JP2023173648A - Control apparatus for battery replacement device, battery replacement device, and battery replacement method - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve battery replacement efficiency and storage efficiency in a facility in which a battery can be replaced for a movable body on which the battery can be mounted.SOLUTION: A control apparatus for battery replacement device controls a battery replacement device which has a storage part capable of storing a battery to be mounted on a movable body to/from which the battery can be attached/detached, and a plurality of gripping parts which grip and take out the battery from one of the movable body and the storage part and are so configured as to be releasable at the other of the movable body and the storage part, and performs replacement of the battery between the movable body and the storage part. Battery replacement control for replacing the battery by the battery replacement device includes control for performing: a battery storage work of taking out the battery from the movable body by one gripping part of the plurality of gripping parts and storing the battery in the storage part; and a battery mounting work of taking out the battery from the storage part by another gripping part of the plurality of gripping parts and mounting the battery on the movable body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a control device for a battery exchange device, a battery exchange device, and a battery exchange method, and is particularly suitable for application to a battery station for exchanging batteries in an electric vehicle equipped with a removable storage battery (battery). It is.

Conventionally, in a battery station, a replacement device is provided approximately in the center of the facility, and has a set of forks capable of gripping and releasing a battery, which is a storage battery, and at least one empty shelf and a plurality of storage shelves are located at the replacement device. are arranged radially with respect to the center. For a mobile object such as an electric vehicle equipped with a removable battery, the replacement device first grasps and removes the battery with a fork. Next, the exchange device pulls the battery gripped by the fork into the battery station, swings the fork to the empty shelf, releases the battery, and places it on the empty shelf. Next, the exchange device swings the fork to grasp and take out the charged battery from another storage shelf (battery rack) on which batteries are placed, and swings the fork to the vehicle to release the battery and remove the battery from the vehicle. Place it on. When replacing the battery in this manner, it takes about three minutes from the time the vehicle arrives at the battery station until the time when the battery is replaced.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an energy storage exchange of a transport vehicle with an exchange position for the transport vehicle, a transfer device for the energy storage and a charging station with a plurality of parking spaces for the energy storage. and an apparatus for charging is disclosed. In the invention described in Patent Document 1, a rotating magazine is arranged in a charging station and is rotatable around a central axis, and furthermore, the rotating magazine has a parking space for an energy storage device. , the charging station and the circumferential surface of the rotating magazine are connected directly or via an intermediate chamber to the outer circumferential surface of the transport vehicle, and a displacement device for the energy storage is connected to the axis of the rotating magazine and the outer circumference of the charging station. It is a configuration arranged between.

Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a battery exchange system for exchanging a battery mounted on a vehicle, in which a battery exchange system for exchanging a battery housed in a first battery housing section attached to one side of the vehicle is disclosed. 1 battery exchange robot, a second battery exchange robot for exchanging the battery accommodated in a second battery accommodating section attached to the other side of the vehicle, and a control section for controlling the battery exchange system. The configuration is disclosed. The invention described in Patent Document 2 has a configuration in which the control unit synchronizes the operations of the first battery exchange robot and the second battery exchange robot when the battery is removed from the vehicle and when the battery is inserted into the vehicle. It is.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 3-71565 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-31032

In the above-mentioned conventional technology, one set of forks is used to replace one battery mounted on a moving object such as a vehicle, so the battery that is gripped and taken out from the moving object is placed on an empty shelf. Then, it was necessary to grasp and remove other batteries from the storage shelf and load them onto the moving object. In this case, it takes time to replace the battery, and at least one empty shelf must be prepared to temporarily store the battery taken out from the moving object, so there is a problem that battery replacement efficiency and storage efficiency are low. was there. Therefore, in battery exchange equipment, there has been a need for technology that improves battery exchange efficiency and storage efficiency.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to improve battery exchange efficiency and storage efficiency in battery exchangeable equipment in a mobile body capable of mounting a battery.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objects, a control device for a battery exchange device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a storage unit capable of storing the battery, which is mounted on a movable body to which the battery can be attached and detached; a plurality of gripping parts configured to be able to grip and take out the battery from one of the mobile body and the storage unit and to be releasable from the other of the mobile body and the storage unit; A control device for a battery exchange device that controls a battery exchange device that exchanges a battery between the battery exchange device and the battery exchange device that controls the battery exchange device that exchanges the battery with the battery exchange device, the battery exchange control that causes the battery exchange device to exchange the battery. a battery storage operation for taking out the battery from the mobile object and storing it in the storage section by a gripping part; and taking out the battery from the storage part and moving it by another gripping part of the plurality of gripping parts. This includes control for mounting the battery on the body.

