JP6336670B1 - Electric car - Google Patents

Abstract

An electric vehicle capable of easily replacing a battery is provided. A battery 20 that can be handled by a vehicle body 2, a motor 7 for driving front wheels 4L, 4R, at least two replaceable batteries 20 and 20 for driving the motor 7, and a fork part 310 of a hand forklift 300. The pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed is arranged in the left-right width direction of the vehicle body 2. The left and right sides of the vehicle body 2 are provided with openings 201L and 201R in which the pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed can be taken out of the vehicle body 2 by the fork unit 310 and can be stored in the vehicle body 2 by the fork unit 310. It is the electric vehicle 1 characterized by this. [Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric vehicle.

  Conventionally, an electric vehicle equipped with a battery as a power source is known, and there are a battery replacement method and a quick charge method for the battery.

  In a conventional battery exchange type electric vehicle, a battery whose charge amount is equal to or less than a predetermined amount is removed from the vehicle body at a battery exchange place, and another battery that has been charged in advance is attached.

  In addition, the conventional quick charge type electric vehicle (for example, refer to Patent Document 1) performs charging without removing the battery in the quick charge stand, and the battery is used for efficient cooling using air blowing or the like. It is divided and fixed inside the car body.

JP2013-171622A

  However, such a battery replacement operation in a conventional battery replacement type electric vehicle is a heavy load (for example, about 300 kg) and is mounted in a normally invisible place under the vehicle body. There exists a problem that removal and attachment are not easy.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an electric vehicle in which the battery can be easily replaced in view of such problems in the conventional battery replacement type electric vehicle.

The first aspect of the present invention is
The car body,
A motor provided on the vehicle body for driving the traveling wheel;
A plurality of replaceable batteries for driving at least the motor;
A plurality of battery mounting members for individually mounting each of the plurality of batteries having a pallet function that can be handled by a fork portion of the cargo handling device;
An electric vehicle comprising:
The battery mounting member on which the battery is mounted is disposed in the left-right width direction of the vehicle body,
On both the left and right sides of the vehicle body, the battery mounting member on which the battery is mounted can be taken out from the vehicle body by the fork portion, and an opening that can be stored in the vehicle body by the fork portion is provided. And
The plurality of batteries are two batteries,
One of the two batteries is disposed in a state of being mounted on the battery mounting member in one of the openings provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle body. And the other of the two batteries is mounted on the battery mounting member in the other opening of the openings provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle body. Arranged in the
The battery mounting member on which the battery is mounted can be transferred to either the left side or the right side of the vehicle body.
The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the transfer unit is capable of transferring the battery mounting member on which the battery arranged in the opening on the other side is mounted to the opening on the one side. .

The second aspect of the present invention
The transport unit includes a transport belt on which the battery mounting member is placed, and a driving roller capable of driving the transport belt in either the left or right direction of the vehicle body,
The electric vehicle according to the first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the driving force from the motor can be switched to the driving roller side.

The third aspect of the present invention
The battery according to the first or second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the battery and the battery mounting member are integrally formed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electric vehicle capable of easily replacing a battery.

Schematic left side view of an electric vehicle with a transport device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention 1 is a schematic plan view of the electric vehicle of FIG. Schematic perspective view of the main part of the battery replacement mechanism in the electric vehicle of Embodiment 1 Control block diagram regarding battery replacement work of electric vehicle according to Embodiment 1 Schematic plan view schematically showing battery replacement work in the electric vehicle of the first embodiment Schematic side view of hand forklift Schematic plan view of a second electric vehicle according to the second embodiment of the present invention Schematic plan view showing a third electric vehicle provided with a transmission switching mechanism Schematic plan view of a fourth electric vehicle provided with a motor dedicated to a conveying device for driving only the driving roller of the conveying device in addition to the motor for driving the left and right axles. The schematic left view of the 5th electric vehicle as another example of the electric vehicle of this invention In the electric vehicle described in the first embodiment, a schematic side view schematically showing a state in which an integrated battery in which a battery and a pallet are integrated is placed on a transfer device.

Embodiments of an electric vehicle according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(Embodiment 1)
In the first embodiment, an electric vehicle 1 including a transfer device 120 that can transfer a battery to either the left or right side will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic left side view of an electric vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the electric vehicle 1 of FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a main part of the battery replacement mechanism 100 in the electric vehicle 1 of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the electric vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment includes (1) a vehicle body 2, (2) a main frame 3 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, which forms a skeleton part of the vehicle body 2, (3) A pair of left and right front wheels 4L, 4R as drive wheels, (4) A pair of left and right rear wheels 5L, 5R as driven wheels, (5) A steering handle 6, and (6) A motor 7 as a drive source A drive unit 8 having a built-in battery, and (7) two replaceable batteries 20 and 20 having the same shape and supplying power to the drive unit 8 via the left power cable 9L and the right power cable 9R. (8) a battery exchange mechanism 100; (9) a power transmission unit 11 incorporating a differential mechanism that transmits driving force from the motor 7 to the front wheels 4L, 4R via the left and right axles 10L, 10R; Seat seat 12 on front and back A floor panel 13 which is provided with a, and (11) left and right sides of the front and later respectively arranged door (not shown).

  Further, the two batteries 20 and 20 are electrically connected in parallel to the drive unit 8.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the main frame 3 includes a front frame 3A, a rear frame 3B, a left side frame 3L, a right side frame 3R, a center front frame 3Ca, and a center rear frame 3Cb.

  In addition, two batteries 20 and 20 having the same shape and the same dimensions are placed on the upper surface of a pallet 110, which will be described later, and in a storage case 200, which will be described later, so that the weight balance in the left-right width direction of the electric vehicle 1 is uniform. The vehicle body 2 is arranged side by side in the left-right width direction (see FIG. 2). Further, the right side surface of the pallet 110 disposed on the right side of the vehicle body 2 in the left-right width direction is close to the right opening 201R of the storage case 200, and the pallet disposed on the left side of the vehicle body 2 in the left-right width direction. The left side surface of 110 is close to the left side opening 201L of the storage case 200 (see FIG. 3).

  In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the battery replacement mechanism 100 has (1) a substantially rectangular recess 111 formed in the center of the upper surface in plan view for individually mounting the two batteries 20 and 20. In addition, two pallets 110 and 110 that are substantially square in plan view, and (2) the battery 20 disposed on one side (for example, the right side) of the left and right sides of the vehicle body 2 in the storage case 200 When taking out from the other side (for example, the left side) of the left and right sides, the one side (for example, the right side) pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed is conveyed toward the other side (for example, the left side). (See arrow A in FIG. 3), and when the battery 20 is stored from the other side (for example, the left side) of the left and right sides of the vehicle body 2 to one side (for example, the right side) of the left and right sides. 20 is on The transported pallet 110 is transported from the other side (for example, the left side) of the vehicle body 2 toward the one side (for example, the right side) in the storage case 200 (see arrow B in FIG. 3). A conveying device 120 having a belt 121, a driving roller 122, and a driven roller 123; and (3) a bevel gear (not shown) arranged in the middle of the right axle 10R to transmit a driving force to the driving roller 122 of the conveying device 120. ), And (4) universal joints at both ends for transmitting the driving force branched by the driving force branching unit 130 to the driving roller 122 of the conveying device 120. A branch drive shaft 140; and (5) a clutch 151 (see FIG. 4) for switching whether or not the driving force from the branch drive shaft 140 is transmitted to the drive roller 122. The left-side opening 201L and the right-side opening 201R for switching the transporting direction (see arrow A and arrow B in FIG. 3) and stopping the transporting operation of the connected connecting unit 150 and (6) the transporting device 120. A pair of left and right change-over switches 160L and 160R disposed in the vicinity of the vehicle body, (7) a left battery detection sensor 170L that detects the presence or absence of the battery 20 on the left side of the vehicle body 2 in the storage case 200, and (8) the storage case 200. Inside, a right battery detection sensor 170R for detecting the presence or absence of the battery 20 on the right side of the vehicle body 2, and (9) a fork part 310 (see FIG. 5) on the pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed on the left and right sides of the storage case 200. 3)), and the battery 20 can be removed from the storage case 200 and replaced. Is provided with a pair of left and right openings 201L and 201R which are provided so that the pallet 110 can be stored in the storage case 200 by the fork unit 310 in a side view. The pair of left and right changeover switches 160L and 160R will be further described later.

  Further, the electric vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment receives signals from the pair of left and right changeover switches 160L and 160R, the pair of left and right battery detection sensors 170L and 170R, and the on / off state of the clutch 151 built in the connecting portion 150. A control unit 30 (see FIG. 4) is provided for controlling operation, switching of ON / OFF of the motor 7 and switching of the rotation direction (forward direction, reverse direction).

  FIG. 4 is a control block diagram relating to the replacement work of the battery 20 of the electric vehicle 1 of the present embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the transport belt 121 is made of rubber is described. However, the material of the transport belt 121 is not limited to rubber.

