WO2012105530A1

WO2012105530A1 - Battery-replacing robot and battery-replacement system

Info

Publication number: WO2012105530A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/052064
Authority: WO
Inventors: 矢澤　隆之; 佳久増澤; 賢俊赤羽
Original assignee: 日本電産サンキョー株式会社
Priority date: 2011-01-31
Filing date: 2012-01-31
Publication date: 2012-08-09
Also published as: CN103140392A; JPWO2012105530A1; JP5950832B2; CN103140392B

Abstract

The present invention provides a battery-replacing robot (5) capable of appropriately replacing batteries (3) in a vehicle (2) even if the stopping precision of said vehicle (2) is low. Said robot (5) is provided with: a battery insertion/removal mechanism (17) that removes batteries (3) from vehicles (2) and/or inserts batteries (3) into vehicles (2); and a detection mechanism (21) for detecting positioning marks (8) formed on a battery rack (6) in the vehicle (2) containing the batteries (3). The battery insertion/removal mechanism (17) is provided with a movable part (22) that, in order to insert and/or remove a battery (3), moves towards the vehicle (2) when inserting and/or removing a battery (3). The detection mechanism (21) is attached to said movable part (22).

Description

Battery exchange robot and battery exchange system

The present invention relates to a battery exchange robot and a battery exchange system for exchanging a battery mounted on a vehicle.

Conventionally, a battery exchange device for exchanging a battery mounted on an electric bus has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). A battery exchange device described in Patent Document 1 includes a battery tray on which a battery is mounted, a vertical lift device that raises and lowers the battery tray, a rotary platform that is mounted with the battery tray and the vertical lift device, and is rotatable, and a rotary platform And a parallel movement platform movable in the horizontal direction. A docking hole is formed in the battery mounting portion of the electric bus, and a docking arm that can be engaged with the docking hole is provided in the battery tray. When the battery is replaced, the docking arm engages with the docking hole, so that the battery mounting portion of the electric bus and the battery tray are aligned.

Special table 2008-520173

In the battery exchange device described in Patent Document 1, since the battery tray is provided with a docking arm that engages with a docking hole formed in the battery mounting portion of the electric bus when replacing the battery, as described above, It is possible to align the battery mounting portion of the electric bus with the battery tray.

However, in the case of this battery exchange device, it is difficult to engage the docking arm with the docking hole unless the electric bus is accurately stopped at a predetermined position. In other words, in the case of this battery exchange device, if the stopping accuracy of the electric bus is low, it becomes difficult to align the battery mounting portion of the electric bus with the battery tray, and the battery tray of the electric bus from the battery mounting portion becomes difficult. It becomes difficult to replace the battery. Therefore, in the case of this battery exchange device, if the stopping accuracy of the electric bus is low, it may be difficult to replace the battery mounted on the electric bus appropriately.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a battery exchange robot and a battery exchange system that can appropriately replace a battery mounted on a vehicle even when the stopping accuracy of the vehicle is low.

In order to solve the above problems, a battery exchange robot according to the present invention is a battery exchange robot for exchanging a battery mounted on a vehicle, wherein the battery is pulled out and / or inserted into the vehicle. A battery insertion / removal mechanism and a detection mechanism for detecting a detection mark formed on the battery pedestal or the battery mounted on the vehicle and mounted on the vehicle, the battery insertion / removal mechanism approaching the vehicle A movable part that is movable in the direction and away from the vehicle and moves in a direction approaching the vehicle when the battery is withdrawn and / or inserted in order to remove and / or insert the battery. It is attached.

In order to solve the above problems, a battery exchange system according to the present invention is a battery exchange system for exchanging a battery mounted on a vehicle, and the battery is pulled out from the vehicle and / or the battery is supplied to the vehicle. A battery insertion / removal mechanism for inserting the battery, a battery cradle mounted on the vehicle and mounted with the battery, a detection mark formed on the battery cradle or the battery, and a detection mechanism for detecting the detection mark, The battery insertion / removal mechanism is movable in a direction toward and away from the vehicle, and moves in a direction toward the vehicle when the battery is withdrawn and / or inserted in order to remove and / or insert the battery. A movable part is provided, and the detection mechanism is attached to the movable part. And wherein the door.

The battery exchange robot and the battery exchange system of the present invention are provided with a detection mechanism for detecting a detection mark formed on a battery pedestal or a battery mounted on the vehicle and mounted on the vehicle. Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to detect the position of the battery mounted on the vehicle directly or indirectly by detecting the detection mark by the detection mechanism. Therefore, in the present invention, even if the stopping accuracy of the vehicle is low, the battery connecting / disconnecting mechanism that pulls out the battery from the vehicle and / or inserts the battery into the vehicle based on the detection result of the detecting mechanism. Positioning can be performed, and as a result, the battery mounted on the vehicle can be appropriately replaced.

In the present invention, the battery insertion / removal mechanism includes a movable part that moves in a direction approaching the vehicle when the battery is withdrawn and / or inserted in order to withdraw and / or insert the battery. A detection mechanism is attached. In other words, in the present invention, the detection mechanism is attached to the movable part constituting the battery insertion / removal mechanism. For this reason, after the battery position is detected by the detection mechanism, it is possible to reduce the amount of movement of the battery insertion / removal mechanism when aligning the battery insertion / removal mechanism with the battery. Therefore, in the present invention, an error is less likely to occur when the battery plug-in mechanism and the battery are aligned based on the detection result of the detection mechanism, and the battery plug-in mechanism and the battery are accurately aligned. Is possible. In addition, after the battery position is detected by the detection mechanism, it is possible to reduce the amount of movement of the battery insertion / removal mechanism when aligning the battery insertion / removal mechanism with the battery. Thus, it is possible to perform alignment between the battery insertion / removal mechanism and the battery.

In the present invention, the battery exchange robot and the battery exchange system include an elevating mechanism that elevates and lowers the battery insertion / removal mechanism, and the detection mechanism detects at least the height of the battery mount or the battery by detecting the detection mark. It is preferable. If comprised in this way, based on the detection result in a detection mechanism, it will become possible to align a battery insertion / extraction mechanism and a battery in an up-down direction by driving a raising / lowering mechanism. Therefore, even when the weight of the battery is heavy, the battery can be pulled out and inserted safely and appropriately.

In the present invention, when the direction in which the vehicle and the battery exchange robot face each other is the front-rear direction, and the direction substantially perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction is the left-right direction, the battery exchange robot and the battery exchange system have the up-down direction as the axial direction. A rotation mechanism for rotating the battery insertion / removal mechanism and a horizontal movement mechanism for moving the battery insertion / removal mechanism in the left-right direction. The lifting mechanism is a battery insertion / removal mechanism with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction. A first elevating mechanism and a second elevating mechanism that can be individually driven to tilt the battery. At least two detection marks are formed on the battery mount or the battery with a predetermined interval in the left-right direction. The detection mechanism detects the detection mark, so that the height of the battery stand or battery, the position in the left-right direction, the front-rear direction Position, inclination with respect to the horizontal direction as viewed in the longitudinal direction, and it is preferable to detect the inclination in the left-and-right direction when viewed from the vertical direction.

With this configuration, the battery insertion / removal mechanism and the battery can be aligned in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction by driving the lifting mechanism and the horizontal movement mechanism based on the detection result of the detection mechanism. become. Further, based on the detection result of the detection mechanism, it is possible to appropriately set the amount of movement of the movable part in the front-rear direction when the battery is pulled out or inserted. Furthermore, by driving the rotation mechanism based on the detection result of the detection mechanism, it becomes possible to match the inclination of the battery with respect to the left and right direction when viewed from the up and down direction and the inclination of the battery insertion and removal mechanism, Further, by driving the first elevating mechanism and the second elevating mechanism based on the detection result of the detection mechanism, the inclination of the battery with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction is matched with the inclination of the battery insertion / removal mechanism. It becomes possible. Therefore, the battery can be pulled out and inserted more safely and appropriately.

In the present invention, two detection marks are formed on the battery stand or the battery at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction, and the movable part 2 corresponds to the two detection marks. Preferably, one detection mechanism is attached. With this configuration, each of the two detection mechanisms can detect each of the two detection marks at the same time. Therefore, the left and right directions of the battery stand or the battery when viewed from the front-rear direction. It is possible to detect in a short time the inclination with respect to and the inclination with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from above and below.

In the present invention, the battery insertion / removal mechanism includes, as a movable portion, a battery mounting portion on which the battery is mounted when the battery is pulled out and / or inserted, and a battery mounting portion that engages with the battery when the battery is pulled out and / or inserted. And a battery engaging part for moving the battery on the part, the detection mechanism is preferably attached to the battery mounting part, and the detection mark is preferably formed on the battery mount. If comprised in this way, it will become possible to arrange | position a battery mounting part and a battery mounting stand in the substantially same height at the time of the detection mark detection by a detection mechanism. Therefore, after the battery position is detected by the detection mechanism, it is possible to further reduce the amount of vertical movement of the battery insertion / removal mechanism when aligning the battery insertion / removal mechanism with the battery. As a result, it is possible to more accurately align the battery insertion / removal mechanism and the battery in the vertical direction. In addition, it becomes possible to align the battery insertion / removal mechanism and the battery in a shorter time after the detection of the battery position.

In the present invention, the detection mark is preferably formed in a substantially triangular shape or a substantially trapezoidal shape whose width changes in the vertical direction. If comprised in this way, it will become possible to detect the height of a battery by moving a detection mechanism to the left-right direction, and detecting the width | variety of the part by which the mark for a detection is detected. Therefore, the height of the battery can be detected in a short time.

In the present invention, when the direction in which the vehicle and the battery exchange robot face each other is the front-rear direction, and the direction substantially orthogonal to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction is the left-right direction, the battery exchange system moves the battery insertion / removal mechanism in the left-right direction. A horizontal movement mechanism is provided, and a step is formed at the boundary between the battery stand and the side surface of the vehicle in the left-right direction, and the detection mechanism preferably detects the approximate position of the battery by detecting the step. With this configuration, the approximate position of the battery can be detected relatively easily and appropriately even when the moving speed of the battery insertion / removal mechanism that moves in the left-right direction is increased by the horizontal movement mechanism. Therefore, the approximate position of the battery can be detected in a short time, and as a result, the detailed position of the battery can be detected in a short time.