In the control device for a battery exchange device according to an aspect of the present invention, in the above invention, the battery exchange control is performed by using the other gripping portion to remove the battery from the moving body before the battery is taken out from the moving object by the one gripping portion. Control is performed to grasp the battery from the storage section.

A control device for a battery exchange device according to an aspect of the present invention is such that, in the above invention, the battery exchange device has a rotating lifting/lowering mechanism capable of raising and lowering the gripping portion and rotating the gripping portion around a predetermined rotation axis. A plurality of the storage sections are arranged approximately radially in a substantially semicircular region centered on the rotation axis of the turning/elevating mechanism, and the control device for the battery exchange device is configured to control the plurality of storage sections. control to simultaneously raise, lower, or rotate the gripping parts of the

A battery exchange device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a storage unit that is mounted on a movable body to which the battery can be detached and is capable of storing the battery, and a battery exchanger that grips and takes out the battery from one of the movable body and the storage unit. , a control unit that controls a battery exchange device that exchanges batteries between the movable body and the storage unit, the control unit having a plurality of gripping units configured to be releasable at the other side of the movable body and the storage unit; In the battery exchange device, the battery exchange control for exchanging the battery by the control unit includes taking out the battery from the movable body by one of the plurality of grips and storing it in the storage unit. This includes control for performing a battery storage operation for storing the battery, and a battery mounting operation for taking out the battery from the storage section and mounting it on the movable body using another one of the plurality of gripping sections.

In the battery exchange device according to an aspect of the present invention, in the above invention, the plurality of gripping parts include at least one pair of gripping parts in which one gripping part and the other gripping part are paired, and the one gripping part and the other gripping portion are arranged rotationally symmetrically about a predetermined pivot axis.

In the battery exchange device according to one aspect of the present invention, in the above invention, the one gripping portion and the other gripping portion are configured to mutually function as a counterweight.

A battery replacement method according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a storage part that is mounted on a movable body to which the battery can be detached and is capable of storing the battery; and a battery that is gripped and taken out from one of the movable body and the storage part. , a plurality of gripping parts configured to be releasable at the other side of the mobile body and the storage unit, and a battery exchange method for exchanging a battery between the mobile body and the storage unit, the method comprising: A battery storage operation for taking out the battery from the movable body and storing it in the storage unit by one gripper among the plurality of grippers, and the storage by another gripper among the plurality of grippers. At least a part of the battery mounting work, in which the battery is taken out from the unit and mounted on the moving body, is performed in parallel.

According to the control device for a battery exchange device, the battery exchange device, and the battery exchange method according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the battery exchange efficiency and storage efficiency in battery exchangeable equipment in a mobile body capable of mounting a battery. It becomes possible.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a battery exchange system to which a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a top view schematically showing the configuration of a battery exchange facility according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a lifting mechanism in a battery exchange facility according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a method of operating a fork in a battery exchange facility according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a method of operating a fork in a battery exchange facility according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a top view schematically showing the configuration of a battery exchange facility according to the prior art. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a lifting mechanism in a battery exchange facility according to the prior art.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in all the drawings of one embodiment below, the same or corresponding parts are given the same reference numerals. Moreover, the present invention is not limited to one embodiment described below.

FIG. 1 shows a battery exchange system to which control according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, a battery exchange system 1 as a battery exchange station includes a control device 10 as a control device for a battery exchange device that can communicate with each other via a network 2, and a battery exchange facility 20 as a battery exchange device. has. Note that the control device 10 may be configured integrally with the battery exchange facility 20, or the battery exchange facility 20 may include the control device 10, and the setting location is not limited.

The network 2 is configured by appropriately combining wired communication and wireless communication, and is configured from communication networks such as the Internet line network and mobile phone line network. The network 2 includes, for example, a leased line, a public communication network such as the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a telephone communication network such as a mobile phone, a public line, a VPN (Virtual Private Network), etc. Consists of one or more combinations. The control device 10 and the battery exchange facility 20 are connected via a network 2.

