than the rated maximum charging time of the battery unit. With such a configuration, it is possible to guarantee a reliable charge completion state in the process of transporting the battery unit. The predetermined charging time may be variable according to the stored battery unit based on the state of charge of the battery unit.

  By the way, in the above-described embodiment, the unit attaching / detaching unit includes a recovery mechanism for accommodating or holding the battery unit removed from the transport in the unit holding unit at or near the release site, and the mounting site. Or it is good also as what has the mounting mechanism for taking out a battery unit from the said unit holding | maintenance part in the vicinity, and performing the unit mounting | wearing operation | movement to the said transport body separately or integrally. Such a collection mechanism and a mounting mechanism facilitate attachment / detachment of the battery unit to / from the automobile, transfer of the battery unit to the unit holding unit, and removal from the unit holding unit.

  Furthermore, it is preferable to further include a measuring unit that measures the individual charging state and / or battery life state of the stored battery unit. Such a configuration can provide suitable charging and other preferred maintenance / service possibilities adapted to the individual battery units. Here, the charging unit may be controlled to stop charging the battery unit whose predetermined charging state is measured by the measuring unit. That is, overcharging of the battery unit can be prevented. Furthermore, you may make it have further the system which displays and / or presents the charge according to the measured charge condition and / or battery life state with the description of the said state. Such a configuration not only facilitates a series of operations for battery replacement, charging and storage in a simple form, but also facilitates the entire recycling process including battery quality control and presentation of replacement service charges. It can contribute to advance and rational operation.

  In the above embodiment, the charging unit can perform a charging operation of the battery unit by commercial power, a solar power generation system, natural energy such as wind power and wave power, a fuel cell system, and / or a nighttime power supply system. With such a configuration, charging can be performed by an optimum power supply unit according to the field situation, and effective use of power can be achieved.

  Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a system using a battery exchange device 3 according to one embodiment of the present invention is a transport engine 1 that requires battery replacement, for example, rechargeable and detachable from the engine 1. The battery replacement service is provided to the electric vehicle 1 that can travel using the built-in battery unit 2 that is configured as a power source at least partially. At present, this system is preferably installed in an existing gas station, etc. In the future, it may also be installed in stores with relatively small parking spaces such as convenience stores and small stores. Conceivable. Hereinafter, the operating place of such a system will be referred to as a battery exchange stand.

  A battery exchange device 3 according to the present invention is installed in the battery exchange stand as the main exchange equipment. When the automobile 1 stops at the battery exchange stand for exchanging the battery unit 2, the automobile 1 first moves near the battery exchange device 3, and further brings the mounting portion of the battery unit 2 of the automobile 1 closer to the exchange work place. That is, it is the same as the current gasoline refueling mode in which the body part of the fuel filler opening of the automobile is brought close to the gasoline refueling station. As a mounting part of the battery unit 2, it can be a front part or a rear part of the automobile 1 or another part.

  The battery exchange device 3 has sleeve-shaped unit attaching / detaching portions (31, 32) facing each other for use in the exchange work place. The unit attaching / detaching parts (31, 32) are provided in the unit release field or in the vicinity space thereof, and in the unit mounting area or in the vicinity space thereof, the recovery mechanism part 31 serving as a means for removing the battery unit 2 from the automobile 1 It comprises a mounting mechanism portion 32 that bears means for mounting the battery unit on the automobile 1, and each has a chamber that can hold the battery unit 2 at least temporarily. As will be described later, the battery exchange device 3 is connected from the chamber portion of the recovery mechanism portion 31 to the chamber portion of the mounting mechanism portion 32, and communicates the chamber portion of these mechanism portions with a space in which the battery unit 2 can be transported. It has a unit storage portion 33 including an inverted U-shaped housing as shown in the figure having a hollow passage to be provided therein. The unit storage unit 33 stores the battery units 2 collected from the collection mechanism unit 31 while sequentially transporting them toward the mounting mechanism unit 32. Therefore, the unit storage unit 33 has a plurality of unit holding units (see contents described later) arranged and arranged so as to be movable in the passage. Each of the holding units stores and transports the battery unit 2. I am doing so.