In the present invention, the detection mechanism may be a laser sensor including a light emitting unit that emits laser light, and a light receiving unit that receives the laser light reflected by a reflector that reflects the laser light emitted from the light emitting unit. preferable. With this configuration, since the distance between the detection mark and the detection mechanism can be measured by the detection mechanism, it is possible to easily detect the position of the battery in the front-rear direction using the detection mark. become. Moreover, if comprised in this way, it will become possible to detect easily the level | step difference formed in the boundary of a battery mounting stand and the side surface of a vehicle by setting the detection range of a detection mechanism appropriately. Further, with this configuration, the distance between the side surface of the vehicle and the detection mechanism can be measured by the detection mechanism. For example, the distance between the side surface of the vehicle and the detection mechanism is set at two locations in the left-right direction. By measuring, it becomes possible to detect the inclination of the vehicle with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the up-down direction.

As described above, in the battery exchange robot and battery exchange system of the present invention, it is possible to appropriately replace the battery mounted on the vehicle even if the stopping accuracy of the vehicle is low.

1 is a perspective view of a battery exchange system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the E section of FIG. 1 from another angle. It is an enlarged view of the F section of FIG. It is a front view which shows the state in which the battery was accommodated in the battery accommodating part shown in FIG. It is an enlarged view of the G section of FIG. It is a figure which shows the battery insertion / extraction mechanism and lifting mechanism shown in FIG. 2 from the front. It is a figure which shows a battery insertion / extraction mechanism and a raising / lowering mechanism from the HH direction of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the battery mounting mechanism shown in FIG. 6 from the front. It is a figure for demonstrating the battery mounting mechanism shown in FIG. 6 from a side surface. It is a figure for demonstrating the battery mounting mechanism shown in FIG. 6 from the upper surface. It is an expanded sectional view of the roller shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the battery moving mechanism shown in FIG. 6 from the front. It is a figure for demonstrating the battery moving mechanism shown in FIG. 6 from a side surface. It is a figure for demonstrating a state when the battery engaging part shown in FIG. 13 moves to the direction away from a bus | bath from a side surface. It is an enlarged view of the J section of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the engaging nail | claw part shown in FIG. It is an enlarged view of the K section of FIG. It is an enlarged view of the L section of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the battery moving mechanism shown in FIG. 6 from an upper surface. (A) is an enlarged view of the M portion in FIG. 19, and (B) is an enlarged view of the N portion in FIG. 19. It is a figure for demonstrating the raising / lowering mechanism shown in FIG. 6 from an upper surface. FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams for explaining the configuration of the first coupling mechanism shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 7A is a diagram for explaining the first coupling mechanism from the front, and FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating 1 connection mechanism. FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams for explaining the configuration of the second coupling mechanism shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 7A is a diagram for explaining the second coupling mechanism from the front, and FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating 2 connection mechanisms. It is a figure for demonstrating a state when the holding member shown in FIG. 6 is inclined from the front. It is a figure for demonstrating the rotation mechanism and horizontal movement mechanism which are shown in FIG. 2 from the front. It is a figure for demonstrating the rotation mechanism and horizontal movement mechanism which are shown in FIG. 2 from the upper surface. It is a figure for demonstrating a rotation mechanism and a horizontal movement mechanism from the RR direction of FIG. (A) is an enlarged view of the U part of FIG. 26, (B) is an enlarged view of the V part of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the detection method of the approximate position of the battery by the detection mechanism shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the detection method of the position of the battery by the detection mechanism shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the attachment method of the detection mechanism concerning other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect when a detection mechanism is attached with the attachment method shown in FIG. (A) is a figure for demonstrating from the front the detection mark concerning other embodiment of this invention, (B) is sectional drawing of the WW cross section of (A).

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Schematic configuration of battery replacement system)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a battery exchange system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the E portion of FIG. 1 from another angle. In the following description, each of the three directions orthogonal to each other is defined as an X direction, a Y direction, and a Z direction. In this embodiment, the Z direction coincides with the vertical direction (vertical direction). In the following description, the X direction is the front-rear direction and the Y direction is the left-right direction.

The battery exchange system 1 of this embodiment is a system for exchanging the battery 3 mounted on the vehicle 2. The vehicle 2 of this embodiment is an electric bus. Therefore, hereinafter, the vehicle 2 is referred to as “bus 2”. A battery housing portion 4 in which a plurality of batteries 3 are housed is attached to the bus 2. The battery accommodating portion 4 is arranged so as to be exposed to the side surface 2a when a cover member (not shown) attached to one side surface 2a of the bus 2 is removed. Further, the battery accommodating portion 4 is disposed below the seat of the bus 2. When the battery 3 is replaced, the bus 2 is stopped so that the traveling direction thereof substantially coincides with the left-right direction.

The battery replacement system 1 includes a battery replacement robot 5 (hereinafter referred to as “robot 5”) for replacing the battery 3 stored in the battery storage unit 4. The robot 5 faces the side surface 2a of the bus 2 in the front-rear direction so that the battery 3 housed in the battery housing portion 4 can be replaced. The robot 5 pulls out the battery 3 housed in the battery housing portion 4 and carries it into a buffer station (not shown), and unloads the charged battery 3 housed in the buffer station from the buffer station. Insert into the housing 4.

(Configuration of battery and battery compartment)
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion F in FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state in which the battery 3 is accommodated in the battery accommodating portion 4 shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion G in FIG.

The battery housing part 4 includes a battery cradle 6 on which the battery 3 is mounted and left and right side walls 7, and the battery cradle 6 and the side walls 7 form a housing space for the battery 3. In the battery accommodating portion 4 of the present embodiment, accommodating spaces for a plurality of batteries 3 are formed, and a plurality of batteries 3 can be accommodated. Moreover, the battery accommodating part 4 is arrange | positioned so that it may dent in the back | inner side rather than the side surface 2a of the bus | bath 2, As shown in FIG. Is formed.

A detection mark 8 for indirectly detecting the position of the battery 3 is formed on the front surface of the battery stand 6. The detection mark 8 is formed on each of both ends in the left-right direction of the battery mount 6. That is, two detection marks 8 are formed on the front surface of the battery mount 6 with a predetermined interval in the left-right direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the detection mark 8 is formed in a flat plate shape that protrudes from the front surface of the battery mount 6, and is formed in a substantially triangular shape whose width changes in the vertical direction. Specifically, the detection mark 8 is formed in a substantially equilateral triangle shape whose width becomes narrower toward the upper side. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the detection mark 8 is fixed to the flat plate member 9, and the flat plate member 9 is fixed to the front surface of the battery table 6, whereby the front surface of the battery table 6. A detection mark 8 is formed on the surface.

A handle portion 11 for pulling out the battery 3 from the battery housing portion 4 is formed on the front surface of the battery 3. In the present embodiment, the handle portion 11 is formed on each of the left and right ends of the front surface of the battery 3. On the lower surface of the battery 3, a protrusion 12 for positioning the battery 3 pulled out by the robot 5 in a direction orthogonal to the pulling direction is formed so as to protrude downward (see FIG. 5). The battery 3 includes a fixing member 13 (see FIG. 4) for fixing the battery 3 to the battery housing portion 4 and a release member 14 (see FIG. 3) for releasing the fixed state of the battery 3 with respect to the battery housing portion 4. ).

The fixing member 13 is attached to the battery 3 so as to protrude from the left and right side surfaces of the battery 3. The fixing member 13 is attached to the front side of the battery 3. The fixing member 13 is held by the battery 3 so as to be movable in the left-right direction. The fixing member 13 is urged outward in the left-right direction by an urging member (not shown). In this embodiment, the urging force of the urging member causes the right and left outer end portions of the fixing member 13 to engage with the engagement holes formed in the side wall 7 of the battery housing portion 4, so that the battery housing portion 4 is brought into contact with the battery housing portion 4. 3 is fixed. The fixing member 13 functions to position the battery 3 in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction in the battery housing portion 4.

The release member 14 is disposed on the back side of the handle portion 11. The release member 14 is held by the battery 3 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. The release member 14 is urged toward the front side of the battery 3 by an urging member (not shown). In this embodiment, when the release member 14 is pushed to the back side, the fixing member 13 moves inward in the left-right direction, and the engagement hole formed in the side wall 7 of the battery housing portion 4 engages with the fixing member 13. The state is released, and the battery 3 can be pulled out from the battery housing 4.

A connector connected to a connector disposed at the back of the battery housing 4 is attached to the back surface of the battery 3. A positioning pin for positioning the battery 3 in the up / down / left / right directions in the battery housing 4 is attached to the back surface of the battery 3.

(Schematic configuration of battery replacement robot)
As shown in FIG. 2, the robot 5 includes a battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 that pulls out the battery 3 from the bus 2 and inserts the battery 3 into the bus 2, a lifting mechanism 18 that lifts and lowers the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17, A rotation mechanism 19 for rotating the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 and the lifting mechanism 18 with the vertical direction as an axial direction, and a horizontal movement mechanism 20 for moving the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17, the lifting mechanism 18 and the rotation mechanism 19 in the left-right direction; It has. Further, the robot 5 includes a detection mechanism 21 for detecting the detection mark 8 (see FIG. 10).

The battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 includes a battery mounting mechanism 23 having a battery mounting portion 22 on which the battery 3 is mounted when the battery 3 is pulled out and inserted, and a battery mounting mechanism that is engaged with the battery 3 when the battery 3 is pulled out and inserted. And a battery moving mechanism 25 having a battery engaging portion 24 (see FIG. 6) for moving the battery 3 on the portion 22. The battery mounting portion 22 and the battery engaging portion 24 are movable in a direction approaching the bus 2 and a direction away from the bus 2.

