BATTERY REMOVAL APPARATUS FOR A VEHICLE, IN PARTICULAR AN ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, AND A LOCKING DEVICE FOR SUCH A BATTERY REMOVAL APPARATUS

• US 20110068309A1
• Filed: 09/17/2010
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jungheinrich AG
• Original Assignee: Jungheinrich AG
• Inventors: MAIER, Christian, HASLBERGER, Johannes
• Granted Patent: US 8,500,094 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 254/2.R
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/04 of the electric storage means for propulsion exchanging batteries for electric propulsion of vehicles B60L53/80; for auxiliary purposes only B60R16/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0416 Arrangement in the rear part of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0455 Removal or replacement of the energy storages
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0461 from the side
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/42 Fork lift trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/60 using power supplied by batteries in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/15 Fork lift trucks, Industrial trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/0754 Battery removal arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/60 Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

The invention relates to a battery removal apparatus for an electric industrial truck, which has a battery compartment (7) having a lateral battery compartment opening (27) and a battery compartment floor (31), with an exchangeable battery unit (11) which is accommodated upright therein on the battery compartment floor (31) and which is removed in a substantially horizontal direction from the battery compartment (7), which battery unit has in the vicinity of its side situated in the battery compartment (7) nearest the battery compartment opening (27) an engagement member (55) for the battery removal apparatus (13) and a lifting abutment (21) which is freely accessible from the battery compartment opening (27) from below to be acted upon by the battery removal apparatus (13), wherein the battery removal apparatus (13) is a mobile lifting device (15) with vertically adjustable load-handling means (17) and a locking device (19) mounted thereon for locking engagement of the exchange battery unit (11) in its engagement member (55), which locking device has a ramp portion (37, which is set back with respect to the front end of the load-handling means (17), with an inclined approach surface (39) and an adjoining support surface (41) for the lifting abutment (21) of the exchange battery unit (11) and a locking member (47) which is complementary to the engagement member (55) of the exchange battery unit (11) and which is arranged so as to come into locking engagement with the engagement member (55) of the exchange battery unit (11) when the ramp portion (37) of the locking device (19) engages under the lifting abutment (21).

Claims

1. A battery removal apparatus for a vehicle (1), in particular an electric industrial truck, which has a battery compartment (7) having a lateral battery compartment opening (27) and a battery compartment floor (31), with an exchangeable battery unit (11) which is accommodated upright therein on the battery compartment floor (31) and which is removed in a substantially horizontal direction from the battery compartment (7) through the battery compartment opening (27), which battery unit has in the vicinity of its side situated in the battery compartment (7) nearest the battery compartment opening (27) an engagement member (55) for the battery removal apparatus (13) and a lifting abutment (21), in particular in the form of a rotatable roller, which is freely accessible from below and which projects downwards, to be acted upon by the battery removal apparatus (13),

wherein the battery removal apparatus (13) is a mobile lifting device (15) with vertically adjustable load-handling means (17) and a locking device (19) mounted thereon for locking engagement of the exchange battery unit (11) in its engagement member (55), and the locking device (19) has a ramp portion (37, which is set back with respect to the front end of the load-handling means (17), with an inclined approach surface (39) and an adjoining support surface (41) for the lifting abutment (21) of the exchange battery unit (11) and a locking member (47) which is complementary to the engagement member (55) of the exchange battery unit (11) and which is arranged so as to come into locking engagement with the engagement member (55) of the exchange battery unit (11) when the ramp portion (37) of the locking device (19) engages under the lifting abutment (21) of the exchange battery unit (11) when the battery removal apparatus (13) is brought up to the battery compartment (7) so that the front end of the load-handling means (17) extends under the battery compartment floor (31).

2. A battery removal apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the mobile lifting device is a tiller-steered electric lift truck (15), in particular a fork-lift truck, with load-carrying forks (17) as load-handling means.

3. A battery removal apparatus according to claim 2, characterised in that the fork-lift truck (15) has it own drive unit, in particular a drive unit driven by electric motor.

4. A battery removal apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the locking device (19) has a base frame (33) resting on the load-handling means, with two ramp portions (37) disposed side by side and spaced at a given lateral distance apart, and with wedge surfaces (39) extending towards the front ends of the load-handling means (17) and extending obliquely downwards and forming the inclined approach surface.

5. A battery removal apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the locking device (19) has a base frame (33) resting on the load-handling means (17) and two locking hooks (47) as locking members, which are arranged side by side at a given lateral distance apart on the base frame (33), and which are pivotable about a common pivot axis (49) between a locking position and a release position.

6. A battery removal apparatus according to claim 5, characterised in that the locking hooks (47) are coupled by a common pivot shaft (51) extending transversely to the load-handling means (17) for the common pivoting movement about the axis (49) of the pivot shaft.

7. A battery removal apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the locking element or locking elements (47) are coupled to an actuating lever (53), in particular a pedal-like foot-actuated lever, which can be operated by an operative so as to shift the locking element or locking elements (47) into their unlocking position.

8. A battery removal apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the locking device (19) is a sub-assembly combined to form a uniform module.

9. A battery removal apparatus according to claim 8, characterised in that the locking device (19) is fastened in a releasably detachable manner on the load-carrying means (17) of the mobile lifting device (15).

10. A battery removal apparatus according to claim 9, characterised in that the locking device (19) is fastened by means of a plug-and-socket connection (65,67) to the load-handling means of the mobile lifting device.

11. A locking device for a battery removal apparatus (13) according to claim 1, comprising in a sub-assembly combined to form a one-piece module a base frame (33) to be mounted on the load-handling means (17) of the lifting device (15), with two ramp portions (37) disposed side by side and spaced at a given lateral distance apart, which ramp portions have inclined approach surfaces (39) for the lifting abutment (21) of the exchange battery unit (11) forming wedge surfaces, and

two locking hooks (47) which are arranged side by side at a given lateral distance apart on the base frame, and which are pivotable about a common pivot axis (49) between a locking position and a release position, wherein the locking hooks (47) are coupled by a common pivot shaft (51) for the common pivoting movement about the axis (49) of the pivot shaft.

12. A battery removal apparatus according to claim 11, characterised in that the locking hooks (47) are biased towards the locking position.

13. A battery removal apparatus according to claim 11, characterised in that the locking hooks (47) are coupled to an actuating lever (53), in particular a pedal-like foot-actuated lever, which can be operated by an operative so as to shift the locking hooks (47) into the unlocking position.

14. A battery removal apparatus according to claim 11, characterised in that it has plug-and-socket connecting means (65) for releasable connection to the load-handling means of the lifting device.