  The battery units 2 stored in the unit storage unit 33 are individually charged by a charging unit (not shown). The battery unit 2 in the unit storage unit 33 stores another battery unit 2 in the unit storage unit 33 via the recovery mechanism unit 31 and each time the charging is started, the battery unit 2 forms a line by a transport unit (not shown). Then, it is moved so as to approach the mounting mechanism portion 32. By the time the collected battery unit 2 moves to the chamber portion of the mounting mechanism unit 32, the charging of the battery unit 2 is completed. In the mounting mechanism unit 32, the battery unit to be newly mounted on the automobile 1 2X is taken out and attached to the automobile 1. The time for which the battery unit 2 is stored in the unit storage unit 33 is preferably a predetermined charging time, for example, the rated maximum charging time of the battery unit. Thereby, a reliable charge completion state can be ensured in the process of transporting the battery unit. The predetermined charging time may be variable according to the stored battery unit based on the state of charge of the battery unit using a measurement unit described later.

  As described above, the battery unit 2 is removed from the automobile 1 (1), recovered (2), transferred from the recovery mechanism unit 31 to the storage unit 33 and the transport unit (3), stored (stored), transported and charged ( 4) The battery unit 2X after charging is transferred from the storage unit 33 to the mounting mechanism unit 32 (5), removed from the mounting mechanism unit 32 (6), and mounted on the automobile 1 (7). be able to. At this time, the operator can always easily perform a certain simplified action in battery replacement work. In addition, control of each part required for such a series of processes is performed by a microcontroller or other control unit provided in the battery exchange device 3.

  As shown in more detail in FIG. 2, the recovery chamber portion 31 </ b> A serving as a temporary holding space for the unit formed in the recovery mechanism portion 31 can be generally operated by an average-height worker leaning on the battery replacement operation. It is set to an appropriate height that does not exist. Since the operator houses the battery unit 2 in the same chamber 31A when the battery unit 2 is collected, the work is simplified and easy, and work errors can be prevented.

  A plurality of unit holding portions 35 are arranged in the storage portion 33. In this example, the battery unit 2 delivered from the collection chamber 31A is received by the unit holding unit 35 adjacent to the battery unit 2 as it is. Whenever the battery unit 2 is moved to the adjacent unit holding part 35, the charging is started, and the unit holding part 35 moves each battery unit including the already stored battery unit in the direction toward the mounting mechanism part 32. , At least one step (for example, an interval between two adjacent unit holding portions 35). As illustrated, in this example, the storage unit 33 has an inverted U shape, and the battery unit 2 to be collected is stored from the lower side. Therefore, the stored battery unit 2 is stored in the holding unit 35. While being held and once moved upward and reached its uppermost position, it moves downward and heads toward the mounting mechanism section 32.

  The mounting chamber portion 32A as a temporary holding space for the unit formed in the mounting mechanism portion 32 is also generally set to an appropriate height as described above. Since the operator takes out the battery unit 2 from the same chamber portion 32A when the battery unit 2 is mounted, the work is simplified and easy, and work mistakes can be prevented.

  In addition to performing the charging start of the battery unit 2 in the storage order, the battery unit 2 may be performed in a predetermined order, for example, in the order of low charge level of the battery unit using a measurement unit described later.

  As shown in FIG. 3, according to another embodiment, the unit release field and the unit mounting field are defined as a common field, and the collection mechanism unit 31 and the mounting mechanism unit 32 are integrated to collect and mount the unit. A mechanism portion 36 is formed. Here, the mounting mechanism unit 32 is omitted.

  The collection / mounting mechanism section 36 includes a shared chamber section 36A serving as a temporary holding space, and the battery unit 2 is delivered to the holding section 35 of the storage section 33 via the chamber section 36A. The holding unit 35 is moved by the transport unit so that the battery unit 2 received thereby makes a round in the storage unit 33. Again, the battery unit 2 is charged during the movement. The holding part 35 that has made one turn is juxtaposed in the shared room part 36A, and when the battery unit is mounted on the automobile 1, the held battery unit is handed over to the shared room part 36A. The operator takes out the charged battery unit from the chamber 36 </ b> A and attaches it to the automobile 1. The operator can perform the work of removing the battery unit from the automobile and the work of attaching the battery unit to the automobile using the same common chamber portion 36A of the same collection and mounting mechanism portion 36.