Further, the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 is held by a holding member 26 formed in a substantially rectangular tube shape. The holding member 26 includes a first holding member 27 constituting the lower end side thereof and a second holding member 28 constituting the upper end side thereof. The first holding member 27 is formed in a rectangular groove shape that opens on the upper side, and the second holding member 28 is formed in a rectangular groove shape that opens on the lower side. The holding member 26 is a substantially square in which both ends of the battery mounting portion 22 and the battery engaging portion 24 in the moving direction are opened by the first holding member 27 and the second holding member 28 being combined and fixed in the vertical direction. It is formed in a cylindrical shape.

(Configuration of battery mounting mechanism)
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 and the lifting mechanism 18 shown in FIG. 2 from the front. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 and the lifting mechanism 18 from the HH direction of FIG. FIG. 8 is a view for explaining the battery mounting mechanism 23 shown in FIG. 6 from the front. FIG. 9 is a view for explaining the battery mounting mechanism 23 shown in FIG. 6 from the side. FIG. 10 is a view for explaining the battery mounting mechanism 23 shown in FIG. 6 from above. FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the roller 32 shown in FIG.

The battery mounting mechanism 23 includes a mounting unit moving mechanism 30 that moves the battery mounting unit 22 in a direction approaching the bus 2 and a direction away from the bus 2 in addition to the battery mounting unit 22 described above.

The battery mounting portion 22 is formed in a flat block shape that is flat in the vertical direction. A plurality of

rollers

31 and 32 that are in contact with the lower surface of the battery 3 are rotatably attached to the upper surface of the battery mounting portion 22. As shown in FIG. 10, the plurality of rollers 31 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the moving direction of the battery mounting portion 22, and the plurality of rollers 32 are also set in the moving direction of the battery mounting portion 22 in the same manner as the rollers 31. Arranged at intervals. In addition, the roller 31 and the roller 32 are arranged with a predetermined interval in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the battery mounting portion 22.

The roller 31 is a flat roller. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, the roller 32 is a grooved roller in which a groove 32a that is recessed toward the inner peripheral side is formed on the outer peripheral surface. The groove 32a is formed so that the protrusion 12 formed on the lower surface of the battery 3 can be engaged, and when the battery 3 is mounted at a predetermined position of the battery mounting portion 22, the protrusion is formed on the groove 32a. 12 is engaged. In this embodiment, the protrusion 3 is engaged with the groove 32 a, whereby the battery 3 is positioned with respect to the battery mounting portion 22 in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the battery mounting portion 22.

The mounting unit moving mechanism 30 includes a motor 33, a screw member 34 such as a ball screw, and a nut member 35 that is screwed into the screw member 34 as a configuration for moving the battery mounting unit 22. Further, the mounting unit moving mechanism 30 is configured to guide the battery mounting unit 22, and is linearly formed, and engages with the guide rail 36 and is relatively movable along the guide rail 36. A guide block 37 is provided.

The motor 33 is fixed to the upper surface side of the rear end portion of the battery mounting portion 22. The screw member 34 is rotatably held on the lower surface side of the battery mounting portion 22. The motor 33 and the screw member 34 are connected via a pulley, a belt, or the like. The nut member 35 is fixed to the first holding member 27. The guide rail 36 is fixed to the lower surface side of the battery mounting portion 22, and the guide block 37 is fixed to the first holding member 27. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the motor 33 rotates, the battery mounting portion 22 is guided by the guide rail 36 and the guide block 37 and moves linearly with respect to the first holding member 27.

(Configuration of battery moving mechanism)
FIG. 12 is a view for explaining the battery moving mechanism 25 shown in FIG. 6 from the front. FIG. 13 is a view for explaining the battery moving mechanism 25 shown in FIG. 6 from the side. FIG. 14 is a view for explaining the state when the battery engaging portion 24 shown in FIG. 13 moves away from the bus 2 from the side. FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of a portion J in FIG. FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the engaging claw portion 41 shown in FIG. 15. FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of a portion K in FIG. FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of a portion L in FIG. FIG. 19 is a view for explaining the battery moving mechanism 25 shown in FIG. 6 from above. 20A is an enlarged view of a portion M in FIG. 19, and FIG. 20B is an enlarged view of a portion N in FIG.

In addition to the battery engaging portion 24 described above, the battery moving mechanism 25 includes an engaging portion moving mechanism 39 that moves the battery engaging portion 24 in a direction approaching the bus 2 and a direction away from the bus 2, and a battery engaging portion 24. And a movable holding member 40 that is held movably and held by the second holding member 28.

The battery engaging portion 24 includes an engaging claw portion 41 that engages with the handle portion 11 of the battery 3, an air cylinder 42 that moves the engaging claw portion 41 up and down, and a base portion 43 to which the air cylinder 42 is attached. Yes. The engaging claw portion 41 is fixed to the movable side of the air cylinder 42, and the fixed side of the air cylinder 42 is fixed to the distal end surface of the base portion 43. In this embodiment, the two engaging claws 41 and the two air cylinders 42 of the base 43 are arranged so that the engaging claws 41 are engaged with the two handles 11 formed on the battery 3. It arrange | positions in the state which opened the predetermined space | interval at the front end surface.

The engaging claw portion 41 includes a fixing portion 41 a that is fixed to the air cylinder 42 and a claw portion 41 b that engages with the handle portion 11. As shown in FIG. 16, a contact portion 41 d that contacts the upper surface of the front end portion 11 a of the handle portion 11 is formed on the upper end side of the rear surface 41 c of the claw portion 41 b. The front surface 41e of the claw portion 41b includes a vertical surface 41f that is parallel to the vertical direction and an inclined surface 41g that is connected to the lower end of the vertical surface 41f and is inclined to the rear surface side toward the lower side. Further, the rear surface 41c of the claw portion 41b is connected to the vertical surface 41h parallel to the vertical direction, the inclined surface 41j that is connected to the lower end of the vertical surface 41h and is inclined to the front side toward the lower side, and the lower end of the inclined surface 41j. The vertical surface 41k is connected and parallel to the vertical direction. The vertical surface 41f, the vertical surface 41h, and the vertical surface 41k are substantially parallel to each other. The lower end of the inclined surface 41g and the lower end of the vertical surface 41k are connected. The upper end of the inclined surface 41g and the upper end of the inclined surface 41j are formed at substantially the same position in the vertical direction.

The claw portion 41 b enters from the upper side between the front end portion 11 a of the handle portion 11 and the front surface of the battery 3 and engages with the handle portion 11. When the claw portion 41b engages with the handle portion 11, the inclined surface 41g of the claw portion 41b pushes the release member 14 and is formed on the side wall 7 of the battery housing portion 4 as shown in FIG. The engagement state between the engagement hole and the fixing member 13 is released. Therefore, when the claw portion 41 b is engaged with the handle portion 11, the battery 3 can be pulled out and inserted by the battery pulling mechanism 17. In addition, when the contact part 41d contacts the upper surface of the front end part 11a, the engagement of the claw part 41b with the handle part 11 is completed.

In this embodiment, when the contact portion 41d contacts the upper surface of the front end portion 11a and the engagement of the claw portion 41b with the handle portion 11 is completed, the vertical surface 41f is released as shown in FIG. A claw portion 41b is formed so as to abut against the member 14 and the vertical surface 41h abuts against the front end portion 11a. Further, in this embodiment, when the engagement of the claw portion 41b with the handle portion 11 is completed, the vertical surface 41f is prevented so that rattling of the claw portion 41b does not occur between the release member 14 and the front end portion 11a. And the vertical surface 41h is set to a distance t (that is, a thickness t on the upper end side of the claw portion 41b in the moving direction of the battery engaging portion 24).

Further, in this embodiment, when the claw portion 41b is engaged with the handle portion 11, as shown in FIG. 16A, the gap is formed so that a gap is formed between the front end portion 11a and the vertical surface 41k. A surface 41g and a vertical surface 41k are formed. When the claw portion 41b engages with the handle portion 11, the inclined surface 41g abuts on the release member 14, so that the inclined surface 41g is pushed to the front side by the urging force of the release member 14 toward the front side. By forming the inclined surface 41g and the vertical surface 41k as described above, it is possible to prevent the vertical surface 41k from contacting the front end portion 11a with a large contact pressure even when the inclined surface 41g is pushed to the front surface side. As a result, it is possible to prevent the downward movement of the engaging claw portion 41 when the claw portion 41b is engaged with the handle portion 11 from being hindered. The inclined surface 41j has a function of gradually reducing the rattling of the claw portion 41b between the release member 14 and the front end portion 11a.

The moving holding member 40 is formed in a long and narrow shape in the moving direction of the battery engaging portion 24. Further, the movement holding member 40 is formed so that the shape when viewed from the moving direction of the battery engaging portion 24 is substantially H-shaped.

The engaging portion moving mechanism 39 includes a motor 44, a screw member 45 such as a ball screw, a nut member 46 that is screwed to the screw member 45, and a structure for moving the battery engaging portion 24 and the movement holding member 40.

Pulleys

47 and 48 and a belt 49 spanning the

pulleys

47 and 48 are provided. Further, the engaging portion moving mechanism 39 is configured to guide the battery engaging portion 24 and the movement holding member 40, and engages with the guide rail 50 formed in a straight line, the guide rail 50, and the guide rail 50. And a guide block 51 that is relatively movable along the guide rail 52. As a configuration for guiding the battery engaging portion 24, the guide rail 52 that is linearly formed, and the guide rail 52 that engages with the guide rail 52 and And a guide block 53 that is relatively movable along.

The motor 44 is fixed to the upper surface of the rear end portion of the second holding member 28. The screw member 45 is rotatably held on the upper surface portion of the second holding member 28. The motor 44 and the screw member 45 are connected via a pulley, a belt, or the like. The nut member 46 is fixed to the rear end portion of the movement holding member 40. The pulley 47 is rotatably held at the rear end portion of the movement holding member 40, and the pulley 48 is rotatably held at the front end portion of the movement holding member 40.