  The pair of left and right battery detection sensors 170L and 170R includes a light projecting unit 171 having an infrared light emitting element and a light receiving unit 172 having a light receiving element that receives the infrared light projected from the light projecting unit 171. Yes.

  The light projecting portion 171 of the left battery detection sensor 170L is located behind the left corner of the rear surface of the battery 20 placed on the left side in the inner wall surface portion 200c on the rear side of the storage case 200 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). ) And the light receiving portion 172 of the battery detection sensor 170L on the left side is a front position of the left corner of the front surface of the battery 20 placed on the left side on the inner wall surface portion 200b on the front side of the storage case 200. (See FIGS. 2 and 3), and the infrared rays projected from the light projecting portion 171 to the front of the vehicle body 2 are fixed at a position where they can be received by the light receiving element.

  Accordingly, when the battery 20 is positioned on the left side with respect to the center position 200CL (see FIG. 2) in the left-right width direction of the storage case 200, the light is projected from the light projecting portion 171 of the left battery detection sensor 170L to the front of the vehicle body 2. The infrared rays thus received are blocked by the left corner of the rear surface of the battery 20, and therefore cannot be received by the light receiving portion 172 of the left battery detection sensor 170L. The control unit that has received the detection result determines that the battery 20 is located on the left side with respect to the center position 200CL in the left-right width direction of the storage case 200. When the light receiving unit 172 of the left battery detection sensor 170L receives infrared light from the light projecting unit 171, the control unit positions the battery 20 on the left side with respect to the center position 200CL in the left-right width direction of the storage case 200. Judge that it is not.

  Further, the light projecting portion 171 of the right battery detection sensor 170R is located at the rear position of the right corner portion of the rear surface of the battery 20 placed on the right side in the inner wall surface portion 200c on the rear side of the storage case 200 (FIGS. 2 and 3). The light receiving portion 172 of the right battery detection sensor 170R is positioned forward of the right corner of the front surface of the battery 20 placed on the right side on the inner wall surface portion 200b on the front side of the storage case 200. (See FIGS. 2 and 3), and the infrared rays projected from the light projecting portion 171 to the front of the vehicle body 2 are fixed at a position where they can be received by the light receiving element.

  Accordingly, when the battery 20 is positioned on the right side with respect to the center position 200CL in the left-right width direction of the storage case 200, the infrared light projected forward of the vehicle body 2 from the light projecting unit 171 of the right battery detection sensor 170R is Since it is blocked by the right corner of the rear surface of the battery 20, it cannot be received by the light receiving portion 172 of the right battery detection sensor 170R. The control unit that has received the detection result determines that the battery 20 is positioned on the right side with respect to the center position 200CL in the left-right width direction of the storage case 200. When the light receiving unit 172 of the right battery detection sensor 170R receives infrared rays from the light projecting unit 171, the control unit positions the battery 20 on the right side with respect to the center position 200CL in the left-right width direction of the storage case 200. Judge that it is not.

  In addition, the coupling unit 150 of the present embodiment maintains the “disengaged” state of the clutch 151 during normal travel, and operates the left changeover switch 160L and the right changeover switch 160R when the battery 20 is replaced. Thus, the clutch 151 can be switched to the “ON” state. Thus, the conveyor belt 121 is not driven during normal travel.

  In addition, two side surfaces of the pallet 110 are provided with two substantially rectangular holes 112 into which a fork 310 of a hand forklift 300 (see FIG. 5) described later can be inserted, and Two substantially circular hooking holes 113 capable of hooking hooks 101a (see FIG. 3) to be described later are provided between the two holes 112 provided.

  The battery replacement mechanism 100 also includes a rubber band-like fixed band 101 for preventing the battery 20 placed in the depression 111 of the pallet 110 from being lifted by vibrations during traveling. Furthermore, the band-like fixed band 101 is provided with hooks 101a for hooking the hook holes 113 provided at the two ends described above at both ends of the band.

  As a result, the battery 20 is always pressed against the depression 111 side by the elastic force of rubber by hooking the two hooks 101a at both ends of the belt-like fixed band 101 into the two hooking holes 113, so that the battery can be kept running while traveling. It is possible to prevent 20 from vibrating on the pallet 110 or from being displaced laterally.

  As described above, the recesses 111 are provided on the upper surface of the bullet 110 and the band-shaped fixing band 101 is provided, so that the battery 20 can move or vibrate on the bullet 110 during traveling with a simple configuration. Can be prevented.

  Further, the conveyor belt 121 is made of rubber, and the surface on which the pallet 110 is placed is provided with unevenness (not shown) for preventing slipping, so that the pallet 110 can move on the conveyor belt 121 during traveling. It can be prevented.

  Note that the lengths of the left power cable 9L and the right power cable 9R are directed toward the left side (or right side) of the vehicle body 2 as shown in FIG. 5 in order to take out the battery 20 by the transport device 120 of the battery exchange mechanism 100. When the battery 20 is transported, and further, the transported battery 20 is taken out from the left opening 201L (or right opening 201R) by the fork 310, and the insertion plug 9a is pulled out to a position where it can be attached and detached by hand. Considering the case, it is set longer (see FIG. 2).

  In addition, plugs 9a and 9a (FIG. 2) configured to be detachable by hand for electrically connecting the two batteries 20 and 20 to the rear ends of the left power cable 9L and the right power cable 9R. Is attached). Moreover, the outlet 20a (refer FIG. 3) for inserting the insertion plug 9a is provided in the center position of the left-right width direction of the front side surface of the two batteries 20 and 20. FIG.

  The storage case 200 for storing the transport device 120 and the pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed has a left opening 201L and a right opening 201R on the left and right sides of the vehicle body 2, respectively (see FIGS. 1 and 3). ) And is disposed between the center front frame 3Ca and the center rear frame 3Cb in a plan view (see FIG. 2), and the upper end portions thereof are formed on the center front frame 3Ca and the center rear frame 3Cb in a side view. It is fixed (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The ceiling part of the storage case 200 is covered with the floor panel 13. Moreover, the electric vehicle 1 of this Embodiment is arrange | positioned so that the storage case 200 may not protrude to the indoor space side of the vehicle body 2 by making vehicle height high.

  The left side frame 3L is located at the upper end of the left opening 201L of the storage case 200, and the pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed can be taken out from the transport belt 121 in the storage case 200, or In order not to interfere with the battery 20 or the pallet 110 when the pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed is placed on the transport belt 121 of the storage case 200, a portion protruding downward is not provided. Has been.

  Also, the right side frame 3R is not provided with a portion protruding downward so as not to interfere with the battery 20 or the pallet 110 in consideration of the case described above as in the case of the left side frame 3L. Is formed.

  Further, the transfer device 120 is attached to the bottom surface portion 200 a of the storage case 200. Specifically, a support stay (not shown) that rotatably supports the driving roller 122 and the driven roller 123 is fixed to the bottom surface portion 200 a of the storage case 200.

  A lid member (not shown) is detachably attached to the pair of left and right openings 201L and 201R of the storage case 200 using a fastening member (not shown). Moreover, the rigidity of the storage case 200 can be strengthened by attaching the lid member.

  At the lower end of the door, the pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed is taken out from the transport belt 121 in the storage case 200, or the pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed is removed from the transport belt 121 of the storage case 200. It is formed so as not to interfere with the battery 20 and the pallet 110 when placed on the top.

  Further, in the vicinity of the left opening 201L and the right opening 201R of the inner wall surface 200b on the front side of the storage case 200, the transport device 120 is rotated in the direction of arrow A (see FIG. 3), that is, the motor 7 is rotated in the forward rotation direction. A pair of left and right changeover switches for switching between moving or moving the motor 7 in the direction of arrow B (see FIG. 3), that is, rotating the motor 7 in the reverse rotation direction, or stopping the conveyance of the conveyance device 120. 160L and 160R (see FIGS. 1 and 2) are provided.

  The pair of left and right change-over switches 160L and 160R according to the present embodiment is a so-called momentary type switch that is a push button type and is in an “ON” state only while the button is pressed. The operation can be switched in three ways. That is, the pair of left and right change-over switches 160L and 160R are (1) a take-out transport button 161 for transporting the battery 20 in the removal direction and (2) transport the battery 20 in the storage direction. There are three buttons: a storage and transport button 162 for the purpose and (3) a forced stop button 163 for forcibly stopping the transport operation (see FIG. 4).

  Note that the pair of left and right selector switches 160L and 160R is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a touch panel switch.

  As described above, the electric vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment is provided with the pair of left and right openings 201L and 201R on the left and right sides of the storage case 200. Therefore, a wide space is provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle 2 at the battery exchange station. If secured, the worker performs the following replacement work.