  As shown in FIG. 4, according to another embodiment, a horizontal U-shaped storage unit 37 is used instead of the storage unit 33. The storage unit 37 also has basically the same function as the storage unit 33 of FIG. 1, and basically, the collection mechanism unit 31 and the mounting mechanism unit 32 as shown in FIG. A similar recovery mechanism 31 ′ and mounting mechanism 32 ′ are configured. 4 can be modified to form an integrated collection and mounting mechanism similar to the configuration of FIG. In this case, it is necessary to configure the holding unit 35 so that the battery unit 2 circulates inside the storage unit 37. In addition, since an integrated collection | recovery mounting mechanism part is possible like the structure of FIG. 3, the unit storage part does not necessarily need to take the form of the sleeve-shaped unit attaching / detaching part which opposes. Moreover, since the holding | maintenance part 35 may be moved horizontally like the structure of FIG. 4, it is not necessary to extend high in the perpendicular direction. For example, the unit storage portion has a structure in which one end has an integrated collection and mounting mechanism portion and extends horizontally in a straight line, and the unit holding portion disposed in the unit makes a U-turn at the other end and returns to the one end side. A configuration is also possible.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the unit attaching / detaching portion, the battery unit 2 mounted on the automobile 1 is replaced with the bonnet or other cover member (not shown) opened. One end of the guide member 4 in which a plurality of upward casters 41 are arranged in parallel with the flat plate base portion 40 enters the space formed between the bottom of the battery unit 2 of the automobile 1 and its support base. The battery unit 2 is removed from the automobile 1 using the guide member 4.

  As shown in more detail in FIG. 6, the housing of the battery unit 2 is formed with a groove having a cross section through which the base 40 of the guide member 4 and the wheel 42 of the caster 41 can pass, and the bottom of the battery unit 2. The guide member 4 is supported by the wheel 42 in a state where the guide member 4 enters the wheel. In this state, the battery unit 2 can be easily detached together with the rolling of the wheels 42 of the casters 41 by moving the battery unit 2 in the direction in which the operator pulls the battery unit 2 out of the automobile 1 (arrow F in FIG. 5).

  The battery unit 2 removed in this manner is further moved in the longitudinal direction by the operator toward the other end of the guide member 4 and once stopped at the center of the guide member 4. The other end is inserted into the recovery chamber portion 31A from the opening, and in this state, it is further moved to the recovery chamber portion 31A on the other end side. A similar caster 41 is attached to the guide member 4 from one end to the other end, and the guide member 4 moves smoothly until the battery unit 2 reaches the collection chamber 31A. The collection chamber 31A is provided with a charging terminal 5, which can be connected to the electrode 21 of the battery unit 2 just after the guide member 4 has transferred the battery unit 2 to the collection chamber 31A. Is done.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the charging terminal 5 has a tip-shaped terminal structure having a structure in which the electrode 21 protruding above the battery unit 2 passes in the center in the horizontal direction at the tip. With such a structure, the connection position between the electrode 21 and the charging terminal 5 can be easily and reliably defined by the horizontal movement of the battery unit 2, and the final guidance of the battery unit 2 to the connection position can be assured. Can also be made. After reaching this position, for example, by tightening the screw that bears the electrode 21, a reliable electrical connection can be made. In addition, the fastening of the charging terminal 5 and the electrode 21 as described above is advantageous in that the battery chamber 2 can be fixed in the collection chamber 31A. As mentioned above, it is preferable that the connection part 11 (FIG. 5) with the electrode 21 of the battery unit 2 on the automobile 1 side also has the same terminal structure and the same fastening mode.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the unit guide mechanism using the guide member 4, the movable support member 6 is further coupled to the flat plate base 40 to which the two rows of casters 41 are fixed. The support member 6 has a structure capable of rotating the guide base 40 in the horizontal direction about a predetermined axis 6x. Further, the support member 6 is configured to be able to expand and contract with respect to the recovery mechanism portion 31 and the mounting mechanism portion 32 so that the battery unit can be exchanged while being pulled out or retracted from the mechanism portion as necessary. Is preferred. Further, the support member 6 preferably has a structure that can move in the vertical direction, that is, in the vertical direction. This makes it easy for the guide member 4 to enter the bottom of the battery unit 2 and the wheels 42 of the casters 41 in the state in which the guide member 4 enters. Can be moved slightly upward to ensure the battery unit's support, and after moving to the recovery chamber 31A, the support can be easily released by moving back. Can do. Furthermore, the support member 6 may have a structure that can be rotated in a horizontal direction to some extent around a predetermined shaft 6y provided in the recovery mechanism portion 31 or the mounting mechanism portion 32 or in the vicinity thereof. It may be possible to move in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the direction. By doing in this way, exchange work can be adapted to the loading direction of various forms in car 1 of battery unit 2.

  The transfer of the battery unit 2 by the guide member 4 and the support member 6 is suitable not only for the recovery chamber portion 31A but also for the mounting chamber portion 32A and the common chamber portion 36A. That is, the guide member 4 and the support member 6 are used in a manner opposite to the transfer of the battery unit 2 from the automobile 1 to the recovery chamber 31A, and the battery unit 2 from the mounting chamber 32A or the common chamber 36A is used. It can be taken out and transferred to the automobile 1.