The belt 49 is fixed to the base portion 43 of the battery engaging portion 24 via the belt fixing member 54 and is fixed to the upper surface portion of the second holding member 28 via the belt fixing member 55. Specifically, when the movable holding member 40 protrudes from the second holding member 28 and the belt fixing member 55 is disposed in the vicinity of the pulley 47 as shown in FIG. 17, the pulley as shown in FIG. The belt fixing member 54 is disposed in the vicinity of 48, and the movable holding member 40 is accommodated in the second holding member 28, and the belt fixing member 55 is disposed in the vicinity of the pulley 48 as shown in FIG. Sometimes, the belt 49 is fixed to the base 43 and the second holding member 28 via the

belt fixing members

54 and 55 so that the belt fixing member 54 is disposed in the vicinity of the pulley 47.

The guide rail 50 is fixed to the upper surface portion of the second holding member 28, and the guide block 51 is fixed to the upper surface of the movable holding member 40. The guide rail 52 is fixed to the lower surface of the movement holding member 40, and the guide block 53 is fixed to the upper end side of the base portion 43 of the battery engaging portion 24.

In the present embodiment, when the motor 44 is rotated, the moving holding member 40 is guided to the guide rail 50 and the guide block 51 together with the battery engaging portion 24 by the screw member 45 and the nut member 46, so that the second holding member 28 is moved. Move in a straight line. When the motor 44 rotates, the battery engaging portion 24 is guided by the guide rail 52 and the guide block 53 by the

pulleys

47 and 48 and the belt 49, and relatively moves linearly with respect to the movement holding member 40.

(Schematic operation of the battery insertion / extraction mechanism)
When pulling out the battery 3 from the bus 2, first, the battery mounting portion 22 moves in a direction approaching the bus 2. Thereafter, the battery engaging portion 24 moves in a direction approaching the bus 2. Thereafter, the engaging claw portion 41 descends and engages with the handle portion 11 of the battery 3. Thereafter, the battery engaging portion 24 moves away from the bus 2. When the battery engaging portion 24 moves by a predetermined amount and the battery 3 is mounted on the battery mounting portion 22, the battery mounting portion 22 and the battery engaging portion 24 thereafter move away from the bus 2 while being synchronized. . Thereafter, when the engaging claw portion 41 is lifted and detached from the handle portion 11, the extraction of the battery 3 from the bus 2 is completed.

When inserting the battery 3 into the bus 2, first, the battery mounting portion 22 and the battery engagement portion 24 move in a direction approaching the bus 2 while being synchronized. Thereafter, the battery engaging portion 24 moves in a direction approaching the bus 2 and the battery 3 is inserted into the bus 2. Thereafter, the engaging claw portion 41 is raised, the battery mounting portion 22 and the battery engaging portion 24 are moved away from the bus 2, and the insertion of the battery 3 into the bus 2 is completed.

The battery mounting portion 22 and the battery engaging portion 24 of this embodiment are movable portions that move in a direction approaching the bus 2 when the battery 3 is pulled out and inserted in order to pull out and insert the battery 3. Note that, when the battery 3 is pulled out from the bus 2, the position of the battery 3 is detected by the detection mechanism 21 as described later. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the first holding member 27 is fixed with a positioning member 56 for positioning and fixing the battery 3 pulled out from the bus 2. As shown in FIG. 10, the positioning member 56 is formed with an engaging recess 56 a with which the fixing member 13 is engaged. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 19, an RF reader 57 for exchanging data with an IC chip fixed to the front surface of the battery 3 is fixed at the center of the front end surface of the base portion 43.

(Configuration of lifting mechanism, first coupling mechanism and second coupling mechanism)
FIG. 21 is a view for explaining the lifting mechanism 18 shown in FIG. 6 from above. FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the first coupling mechanism 61 shown in FIG. 6, (A) is a diagram for explaining the first coupling mechanism 61 from the front, and (B) is a diagram of (A). It is a figure for demonstrating the 1st connection mechanism 61 from PP direction. FIG. 23 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the second coupling mechanism 62 shown in FIG. 6, (A) is a diagram for explaining the second coupling mechanism 62 from the front, and (B) is a diagram of (A). It is a figure for demonstrating the 2nd connection mechanism 62 from QQ direction. FIG. 24 is a view for explaining the state when the holding member 26 shown in FIG. 6 is tilted from the front.

The elevating mechanism 18 is disposed on each of both ends of a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the battery mounting portion 22 and the battery engaging portion 24 and the vertical direction (hereinafter, this direction is referred to as “first direction”). A first lifting mechanism 59 and a second lifting mechanism 60 are provided. The first elevating mechanism 59 is connected to one end side of the first holding member 27 in the first direction by the first connecting mechanism 61. The second elevating mechanism 60 is connected to the other end side of the first holding member 27 in the first direction by the second connecting mechanism 62. The first elevating mechanism 59 and the second elevating mechanism 60 are provided to incline the holding member 26 with respect to the horizontal direction (more specifically, when viewed from the moving direction of the battery mounting portion 22 and the battery engaging portion 24). In order to tilt the holding member 26 with respect to the first direction), it can be driven individually. That is, the first elevating mechanism 59 and the second elevating mechanism 60 can be individually driven in order to tilt the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 with respect to the horizontal direction. The holding member 26 is connected to the first elevating mechanism 59 and the second elevating mechanism 60 so as to be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction.

The first elevating mechanism 59 and the second elevating mechanism 60 include an elevating member 63 that is movable in the vertical direction, a columnar member 64 that holds the elevating member 63 so as to be able to elevate, and an elevating drive mechanism 65 that elevates the elevating member 63. I have. The columnar member 64 is formed in a column shape elongated in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper end of the columnar member 64 constituting the first elevating mechanism 59 and the upper end of the columnar member 64 constituting the second elevating mechanism 60 are connected by a connecting member 66, and two pieces The columnar member 64 and the connecting member 66 constitute a portal frame.

The elevating drive mechanism 65 includes a motor 67, a screw member 68 such as a ball screw, and a nut member 69 screwed to the screw member 68 as a configuration for elevating the elevating member 63. The elevating drive mechanism 65 is configured to guide the elevating member 63 as a guide rail 70 formed in a linear shape, and a guide block that engages with the guide rail 70 and is relatively movable along the guide rail 70. 71.

The motor 67 is fixed to the upper end side of the columnar member 64. The screw member 68 is rotatably held by the columnar member 64. The motor 67 and the screw member 68 are connected via a coupling 72 (see FIG. 7). The nut member 69 is fixed to the elevating member 63. The guide rail 70 is fixed to the side surface of the columnar member 64. Specifically, the guide rails 70 are fixed to both side surfaces of the columnar member 64 in the moving direction of the battery mounting portion 22 and the battery engaging portion 24. The guide block 71 is fixed to the elevating member 63. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the motor 67 rotates, the elevating member 63 is guided by the guide rail 70 and the guide block 71 and moves up and down with respect to the columnar member 64.

As shown in FIG. 22, the first coupling mechanism 61 is inserted into the substantially cylindrical tubular member 73 fixed to one end side in the first direction of the first holding member 27 and the inner peripheral side of the tubular member 73. And a shaft holding member 75 that is fixed to the lifting member 63 constituting the first lifting mechanism 59 and holds both end sides of the shaft member 74. The shaft member 74 is held by the shaft holding member 75 with the moving direction of the battery mounting portion 22 and the battery engaging portion 24 as the axial direction.

The inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical member 73 is a cylindrical surface, and the shaft member 74 is formed in an elongated columnar shape. A tapered roller bearing 76 is disposed between the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical member 73 and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft member 74. The tapered roller bearings 76 are disposed on both ends of the cylindrical member 73 in the moving direction of the battery mounting portion 22 and the battery engaging portion 24. The cylindrical member 73 is rotatable relative to the shaft member 74, and the holding member 26 is rotatable relative to the lifting member 63 of the first lifting mechanism 59 around the shaft member 74. Yes. As described above, the first connecting mechanism 61 connects the holding member 26 and the lifting member 63 so that the holding member 26 can be rotated relative to the lifting member 63 of the first lifting mechanism 59.

As shown in FIG. 23, the second coupling mechanism 62 includes a shaft holding member 77 fixed to the other end side in the first direction of the first holding member 27, and a shaft member whose both end sides are held by the shaft holding member 77. 78, a shaft holding member 79 fixed to the lifting member 63 constituting the second lifting mechanism 60, a shaft member 80 whose both ends are held by the shaft holding member 79, and the shaft member 78 and the shaft member 80, respectively. And a link member 81 in which two insertion holes 81a are formed. The shaft member 78 is held by the shaft holding member 77 with the moving direction of the battery mounting portion 22 and the battery engaging portion 24 as the axial direction, and the shaft member 80 has the moving direction of the battery mounting portion 22 and the battery engaging portion 24 as the axis. It is held by the shaft holding member 79 as a direction. Moreover, the

shaft members

78 and 80 are arrange | positioned so that it may overlap in this order from the upper side.

The inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 81a is a cylindrical surface, and the

shaft members

78 and 80 are formed in an elongated columnar shape. A tapered roller bearing 82 is disposed between the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 81 a and the outer peripheral surfaces of the

shaft members

78 and 80. The tapered roller bearings 82 are disposed on both ends of the link member 81 in the moving direction of the battery mounting portion 22 and the battery engaging portion 24. The link member 81 is rotatable relative to each of the

shaft members

78, 80, and the relative rotation of the link member 81 around the shaft member 80 with respect to the lifting member 63 of the second lifting mechanism 60, The relative rotation of the link member 81 about the shaft member 78 with respect to the holding member 26 is possible. Therefore, relative rotation of the holding member 26 with respect to the lifting member 63 of the second lifting mechanism 60 and relative movement in the first direction are possible. That is, the second connecting mechanism 62 is configured so that the holding member 26 and the elevating member 63 are capable of relative rotation of the holding member 26 with respect to the elevating member 63 of the second elevating mechanism 60 and relative movement in the first direction. Are connected.