(Electric vehicle)
The electric vehicle 30 as a moving body is configured such that a battery 40 can be detachably mounted thereon. The electric vehicle 30 is, for example, a vehicle such as a garbage truck or a delivery vehicle, and has the configuration of an electric vehicle driven by an electric machine. The electric vehicle 30 includes an ID output unit 31 made of an RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) device or the like. The ID output unit 31 outputs vehicle identification ID information for mutually identifying the individual electric vehicles 30.

The electric vehicle 30 is configured to be capable of contactless communication with the battery exchange facility 20. That is, the ID sensor 26 provided in the battery exchange facility 20 performs contactless communication with the ID output unit 31, so that at least the vehicle identification ID of the electric vehicle 30 can be communicated with each other in a contactless manner. .

(Control device)
The control device 10 includes a control section 11, a storage section 12, and a communication section 13. The control device 10 controls the battery exchange facility 20 as a control means having hardware.

Specifically, the control unit 11 includes processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), and an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). It has a main memory section.

The storage unit 12 is composed of a storage medium selected from EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), removable media, and the like. Note that the removable media is, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, or a disc recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a BD (Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc). Can be mentioned. The storage unit 12 can store various programs, various tables, various databases, etc., such as an operating system (OS) and a vehicle information database 12a.

The control unit 11 as a processor having hardware loads the program stored in the storage unit 12 into the work area of the main storage unit and executes it, and through the execution of the program, the exchange control unit 111 and the vehicle identification unit 112. function can be realized. Here, the program includes a learning model generated by machine learning or the like. Note that the learning model is also referred to as a trained model, a model, or the like. The learning model can be supervised learning, such as deep learning using a neural network, using an input/output data set of predetermined input parameters and output parameters as training data, or unsupervised learning, such as reinforcement learning. It can be generated using machine learning.

The communication unit 13 is, for example, a LAN interface board, a wired communication circuit for wired communication, or a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication. The LAN interface board, wired communication circuit, and wireless communication circuit are connected to the network 2. The communication unit 13 serving as a transmitting unit and a receiving unit is connected to the network 2 and configured to be able to communicate with the battery exchange facility 20 .

(Traditional battery exchange facility)
Next, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, problems with the prior art will be explained. FIG. 6 is a top view schematically showing the configuration of a battery exchange facility according to the prior art.

As shown in FIG. 6, a battery exchange facility 120, which is a battery exchange station according to the prior art, includes battery exchange equipment 122. As shown in FIG. The battery exchange equipment 122 includes a rotating lifting mechanism 121 as a rotating lifting mechanism, a plurality of storage racks 123 each storing a battery 40, and a telescoping fork 124. Each component of the battery exchange facility 122 is controlled by a predetermined control unit (not shown). When the electric vehicle 30 equipped with the battery 40 arrives at the battery exchange facility, the used battery 40 can be exchanged with a new battery 40 in the storage rack 123 via the battery exchange facility 120.

A plurality of storage racks 123 are arranged radially in a semicircular area centered on the pivot axis 121a of the elevating mechanism 121 when viewed from above. The turning type lifting mechanism 121 can turn around the turning shaft 121a and can move up and down. The telescoping fork 124 extends horizontally outward from the elevating mechanism 121, and can be extended and contracted to adjust its extension length. A grip portion 124a configured to be able to grip and release the battery 40 is provided at the tip of the fork 124.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a lifting mechanism 121 in a battery exchange facility 120 according to the prior art. As shown in FIG. 7, the lifting mechanism 121 provided in the battery exchange facility 120 described above has a lifting motor 127 and a sprocket 127a arranged at the top. Sprocket 127a is connected to lifting motor 127. Furthermore, chains 128a and 128b are wound around the sprocket 127a, and one end is connected to a carrier 124b of the fork 124, and the other end is connected to a counterweight 129 having a predetermined weight. has been done. Thereby, the fork 124 is configured to be able to be raised and lowered by rotationally driving the raising and lowering motor 127.

In the battery exchange facility 120 configured as described above, there is only one set of forks 124 for gripping and releasing the battery. In this case, battery 40 in electric vehicle 30 is replaced as follows.

That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the electric vehicle 30 arrives at the battery exchange facility 120 and stops next to the battery exchange facility 122. Next, the fork 124 is extended to the outside from the replacement opening 122a of the battery replacement equipment 122. Thereafter, the fork 124 is lowered by the lifting mechanism 121 (see FIG. 7) of the battery exchange facility 120, and the battery 40 of the electric vehicle 30 is gripped by the grip portion 124a at the tip.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the battery 40 is lifted by the elevating mechanism 121 and removed from the electric vehicle 30 while being held by the gripping part 124a, and then the fork 124 is shortened so that the battery 40 is removed from the electric vehicle 30. It is drawn into the exchange facility 122.