  That is, after removing the lid members attached to the pair of left and right openings 201L and 201R, the fork 310 is inserted into the left pallet 110 from the left opening 201L, and the left pallet 110 and the pallet The mounted battery 20 is taken out and replaced with another battery 20 that has already been charged and placed at the battery exchange station, and the fork 310 is inserted into the right pallet 110 from the right opening 201R. Then, if the right pallet 110 and the battery 20 placed on the right pallet 110 are taken out and replaced with another battery 20 that has already been charged, the replacement operation of the two batteries 20 and 20 is completed. . In this case, there is no need to drive the transfer device 120. The left power cable 9L and the right power cable 9R may be attached / detached in the middle of the work of taking out and storing the left pallet 110 and the right pallet 110 from the storage case 200, respectively.

  However, in the battery exchange station, when a space for battery replacement is secured only on either one of the left and right sides of the vehicle body 2, the two batteries 20 and 20 are replaced (removed) on the one side. , And storage).

  Therefore, in the control unit 30 of the electric vehicle 1 of the present embodiment, the two batteries 20 and 20 can be exchanged even when there is a space only on either one of the left and right sides of the vehicle body 2. The following control is configured.

  Here, the control operation of the control unit 30 when the two batteries 20 and 20 are replaced in a battery replacement space provided only on the left side of the vehicle body 2 will be mainly described. In the case of exchanging 20, 20, since the relationship between the left and right terms is read in reverse, it is substantially the same, so the description of the control operation is omitted.

  In addition, the specific description concerning the battery exchange in the battery exchange place will be further described later with reference mainly to FIGS.

  That is, in the electric vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 30 enters the battery replacement mode by operating the battery replacement mode on / off switch (not shown) provided on the dashboard to the “on” state. As a state, a standby state is established in which an ON signal from the pair of left and right changeover switches 160L and 160R can be received.

  Here, each of the pair of left and right changeover switches 160L and 160R is provided with three buttons, and correspondingly, description will be given separately for the three cases (1) to (3).

  (1) First case: When the take-out and transport button 161 of the left side changeover switch 160L is pressed while the control unit 30 is in the standby state.

  In this case, the control unit 30 first determines whether the signal is from the left or right selector switch, obtains a determination result that the signal is the “ON” signal from the left selector switch 160L, and then It is determined which of the three buttons (extract / convey button 161, storage / convey button 162, forced stop button 163) is pressed, and the extract / convey button 161 is pressed. When the determination result is obtained, the control unit 30 acquires the detection result of the presence or absence of the battery 20 by the left battery detection sensor 170L.

  Then, when the control unit 30 determines from the acquired detection result of the presence / absence of the battery 20 that the battery 20 is not present on the left side of the transport belt 121, the transport direction of the transport device 120 is the arrow A direction (see FIG. 3). If the control unit 30 determines that the battery 20 is “present” on the left side of the transport belt 121, the control unit 30 does not rotate the transport device 120, and the speaker 40 ( The predetermined first voice message is output from (see FIG. 4) to alert the operator and return to the standby state described above.

  That is, when the control unit 30 determines that the battery 20 is not present on the left side of the conveyor belt 121, the control unit 30 generates a switching signal for switching the clutch 151 from the “disengaged” state to the “entered” state. 151, and a low-speed normal rotation signal for causing the motor 7 to rotate normally at a low speed is sent to the drive unit 8. The drive unit 8 drives the motor 7 using the power of the battery 20 to be transported. As a result, the conveying device 120 starts to rotate at a low speed in the direction of arrow A, and the pallet 110 placed on the right side of the conveying belt 121 is directed from the right side to the left opening 201L while the battery 20 is mounted. It will be transported.

  The predetermined first voice message output when the control unit 30 determines that the battery 20 is “present” is, for example, “There is a battery in the vicinity of the left-side opening. It cannot be conveyed ".

  Furthermore, as described above, the control unit 30 determines that the battery 20 is not present, and the pallet 110 placed on the right side of the conveyor belt 121 is placed on the opening 201L on the left side from the right side while the battery 20 is placed. When the left side surface of the pallet 110 reaches the vicinity of the left opening 201L, the left corner of the rear surface of the battery 20 receives the infrared rays from the light projecting unit 171 of the left battery detection sensor 170L. Since the light is cut off, the light receiving state of the light receiving unit 172 of the left battery detection sensor 170L changes from ON to OFF. The control unit 30 detects the change in the light receiving state of the light receiving unit 172 of the left battery detection sensor 170L from ON to OFF, so that the battery 20 placed on the pallet 110 moves from the right side to the vicinity of the left opening 201L. It determines with having reached | attained and rotation of the conveying apparatus 120 is automatically stopped. That is, the control unit 30 sends a switching signal for switching the clutch 151 from the “ON” state to the “OFF” state to the clutch 151, and sends a stop signal for stopping the rotation of the motor 7 to the drive unit 8.

  Then, the control unit 30 causes the speaker 40 to output the second voice message with the content “The transfer of the battery 20 has been completed” and returns to the standby state described above.

  Thus, when the two pallets 110 and 110 on which the batteries 20 and 20 are respectively placed are taken out from the left side opening 201L, the worker first places the pallet 110 placed on the left side on the conveyor belt 121. Is taken out from the left opening 201L using the fork portion 310 of the hand forklift 300, and the pallet 110 placed on the right side on the conveyor belt 121 is pushed by pressing the take-out and transport button 161 of the left changeover switch 160L. It can be transported to the vicinity of the left opening 201L and is automatically stopped at that position. In this way, since the pallet 110 can always be automatically stopped at an appropriate fixed position, the operator does not need to keep a watch on the movement of the pallet 110 at all times, and can perform other work in parallel to improve the work efficiency. Is achieved. Further, the position at which the pallet 110 is stopped is not affected by the ability of the worker, and the certainty of the work is ensured.

  Then, since the worker can take out the pallet 110 that has stopped after reaching a certain position in the vicinity of the left opening 201L from the left opening 201L using the fork 310 of the hand forklift 300, work safety is ensured. And certainty can be ensured.

  Also, before the worker performs the above-described work procedure by mistake and takes out the pallet 110 placed from the beginning on the left side on the conveyor belt 121 from the left opening 201L using the fork part 310 of the hand forklift 300. Even when the take-out and transfer button 161 of the left side changeover switch 160L is operated, as described above, the control unit 30 acquires the detection result of the presence or absence of the battery 20 by the left battery detection sensor 170L, and the battery 20 By determining that “there is”, the control unit 30 outputs a predetermined first voice message from the speaker 40 (see FIG. 4) provided in the storage case 200 without rotating the transport device 120. As a result, it is possible to prevent the battery 20 from dropping due to an operator's mistaken operation, and to ensure work safety. It can be ensured.

  (2) Second case: When the storing and conveying button 162 of the left changeover switch 160L is pressed while the control unit 30 is in the standby state.

  In this case, the control unit 30 first determines whether the signal is from the left or right selector switch, obtains a determination result that the signal is the “ON” signal from the left selector switch 160L, and then It is determined which one of the three buttons (the extraction transport button 161, the storage transport button 162, and the forced stop button 163) is pressed, and the storage transport button 162 is pressed. When the determination result is obtained, the control unit 30 acquires the detection result of the presence or absence of the battery 20 by the right battery detection sensor 170R.

  When the control unit 30 determines from the acquired detection result of the presence or absence of the battery 20 that the battery 20 is not present on the right side of the transport belt 121, the transport direction of the transport device 120 is the arrow B direction (see FIG. 3). If the control unit 30 determines that the battery 20 “is present” on the right side of the transport belt 121, the control unit 30 does not rotate the transport device 120, and the speaker 40 ( A predetermined third voice message is output from (see FIG. 4) to alert the operator and return to the standby state described above.

  That is, here, when the control unit 30 determines that the battery 20 is not present on the right side of the conveyor belt 121, the control unit 30 outputs a switching signal for switching the clutch 151 from the “disengaged” state to the “entered” state. A low-speed reverse rotation signal is sent to the drive unit 8 to send to the clutch 151 and to reversely rotate the motor 7 at a low speed. The drive unit 8 drives the motor 7 using the power of the battery 20 to be transported. As a result, the conveying device 120 starts rotating at a low speed in the direction of the arrow B, and the pallet 110 placed on the left side of the conveying belt 121 is directed from the left side to the right opening 201R while the battery 20 is mounted. It will be transported.

  The above-mentioned predetermined third voice message output when the control unit 30 determines that the battery 20 is “present” is, for example, “There is a battery near the right opening, It cannot be conveyed ".

  Further, as described above, the control unit 30 determines that the battery 20 is “absent”, and the pallet 110 placed on the left side of the conveyor belt 121 is directed from the left side toward the right opening 201R while the battery 20 is placed. When the right side of the pallet 110 reaches the vicinity of the right opening 201R, the right corner of the rear surface of the battery 20 blocks infrared rays from the light projecting unit 171 of the right battery detection sensor 170R. Therefore, the light receiving state of the light receiving unit 172 of the right battery detection sensor 170R changes from ON to OFF. The control unit 30 detects the change in the light receiving state of the light receiving unit 172 of the right battery detection sensor 170R from ON to OFF, so that the battery 20 placed on the pallet 110 moves from the left side to the vicinity of the right opening 201R. It determines with having reached | attained and rotation of the conveying apparatus 120 is automatically stopped. That is, the control unit 30 sends a switching signal for switching the clutch 151 from the “ON” state to the “OFF” state to the clutch 151, and sends a stop signal for stopping the rotation of the motor 7 to the drive unit 8.