In this embodiment, when the motor 67 rotates so that the moving amount of the lifting member 63 of the first lifting mechanism 59 is equal to the moving amount of the lifting member 63 of the second lifting mechanism 60, the holding member 26 is parallel to the horizontal direction. Go up and down while maintaining the state. On the other hand, as described above, the first connecting mechanism 61 has the lifting member 63 and the holding member of the first lifting mechanism 59 so that the holding member 26 can be rotated relative to the lifting member 63 of the first lifting mechanism 59. 26, and the second connecting mechanism 62 is configured so that the second elevating mechanism 62 can be relatively rotated and moved in the first direction relative to the elevating member 63 of the second elevating mechanism 60. 60, the lifting member 63 and the holding member 26 are connected, so that only one of the motor 67 of the first lifting mechanism 59 or the motor 67 of the second lifting mechanism 60 rotates or the first lifting mechanism 59 moves up and down. When the motor 67 rotates so that the amount of movement of the member 63 and the amount of movement of the elevating member 63 of the second elevating mechanism 60 are different, the holding member 26 is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. , Horizontally And battery tuning slide mechanism 17 is tilted).

(Configuration of rotation mechanism and horizontal movement mechanism)
FIG. 25 is a view for explaining the rotation mechanism 19 and the horizontal movement mechanism 20 shown in FIG. 2 from the front. FIG. 26 is a view for explaining the rotation mechanism 19 and the horizontal movement mechanism 20 shown in FIG. 2 from above. FIG. 27 is a view for explaining the rotation mechanism 19 and the horizontal movement mechanism 20 from the RR direction of FIG. FIG. 28A is an enlarged view of a U portion in FIG. 26, and FIG. 28B is an enlarged view of a V portion in FIG.

The rotation mechanism 19 includes a rotation member 85 that can be rotated while the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 and the elevating mechanism 18 are mounted, and a rotation drive mechanism 86 that rotates the rotation member 85. The horizontal movement mechanism 20 includes a slide member 87 on which the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17, the elevating mechanism 18, and the rotation mechanism 19 are mounted and movable in the left-right direction, and a horizontal drive mechanism 88 that moves the slide member 87. Yes.

Rotating member 85 is formed in a substantially disc shape. The slide member 87 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape whose longitudinal direction is the left-right direction. The width of the slide member 87 in the left-right direction is larger than the diameter of the rotating member 85, and the width of the slide member 87 in the front-rear direction is smaller than the diameter of the rotating member 85.

Rotating member 85 is disposed on the upper side of slide member 87. The turning member 85 can turn around the center of curvature. The lower ends of the two columnar members 64 are fixed to the upper surface of the rotating member 85. Specifically, the lower ends of the columnar members 64 are fixed to both ends of the upper surface of the rotating member 85 in the first direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the battery mounting portion 22 and the battery engaging portion 24.

The rotation drive mechanism 86 includes a motor 90, pulleys 91 and 92, and a belt 93 as a configuration for rotating the rotation member 85. In addition, the rotation drive mechanism 86 is configured to guide the rotation member 85 in the rotation direction, and engages with the guide rail 94 and the guide rail 94 and is capable of relatively moving along the guide rail 94. A guide block 95 is provided.

The motor 90 and the

pulleys

91 and 92 are disposed on the radially outer side of the rotating member 85. Specifically, the motor 90 and the

pulleys

91 and 92 are disposed on the radially outer side of the rotating member 85 in the left-right direction. The motor 90 is fixed to the upper surface side of the slide member 87 so that its output shaft faces downward. A reduction gear is attached to the output shaft of the motor 90, and a pulley 91 is fixed to the reduction gear. The pulley 91 is a toothed pulley having teeth formed on the outer peripheral surface. A pulley 92 is disposed on each of the front side and the rear side of the pulley 91. The pulley 92 is disposed on the upper surface side of the slide member 87 and is rotatably supported by the slide member 87.

The belt 93 is a toothed belt having teeth formed on one surface. The belt 93 is stretched over the

pulleys

91 and 92 and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating member 85. In this embodiment, one surface on which the teeth of the belt 93 are formed contacts the outer peripheral surface of the pulley 91, and the other surface on which the teeth of the belt 93 are not formed contacts the outer peripheral surfaces of the pulley 92 and the rotating member 85. A belt 93 is bridged between the

pulleys

91 and 92 and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating member 85 so as to be in contact with each other. The pulley 92 is a tension pulley for applying tension to the belt 93.

The rotation range of the rotation member 85 of this embodiment is about 180 °. Therefore, the belt 93 has a portion that is always in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the rotating member 85. In this embodiment, a part of the belt 93 that is always in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the rotating member 85 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating member 85. In this embodiment, when the robot 5 rotates 180 ° with respect to the position where the battery 3 is pulled out or inserted into the bus 2, the battery 3 can be carried into and out of the buffer station.

The guide rail 94 is formed in an annular shape and is fixed to the upper surface of the slide member 87. Specifically, when viewed from above and below, the guide rail 94 is positioned on the upper surface of the slide member 87 so that the center of curvature of the guide rail 94 formed in an annular shape and the center of curvature of the rotation member 85 substantially coincide with each other. It is fixed to.

The guide block 95 is fixed to the lower surface side of the rotating member 85. The plurality of guide blocks 95 are arranged in an annular shape centering on the center of curvature of the rotating member 85. The plurality of guide blocks 95 are arranged at an equiangular pitch with the center of curvature of the rotation member 85 as the center. In this embodiment, seven guide blocks 95 are arranged at an equiangular pitch with the center of curvature of the rotation member 85 as the center.

In this embodiment, when the motor 90 rotates, the rotation member 85 is guided by the guide rail 94 and the guide block 95 and rotates with respect to the slide member 87. When the motor 90 rotates, the rotating member 85 rotates about the center of curvature.

The horizontal drive mechanism 88 includes a motor 97, pulleys 98 and 99, and a belt 100 as a configuration for moving the slide member 87. Further, the horizontal drive mechanism 88 is configured to guide the slide member 87 in the left-right direction, and is engaged with the two guide rails 101 formed in a straight line, the guide rails 101 and along the guide rails 101. And a plurality of relatively movable guide blocks 102.

The two guide rails 101 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction. Moreover, the guide rail 101 is being fixed to the upper surface of the several support member 103 (refer FIG. 1) arrange | positioned with a predetermined pitch in the left-right direction. The two guide rails 101 are arranged so as to intersect with the guide rail 94. Further, the distance in the front-rear direction between one guide rail 101 of the two guide rails 101 and the center of curvature of the rotating member 85, and the direction of the front-rear direction between the other guide rail 101 and the center of curvature of the rotating member 85. Two guide rails 101 are arranged so that the distances are equal.

The guide block 102 is fixed to the lower surface of the slide member 87. Specifically, two fixing members 104 are fixed to the lower surface of the slide member 87 with a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction, and a plurality of guide blocks 102 are fixed to each lower surface of the fixing member 104. Is fixed. The fixing member 104 is formed in a block shape elongated in the left-right direction. The fixing member 104 is fixed to the slide member 87 so that the center of the fixing member 104 and the center of curvature of the rotating member 85 are disposed at substantially the same position in the left-right direction. Further, the distance in the front-rear direction between one of the two fixing members 104 and the center of curvature of the rotating member 85 and the direction of the front-rear direction between the other fixing member 104 and the center of curvature of the rotating member 85 are the same. Two fixing members 104 are arranged so that the distances are equal. The plurality of guide blocks 102 are fixed to the lower surface of the fixing member 104 at a constant pitch in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, four guide blocks 102 are fixed to each of the two fixing members 104.

The motor 97 and the

pulleys

98 and 99 are arranged on the radially outer side of the rotating member 85. Specifically, the motor 97 and the

pulleys

98 and 99 are arranged on the outer side in the radial direction of the rotating member 85 in the left-right direction and on the opposite side of the motor 90 and the

pulleys

91 and 92 with the rotating member 85 interposed therebetween. ing. The motor 97 is fixed to the upper surface side of the slide member 87 so that its output shaft faces the front-rear direction. A reduction gear is attached to the output shaft of the motor 97, and a pulley 98 is fixed to the reduction gear. The pulley 98 is a toothed pulley having teeth formed on the outer peripheral surface. A pulley 99 is disposed on each of the lower left side and the lower right side of the pulley 98. The pulley 99 is rotatably supported by the slide member 87.

The belt 100 is a toothed belt having teeth formed on one surface. One end of the belt 100 is fixed to the support member 103 arranged at the left end of the plurality of support members 103, and the other end of the belt 100 is fixed to the support member 103 arranged at the right end of the plurality of support members 103. It is fixed. The belt 100 is stretched around pulleys 98 and 99. A part of one surface of the belt 100 on which teeth are formed is engaged with the outer peripheral surface of the pulley 98, and on the outer side of the pulley 99 in the left-right direction, one surface of the belt 100 faces downward, The other surface of the belt 100 faces upward. The pulley 99 is a tension pulley for applying tension to the belt 100.

In this embodiment, when the motor 97 rotates, the slide member 87 is linearly moved in the left-right direction by being guided by the guide rail 101 and the guide block 102.

At both ends in the left-right direction of the slide member 87, foreign matter such as dust and sand accumulated on the other surface (surface on which no teeth are formed) of the belt 100 facing upward on the outside of the pulley 99 in the left-right direction. A brush 106 for removal is attached. Specifically, a brush 106 is attached to one end in the left-right direction of the slide member 87 via a brush holding member 107, and the brush 106 is attached to the other end in the left-right direction of the slide member 87 via a brush holding member 108. Is attached.

The brush 106 is held by the

brush holding members

107 and 108 so that the tip of the brush contacts the other surface of the belt 100. When the slide member 87 moves in the left-right direction, the brush 106 is placed on the other surface of the belt 100. Foreign matter such as dust is swept by the brush 106 and removed. The brush 106 of this embodiment is a flat brush, and is held by

brush holding members

107 and 108 so that the thickness direction thereof is slightly inclined with respect to the left-right direction, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the foreign matter swept away by the brush 106 when the slide member 87 moves in the left-right direction falls from the other surface of the belt 100 to one side in the front-rear direction as the slide member 87 moves.