Next, the elevating mechanism 121 rotates the fork 124 around the pivot shaft 121a to the empty storage rack 123a, extends it, and then lowers it to place the removed battery 40 on the empty storage rack 123a. After the battery 40 is placed, the fork 124 is shortened, and the lifting mechanism 121 further pivots the fork 124 to the storage rack 123 where the battery 40 is stored. The elevating mechanism 121 extends the fork 124 and grips the charged battery 40 with the grip portion 124a, then raises the fork 124, further shortens it, and takes out the battery 40 from the storage rack 123.

Subsequently, the elevating mechanism 121 extends the fork 124 after pivoting it to the replacement opening 122a around the pivot shaft 121a. Next, the elevating mechanism 121 operates the fork 124 to place the battery 40 directly above the carrier of the electric vehicle 30, and then lowers the battery 40. The grip portion 124a of the fork 124 releases the battery 40 and places it on the carrier 32 (mounting table) of the electric vehicle 30.

As described above, the battery 40 replacement process in the electric vehicle 30 is performed. In the battery 40 replacement process according to the above conventional technology, the time from when the electric vehicle 30 arrives at the battery exchange facility 120 until the charged battery 40 is attached and the vehicle is ready for departure is approximately 3 minutes. It took a long time. In this case, the time required to replace the batteries 40 in about 10 electric vehicles 30 is about 30 minutes or more, so if there are many electric vehicles 30 that require battery replacement, the route to the battery exchange facility 120 will be longer. In this case, the electric vehicle 30 may be stuck in a traffic jam, and it is necessary to replace the battery 40 more efficiently.

(Battery exchange facility)
Therefore, the present inventor devised a battery exchange facility 20 as a battery exchange device having a configuration of a so-called twin fork type battery exchange station. As shown in FIG. 1, a battery exchange facility 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a control unit 21 having a communication unit 21a, at least one storage rack 23, and at least two sets of forks 24, 25. It includes equipment 22 and an ID sensor 26.

The control unit 21 and the communication unit 21a have the same physical and functional configurations as the control unit 11 and the communication unit 13 described above, respectively. Note that the information processing by the control unit 21 is preferably executed by the control device 10. That is, it is preferable to use the control device 10 as the control unit 21 of the battery exchange facility 20.

FIG. 2 is a top view schematically showing the configuration of the battery exchange facility 20 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, in a battery exchange facility 20 which is a twin fork type battery exchange station according to this embodiment, a battery exchange equipment 22 is controlled by a control unit 21. The control unit 21 has a communication unit 21a and is configured to be able to communicate with the outside via the network 2. The ID sensor 26 is controlled by the control unit 21, and the vehicle identification ID received by the ID sensor 26 is transmitted to the control unit 21.

The battery exchange equipment 22 in the battery exchange facility 20 includes a rotating lifting mechanism 221, a plurality of storage racks 23 each capable of storing batteries 40, and at least a pair of telescoping forks 24, 25. Ru. Each component of the battery exchange equipment 22 is controlled by the control unit 21. When the electric vehicle 30 equipped with the battery 40 arrives at the battery exchange facility 20, the used battery 40 can be exchanged with a new battery 40 in the storage rack 23 via the battery exchange facility 20.

A plurality of storage racks 23 are arranged substantially radially in a substantially semicircular region centered on the pivot shaft 222 of the elevating mechanism 221 when viewed from above. Specifically, the plurality of storage racks 23 are each arranged in an arc shape such that the longitudinal direction in the horizontal plane is parallel to the direction of expansion and contraction of the pivoted forks 24 and 25.

