Attach and detach device of battery for electric vehicle

• US 9,070,923 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2012
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kookmin University Industry Academy Cooperation Foundation, Motex Products Co., Ltd., University-Industry Cooperation Foundation of Korea Aerospace University
• Original Assignee: Kookmin University, Motex Products Co., Ltd., University-Industry Cooperation Foundation of Korea Aerospace University
• Inventors: Yu, Chi-Man, Sim, Joo-Sub, Park, Yong-Geu, Jang, Woong-Sung, Kim, Yun-ha, Park, Jun-Seok, Choi, Woong-Chul, Jeong, Jay-Il, Kim, Won-Kyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Shriver, II, J. Allen
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEYER, JACOB B
• Application Number:
  US13/532,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20130153315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• Field of Search: 180/68.5, 320/109, 104/34, 700/213, 414/373
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2001/0466 from above
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/143 Busses
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/249 specially adapted for aircraft or vehicles, e.g. cars or trains constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles B60L50/64
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/256 Carrying devices, e.g. belts
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations

Abstract

Disclosed is an electric vehicle battery attaching/detaching device including a battery having incision recesses formed on lateral portions, respectively, each incision recess having a lower engaging ledge; a battery mounting unit adapted to detachably mount the battery, the battery mounting unit having grasping holders formed on a bottom portion and adapted to engage with or disengage from the lower engaging ledges of the battery incision recesses; and a controller adapted to rotate the grasping holders in response to an electric signal so that the grasping holders engage with or disengage from the lower engaging ledges of the battery incision recesses.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle battery attaching/detaching device comprising:

a battery mounting unit formed on an electric vehicle and adapted to detachably mount a battery;

a loader having a plurality of battery stands, each battery stand being adapted to detachably mount a fully-charged battery to be exchanged with the battery mounted on the battery mounting unit; and

a battery attaching/detaching unit adapted to move along X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis between the battery mounting unit and the battery stand by means of a movement device, detach a battery mounted on the battery mounting unit or the battery stand, and exchange and mount the battery on the battery stand or the battery mounting unit,

wherein the battery has coupling holes formed near corners, upper surface incisions formed on both lateral portions, respectively, each upper surface incision having an engaging ledge formed at a predetermined height from a bottom portion, and lower surface incisions formed on front and rear portions, respectively, each lower surface incision having an engaging ledge formed at a predetermined height from a top portion.

2. The electric vehicle battery attaching/detaching device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery mounting unit comprises:

a bottom portion of a predetermined area so that the battery is seated and supported;

coupling protrusions extending a predetermined length in a direction perpendicular to the bottom portion, the coupling protrusions being positioned on an identical vertical line with the coupling holes of the battery; and

grasping holders adapted to engage with or disengage from the engaging ledges of the upper surface incisions of the battery by means of elastic force.

3. The electric vehicle battery attaching/detaching device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the grasping holders are adapted to make hinge rotation in a forward/backward direction by means of elastic members, the grasping holders have stepped portions formed to horizontally engage with the engaging ledges formed on the upper surface incisions of the battery, respectively, and a slanted surface portion is formed to be slanted upwards from an inner end surface of each stepped portion in an outward direction.

4. The electric vehicle battery attaching/detaching device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the movement device comprises:

a pair of fixed guide rails installed horizontally on the loader;

a variable guide rail installed on the fixed guide rails in a perpendicular direction thereto, wherein the variable guide rail moves horizontally along one of X-axis or Y-axis;

a movable rail adapted to move horizontally along the other of X-axis or Y-axis with regard to the variable guide rail, as well as move vertically along Z-axis, the battery attaching/detaching unit being installed on a lower end of the movable rail.

5. The electric vehicle battery attaching/detaching device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the battery attaching/detaching unit is installed on the movement device to be able to move along X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, and the battery attaching/detaching unit comprises:

a main unit shaped and sized in conformity with the battery;

grasping units formed on front and rear surfaces of the main unit, respectively, and adapted to make hinge rotation vertically and horizontally in response to electric signals; and

disengaging units formed on left and right surfaces of the main unit, respectively, and adapted to make hinge rotation vertically and horizontally in response to electric signals.

6. The electric vehicle battery attaching/detaching device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the grasping units are positioned to vertically correspond to the lower surface incisions of the battery and have a corresponding number, each grasping unit has a vertical unit adapted to make hinge rotation vertically or horizontally in response to an electric signal and a horizontal unit extending from an end of the vertical unit in a perpendicular direction, and the horizontal units are adapted to horizontally engage with the engaging ledges formed on the lower surface incisions of the battery, when the grasping units are folded, and grasp the battery.

7. The electric vehicle battery attaching/detaching device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the disengaging units are positioned to vertically correspond to the upper surface incisions of the battery and the grasping holders of the battery mounting unit and have a corresponding number.

8. The electric vehicle battery attaching/detaching device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery stand comprises:

a bottom portion of a predetermined area so that the battery is seated and supported; and

coupling protrusions extending a predetermined length in a direction perpendicular to the bottom portion, the coupling protrusions being positioned on an identical vertical line with the coupling holes of the battery.

9. The electric vehicle battery attaching/detaching device as claimed in claim 8, wherein grasping holders are installed on the bottom portion of the battery stand and adapted to engage with or disengage from the engaging ledges of the upper surface incisions of the battery by means of elastic force.