The battery replacement system 1 detects whether or not an operator has entered the movable range of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17, the lifting / lowering mechanism 18, and the rotation mechanism 19 mounted on the slide member 87. A detection mechanism (not shown) for stopping the emergency stop 97 is provided. This detection mechanism is an optical sensor having a light emitting part and a light receiving part arranged so as to face each other. In this embodiment, one of the light emitting part or the light receiving part is attached to the left end side of the slide member 87, and the other of the light emitting part or the light receiving part is disposed above the support member 103 disposed at the left end of the plurality of support members 103. When the light traveling from the light emitting portion to the light receiving portion is blocked, the work is performed on the left side of the slide member 87 within the movable range in the left-right direction of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17, the elevating mechanism 18, and the rotating mechanism 19. It is detected that a person has entered. In addition, one of the light emitting part or the light receiving part is attached to the right end side of the slide member 87, and the other of the light emitting part or the light receiving part is arranged above the support member 103 arranged at the right end of the plurality of support members 103. When the light traveling from the light emitting unit to the light receiving unit is blocked, the operator is placed on the right side of the slide member 87 within the movable range in the left-right direction of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17, the elevating mechanism 18, and the rotating mechanism 19. It is detected that it has entered. In addition, it is possible to detect whether or not an operator has entered the movable range in the left-right direction of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17, the elevating mechanism 18, and the rotation mechanism 19 in the entire front-rear direction of the slide member 87. The light emitting unit includes a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in the front-rear direction, and the light receiving unit includes a plurality of light receiving elements arranged in the front-rear direction. Note that the detection mechanism that detects whether or not an operator has entered the movable range in the left-right direction of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17, the elevating mechanism 18, and the rotation mechanism 19 may be a camera.

(Configuration of detection mechanism and battery position detection operation)
FIG. 29 is a diagram for explaining a method of detecting the approximate position of the battery 3 by the detection mechanism 21 shown in FIG. FIG. 30 is a diagram for explaining a method of detecting the position of the battery 3 by the detection mechanism 21 shown in FIG.

The detection mechanism 21 is a laser sensor that includes a light emitting unit that emits laser light, and a light receiving unit that receives the laser light emitted from the light emitting unit and reflected by the side surface 2a of the bus 2, the front surface of the battery mount 6, and the like. is there. As shown in FIG. 10, the detection mechanism 21 is attached to the upper surface on the front end side of the battery mounting portion 22. The detection mechanism 21 is attached to the battery mounting portion 22 so that the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion are adjacent in the horizontal direction. In the present embodiment, two detection mechanisms 21 are attached to the battery mounting portion 22 so as to correspond to the two detection marks 8 formed on the battery mount 6. Specifically, the detection mechanism 21 is fixed to the upper surfaces of both ends of the battery mounting portion 22 in the first direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the battery mounting portion 22 and the battery engaging portion 24. In addition, two detection mechanisms 21 are fixed to the battery mounting portion 22 at the same interval as the interval between the two detection marks 8.

The detection mechanism 21 is turned on when a reflector that reflects the laser light emitted from the light emitting unit is within a predetermined measurement range, and is turned off when the reflector that reflects the laser light is not within the measurement range. become. The detection mechanism 21 can detect the distance between the detection mechanism 21 and the reflecting object when the detection mechanism 21 is on.

The detection of the position of the battery 3 by the detection mechanism 21 is performed as follows, for example. First, when the bus 2 in which the battery 3 is replaced stops at a predetermined stop position, for example, the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 stands by in front of the battery 2 in the traveling direction of the bus 2. At this time, as indicated by a solid line in FIG. 29, the front surface of the battery mounting portion 22 faces the side surface 2 a of the bus 2, and the battery mounting portion 22 is retracted in a direction away from the bus 2. At this time, for example, the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 stands by at a position where the detection mark 8 and the detection mechanism 21 are substantially at the same height.

From this state, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 29, the battery mounting portion is turned on until the detection mechanism 21 that has received the laser light emitted from the light emitting portion of the detection mechanism 21 and reflected by the side surface 2a of the bus 2 is turned on. 22 advances toward bus 2. Thereafter, the battery mounting portion 22 moves in the left-right direction toward the battery housing portion 4. That is, the slide member 87 moves toward the battery housing portion 4.

As the battery mounting portion 22 moves toward the battery housing portion 4, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 29, one detection mechanism 21 causes a step 2 b formed at the boundary between the battery mount 6 and the side surface 2 a. When passing, the laser light emitted from the light emitting part of one detection mechanism 21 is reflected by the front surface of the battery cradle 6. In this embodiment, when the detection mechanism 21 is turned on when the laser light from the light emitting portion of the detection mechanism 21 is reflected by the side surface 2a of the bus 2, the laser light from the light emitting portion of the detection mechanism 21 is The detection range of the detection mechanism 21 is set so that the detection mechanism 21 is turned off when reflected from the front surface of the battery mount 6. For this reason, when one detection mechanism 21 passes through the step 2b, one detection mechanism 21 is turned off. That is, the step 2b is detected when one detection mechanism 21 is turned off. Further, when the step 2b is detected, the left and right ends of the battery mount 6 are detected, and when the left and right ends of the battery mount 6 are detected, the battery mount 6 is mounted on the battery mount 6. The approximate position of the battery 3 is detected.

When one detection mechanism 21 is turned off, the detection mechanism detected at any two points by one or the other detection mechanism 21 when the battery mounting portion 22 moves in the left-right direction toward the battery housing portion 4. Based on the distance between 21 and the side surface 2a of the bus 2, the inclination of the bus 2 with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the vertical direction is detected.

Thereafter, based on the detection result of the approximate position of the battery 3, as shown in FIG. 30 (A), the two detection marks 8 and the two detection mechanisms 21 face each other. The mounting portion 22 further moves in the left-right direction. At this time, based on the detection result of the inclination of the bus 2 detected as described above, when viewed from above and below so that the front surface of the battery mounting portion 22 and the front surface of the battery mount 6 face each other substantially in parallel. The inclination of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 with respect to the left / right direction is adjusted. Specifically, the tilt of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 is adjusted by rotating the rotation member 85.

Thereafter, the battery mounting portion 22 advances toward the battery mount 6 until the detection mechanism 21 that receives the laser light emitted from the light emitting portion of the detection mechanism 21 and reflected by the detection mark 8 is turned on. Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 30B and 30C, the battery mounting portion 22 moves in the left-right direction so that the laser light from the light-emitting portion of the detection mechanism 21 crosses the detection mark 8 in the left-right direction. More specifically, the battery mounting portion 22 moves in the left-right direction so that the laser beams from the respective light-emitting portions of the two detection mechanisms 21 traverse each of the two detection marks 8 in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, when the battery mounting portion 22 moves in the left-right direction and stops until the laser light from the light emitting portion of the detection mechanism 21 crosses the detection mark 8 in the left-right direction, the battery mounting portion 22 in the left-right direction stops. The center and the center of the battery 3 substantially coincide with each other, and the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 reaches the approximate extraction position of the battery 3.

In this embodiment, when the detection mechanism 21 is turned on when the laser light from the light emitting unit of the detection mechanism 21 is reflected by the detection mark 8, the laser light from the light emitting unit of the detection mechanism 21 is the battery. The detection range of the detection mechanism 21 is set so that the detection mechanism 21 is turned off when reflected by the front surface of the cradle 6. Therefore, the detection mark 8 is detected by the detection mechanism 21 by moving the battery mounting portion 22 in the left-right direction so that the laser light from the light emitting portion of the detection mechanism 21 crosses the detection mark 8 in the left-right direction. It is possible to detect the width of the detected portion of the detection mark 8 (that is, the portion that reflects the laser beam; hereinafter referred to as “detected portion”).

Further, the detection mark 8 of the present embodiment is formed in a substantially triangular shape whose width changes in the vertical direction. Therefore, it is possible to detect the height of the detection mark 8 by detecting the width of the detected portion of the detection mark 8, and by detecting the height of the detection mark 8, the detection mark 8 can be detected. It is possible to detect the height of the battery cradle 6 in which 8 is formed. In this embodiment, the height of the battery cradle 6 is detected by detecting the width of the detected portion of the detection mark 8 by the detection mechanism 21, and the height of the battery cradle 6 is detected. The height of the battery 3 positioned and mounted on the cradle 6 is detected.

Further, the detection mark 8 is detected by moving the battery mounting portion 22 so that the laser light from the light emitting portion of the detection mechanism 21 traverses the detection mark 8 in the left-right direction, and detecting the detection mark 8 by the detection mechanism 21. It is possible to detect the center position in the left-right direction of the eight detected portions. In this embodiment, for example, the position of the battery cradle 6 in the left-right direction is detected based on this center position, and the position of the battery cradle 6 in the left-right direction is detected, so that the battery cradle 6 is positioned. The position of the mounted battery 3 in the left-right direction is detected.

Further, the distance between the center position in the left-right direction of the detected portion of the detection mark 8 and the detection mechanism 21 can be detected by the detection mechanism 21. In this embodiment, for example, the center position and the detection mechanism 21 The position of the battery cradle 6 in the front-rear direction is detected based on the distance, and the position of the battery cradle 6 in the front-rear direction is detected, so that the front and rear of the battery 3 positioned and mounted on the battery cradle 6 are detected. A position in the direction is detected.

Further, the height of the battery cradle 6 detected by one of the two detection mechanisms 21 and the height of the battery cradle 6 detected by the other detection mechanism 21 are viewed in the front-rear direction. The inclination of the battery mount 6 with respect to the left-right direction is detected. Further, by detecting the inclination of the battery stand 6 with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction, the inclination of the battery 3 with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction is detected.