The rotating lifting mechanism 221 is configured with a plurality of forks, preferably an even number of forks, and two forks in this embodiment. The telescoping forks 24 and 25 are each configured to be able to extend outward in the horizontal direction from the elevating mechanism 221, and can be extended and contracted to adjust the extension length. In the elevating mechanism 221, when one of the forks 24, 25, which serves as a gripping portion, extends from the replacement opening 22a to the electric vehicle 30, the fork 24, 25, which serves as the other gripping portion, extends in the opposite direction. This is an arrangement that extends in the direction. The forks 24 and 25 of the elevating mechanism 221 are configured to be able to turn, for example, ±180° around the pivot shaft 222 in this state, and to be able to move up and down. At the tips of each of the forks 24 and 25, gripping portions 24a and 25a are provided that are configured to be able to grip and release the battery 40.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the lifting mechanism 221 in the battery exchange facility 20 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, an elevating mechanism 221 provided in the battery exchange facility 20 includes an elevating motor 27 and a sprocket 27a connected to the elevating motor 27 at the top. A chain 28 is wound around the sprocket 27a. On one side of the sprocket 27a, one end of the chain 28 is connected to a carrier 224 of the fork 24, so that the fork 24 is suspended. The other end of the chain 28 is connected to the carrier 225 of the fork 25 on the other side of the sprocket 27a, so that the fork 25 is suspended.

The forks 24 and 25 are configured to be movable up and down by rotational drive of a lift motor 27. When the forks 24 and 25 have substantially the same weight, the hanging loads on both sides of the sprocket 27a are canceled out, and the load on the lifting motor 27 can be significantly reduced. That is, when the fork 24 is raised, the hanging load of the fork 25 can be utilized by lowering the fork 25. The same applies to the case where the fork 25 is raised. Therefore, the load required to rotate the sprocket 27a is reduced. In other words, the forks 24 and 25, which are set to have substantially the same weight, function as counterweights to each other.

4 and 5 are diagrams for explaining a method of operating the forks 24 and 25 in the battery exchange facility 20 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the forks 24 and 25 have, for example, a three-stage sliding fork structure. That is, the fork 24 includes a base fork 241, a third fork 242, a second fork 243, and a top fork 244. Base fork 241 is fixed to carrier 224.

The distal end side of the base fork 241 and the distal end side of the second fork 243 are connected by a chain 246 wrapped around a sprocket 247. The distal end side of the third fork 242 and the distal end side of the top fork 244 are connected by a chain 248 that is passed around a sprocket 249. A linear gear 245 is provided on one surface of the third fork 242 in a direction perpendicular to the direction of expansion and contraction (left-right direction in the figure). A gear 240a connected to and interlocked with the transfer motor 240 is meshed with the gear 245, and the third fork 242 forms a rack and pinion mechanism. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, when the transfer motor 240 is rotated to rotate the gear 240a and the third fork 242 is pushed out in the direction of extension and contraction, the sprocket 247 moves in the direction of extension and contraction, and the sprocket 247 is connected by the chain 246. Second fork 243 is pushed out. Along with this, the top fork 244 is pushed out in conjunction with this. As a result, the grip portion 24a is stretched in the expansion/contraction direction (arrow direction in FIG. 5). A second fork 243 and a top fork 244 connected by chains 246 and 248 are pushed out in conjunction with each other. As described above, by extending the fork 24, the grip portion 24a is moved in the extending/contracting direction (the direction of the arrow in FIG. 5).

Further, the pair of forks 24 and 25 are provided adjacent to each other with their extending directions shifted by 180 degrees. That is, in this embodiment, two types of forks 24 and 25 are arranged on both sides of the pivot shaft 222 of the lifting mechanism 221 so that the extending direction of the fork 24 and the extending direction of the fork 25 are opposite directions. Located adjacent to each other.

In the battery exchange facility 120 configured as described above, two sets of forks 24 and 25 are provided for gripping and releasing the battery 40, and the forks are configured to extend and contract in opposite directions. . In this case, battery 40 in electric vehicle 30 is replaced as follows.

(Battery replacement process)
That is, a plurality of forks 24 and 25 are arranged in the battery exchange equipment 22, and when the electric vehicle 30 enters, a fully charged battery 40 is taken out in advance by one of the forks, here the fork 24, so that it can be exchanged, and is placed on standby. I'll keep it. Next, when the driver of the electric vehicle 30 executes a process to instruct the start of replacement, such as pressing a replacement start button, the battery 40 is removed from the electric vehicle 30 by the other fork, here the fork 25, and the battery 40 is removed from the battery replacement facility. 22, the forks 24 and 25 are turned 180 degrees, and the fully charged battery 40 that is waiting is mounted on the electric vehicle 30.

Below, these battery exchange processes will be explained in detail. Note that each component of the battery exchange facility 20 is controlled by the control unit 21 based on signals acquired from the control device 10 via the communication units 13 and 21a, and the information acquired by the control unit 21 is It is sent to the control device 10 each time. Therefore, each component of the battery exchange facility 20 is indirectly controlled by the control unit 11 of the control device 10, but a detailed explanation of information transmission/reception and communication will be omitted. Note that if the battery exchange facility 20 is provided with the control device 10, the control unit 21 is replaced with the control device 10.