  The collection chamber 31A is moved to the holding unit 35 while the unit is held as it is, that is, the battery unit 2 is supported by the bottom plate member 300 and the electrode 21 and the terminal 5 are fastened and connected (FIG. 5). , Arrow L). The charging terminal 5 is coupled to a charging line 7, and a charging current is supplied from a charging circuit (not shown) through this charging line. In this state, the holding unit 35 in the storage unit 33 described above is transported.

  In addition, the battery unit 2 is moved from the holding unit 35 in a state where the battery unit 2 is supported by the bottom plate member 300 and the electrode 21 and the terminal 5 are fastened and connected to the mounting chamber 31A and the common chamber 36A. (FIG. 5, arrow M). At this time, although the charging terminal 5 is coupled to the charging line 7, charging has already been completed, so that supply of charging current is stopped by a charging control unit (not shown).

  It is preferable that the battery exchange device 3 further includes a measurement unit (not shown) that measures individual charge states and / or battery life states of the battery units 2 stored in the storage unit 33. Thereby, suitable charge suitable for each battery unit can be performed. In addition, it is preferable that a user and / or a battery exchange stand supplier can grasp that a battery unit is significantly deteriorated by issuing an alarm in a measurement unit (not shown). In accordance with such an alarm, the battery unit is repaired, discarded or recycled, and maintenance such as assigning a new one is performed. Further, a service such as grasping how many new or comparable battery units are prepared in the battery exchange stand and presenting the user with the availability of such new or comparable battery units is conceivable.

  As will be described later, in the case where the battery unit 2 is owned by a battery exchange stand supplier or a battery unit leasing company and leased to a user, the battery unit 2 is repaired by deterioration of the battery unit 2 or the like. The According to such a service, the user can always feel at ease that a battery unit with little deterioration is always supplied without worrying about the deterioration state of the battery unit installed in the automobile. is there.

  Here, it is preferable that the charging unit is controlled to stop charging the battery unit 2 that has been confirmed to have reached a predetermined charging state by the measurement unit. Thereby, overcharge of a battery unit can be prevented.

  Furthermore, the battery exchange device 3 may further include a system that displays or presents a charge according to the state of charge and / or the battery life state measured by the measurement unit together with the details of the state. For example, the display unit 8 is provided on the surface of the unit storage unit 33 shown in FIG. 1 facing the automobile 1, and the amount of electric power required for charging the battery unit according to the consumption state of the battery unit 2 removed from the automobile 1. Accordingly, the price of the service can be calculated, and a charge corresponding to the service can be presented to the user on the display unit 8. At that time, since the user can confirm the contents according to the details and pay the consideration according to the contents according to the details, the fairness of the service use is maintained.

  As an example, as will be described later, when a battery unit is owned by a battery exchange stand or a battery unit leasing company and leased to a user, the battery unit replacement fee is charged for the above charging. This is the amount corresponding to the amount of electric power multiplied by the depreciation of the battery unit and battery exchange equipment. Of course, various expenses such as the cost, profit, tax, etc. of the trader may be added. It is possible to promote the spread of this system by determining such various expenses by considering the current unit price of gasoline and the like.

  As described above, a simple form not only facilitates a series of operations for battery replacement, charging and storage, but also facilitates the entire recycling process including battery quality control and presentation of replacement service charges. It can be advanced and rationally operated.

  Instead of or in addition to the display unit 8, the details and charges may be printed on paper and output.

  The charging unit can perform the charging operation of the battery unit with commercial power, a solar power generation system, natural energy such as wind power and wave power, a fuel cell system, and / or a nighttime power supply system. Thereby, it can charge with the optimal electric power supply means according to the field condition.

  In the above embodiment, it is described that the battery unit 2 is removed from the automobile 1 and moved to the collection mechanism 31 by the manual work of the worker. However, in the future, such work can be converted into a robot. Of course. In particular, as shown in FIG. 3, when the unit release field and the unit mounting field are defined as a common field and the recovery mechanism unit 31 and the mounting mechanism unit 32 are integrated to form the recovery mounting mechanism unit 36, Collection and mounting can also be realized with a simple robot mechanism.

  Furthermore, the battery unit 2 mounted in the automobile 1 is not limited to one, but may be plural or may be plural kinds. In this case, what is necessary is just to modify | change the said collection | recovery chamber part, a mounting chamber part, a common room part, a holding part, etc. suitably.