  Then, the control unit 30 causes the speaker 40 to output the second voice message with the content “The transfer of the battery 20 has been completed” and returns to the standby state described above.

  Accordingly, when the two pallets 110 and 110 on which the other batteries 20 and 20 that have been charged are respectively placed are stored in the storage case 200 from the left opening 201L, the operator first completes the charging. After the pallet 110 on which the other battery 20 is placed is placed on the conveyor belt 121 from the left opening 201L using the fork portion 310 of the hand forklift 300, the storage and transport button 162 of the left changeover switch 160L is pressed. Thus, the pallet 110 placed on the left side on the conveyor belt 121 can be conveyed to the vicinity of the right opening 201R and automatically stopped at that position. In this way, since the pallet 110 can always be automatically stopped at an appropriate fixed position even at a position that is difficult for the operator to see, the operator does not need to constantly watch the movement of the pallet 110. Work safety can be ensured, and other work can be performed in parallel to improve work efficiency. Further, since the pallet 110 can be automatically stopped at an appropriate fixed position in the vicinity of the right opening 201R, on the left side of the conveyor belt 121, there is enough space for another pallet 110 to be placed. It is ensured without depending on the ability of the operator.

  Thereby, after that, the worker secures the pallet 110 on which another battery 20 that has been charged is placed from the left opening 201L to the left side on the conveyor belt 121 using the fork part 310 of the hand forklift 300. The battery can be safely and reliably placed in the space, and the storage work of the two batteries 20 and 20 that have been charged into the storage case 200 can be efficiently performed.

  Further, even when the operator mistakes the above-described work procedure and the pallet 110 is placed on the right side of the transport belt 121, the operator operates the storage and transport button 162 of the left side changeover switch 160L as described above. In addition, the control unit 30 acquires the detection result of the presence or absence of the battery 20 by the right battery detection sensor 170R, and determines that the battery 20 is “present”, so that the control unit 30 rotates the transport device 120. In addition, since a predetermined third voice message is output from the speaker 40 (see FIG. 4) provided in the storage case 200 to alert the operator, the lid of the right-side opening 201R of the battery 20 due to the operator's erroneous operation. It is possible to prevent collision and falling on the member, and to ensure work safety.

  (3) Third case: When the forced stop button 163 is pressed.

  When the control unit 30 receives an “ON” signal from the forced stop button 163 while the transport device 120 is performing a transport operation, the control unit 30 automatically stops the rotation of the transport device 120. That is, the control unit 30 sends a switching signal for switching the clutch 151 from the “ON” state to the “OFF” state to the clutch 151, and sends a stop signal for stopping the rotation of the motor 7 to the drive unit 8.

  And the control part 30 outputs the 4th audio | voice message of the content "The conveyance apparatus was forcibly stopped" from the speaker 40, alerts an operator, and returns to the standby state mentioned above.

  As a result, the operator can forcibly stop the transfer operation of the transfer device 120 at an arbitrary timing according to his / her own intention, thereby ensuring the safety of battery replacement work.

  Even when the control unit 30 receives an “ON” signal from the forced stop button 163 while the transport device 120 is stopped, the control unit 30 does nothing and returns to the standby state described above.

  Further, as is clear from the description of the first case and the second case described above, the functions of the pair of left and right battery detection sensors 170L and 170R can be summarized as follows.

  That is, the left battery detection sensor 170L is used when (1) the right battery 20 on the transport belt 121 is transported to the left by the transport device 120 when the two batteries 20, 20 are taken out from the left opening 201L of the vehicle body 2. Has a function as a safety device that detects the presence or absence of the battery 20 on the left side of the conveyor belt 121 and does not start the conveyor operation if it detects “Yes”, and (2) the right side of the conveyor belt 121. When the battery 20 is transported to the left by the transport device 120, the battery 20 that has reached the vicinity of the left opening 201L on the transport belt 121 is detected, and the battery 20 is dropped from the left opening 201L. And has a function as a safety stop device that safely stops the transport operation.

  The right battery detection sensor 170 </ b> R transports the left battery 20 on the transport belt 121 to the right by the transport device 120 when the two batteries 20, 20 are stored from the left opening 201 </ b> L of the vehicle body 2. In this case, the presence / absence of the battery 20 on the right side of the conveyor belt 121 is detected, and if it is detected as “present”, it has a function as a safety device that does not start the conveyor operation, and (2) on the conveyor belt 121 When the left battery 20 is conveyed to the right side by the conveying device 120, the battery 20 that has reached the vicinity of the right opening 201R on the conveying belt 121 is detected, and the pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed is detected. Function as a safety stop device that safely stops the transport operation without causing a collision with the lid member of the right opening 201R A.

  The above description of the functions of the pair of left and right battery detection sensors 170L and 170R is for the case where the two batteries 20 and 20 are replaced in a battery replacement space provided only on the left side of the vehicle body 2. The case where the two batteries 20 and 20 are exchanged on the right side of the vehicle body 2 is substantially the same if the relationship between the left and right terms is reversed.

  From the above, the pair of left and right battery detection sensors 170L and 170R is safe when the two batteries 20 and 20 are exchanged through one of the pair of left and right openings 201L and 201R of the vehicle body 2. It can be said that it has both the function as a device and the function as a safety stop device.

  The vehicle body 2 of the present embodiment corresponds to an example of the vehicle body of the present invention, and the motor 7 of the present embodiment corresponds to an example of the motor of the present invention. The two batteries 20 and 20 of the present embodiment are examples of a plurality of batteries of the present invention, and the two pallets 110 and 110 of the present embodiment are examples of a plurality of battery mounting members of the present invention. . Further, the transport device 120 of the present embodiment corresponds to an example of a transport unit of the present invention. Further, the transport belt 121 of the present embodiment is an example of the transport belt of the present invention, and the drive roller 122 of the present embodiment is an example of the drive roller of the present invention.

  Next, the operation of the battery exchange mechanism 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference mainly to FIGS. 3, 5, and 6. FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view schematically showing the replacement work of the batteries 20, 20 divided into two parts in the electric vehicle 1 of the present embodiment.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of the hand forklift 300.

  In the present embodiment, a case where a battery replacement space is provided only on the left side of the vehicle body 2 in the self-type gas station will be described.

  In the self-type gas station, the replacement work of the two batteries 20 and 20 when the battery replacement space is provided on both the left and right sides of the vehicle body 2 has already been described above, and the description thereof is omitted here. To do.

  Further, in this self-service gas station, a replacement battery 20 that has been charged in advance is stored in a state of being fixed to the pallet 110 with a belt-like fixed band 101, and the pallet 110 can be exchanged and transported. Hand forklift 300 is prepared.

  Furthermore, a pair of front and rear rotating rollers 401 (see FIG. 5) for rotatably supporting the pair of left and right front wheels 4L, 4R of the electric vehicle 1 from below are arranged in the battery replacement space of the self-type gas station. A roller facility 400 is provided. The front wheels 4L and 4R are driven in a state where the pair of left and right front wheels 4L and 4R of the electric vehicle 1 are placed between the predetermined intervals 402 of the pair of rotating rollers 401 arranged in the front and rear with a predetermined interval 402 therebetween. In this case, as the front wheels 4L and 4R are driven, the pair of front and rear rotating rollers 401 are driven to rotate, so that the vehicle body 2 itself is stopped on the spot.

  The electric vehicle 1 has a neutral mode in which the power from the motor 7 is not transmitted to the left and right axles 10L, 10R, and the battery exchange mode on / off switch (not shown) is automatically turned on by operating the switch (not shown). By adopting a configuration that automatically switches, the left and right front wheels 4L, 4R do not rotate even when the conveying device 120 is driven. Therefore, in this configuration, it is not necessary to provide the roller facility 400 in the battery replacement space. That is, in the case of the electric vehicle having this configuration, in the neutral mode, the power from the motor 7 is transmitted only to the conveying device 120 regardless of which one of the left side changeover switch 160L and the right side changeover switch 160R is operated, and the left and right axles 10L, It is not transmitted to 10R.

  The hand forklift 300 according to the present embodiment corresponds to an example of the cargo handling apparatus of the present invention, and the fork portion 310 according to the present embodiment corresponds to an example of the fork part of the cargo handling apparatus of the present invention.

  First, the driver of the electric vehicle 1 moves the electric vehicle 1 to the battery replacement space provided with such a roller facility 400, and moves the pair of left and right front wheels 4L, 4R at a predetermined interval 402 between the pair of front and rear rotating rollers 401. The vehicle body 2 is stopped in between, and the battery exchange mode on / off switch (not shown) is operated to the “on” state.