(Vehicle identification process)
That is, first, electric vehicle 30 approaches battery exchange facility 20 . The control unit 21 of the battery exchange facility 20 acquires the vehicle identification ID of the electric vehicle 30 through non-contact communication between the ID output unit 31 of the electric vehicle 30 and the ID sensor 26 . Thereby, the control unit 11 of the control device 10 acquires the vehicle identification ID of the electric vehicle 30 and stores it in the vehicle information database 12a of the storage unit 12. The vehicle identification unit 112 of the control unit 11 determines the type of battery 40 installed in the approaching electric vehicle 30 from the vehicle information database 12a of the storage unit 12 based on the acquired vehicle identification ID. Note that if there is only one type of battery 40, the process of determining the type can be omitted. The type information of the battery 40 is output to the exchange control section 111 of the control section 11.

(Battery preparation process)
The exchange control unit 111 that has acquired the type information of the battery 40 replaces one of the pair of forks 24 and 25, for example, the fork 24, in front of the storage rack 23 on which the battery 40 matching the acquired type information is placed. The elevating mechanism 221 is turned so that the side to be stretched is located. Thereby, the extending side of the fork 24 is located in front of the predetermined storage rack 23. Next, the replacement control unit 111 controls the elevating mechanism 221 based on the current height of the fork 24 to lower the fork 24 and raise the fork 25 as necessary. Note that if the fork 24 is already at the lowered height, no lowering control is required.

Next, the exchange control unit 111 controls the fork 24 to extend the tip of the fork 24 to the battery 40, and grips the battery 40 with the grip portion 24a at the tip. In addition, when the fork pocket is provided in the upper part of the battery 40, the grip part 24a is inserted into the fork pocket and the fork pocket is gripped. Subsequently, the exchange control unit 111 lowers the fork 25 and raises the fork 24 to take out the battery 40 from the storage rack 23. Thereafter, the exchange control unit 111 rotates the transfer motor 240 to shorten the fork 24. Thereby, the elevating mechanism 221 becomes able to pivot around the pivot shaft 222 within the battery exchange facility 22 . The exchange control unit 111 turns the fork 24, 25 on the side that does not grip the battery 40, here the fork 25, to a position where it can be extended through the exchange opening 22a. Note that by increasing the height of the internal space of the battery exchange equipment 22, the fork 24 may be configured to be able to turn in a raised state. During these series of operations, the electric vehicle 30 stops next to the battery exchange equipment 22 of the battery exchange facility 20.

(Exchange process start process)
Next, the electric vehicle 30 outputs a start signal for the replacement process while being placed next to the battery replacement equipment 22 . When the exchange control unit 111 obtains the exchange processing start signal, it opens the door of the exchange opening 22a in the battery exchange equipment 22.

(Battery removal process)
Next, the exchange control unit 111 extends one of the forks 24 and 25, here the fork 25, to the outside from the exchange opening 22a of the battery exchange equipment 22. The extended fork 25 grips the battery 40 of the electric vehicle 30 with the grip portion 25a at the tip. Subsequently, the exchange control unit 111 lowers the fork 24 and raises the fork 25. Here, since the battery 40 taken out from the storage rack 23 is suspended from the fork 24, the forks 24 and 25 rise and fall with substantially equal weight. In other words, the fork 25 is raised while being balanced with substantially equal weight. Thereafter, the exchange control unit 111 rotates the transfer motor 240 to shorten the fork 25. As a result, the battery 40 that has been removed from the electric vehicle 30 is drawn into the battery exchange facility 22 and becomes able to rotate within the battery exchange facility 22.