Also, the distance between the detection mechanism 21 detected by one of the two detection mechanisms 21 and the detection mark 8, and the detection mechanism 21 detected by the other detection mechanism 21 and the detection mark 8. The inclination of the battery mount 6 with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the up-down direction is detected. Further, by detecting the inclination of the battery pedestal 6 with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the vertical direction, the inclination of the battery 3 with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the vertical direction is detected.

The position of the battery 3 in the front-rear and left-right directions, the height of the battery 3, the inclination of the battery 3 with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction, and the inclination of the battery 3 with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the up-down direction are detected. And the protrusion 12 on the lower surface of the battery 3 and the groove 32a of the roller 32 of the battery mounting portion 22 substantially coincide with each other in the left-right direction, and the lower surface of the battery 3 and the upper surfaces of the

rollers

31 and 32 substantially coincide with each other. The inclination of the battery 3 with respect to the left and right direction when viewed from the direction and the inclination of the battery insertion and removal mechanism 17 substantially coincide with each other, and the inclination of the battery 3 with respect to the left and right direction when viewed from the upper and lower direction The position, height, and inclination of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 in the left-right direction are adjusted so that the inclination substantially matches.

Specifically, the horizontal position of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 is adjusted by the horizontal movement mechanism 20, the height of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 is adjusted by the elevating mechanism 18, and the vertical direction is adjusted by the rotation mechanism 19. The inclination of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 with respect to the left / right direction when viewed is adjusted. Further, by driving one of the first elevating mechanism 59 and the second elevating mechanism 60, or by changing the drive amount of the first elevating mechanism 59 and the drive amount of the second elevating mechanism 60, the front and rear directions can be seen. The inclination of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 with respect to the left / right direction is adjusted.

When the horizontal position, height, and tilt of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 are adjusted, the battery mounting portion 22 and the battery engagement portion 24 move in the front-rear direction, and the battery 3 is pulled out from the bus 2. When the battery mounting portion 22 and the battery engaging portion 24 move in the front-rear direction, the engaging claw portion 41 is provided with a handle so that the battery 3 smoothly moves between the battery mount 6 and the battery mounting portion 22. Based on the detection result of the position of the battery 3 in the front-rear direction, the amount of movement of the battery mounting part 22 and the battery engagement part 24 in the front-rear direction is set so as to appropriately engage with the part 11. When the battery 3 is pulled out from the bus 2, the robot 5 rotates 180 ° and carries the battery 3 into the buffer station. Further, the robot 5 takes out the charged battery 3 from the buffer station, rotates 180 °, and then inserts the battery 3 into the bus 2.

Note that the inclination of the battery cradle 6 with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the up-down direction (that is, the inclination of the bus 2) varies depending on the stopping accuracy of the bus 2. In addition, the inclination of the battery cradle 6 with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction (that is, the inclination of the bus 2) varies depending on the state of the ground where the bus 2 stops. Also, since a plurality of batteries 3 are mounted on the bus 2 and the weight of one battery 3 is several hundred kg, depending on the mounting position of the battery 3, the batteries 3 are sequentially transferred from the bus 2 when the battery 3 is replaced. As it is pulled out, the inclination of the bus 2 with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction changes.

(Main effects of this form)
As described above, in this embodiment, the detection mark 8 is formed on the battery mount 6 on which the battery 3 is mounted, and the detection mechanism 21 for detecting the detection mark 8 is attached to the battery mounting portion 22. ing. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the position and the inclination of the battery 3 mounted on the bus 2 can be indirectly detected by detecting the detection mark 8 by the detection mechanism 21. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the stopping accuracy of the bus 2 at the time of replacement of the battery 3 is low, the battery plug-in mechanism 17 and the battery 3 can be aligned based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 21. . As a result, in this embodiment, the battery 3 mounted on the bus 2 can be appropriately replaced.

In particular, in this embodiment, since the position and height of the battery 3 in the front-rear direction are detected, the lower surface of the battery 3 and the upper surfaces of the

rollers

31 and 32 substantially match based on the detection result of the height of the battery 3. As described above, the height of the battery mounting portion 22 can be adjusted, and the battery 3 can be smoothly moved between the battery mount 6 and the battery mounting portion 22 based on the detection result of the position of the battery 3 in the front-rear direction. The amount of movement of the battery mounting portion 22 in the front-rear direction can be set so as to be transferred to Therefore, in this embodiment, even when the weight of the battery 3 is heavy, the battery 3 can be exchanged safely and appropriately between the battery housing part 4 and the battery mounting part 22, and as a result, The battery 3 can be pulled out and inserted safely and appropriately.

In this embodiment, the position of the battery 3 in the left-right direction, the tilt of the battery 3 with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction, and the tilt of the battery 3 with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the up-down direction are detected. Therefore, the protrusion 12 on the lower surface of the battery 3 and the groove 32a of the roller 32 of the battery mounting portion 22 substantially coincide with each other in the left-right direction. The position of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 in the left-right direction is such that the inclination of the battery 3 and the inclination of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 substantially coincide with each other when viewed from the top / bottom direction. And tilt can be adjusted. In this embodiment, since the position of the battery 3 in the front-rear direction is detected, the engagement claw portion 41 is appropriately engaged with the handle portion 11 based on the detection result of the position of the battery 3 in the front-rear direction. In addition, the amount of movement of the battery engaging portion 24 in the front-rear direction can be set. Therefore, in this embodiment, the battery 3 can be pulled out and inserted more safely and appropriately.

In this embodiment, the detection mechanism 21 is attached to the battery mounting portion 22 constituting the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17. Therefore, after detecting the position and inclination of the battery 3 by the detection mechanism 21, it is possible to reduce the amount of movement of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 when adjusting the position of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17. Therefore, in this embodiment, an error is less likely to occur when the position of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 is adjusted based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 21, and the alignment between the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 and the battery 3 is performed with high accuracy. Is possible. In addition, since the detection mechanism 21 detects the position and inclination of the battery 3, the amount of movement of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 when adjusting the position of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 can be reduced. It is possible to adjust the position of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 in a short time after detecting the position and inclination.

In particular, in this embodiment, since the detection mark 8 is formed on the battery mount 6 and the detection mechanism 21 is attached to the battery mounting portion 22, when the detection mark 8 is detected by the detection mechanism 21, the battery is mounted. The part 22 and the battery mount 6 are disposed at substantially the same height. Therefore, in this embodiment, after the position and inclination of the battery 3 are detected by the detection mechanism 21, the amount of movement of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 in the vertical direction when the position of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 is adjusted becomes small. As a result, in the present embodiment, it is possible to perform the vertical alignment of the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 and the battery 3 with higher accuracy, and in a shorter time after the position of the battery 3 is detected. It becomes possible to align the difference mechanism 17 and the battery 3.

In this embodiment, two detection marks 8 are formed on the battery mount 6, and two detection mechanisms 21 are attached to the battery mounting portion 22 so as to correspond to the two detection marks 8. Therefore, each of the two detection marks 8 can be detected simultaneously by each of the two detection mechanisms 21. Therefore, it is possible to detect in a short time the inclination of the battery 3 with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction and the inclination of the battery 3 with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the up-down direction.

In this embodiment, the detection mark 8 is formed in a substantially triangular shape whose width changes in the vertical direction. Therefore, the height of the battery 3 can be detected by moving the detection mechanism 21 in the left-right direction and detecting the width of the detected portion of the detection mark 8. Therefore, the height of the battery 3 can be detected in a short time.

In this embodiment, the approximate position of the battery 3 is detected by the detection mechanism 21 detecting the step 2b formed at the boundary between the battery mount 6 and the side surface 2a. Therefore, even if the moving speed of the battery mounting portion 22 that moves in the left-right direction is increased by the horizontal movement mechanism 20, the approximate position of the battery 3 can be detected relatively easily and appropriately. Therefore, in this embodiment, the approximate position of the battery 3 can be detected in a short time, and the battery mounting portion 22 can be moved in a short time to a position where the detection mechanism 21 can detect the detection mark 8. Become. As a result, in this embodiment, the detailed position of the battery 3 can be detected in a short time.

In particular, in this embodiment, since the detection mechanism 21 is a laser sensor, the detection mechanism 21 can easily detect the step 2b by appropriately setting the detection range of the detection mechanism 21, and the approximate position of the battery 3 can be shortened. It becomes possible to detect in time. Moreover, since the detection mechanism 21 is a laser sensor, as described above, the detection mechanism 21 is viewed from above and below based on the distance between the detection mechanism 21 detected at any two points by the detection mechanism 21 and the side surface 2a of the bus 2. The inclination of the bus 2 with respect to the horizontal direction can be detected.

(Other embodiments)
The above-described embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In the embodiment described above, the detection mark 8 is formed on the battery mount 6, but the detection mark 8 may be formed on the battery 3. In the embodiment described above, the detection mechanism 21 is attached to the battery mounting portion 22, but the detection mechanism 21 may be attached to the battery engagement portion 24.

In the embodiment described above, the position of the battery 3 in the left-right direction is detected by the detection mark 8 and the detection mechanism 21, but if the protrusion 12 is not formed on the lower surface of the battery 3, The position in the left-right direction may not be detected. In this case, for example, a mechanism for positioning the battery 3 in the left-right direction is provided in the robot 5.

In the above-described embodiment, the position of the battery 3 in the front-rear direction is detected by the detection mark 8 and the detection mechanism 21, but the battery 3 is pulled out using the engaging claw portion 41 and the handle portion 11. Instead, for example, if the battery 3 is pulled out using a magnet fixed to the battery 3 and a magnet fixed to the battery engaging portion 24, the position of the battery 3 in the front-rear direction is not detected. Also good. In this case, for example, the robot 5 is provided with a mechanism for positioning the battery 3 in the front-rear direction.

In the above-described embodiment, the detection mark 8 and the detection mechanism 21 allow the inclination of the battery 3 with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the vertical direction and the inclination of the battery 3 with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the front-back direction. Although detected, these inclinations may not be detected. In this case, it suffices if one detection mark 8 is formed on the battery mount 6 and one detection mechanism 21 is attached to the battery mounting portion 22.