  Next, the driver goes out of the vehicle and removes only the lid member (not shown) attached to the left opening 201L of the storage case 200.

  Then, the driver operates the fork part 310 of the hand forklift 300 to remove the pallet 110 placed on the left side on the conveyor belt 121 and carrying the battery 20 on the upper surface from the left side opening part 201L, and the left power source. Pull out the plug 9a of the cable 9L to a position where it can be attached and detached by hand.

  Specifically, the driver adjusts the height so that the tip of the fork portion 310 of the hand forklift 300 can be inserted into the hole 112 provided in the left side surface portion of the pallet 110 located in the vicinity of the left opening 201L. The lever 320 (see FIG. 6) is operated to adjust the height of the fork portion 310. Then, the driver grasps the pair of left and right handle portions 330 of the hand forklift 300 and moves the hand forklift 300 in the direction of arrow B (see FIG. 5), while moving the tip of the fork unit 310 to the hole 112 on the left side surface of the pallet 110. Then, the fork 310 is slightly raised by operating the height adjustment lever 320.

  As a result, the lower surface of the pallet 110 is separated from the surface of the conveyor belt 121, so that the driver holds the pair of left and right handle portions 330 and moves the hand forklift 300 in the direction opposite to the arrow B direction (see FIG. 5). The pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed is taken out of the storage case 200 of the vehicle body 2, and the plug 9a of the left power cable 9L is pulled out to a position where it can be attached and detached by hand. Then, the plug 9a of the left power cable 9L is pulled out from the outlet 20a of the battery 20.

  Thereafter, the pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed is further completely pulled out from the storage case 200 of the vehicle body 2 and carried to a predetermined place while being placed on the hand forklift 300.

  Since the replacement battery 20 that has been charged in advance is stored in a state of being fixed to the pallet 110 by the belt-like fixed band 101, the pallet 110 is moved to the rear of the electric vehicle 1 using the hand forklift 300. The pallet 110 on which another battery 20 that has been carried and charged is placed is temporarily lowered to the position and temporarily placed.

  Thereafter, the driver presses the take-out and transport button 161 (see FIG. 4) of the left changeover switch 160L provided on the left side of the inner wall surface portion 200b on the front side of the storage case 200.

  As a result, the control unit 30 (see FIG. 4) provided in the vehicle body 2 receives the “ON” signal from the take-out and transport button 161 of the left changeover switch 160L as described above, and further, the left battery detection sensor 170L. When the detection result of the presence / absence of the battery 20 is acquired and it is determined that the battery 20 is not present on the left side of the transport belt 121, the transport direction of the transport device 120 is controlled to be the arrow A direction (see FIG. 3). . As a result, the drive unit 8 uses the power of the battery 20 to be transported to rotate the motor 7 forward at a low speed, so that the left and right axles 10L and 10R rotate forward at a low speed, and the driving force branching unit 130 The branched driving force is transmitted to the driving roller 122 via the branch driving shaft 140 and the clutch 151 of the connecting portion 150.

  As a result, the conveyor belt 121 moves in the direction of arrow A (see FIG. 3), and the pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed is conveyed toward the opening 201L on the left side of the vehicle body 2 as shown in FIG. Then, as described above, when the left side of the pallet 110 reaches the vicinity of the left opening 201L, the light receiving state of the light receiving unit 172 of the left battery detection sensor 170L changes from ON to OFF. The control unit 30 detects the change in the light receiving state of the light receiving unit 172 of the left battery detection sensor 170L from ON to OFF, so that the battery 20 placed on the pallet 110 moves from the right side to the vicinity of the left opening 201L. It determines with having reached | attained, the rotation of the conveying apparatus 120 is stopped automatically, and a 2nd audio | voice message is emitted from the speaker 40 as above-mentioned.

  Next, the driver pulls out the plug 9a of the right power cable 9R connected to the outlet 20a of the battery 20 placed on the pallet 110 that has stopped after reaching the left opening 201L. Similarly to the above, the driver reaches the left side on the conveyor belt 121 and stops, and the pallet 110 with the battery 20 placed on the upper surface is operated from the left opening 201L by operating the fork part 310 of the hand forklift 300. Take out and pull out the plug 9a of the right power cable 9R to a position where it can be attached and detached by hand. Then, the plug 9a of the right power cable 9R is pulled out from the outlet 20a of the battery 20.

  Thereafter, the pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed is further completely pulled out from the storage case 200 of the vehicle body 2 and carried to a predetermined place while being placed on the hand forklift 300.

  Then, the pallet 110 stored in a state where the replacement battery 20 that has been charged in advance is fixed to the upper surface is carried to the left side of the electric vehicle 1 using the hand forklift 300.

  Furthermore, the driver adjusts the height of the fork portion 310 by operating the height adjustment lever 320 so that the pallet 110 can be placed on the upper surface of the transport belt 121 from the left opening 201L. Then, the driver holds the pair of left and right handle portions 330 of the hand forklift 300 and moves the hand forklift 300 in the direction of arrow B (see FIG. 5) to the inside of the storage case 200 up to about half of the left and right width of the pallet 110. The hand forklift 300 is temporarily stopped at that position, and the plug 9a of the right power cable 9R is inserted into the outlet 20a of the battery 20. Thereafter, the driver again grips the pair of left and right handle portions 330 of the hand forklift 300 to further move the hand forklift 300 in the direction of arrow B (see FIG. 5), and the left side surface of the pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed is After visually confirming that it has been inserted to the extent that it fits inside the left opening 201L of the storage case 200, stop the movement of the hand forklift 300 and operate the height adjustment lever 320 to slightly lower the fork 310. Then, after visually confirming that the upper surface portion of the fork portion 310 is separated from the ceiling portion of the hole portion 112 of the pallet 110, the height adjustment lever 320 is operated to stop the lowering of the fork portion 310, and the hand forklift 300 Is moved in the direction opposite to the arrow B direction (see FIG. 5), and the fork 310 is moved to the pallet 11. Completely pulled out from the hole 112.

  Thereafter, the driver presses a storage / transport button 162 (see FIG. 4) of the left side changeover switch 160 </ b> L provided on the left side of the front inner wall surface part 200 b of the storage case 200.

  As a result, as described above, the control unit 30 (see FIG. 4) receives the “ON” signal from the storage transfer button 162 of the left changeover switch 160L, and further detects the presence or absence of the battery 20 by the right battery detection sensor 170R. When the result is acquired and it is determined that the battery 20 is not present on the right side of the transport belt 121, the transport direction of the transport device 120 is controlled to be the arrow B direction (see FIG. 3). As a result, the drive unit 8 uses the power of the battery 20 to be transported to reversely rotate the motor 7 at a low speed, so that the left and right axles 10L and 10R rotate at a low speed and branch from the driving force branching unit 130. The generated driving force is transmitted to the driving roller 122 via the branch driving shaft 140 and the clutch 151 of the connecting portion 150.

  As a result, the conveyor belt 121 moves in the direction of arrow B (see FIG. 3), and the pallet 110 on which another charged battery 20 is placed is conveyed toward the opening 201R on the right side of the vehicle body 2. (See FIG. 3), as described above, when the right side surface of the pallet 110 reaches the vicinity of the right opening 201R, the light receiving state of the light receiving unit 172 of the right battery detection sensor 170R changes from ON to OFF. The control unit 30 detects the change in the light receiving state of the light receiving unit 172 of the right battery detection sensor 170R from ON to OFF, so that the battery 20 placed on the pallet 110 moves from the left side to the vicinity of the right opening 201R. It determines with having reached | attained, the rotation of the conveying apparatus 120 is stopped automatically, and a 2nd audio | voice message is emitted from the speaker 40 as above-mentioned.

  Next, the driver lifts the pallet 110 temporarily mounted temporarily behind the vehicle body 2 and loaded with another charged battery 20 by the fork unit 310 of the hand forklift 300, The height of 310 is adjusted and inserted into the left side of the conveyor belt 121 from the left side opening 201L of the storage case 200. In the middle of the insertion, the plug 9a of the left power cable 9L is inserted into the outlet 20a of the battery 20 in the same manner as described above, and further, until the left side surface of the pallet 110 completely fits inside the left opening 201L. Insert it and place it on the conveyor belt 121 at that position.

  As a result, the two pallets 110 on which the batteries 20 having the same shape and the same weight are respectively placed are evenly arranged on the left and right around the center position 200CL of the left and right width of the vehicle body 2, and the weight balance of the vehicle body 2 is kept good. I can do it.

  Finally, the driver fixes a lid member (not shown) to the left opening 201L of the storage case 200 using a fastening member.

  With the above operation, the driver can easily replace the two batteries 20 and 20 from both sides of the vehicle body 2 and from one side by a safe and efficient operation.