(Battery installation process)
Next, the exchange control unit 111 causes the elevating mechanism 221 to rotate, for example, 180 degrees around the pivot shaft 222 within the battery exchange equipment 22 . At the same time, the exchange control unit 111 lowers the fork 25 and raises the fork 24. Thereby, the battery 40 taken out from the storage rack 23 and held by the fork 24 is located at an elevated height in front of the replacement opening 22a. Subsequently, the exchange control unit 111 places the battery 40 directly above the carrier of the electric vehicle 30 by extending the fork 24 in the lifting mechanism 221. Thereafter, the fork 24 is lowered while the fork 25 is raised. When the battery 40 is placed on the carrier of the electric vehicle 30, the grip portion 24a of the fork 24 releases the battery 40. Thereby, the battery 40 is placed and mounted on the carrier of the electric vehicle 30. Thereafter, the exchange control unit 111 stores the fork 24 in the battery exchange equipment 22 by shortening the fork 24 of the elevating mechanism 221. As described above, the battery 40 replacement process in the electric vehicle 30 is completed, and the electric vehicle 30 can depart from the battery exchange facility 22. At this stage, it was confirmed that the time (battery replacement time) from when the driver pressed the replacement start button until the electric vehicle 30 was ready to depart was less than 1 minute. In other words, it was confirmed that the battery replacement time can be reduced to ⅓ or less compared to the conventional technology.

(Battery charging preparation process)
On the other hand, the battery 40 removed from the electric vehicle 30 is pivoted to the front of an empty storage rack 23 among the storage racks 23 by pivoting the lifting mechanism 221 by a predetermined angle. Subsequently, the exchange control unit 111 places the battery 40 directly above the storage rack 23 by extending the fork 25 in the lifting mechanism 221. Thereafter, the fork 25 is lowered while the fork 24 is raised. When the battery 40 is placed on the storage rack 23, the grip portion 25a of the fork 25 releases the battery 40. Thereby, the battery 40 taken out from the electric vehicle 30 is stored in the storage rack 23. In the storage rack 23, the battery 40 is charged.

The above two processes, the battery preparation process as part of the battery installation work and the battery removal process as part of the battery storage work, are carried out as much as possible in order to shorten the battery replacement time required for the battery replacement process. Although it is preferable to perform the processing in parallel in terms of time, it is also possible to perform a portion of the processing in parallel. In addition, the two processes, the battery charging preparation process as part of battery storage work and the battery mounting process as part of battery installation work, are carried out in parallel as much as possible in order to shorten battery replacement time. Although it is preferable to perform the processing in parallel, it is also possible to perform the processing on a part of each other in parallel.

According to the present embodiment described above, the time required to replace the battery 40 for the electric vehicle 30 can be reduced to approximately 1/3 to 1/2. That is, according to the present embodiment, by arranging two sets of forks 24 and 25 for replacing the batteries 40, the battery replacement time is shortened, so that, for example, when replacing 10 batteries, it takes about 30 minutes. The time required for replacing the battery can be reduced to about 10 minutes, which has the effect of expanding its application to applications where replacement is frequent.

Furthermore, when replacing the battery 40, the battery 40 removed from the electric vehicle 30 can be stored in the empty storage rack 23 after taking out the fully charged battery 40. For example, the battery 40 can be replaced with 10 batteries. In order to store the storage rack 23, 11 shelves were required, but 10 shelves will suffice, and the required area will be reduced to 10/11. Since it is not necessary to set up an empty storage rack 123a in the battery exchange facility 22, the efficiency of accommodating the batteries 40 can be improved.

In addition, in the lifting mechanism 221, by balancing a plurality of forks 24, 25, preferably an even number, more preferably two sets, and performing the lifting operation, each fork 24, 25 can be balanced. The load on the lifting motor 27 can be significantly reduced compared to the conventional case. Thereby, the output of the lifting motor 27 can be reduced to half of the conventional output. Furthermore, since the overall power consumption of the battery exchange facility 22 can be significantly reduced, the amount of power used to charge the battery 40 can be increased. Furthermore, since there is no need to set up empty shelves in the storage rack 23, the efficiency of accommodating the batteries 40 is improved.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been specifically described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention. For example, the configurations mentioned in the above-described embodiments are merely examples, and configurations different from these may be used as necessary.

That is, a fork pocket is provided on the top of the battery 40, the fork 24 of the battery exchange facility 20 is extended, the tip of the fork 24 is inserted into the fork pocket of the battery 40, and the battery is lifted up by the lifting mechanism 221, thereby removing the battery from the electric vehicle 30. 40 may be removed.

In addition, in the battery replacement process described above, the used battery 40 is removed from the electric vehicle 30 after the fully charged battery 40 is taken out from the storage rack 23, but these steps are performed in the reverse order, although it takes some time. It is also possible to execute

Furthermore, in the battery replacement process described above, replacement of one battery 40 has been described, but even in the electric vehicle 30 equipped with a plurality of batteries 40, the plurality of batteries 40 may be replaced simultaneously or sequentially. It is possible. In this case, by providing a plurality of forks 24 as one gripping part and a plurality of forks 25 as the other gripping part, it is possible to replace a plurality of batteries simultaneously or sequentially. In the same manner as above, it is possible to execute the battery replacement process, and it is possible to shorten the battery replacement time.

