QUICK LOADING AND UNLOADING BATTERY SYSTEM FOR VEHICLES

• US 20150114736A1
• Filed: 10/27/2014
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meir Avganim
• Original Assignee: Meir Avganim
• Inventors: Avganim, Meir
• Granted Patent: US 9,358,895 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/68.5
• 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 2001/0411 Arrangement in the front part of the vehicle
• 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 2001/0477 from the back
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0483 from the front
• 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: 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

Abstract

An electrical vehicle includes a vehicle body defining a passenger cabin; at least one battery compartment with an openable hood that can be opened to expose the battery compartment; a battery including electrical electrodes removably stored in the battery compartment; at least three battery supports mounted substantially in a vertical orientation in the battery compartment, wherein at least two of the battery supports include electrical contacts that are configured to be electrically coupled with the electrical electrodes of the battery; the battery includes at least two downwardly depending projections which are spatially spaced and arranged relative to each other so that their spacing identically matches a corresponding spacing between said at least three battery supports in the battery compartment, and at least two of the three battery projections comprise said electrical electrodes configured to electrically mate with the electrical contacts of the battery compartment; and the battery supports and the battery projections are so spaced and configured as to enable the battery to be vertically lowered onto the battery supports to effect electrical contact and mechanical coupling between the battery supports and the battery projections.

Claims

1. An electrical vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle body defining a passenger cabin;

at least one battery compartment with an openable hood that can be opened to expose and provide access to the battery compartment;

a battery including electrical electrodes removably stored in the battery compartment;

at least three battery supports mounted substantially in a vertical orientation in the battery compartment, wherein at least two of the battery supports include electrical contacts that are configured to be electrically coupled with the electrical electrodes of the battery;

said battery including at least three downwardly depending projections which are spatially spaced and arranged relative to each other so that their spacing identically matches a corresponding spacing between said at least three battery supports in the battery compartment,

wherein at least two of the three battery projections comprise said electrical electrodes configured to electrically mate with the electrical contacts of the battery compartment; and

wherein the battery supports and the battery projections are so spaced and configured as to enable the battery to be vertically lowered down onto the battery supports to effect electrical contact and mechanical coupling between said battery supports and said battery projections.

2. The electrical vehicle of claim 1, wherein said battery has a left side channel and a right side channel that are configured to enable lifting the battery with a cart that has a pair of arms that are vertically movable up/down and are separated from each other so that they can be directly inserted into the left side channel to lift and ferry said battery.

3. The electrical vehicle of claim 2, wherein the left side channel and the right side channel are formed within left side and right side projecting flanges in the battery, said channel extending along a right side and along a left side of the battery, respectively.

4. The electrical vehicle of claim 2, wherein said channels have an internal cross-section that is four-sided.

5. The electrical vehicle of claim 2, wherein said channels extend perpendicularly to a height direction of the battery, which height direction is aligned with the vertical movability of the battery by the cart.

6. The electrical vehicle of claim 1, wherein said at least three battery supports comprise four column-shaped supports having upper openings for receiving thereinto the battery projections.

7. The electrical vehicle of claim 1, further including a mechanical locking mechanism between at least one of the battery projections and at least one of the battery supports.

8. The electrical vehicle of claim 1, wherein the supports have circular cross-sections.

9. The electrical vehicle of claim 7, wherein the locking mechanism comprises laterally movable locking balls movable literally by a plunger.

10. The electrical vehicle of claim 1, wherein the battery compartment is located forward of the passenger cabin, in a driving direction of the vehicle.

11. The electrical vehicle of claim 2, wherein the vehicle has a vehicle bottom located above the ground on which the vehicle is drivable, and said cart has a base portion with wheels and the base portion of the cart has a low height so that the base portion can be driven to be located under the vehicle bottom.

12. The electrical vehicle of claim 11, wherein the cart includes alignment protrusions configured to fit inside female alignment guides of the vehicle.

13. The electrical vehicle of claim 2, in combination with a battery of charging system, comprising at least one battery charging rack for holding a plurality of batteries at a plurality of locations, each battery location of the charging rack comprising electrical contacts for engaging said electrodes of said battery and providing electrical charging current thereto.

14. A battery exchanging system, comprising:

a battery charging system with racks for holding a plurality of batteries at a plurality of locations, each battery location on the charging rack comprising electrical contacts for engaging electrical contacts of the batteries and charging said batteries;

a movable cart that is configured to be movable by a single person and which includes at least one arm for engaging a battery located on the rack, for lifting the battery off the rack, and ferrying the battery to a vehicle requiring a battery to be installed thereinto.

15. The battery exchanging system of claim 14, including a vehicle, said vehicle being an electrical vehicle and comprising:

a vehicle body defining a passenger cabin;

at least one battery compartment with an openable hood that can be opened to expose the battery compartment;

a battery including electrical electrodes removably stored in the battery compartment;

at least three battery supports mounted substantially in a vertical orientation in the battery compartment, wherein at least two of the battery supports include electrical contacts that are configured to be electrically coupled with the electrical electrodes of the battery;

said battery including at least three downwardly depending projections which are spatially spaced and arranged relative to each other so that their spacing identically matches a corresponding spacing between said at least three battery supports in the battery compartment,

wherein at least two of the three battery projections comprise said electrical electrodes configured to electrically mate with the electrical contacts of the battery compartment; and

wherein the battery supports and the battery projections are so spaced and configured as to enable the battery to be vertically lowered down onto the battery supports to effect electrical contact and mechanical coupling between said battery supports and said battery projections.

16. The battery exchanging system of claim 15, wherein said battery has a left side channel and a right side channel that are configured to enable lifting the battery with the said cart that has a pair of arms that are vertically movable up/down and are separated from each other so that they can be directly inserted into the left side channel to lift and ferry said battery.

17. The battery exchanging system of claim 16, wherein the left side channel and the right side channel are formed within left side and right side projecting flanges in the battery, said channel extending along a right side and along a left side of the battery, respectively.

18. The battery exchanging system of claim 15, wherein said at least three battery supports comprise four column-shaped supports having upper openings for receiving thereinto the battery projections.

19. The battery exchanging system of claim 15, further including a mechanical locking mechanism between at least one of the battery projections and at least one of the battery supports.