  Further, the drive unit 8 drives the motor 7 by using the power of the battery 20 to be transported to drive the transport device 120, so that the heavy battery 20 can be transported reliably and easily. I can do it.

  As described above, according to the electric vehicle 1 of the present embodiment, for example, by preparing a simple battery replacement space equipped with simple equipment in a self-service gas station or the like, the operation of the gas station can be performed. As a matter of course, the driver can easily exchange the two batteries 20 and 20 by himself / herself.

  This also makes it possible to reduce the infrastructure investment for installing the battery replacement space, for example, since it is only necessary to provide simple equipment in a self-service gas station or the like.

  Further, according to the electric vehicle 1 of the present embodiment, since two batteries can be exchanged from either one of the left and right sides of the vehicle body 2, a large space cannot be secured at the battery exchange place. But you can replace the battery. Therefore, for example, in a self-service gas station or the like, it is not always necessary to secure a large battery replacement space, and infrastructure investment can be reduced.

  Further, according to the above configuration, since the batteries for securing the necessary charge amount are divided and mounted, the batteries 20 of each battery 20 are compared with the case where the batteries are configured as one. The size can be reduced, and the lift operation and transport operation of the pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed by the hand forklift 300 are facilitated, and the burden on the gas station worker and driver for battery replacement work is reduced.

  In addition, according to the above configuration, the battery for securing the required charge amount is divided into two, so that only one of the two batteries 20, 20 can be replaced. This increases the degree of freedom for battery replacement.

  Further, according to the above configuration, the outlet 20a on the battery 20 side for electrically connecting the plugs 9a of the power cables 9L and 9R is provided at the center position of the left and right widths of the front side surface of the battery 20, The margin of the total length of the power cables 9L and 9R to be secured so that the battery 20 can be taken out from both the left and right sides of the vehicle body 2 can be minimized.

  Further, according to the above configuration, the outlet 20a on the battery 20 side for electrically connecting the plugs 9a of the power cables 9L and 9R is provided at the center position of the left and right widths of the front side surface of the battery 20, The two batteries 20 and 20 can be made into the completely same shape and the same dimension, and the battery can be shared.

Further, according to the above configuration, in the battery exchange where the battery exchange space is secured on both the left and right sides of the vehicle body 2, the pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed on the right side of the storage case 200 is placed on the right side. When exchanging through the opening 201R, power from the battery 20 located on the left side of the storage case 200 can be used, and the pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed, located on the left side of the storage case 200, can be used. When exchanging via the left side opening 201L, the power from the battery 20 located on the right side of the storage case 200 can be used. Therefore, even during the battery exchanging operation, at least one of the two batteries 20, Since either one is electrically connected, the power source of the electric vehicle 1 is secured, and the air It is possible to use the electronic equipment such as emissions and car navigation systems.
(Embodiment 2)
In the second embodiment, a second electric vehicle 1001 in which two replaceable batteries 20 and 20 having the same shape and the same size are arranged so that the weight balance in the left-right width direction of the vehicle body is uniform will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of a second electric vehicle 1001 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

  Here, it demonstrates centering around difference with the electric vehicle 1 of the said Embodiment 1, The same code | symbol was attached | subjected about the fundamentally common structure.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the second electric vehicle 1001 of the present embodiment includes (1) a vehicle body 2, (2) a main frame 3 that forms a skeleton part of the vehicle body 2 and has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, (3) A pair of left and right front wheels 4L, 4R as drive wheels, (4) A pair of left and right rear wheels 5L, 5R as driven wheels, (5) A steering handle 6, and (6) A motor 7 as a drive source A drive unit 8 having a built-in battery, and (7) two replaceable batteries 20 and 20 having the same shape and supplying power to the drive unit 8 via the left power cable 9L and the right power cable 9R. (8) A power transmission unit 11 with a built-in differential mechanism that transmits the driving force from the motor 7 to the front wheels 4L, 4R via the left and right axles 10L, 10R, and (9) the seat seat 12 is placed on the front and rear. Floor panel 13 made, 10) the left and right sides of the front and later respectively arranged door and (not shown), and a.

  The two batteries 20 and 20 are electrically connected in parallel to the drive unit 8.

That is, as can be seen from the above description, the second electric vehicle 1001 of the present embodiment.
Is provided with a conveying device 120, a driving force branching unit 130, a branching drive shaft 140, a connecting unit 150, a pair of left and right battery detection sensors 170L and 170R, and a pair of left and right changeover switches 160L and 160R (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The points that are not described are the basic differences from the electric vehicle 1 of the first embodiment, and the other configurations are basically the same.

  In addition, a storage case 200 is provided that can store two pallets 110, 110 on which the battery 20 is placed on each upper surface so that the weight balance is equal on both the left and right sides with the center position 200CL as the center. The pair of left and right openings 201L and 201R is formed on the left and right sides of the storage case 200, which is the same as the electric vehicle 1 of the first embodiment. The point in which the recessed part which can mount the two pallets 110 and 110 is formed is different from the electric vehicle 1 of the said Embodiment 1. FIG.

  That is, on the bottom surface portion 200a of the storage case 200, a substantially square-shaped recess having a size substantially the same as the outer shape of the pallet 110 in plan view is provided on the right and left sides at regular positions where the pallets 110 and 110 are placed. Is formed. The bottom surface of the recess is flat. The two pallets 110 and 110 are placed on the bottom surface of the recess, respectively, so that positional displacement during traveling can be prevented.

  As a result, it is not necessary to provide the battery replacement mechanism 100 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) as described in the first embodiment in the storage case 200, so that the case of the electric vehicle 1 in the first embodiment is different from that in the first embodiment. In comparison, the height dimension of the storage case 200 can be reduced.

  From the above, according to the second electric vehicle 1001 of the present embodiment, in the battery exchange where a large space is secured on both the left and right sides of the vehicle 2, an operator or driver of the battery exchange is as follows. Replacement work can be performed.

  First, after removing the respective lid members attached to the pair of left and right openings 201L and 201R of the storage case 200, the fork part 310 of the hand forklift 300 is inserted into the left pallet 110 from the left opening 201L, The left pallet 110 and the battery 20 placed thereon are taken out and replaced with another battery 20 that is already charged and placed at the battery exchange station.

  Next, the fork portion 310 of the hand forklift 300 is inserted into the right pallet 110 from the right opening 201R, the right pallet 110 and the battery 20 placed thereon are taken out, and charging has already been completed. Replace with another battery 20.

  As a result, the replacement work of the two batteries 20 and 20 can be performed very easily, and the weight balance in the lateral width direction of the vehicle body can be made uniform.

  The left and right power cables 9L and 9R are attached and detached in the same manner as described in the first embodiment by taking out the left pallet 110 and the right pallet 110 from the storage case 200, and It may be performed in the middle of the storing operation.

  Further, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, since the roller facility 400 described in the first embodiment is not required at the battery exchange station, it is only necessary to secure a space necessary for battery replacement and infrastructure investment. Can be kept cheap.

  In addition, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the battery for securing the necessary charge amount is divided into two, so that it is compared with the case where the batteries are integrated into a single structure. Thus, the size of each battery 20 can be reduced, and the lift operation and transport operation of the pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed by the hand forklift 300 can be facilitated. The burden of is reduced.

  Further, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the battery for securing the necessary charge amount is divided into two parts, so that only one of the two batteries 20, 20 is replaced. This also increases the degree of freedom for battery replacement.

  Further, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the outlet 20a on the battery 20 side for electrically connecting the plugs 9a of the power cables 9L and 9R is provided at the center position of the left and right width of the front side surface of the battery 20. As a result, the two batteries 20 and 20 can have the same shape and the same size, and the batteries can be shared.

  Further, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, when the pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed, which is located on the right side of the storage case 200, is replaced via the right side opening 201R at the battery exchange station, the storage case 200 is used. When the pallet 110 on the left side of the storage case 200 on which the battery 20 is placed is exchanged via the left side opening 201L, the storage case can be used. Since the electric power from the battery 20 located on the right side of the battery 200 can be used, at least one of the two batteries 20 and 20 is electrically connected even during battery replacement work. The power source of the electric vehicle 1 is ensured, and an electronic device such as an air conditioner or a car navigation system can be used.

  Further, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, since the transport device 120 or the like provided in the electric vehicle 1 of the first embodiment is not provided, the structure can be simplified and the vehicle weight can be reduced. I can do it.

  Further, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, since the transport device 120 or the like provided in the electric vehicle 1 of the first embodiment is not provided, time for transporting the pallet 110 by the transport device 120 is unnecessary. Thus, the battery replacement work can be shortened.

  In addition, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the battery for securing the necessary charge amount is divided into two, so that it is compared with the case where the batteries are integrated into a single structure. Thus, the size of each battery 20 can be reduced, the lift operation and the transport operation of the pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed by the hand forklift 300 are facilitated, and the battery replacement work can be shortened.