The present invention also includes configurations in which the constituent elements of each embodiment and each modification example described above are combined as appropriate. Moreover, further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. The broader aspects of the invention are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described above. Accordingly, various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

1 Battery exchange system 2 Network 10 Control device 11, 21 Control unit 12 Storage unit 12a Vehicle information database 13, 21a Communication unit 20 Battery exchange facility 22 Battery exchange equipment 22a Replacement opening 23 Storage rack 24, 25 Fork 24a, 25a Grip Part 26 ID sensor 27 Lifting motor 27a Sprocket 28, 246, 248 Chain 30 Electric vehicle 31 ID output unit 32, 224, 225 Carrier 40 Battery 111 Exchange control unit 112 Vehicle identification unit 221 Lifting mechanism 222 Swivel shaft 240 Transfer motor 240a Gear 241 Base fork 242 Third fork 243 Second fork 244 Top fork 245 Gear 247, 249 Sprocket

Claims (7)

a storage section capable of storing the battery mounted on a movable body to which the battery can be detached; and a storage section capable of storing the battery, the battery being gripped and taken out from one of the movable body and the storage section, and released on the other of the movable body and the storage section. A control device for a battery exchange device that controls a battery exchange device that exchanges batteries between the movable body and the storage unit, the control device having a plurality of gripping portions that can be configured to
Battery exchange control for exchanging the battery by the battery exchange device includes:
A battery storage operation in which one of the plurality of grippers takes out the battery from the moving body and stores it in the storage unit, and another one of the plurality of grippers performs the battery storage operation. A control device for a battery exchange device, including control for performing a battery mounting operation in which a battery is taken out from a storage section and mounted on the movable body. The battery exchange according to claim 1, wherein the battery exchange control is performed so that the other gripper grips the battery from the storage unit before the first gripper takes out the battery from the moving object. Control device for equipment. The battery exchange device has a swinging and lifting mechanism capable of raising and lowering the gripping part and pivoting the gripping part around a predetermined rotational axis, and the storage part has a swinging and lifting mechanism that can move the gripping part up and down and rotate the gripping part around a predetermined rotational axis. The battery exchange device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of battery exchange device controllers are arranged approximately radially in a substantially semicircular area centered on the battery exchange device, and the battery exchange device control device controls the plurality of grip portions to be raised, lowered, or rotated at the same time. control device. a storage section capable of storing the battery mounted on a movable body to which the battery can be detached; and a storage section capable of storing the battery, the battery being gripped and taken out from one of the movable body and the storage section, and released on the other of the movable body and the storage section. A battery exchange device, the battery exchange device having a plurality of gripping portions configured to allow the battery to be exchanged, and a control portion for controlling the battery exchange device that exchanges batteries between the movable body and the storage unit,
Battery exchange control for exchanging the battery by the control unit includes:
A battery storage operation in which one of the plurality of grippers takes out the battery from the moving body and stores it in the storage unit, and another one of the plurality of grippers performs the battery storage operation. A battery exchange device including control for performing a battery mounting operation of taking out a battery from a storage section and mounting it on the mobile body. The plurality of gripping parts have at least one pair of gripping parts in which one gripping part and the other gripping part are a pair,
The battery exchange device according to claim 4, wherein the one gripping portion and the other gripping portion are arranged rotationally symmetrically about a predetermined pivot axis. The battery exchange device according to claim 4, wherein the one gripping portion and the other gripping portion are configured to mutually function as counterweights. a storage section capable of storing the battery mounted on a movable body to which the battery can be detached; and a storage section capable of storing the battery, the battery being gripped and taken out from one of the movable body and the storage section, and released on the other of the movable body and the storage section. A battery exchange method for exchanging a battery between the movable body and the storage unit, the battery exchange method having a plurality of gripping parts configured to allow the battery to be exchanged between the moving body and the storage unit,
A battery storage operation in which one of the plurality of grippers takes out the battery from the moving body and stores it in the storage unit, and another one of the plurality of grippers performs the battery storage operation. A battery replacement method, wherein at least a part of the battery mounting work is performed in parallel with a battery mounting operation in which the battery is taken out from a storage section and mounted on the mobile object.

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