In the above-described embodiment, the two detection mechanisms 21 are attached to the battery mounting portion 22, but the number of the detection mechanisms 21 attached to the battery mounting portion 22 may be one. In this case, the battery mounting portion 22 is moved so that one detection mechanism 21 crosses the two detection marks 8 in the left-right direction, whereby the inclination of the battery 3 with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction. It is possible to detect the inclination of the battery 3 with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the up-down direction.

In the embodiment described above, the detection mark 8 is not formed on the side wall 7, but the detection mark 8 may be formed on the side wall 7. In this case, if the detection mark 8 formed on the side wall 7 is disposed above the detection mark 8 formed on the battery mount 6, the detection mark 8 formed on the side wall 7 By detecting the distance from the detection mechanism 21 and the distance between the detection mark 8 formed on the battery mount 6 and the detection mechanism 21, the inclination of the bus 2 with respect to the front-rear direction when viewed from the left-right direction is detected. It becomes possible to do. Note that three or more detection marks 8 may be formed on the battery mount 6.

In the embodiment described above, the detection mechanism 21 is attached to the battery mounting portion 22 so that the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion are adjacent in the horizontal direction. In addition to this, for example, as shown in FIG. 31, the detection mechanism 21 may be attached to the battery mounting portion 22 so that the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion overlap in the vertical direction (vertical direction). When the detection mechanism 21 is arranged so that the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction, for example, as shown in FIG. 32, the boundary between the front surface of the battery cradle 6 and the detection mark 8. In this case, the laser beam reflected from the front surface of the battery mount 6 is blocked by the detection mark 8 and may not return to the light receiving unit. However, the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit overlap in the vertical direction. If the detection mechanism 21 is arranged, it is possible to prevent such a problem from occurring.

In the embodiment described above, the detection mechanism 21 is a laser sensor, but the detection mechanism 21 may not be a laser sensor. For example, the detection mechanism 21 may be a camera. In this case, the distance between the battery 3 and the detection mechanism 21 may be detected using the depth of field of the detection mechanism 21 (that is, the camera). In this case, for example, the step 2b between the side surface 2a of the bus 2 and the battery cradle 6 may be detected using pattern matching of an image photographed by the detection mechanism 21. The detection mechanism 21 may be a combination of an ultrasonic sensor and a laser sensor or a camera. In this case, the position of the battery 3 in the longitudinal direction is detected by the ultrasonic sensor, and the position of the battery 3 in the vertical and horizontal directions is detected by the laser sensor or the camera.

In the embodiment described above, the detection mark 8 is formed in a substantially triangular shape whose width changes in the vertical direction, but the detection mark 8 is formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape whose width changes in the vertical direction. Also good. The detection mark 8 may be formed in a circular shape. When the detection mark 8 is formed in a circular shape, the detection mechanism 21 moves the battery mounting portion 22 so as to cross the detection mark 8 in the left-right direction and the vertical direction, so that the center position of the detection mark 8 is set. By detecting, the position of the battery 3 in the vertical and horizontal directions may be detected. In this case, for example, the position of the battery 3 in the front-rear direction may be detected from the distance between the center position of the detection mark 8 and the detection mechanism 21.

In the embodiment described above, the detection mark 8 is formed in a flat plate shape protruding from the front surface of the battery mount 6. In addition to this, for example, the detection mark 8 may be a recess recessed from the front surface of the battery mount 6. For example, as shown in FIG. 33, a substantially equilateral triangular through hole 6a penetrating the front wall of the battery cradle 6 and a reflection fixed to the rear surface of the front wall of the battery cradle 6 so as to close the through hole 6a. The detection mark 8 may be formed by the plate 110. In this case, since the through hole 6a can be formed in the front wall of the battery cradle 6 by a punching process when the battery cradle 6 is manufactured, the detection mark 8 formed in a flat plate shape is provided. Compared with the case of fixing to the front surface of the battery mount 6, the positional accuracy of the detection mark 8 can be increased.

In the above-described embodiment, the position and inclination of the battery 3 are detected once, and the position and inclination of the battery pulling mechanism 17 are adjusted once, and then the battery 3 is pulled out. In addition to this, for example, the battery 3 may be pulled out after the detection of the position and tilt of the battery 3 and the adjustment of the position and tilt of the battery plug-in mechanism 17 are repeated several times. In this case, the alignment accuracy between the battery 3 and the battery insertion / removal mechanism 17 can be further increased.

In the embodiment described above, the robot 5 is a robot for exchanging the battery 3 mounted on the bus 2, but the robot 5 is for exchanging the battery 3 of a vehicle other than the bus 2 such as a truck or a private car. It may be a robot.

1 Battery replacement system 2 Bus (vehicle)
2a Side 2b Step 3 Battery 5 Battery exchange robot 6 Battery stand 8 Detection mark 17 Battery insertion / removal mechanism 18 Lifting mechanism 19 Turning mechanism 20 Horizontal movement mechanism 21 Detection mechanism 22 Battery mounting part (movable part)
24 Battery engaging part (movable part)
59 First lifting mechanism 60 Second lifting mechanism X Front-rear direction Y Left-right direction Z Vertical direction

Claims

A battery exchange robot for exchanging a battery mounted on a vehicle,
A battery pulling mechanism for pulling out the battery from the vehicle and / or inserting the battery into the vehicle; and a battery pedestal mounted on the vehicle and mounted with the battery or a detection formed on the battery A detection mechanism for detecting the mark for use,
The battery insertion / removal mechanism is movable in a direction approaching the vehicle and a direction away from the vehicle, and a direction approaching the vehicle when the battery is withdrawn and / or inserted in order to withdraw and / or insert the battery. With moving parts that move to
The battery exchanging robot, wherein the detection mechanism is attached to the movable part.
An elevating mechanism for elevating and lowering the battery pulling mechanism;
The battery replacement robot according to claim 1, wherein the detection mechanism detects at least a height of the battery mount or the battery by detecting the detection mark.
When the direction in which the vehicle and the battery exchange robot face each other is the front-rear direction, and the direction substantially orthogonal to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction is the left-right direction,
A rotation mechanism for rotating the battery insertion / removal mechanism with the vertical direction as an axial direction, and a horizontal movement mechanism for moving the battery insertion / removal mechanism in the left-right direction,
The elevating mechanism includes a first elevating mechanism and a second elevating mechanism that can be individually driven to tilt the battery insertion / removal mechanism with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction,
On the battery stand or the battery, at least two detection marks are formed with a predetermined interval in the left-right direction,
The detection mechanism detects the detection mark, the height of the battery stand or the battery, the position in the left-right direction, the position in the front-rear direction, the inclination with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction, and The battery replacement robot according to claim 2, wherein an inclination with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the up-down direction is detected.
The detection mechanism is a laser sensor including a light emitting unit that emits laser light and a light receiving unit that receives the laser light reflected by a reflector that reflects the laser light emitted from the light emitting unit. The battery exchange robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
A battery replacement system for replacing a battery mounted on a vehicle,
A battery insertion / removal mechanism for pulling out the battery from the vehicle and / or inserting the battery into the vehicle; a battery cradle attached to the vehicle and mounted with the battery; and the battery cradle or the A detection mark formed on the battery, and a detection mechanism for detecting the detection mark,
The battery insertion / removal mechanism is movable in a direction approaching the vehicle and a direction away from the vehicle, and a direction approaching the vehicle when the battery is withdrawn and / or inserted in order to withdraw and / or insert the battery. With moving parts that move to
The battery exchange system, wherein the detection mechanism is attached to the movable part.
An elevating mechanism for elevating and lowering the battery pulling mechanism;
The battery replacement system according to claim 5, wherein the detection mechanism detects at least a height of the battery mount or the battery by detecting the detection mark.
When the direction in which the vehicle and the battery exchange robot face each other is the front-rear direction, and the direction substantially orthogonal to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction is the left-right direction,
A rotation mechanism for rotating the battery insertion / removal mechanism with the vertical direction as an axial direction, and a horizontal movement mechanism for moving the battery insertion / removal mechanism in the left-right direction,
The elevating mechanism includes a first elevating mechanism and a second elevating mechanism that can be individually driven to tilt the battery insertion / removal mechanism with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction,
On the battery stand or the battery, at least two detection marks are formed with a predetermined interval in the left-right direction,
The detection mechanism detects the detection mark, the height of the battery stand or the battery, the position in the left-right direction, the position in the front-rear direction, the inclination with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction, and 7. The battery exchange system according to claim 6, wherein an inclination with respect to the horizontal direction when viewed from the vertical direction is detected.
Two detection marks are formed on the battery stand or the battery with a predetermined interval left and right.
8. The battery replacement system according to claim 7, wherein the two detection mechanisms are attached to the movable portion so as to correspond to the two detection marks.
The battery insertion / removal mechanism includes, as the movable portion, a battery mounting portion on which the battery is mounted when the battery is withdrawn and / or inserted, and an engagement with the battery when the battery is withdrawn and / or inserted. A battery engaging part for moving the battery on the battery mounting part,
The detection mechanism is attached to the battery mounting portion,
The battery replacement system according to claim 5, wherein the detection mark is formed on the battery mount.
9. The battery replacement system according to claim 5, wherein the detection mark is formed in a substantially triangular shape or a substantially trapezoidal shape whose width changes in the vertical direction.
When the direction in which the vehicle and the battery exchange robot face each other is the front-rear direction, and the direction substantially orthogonal to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction is the left-right direction,
A horizontal movement mechanism for moving the battery insertion / removal mechanism in the left-right direction;
A step is formed at the boundary between the battery stand and the side surface of the vehicle in the left-right direction,
The battery replacement system according to claim 5, wherein the detection mechanism detects a rough position of the battery by detecting the step.
The detection mechanism is a laser sensor including a light emitting unit that emits laser light and a light receiving unit that receives the laser light reflected by a reflector that reflects the laser light emitted from the light emitting unit. The battery exchange system according to claim 11.