  Further, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the replacement time can be overwhelmingly shortened by using two hand forklifts 300 and simultaneously performing battery replacement work from both sides of the vehicle body 2 by two people.

  Further, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the transport device 120 or the like provided in the electric vehicle 1 of the first embodiment is not provided, and the storage case 200 is compared to the case where the transport device 120 or the like is provided. Therefore, the indoor space of the second electric vehicle 1001 can be widened.

  Further, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the transport device 120 or the like provided in the electric vehicle 1 of the first embodiment is not provided, and the storage case 200 is compared to the case where the transport device 120 or the like is provided. Therefore, the center of gravity of the vehicle body of the second electric vehicle 1001 is lowered, the vehicle body is stabilized, and the riding comfort is improved.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the pair of left and right battery detection sensors 170L and 170R are provided has been described. However, the configuration is not limited thereto, and for example, a configuration in which the pair of left and right battery detection sensors 170L and 170R is not provided. In the case of this configuration, for example, the safety confirmation at the start of the transport operation of the transport device 120 and the stop timing of the transport operation may be performed based on the judgment by the operator's visual inspection or the like. In addition, instead of the pair of left and right battery detection sensors 170L and 170R, the mark plate is arranged so that the proper position where the pallet 110 should be stopped can be visually confirmed, from the central position 200CL of the ceiling portion inside the storage case 200 to the left and right. It may be suspended so that it can swing. According to this configuration, for example, the pallet 110 on which the battery 20 that has been charged in advance is placed using the hand forklift 300 from the left opening 201L (or right opening 201R) to the left side of the transport belt 121 ( Or the right side corner of the upper surface of the battery 20 conveyed from the left side (or right side) to the right side (left side) when transported toward the right side opening 201R (or left side opening 201L). (The left corner) abuts the lower end of the mark plate so that the mark plate rotates toward the right (left), and then the upper surface of the battery 20 continues to contact the lower end of the mark plate. By maintaining the contact, the mark plate maintains its position as it is, but the battery 20 is further conveyed rightward (leftward), and the upper surface of the battery 20 Immediately before the side corner (right corner) passes through the center position 200CL and the left side surface (right side face) of the pallet 110 passes through the center position 200CL, the mark plate is released from contact by the upper surface portion of the battery 20. Thus, the mark plate rotates toward the left side (right side) and swings left and right for a while, but finally hangs down and stops. If the operator visually confirms that the mark plate has been released from contact with the upper surface portion of the battery 20 and has started to turn toward the left side (right side), the left side changeover switch 160L (or right side changeover) can be promptly confirmed. The forced stop button 163 of the switch 160R) may be pressed. Thereby, the conveying operation of the conveying device 120 is stopped, and the pallet 110 can be stopped at an appropriate position on the right side (or left side) of the storage case 200. In addition, visibility is further improved by applying a conspicuous color such as a fluorescent paint to the above-described mark plate.

  In the above embodiment, the pair of left and right battery detection sensors 170L and 170R has been described with respect to the configuration using infrared rays. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be, for example, laser light, and is not limited to light. .

  In the above-described embodiment, the pair of left and right battery detection sensors 170L and 170R has been described with respect to the transmissive configuration in which the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit are individually provided. A reflection type including a reflection plate may be used. In the case of this configuration, the reflecting plate may be attached in advance to a predetermined position on the front side surface or the rear side surface of the battery 20 or the pallet 110, for example.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the left-right paired battery detection sensors 170L and 170R were photoelectric sensors provided with the light projection part and the light-receiving part, it is not restricted to this, For example, proximity | contact using magnetism It may be a sensor, and is not limited to the structure of the sensor. In the case of a proximity sensor using magnetism, for example, a magnet may be attached in advance at a predetermined position on the front side or rear side of the battery 20 or pallet 110.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the pair of left and right changeover switches 160L and 160R is a push button type and is a so-called momentary type switch that is in an “ON” state only while the button is pressed. Not limited to this, for example, any configuration may be used as long as the operation of the transfer device 120 can be switched in three ways as described above. For example, a dial-type switch that can be switched to any position among the three positions may be used, or a lever-type switch may be used.

  In the above embodiment, the outlets 20a (see FIG. 3) for inserting the plugs 9a of the left and right power cables 9L and 9R are respectively provided at the center positions in the left and right width direction of the front side surfaces of the two batteries 20 and 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the outlet of the battery 20 has a rail structure that can be slid in the left-right direction, and the electric vehicle has a hook that has a hook bent in a hook shape in advance. Also good. In the case of this configuration, the operator can hook the slidable outlet with the tip of the hooking rod and pull it to the opening before removing the pallet 110 from the storage case 200 using the hand forklift 300, so that the operator can reach the opening. The plug 9a can be pulled out from the outlet. Further, the outlet of the battery 20 may have a rail structure that can slide in the left-right direction, and a moving mechanism for automatically moving the outlet to the opening may be provided on the vehicle body side.

  Moreover, although the case where two batteries were mounted was demonstrated in the said embodiment, it is not restricted to this, For example, the number of batteries may be three or more.

  In the above embodiment, the case where two identical batteries having the same shape and the same size are mounted is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the plurality of batteries are not identical in shape and size. Also good.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the electric vehicle 1 was front-wheel drive, not only this but a rear-wheel drive may be sufficient, for example. In that case, the driving force branching portion 130 is provided on the axle of the rear wheel so that the driving force of the conveying device 120 may be branched from the rear wheel side. In the case of four-wheel drive, the driving force of the conveying device 120 may be branched from either the front wheel side or the rear wheel side.

  In the above embodiment, when the battery 20 is transported, the configuration has been described in which the left and right axles 10L and 10R of the front wheels rotate as the drive roller 122 of the transport device 120 rotates (FIGS. 2 and 5). For example, when the battery 20 is transported, the driving force may be transmitted only to the driving roller 122 without rotating the left and right axles 10L and 10R of the front wheels. In order to realize this configuration, for example, a transmission switching mechanism 500 (see FIG. 8) that switches a transmission path of whether the driving force from the motor 7 is transmitted to the power transmission unit 11 or to the driving roller 122 side. ) May be provided on the transmission path between the drive unit 8 and the power transmission unit 11. Further, in the case of the third electric vehicle 1a (see FIG. 8) provided with the transmission switching mechanism 500 in this way, it is not necessary to incorporate the clutch 151 in the connecting portion 150 described above, and the self-type gas station There is no need to provide roller equipment 400 (see FIG. 5) in the battery replacement space. Further, in the case of the third electric vehicle 1a provided with the transmission switching mechanism 500 in this way, for example, when the take-out conveyance button 161 of the left side changeover switch 160L is pressed, the control unit provided in the vehicle body 2 Upon receipt of the signal, the transmission path in the transmission switching mechanism 500 is switched so that the driving force from the motor 7 is transmitted only to the driving roller 122 side, and a signal for rotating the motor 7 forward at low speed is transmitted to the driving unit 8. For example, when the left changeover switch 160L storing and transporting button 162 is pressed, the control unit receives the signal, and the driving force from the motor 7 is applied to the driving roller through the transmission path in the transmission switching mechanism 500. The control signal for rotating the motor 7 in reverse at low speed is output to the drive unit 8 while switching so as to be transmitted only to the 122 side. When the forcible stop button 163 of the side changeover switch 160L is pressed, the control unit receives the signal, and the driving force from the motor 7 also passes through the transmission path in the transmission switching mechanism 500 to the power transmission unit 11 and the driving roller 122. It is good also as a structure which stops rotation of the motor 7 while switching to the neutral state which is not transmitted also to the side. FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing a third electric vehicle 1a provided with a transmission switching mechanism 500. The same components as those in the electric vehicle 1 in FIG.

  In the above embodiment, the motor 7 simultaneously drives the left and right axles 10L and 10R and the drive roller 122 of the transport device 120 (see the electric vehicle 1 in FIG. 2) or selectively. In any case (see the third electric vehicle 1a in FIG. 8), a case where one motor 7 serves as both the driving of the left and right axles 10L, 10R and the driving roller 122 will be described. However, not limited to this, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, in addition to the motor 7 that drives the left and right axles 10 </ b> L and 10 </ b> R, a conveyance device dedicated motor 600 that drives only the driving roller 122 of the conveyance device 120 is provided. You may comprise the 4th electric vehicle 1b. FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view of a fourth electric vehicle 1b including a motor 600 for exclusive use of a conveyance device that drives only the driving roller 122 of the conveyance device 120 in addition to the motor 7 that drives the left and right axles 10L and 10R. The same components as those in the electric vehicle 1 in FIG. Further, in the case of the fourth electric vehicle 1b (see FIG. 9) provided with the motor 600 for the conveying device in this way, it is not necessary to incorporate the clutch 151 in the connecting portion 150 described above, and the self-type gas station It is not necessary to provide the roller facility 400 (see FIG. 5) in the battery replacement space.