  The battery unit at the time of purchasing a new car is a burden on the user. For example, the battery unit may be owned by a battery exchange stand supplier or a battery unit leaser and leased to the user. The user can gain the merit of reducing the initial cost for possessing the battery unit and can spread the system. Furthermore, as described above, by managing the battery unit to always maintain a certain quality or higher on the contractor side, the battery replacement service gives a sense of security that the user can have a battery unit in good condition. Through. In this respect as well, the spread of this system can be boosted. On the other hand, the contractor can collect the cost of the battery unit by adding the lease fee of the battery unit to the above-described battery replacement service, and can have a wide range of price setting according to the spread of the system.

It is a figure which shows the concept of the battery exchange stand by one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the battery replacement apparatus in the battery replacement stand of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the battery exchange apparatus by the other Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the battery exchange apparatus by further another Example of this invention. It is a side view which shows the structure of the unit attachment / detachment part used for the battery exchange apparatus by this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the battery unit used for the battery exchange apparatus by this invention, and its guide member. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the electrode and charging terminal of a battery unit used for the battery exchange apparatus by this invention. It is a top view which shows the structure of the battery unit guide mechanism part used for the battery exchange apparatus by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Transportation (car)
2 Battery unit 3 Battery exchange device 4 Guide member 5 Charging terminal 6 Movable support member 6x Rotating shaft 7 Charging line 8 Display unit 21 Electrode 31 Collection mechanism unit 31A Collection chamber unit 32 Mounting mechanism unit 32A Mounting chamber unit 33 Unit storage unit 35 Unit holding part 36 Recovery mounting mechanism part 36A Recovery mounting chamber part 40 Base part 41 Caster

Claims (11)

A battery exchange system for exchanging a battery unit that is used as a power source of at least a part of a transport and configured to be detachable from the transport,
A unit attaching / detaching portion for removing a battery unit from the transporting facility and mounting a new battery unit to the transporting facility;
A unit storage unit for sequentially storing the battery units removed by the unit attaching / detaching unit;
A charging unit for charging the battery unit stored in the unit storage unit;
A battery exchange system comprising: a transport unit that transports the battery unit charged by the charging unit to the unit attaching / detaching unit as a new battery unit to be mounted on the transportation facility.   The unit storage unit includes a plurality of unit holding units each having a charging terminal that houses or holds a battery unit for each battery unit and is electrically connected to an electrode of the battery unit, and the charging unit is connected to the charging terminal. It has a charging line to be coupled and a charging circuit for supplying a charging current to the charging terminal through the charging line, and starts charging the battery units in the order in which the battery units are stored or in a predetermined order. The battery replacement system according to claim 1.   In the unit attaching / detaching portion, a unit release field used for removing the battery unit from the transportation facility and a unit mounting field used for mounting the battery unit in the transportation facility are separated or shared. The plurality of unit holding units are handed over the battery unit from the release field or the vicinity thereof, arranged from the release field or the vicinity thereof to the mounting field or the vicinity thereof, and the battery unit is disposed in the unit storage unit. Each time it is stored, it has a structure that can be moved in the direction from the release field or its vicinity to the mounting field or its vicinity by the transport unit, and the charged battery unit is delivered to the mounting field or its vicinity, The battery replacement system according to claim 2.   4. The battery replacement according to claim 3, further comprising a control unit that controls the transport unit to move the unit holding unit at least one step each time at least one battery unit is stored in the unit storage unit. system.   The said control part controls the said conveyance part to move the said unit holding | maintenance part from the said release field or its vicinity to the said mounting field or its vicinity over the predetermined charging time of a battery unit, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. 4. The battery replacement system according to 4.   6. The battery replacement system according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined charging time is a time equal to or longer than a rated maximum charging time of the battery unit.   The unit attaching / detaching unit includes a recovery mechanism for accommodating or holding the battery unit removed from the transportation facility in the unit holding unit at or near the release field, and the unit at or near the mounting field. The battery replacement system according to claim 6, further comprising a mounting mechanism for taking out the battery unit from the holding unit and performing a unit mounting operation on the transportation facility individually or integrally.   8. The battery exchange system according to claim 1, further comprising a measurement unit configured to measure an individual charging state and / or a battery life state of the battery unit to be stored.   The battery replacement system according to claim 8, wherein the charging unit is controlled to stop charging the battery unit whose predetermined charging state is measured by the measuring unit.   9. The battery exchange system according to claim 8, further comprising a system for displaying and / or presenting a charge according to the measured state of charge and / or battery life state together with the details of the state.   The charging unit performs charging operation of a battery unit by commercial power, a solar power generation system, natural energy such as wind power and wave power, a fuel cell system and / or a nighttime power supply system. The battery exchange system according to one of 10.