  Moreover, although the electric vehicle 1 of the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the storage case 200 was arrange | positioned so that the vehicle height might be raised so that it might not protrude to the indoor space side of the vehicle body 2, it does not restrict to this, for example As shown in FIG. 10, a fifth electric vehicle 1 c as another example in which the storage case 200 is arranged in a state of protruding to the indoor space side of the vehicle body 2 may be configured. In the case of this configuration, the substantially central portion of the front and rear widths of the left side frame 3L and the right side frame 3R takes the pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed from the left opening 201L or the right opening 201R of the storage case 200. At this time, it is necessary to form a shape protruding upward in a side view, that is, protruding toward the indoor space side so as to retreat upward so as not to interfere with these members. FIG. 10 is a schematic left side view of a fifth electric vehicle 1c as another example of the electric vehicle of the present invention.

  Further, the second electric vehicle 1001 of the above embodiment is arranged in a state in which the storage case 200 protrudes toward the indoor space side of the vehicle body 2 as in the case of the fifth electric vehicle 1c shown in FIG. In the case of the configuration, since the second electric vehicle 1001 is not provided with the transfer device 120 and the like, the height of the storage case 200 can be reduced, so the fifth electric vehicle shown in FIG. Compared with 1c, the protrusion of the vehicle body 2 toward the indoor space can be reduced, and the indoor space can be widened.

  In the above embodiment, the left and right side frames 3L and 3R and the floor panel 13 are separate members. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the floor panel and the left and right side frames are integrated. The structure provided with the formed floor frame (illustration omitted) may be sufficient. In the case of that configuration, when the pallet 110 on which the battery 20 is placed is taken in and out of the pair of left and right openings 201L and 201R of the storage case 200, the side portion of the floor frame located on the side to be taken in and out is As long as it is formed so as not to interfere with members of the battery 20 and the pallet 110 to be taken in and out (see FIGS. 1 and 10).

  Further, in the above embodiment, the pallets 110 and 110 on which the battery 20 is placed are placed on the conveying belt 121 having a non-slip unevenness (not shown) on the surface, whereby the pallets 110 and 110 are placed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a groove 121W having a width W corresponding to the front-rear width of the pallet 110 is formed on the surface of the conveyor belt 121 (see FIG. 3). It is good also as a structure which formed all over the perimeter along the conveyance direction (refer the part which gave the oblique line of the dashed-two dotted line in the inside). As a result, the pallet 110 is placed in the groove 121W of the conveyor belt 121 so as to fit into the vehicle body 2 so that the displacement of the vehicle body 2 in the front-rear direction can be more effectively prevented. Therefore, even when the electric vehicle 1 suddenly starts and stops Further, it is possible to prevent the pallets 110 and 110 from being displaced in the front-rear direction on the conveyor belt 121.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, when the unevenness | corrugation (illustration omitted) for slip prevention is formed in the surface of the conveyance belt 121 as a structure for preventing the position shift of the pallet 110 which mounted the battery 20 (embodiment) 1), and the case where the concave portion is formed on the bottom surface portion 200a of the storage case 200 (see the second embodiment), in addition to this, the front side and the rear side, or the front side of the bottom surface portion of the storage case 200 And a pair of self-locking movable arms for each pallet, each having, for example, a substantially L-shape in a side view on the wall and ceiling on the rear side. Is inserted into a hole 112 (see FIG. 3) formed on the side surface portion of the pallet 110 in the front-rear direction, so that the pallet 110 vibrates in the up-down direction or travels in the front-rear, left-right direction. It may be configured to prevent the location shift. For example, the automatic locking movable arm locks the pallets 110 and 110 in conjunction with the operation of the battery switching mode on / off switch (not shown) provided on the dashboard as described above. It is good also as a structure.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the charged battery 20 is stored in the self-service gas station in a state of being fixed to the pallet 110 with the belt-like fixing band 101 is described. Only the battery 20 that has been charged in advance may be stored. In that case, the driver needs to remove the battery 20 from the pallet 110 and fix the battery 20 that has been charged to the pallet 110.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the battery replacement operation is performed in the battery replacement space provided in the self-type gas station has been described, but not limited thereto, for example, the battery replacement space (battery replacement station) It may be installed anywhere.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the hole 112 in which the front-end | tip of the fork part 310 of the hand forklift 300 was inserted was formed in the side part in the said pallet 110, it is not restricted to this, For example, a pallet 110, in the left-right width direction of the vehicle body 2 so that the front end of the fork portion 310 of the hand forklift 300 can be inserted when the batteries 20 are replaced through the pair of left and right openings 201L, 201R on the bottom surface. A pair of groove portions (not shown) may be formed in parallel.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the hand forklift 300 is used as an example of the cargo handling device of the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention is applicable even when the battery is replaced using a riding forklift. Is applicable. In this case, a driver's license is required to operate the passenger-type forklift, so it is usually not possible for the driver of the electric vehicle to operate the passenger-type forklift and replace the battery. In addition, the specialized worker who replaces the battery at the battery exchange station exhibits an effect that the battery can be easily replaced as compared with the conventional case.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the hand forklift 300 is used as an example of the cargo handling device of the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the battery can be replaced using an unmanned forklift instead of the hand forklift 300. It is good also as composition to do. In this case, it is assumed that the unmanned forklift has a function capable of automatically replacing the battery.

  In the above embodiment, the battery 20 and the pallet 110 are described as separate members. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a configuration in which the battery 20 and the pallet 110 are integrated, in other words, the battery 20 and the hand forklift 300 are provided. The fork part 310 or the fork part of the riding type forklift may be provided with a hole or a groove part into which the fork part can be inserted (see FIG. 11). FIG. 11 is a schematic side view schematically showing a state in which the integrated battery 2020 in which the battery 20 and the pallet 110 are integrated is placed on the transport device 120 in the electric vehicle 1 described in the first embodiment. It is. As shown in FIG. 11, a pair of left and right integrated holes 2112L and 2112R into which the forks can be inserted are formed on each of the left and right side surfaces of the integrated battery 2020.

  Further, when the integrated battery 2020 having such a pallet function is used, an integrated battery having the pallet function can be obtained by providing the storage case 200 with a lock mechanism similar to the above-described automatic locking movable arm. 2020 can be more securely fixed to the storage case 200.

  According to this configuration, since it is not necessary to provide the pallet 110 described above, the height dimension of the storage case 200 can be reduced as compared with the configuration including the pallet 110. Therefore, for example, in the case of the electric vehicle 1 of the type that increases the vehicle height described in FIG. 1, the extent to which the vehicle height increases can be kept low. Further, since the battery 20 and the pallet 110 are integrated, the belt-like fixed band 101 is not necessary.

  According to the electric vehicle of the present invention, the battery can be easily exchanged, and is useful as, for example, a battery exchange type electric vehicle.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric vehicle 1001 2nd electric vehicle 1a 3rd electric vehicle 1b 4th electric vehicle 1c 5th electric vehicle 2 Car body 3 Main frame 4L, 4R Left-right paired front wheel 5L, 5R Left-right paired rear wheel 6 Steering handle 7 Motor 8 Drive unit 9L Left power cable 9R Right power cable 10L, 10R Left and right axles 11 Power transmission unit 12 Seat seat 13 Floor panel 20 Battery 100 Battery exchange mechanism 110 Pallet 120 Conveying device 121 Conveying belt 122 Driving roller 123 Driven roller 130 Driving force branching portion 140 Branching drive shaft 150 Connecting portion 160L Left side changeover switch 160R Right side changeover switch 170L Left side battery detection sensor 170R Right side battery detection sensor 200 Storage case 201L Left side opening 201R Right side opening

Claims (3)

The car body,
A motor provided on the vehicle body for driving the traveling wheel;
A plurality of replaceable batteries for driving at least the motor;
A plurality of battery mounting members for individually mounting each of the plurality of batteries having a pallet function that can be handled by a fork portion of the cargo handling device;
An electric vehicle comprising:
The battery mounting member on which the battery is mounted is disposed in the left-right width direction of the vehicle body,
On both the left and right sides of the vehicle body, the battery mounting member on which the battery is mounted can be taken out from the vehicle body by the fork portion, and an opening that can be stored in the vehicle body by the fork portion is provided. And
The plurality of batteries are two batteries,
One of the two batteries is disposed in a state of being mounted on the battery mounting member in one of the openings provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle body. And the other of the two batteries is mounted on the battery mounting member in the other opening of the openings provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle body. Arranged in the
The battery mounting member on which the battery is mounted can be transferred to either the left side or the right side of the vehicle body.
The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the transport unit is capable of transporting the battery mounting member on which the battery disposed in the opening on the other side is mounted to the opening on the one side . The transport unit includes a transport belt on which the battery mounting member is placed, and a driving roller capable of driving the transport belt in either the left or right direction of the vehicle body,
The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the driving force from the motor can be switched in transmission to the driving roller side. Electric vehicle according to claim 1 or 2 wherein A battery and the battery mounting member, are integrally formed, it is characterized.

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