Method for exchanging batteries in battery-powered vehicles

• US 9,227,601 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2011
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sten Corfitsen
• Original Assignee: Sten Corfitsen
• Inventors: Corfitsen, Sten
• Primary Examiner(s): Afzali, Sarang
• Application Number:
  US13/805,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20130104361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,663 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4973 Replacing of defective part

Abstract

The vehicle includes a horizontally placed compartment for one or several batteries lying parallel to each other, a robot includes a transport plane that can be extended and withdrawn in one direction, and displaced along two mutually perpendicular directions relative to the one direction. The vehicle takes up a predetermined location relative to the robot close to the cover, the robot determines via an optical element the position of the battery in the compartment, and displaces the transport plane to a predetermined position relative to the battery. A withdrawal member attaches to the battery and withdraws it from the compartment to the transport plane. The robot transports the battery to a charging station, and transports a charged battery from a store of charged batteries to the transport plane. A displacement element inserts the battery at a predetermined position into the compartment, and the cover is closed.

Claims

1. A method for exchanging batteries in battery-powered vehicles, comprising:

providing a robot for the transport of a battery to and from a vehicle respectively, the vehicle being provided with a horizontally-placed compartment configured to hold one or more batteries lying parallel to each other, the compartment being provided with a cover configured to be opened, and providing a transportation system configured to transport the battery into and out from said compartment,

the robot having a transport plane configured to be extended and withdrawn in one direction, the transport plane configured to be displaced along two mutually-perpendicular directions relative to the direction,

the vehicle being at a predetermined location relative to the robot at which the transport plane is located at the cover of the vehicle;

when the cover is opened, determining, by the robot using an optical device, the position of the battery in the compartment;

displacing, by the robot, the transport plane to a predetermined position relative to the battery, at which position the transport plane is extended;

attaching a withdrawal system belonging to the robot to the battery in the compartment, the withdrawal system being exchangeable, the withdrawal system including suction cups mounted onto drawbars, the suction cups being attached by suction to a surface of the battery facing the robot;

withdrawing the battery from the compartment by the withdrawal system such that the battery rests on the transport plane;

transporting the battery by the robot by the transport plane and subsequent transporters to a charging station;

transporting by the robot by one or more transporters, a charged battery from a store of charged batteries in the robot to the transport plane;

inserting, by a displacement system belonging to the robot, the battery into the compartment at a predetermined position; and

closing the cover.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising identifying, by the robot, the one or more batteries before extraction of the one or more batteries by a detection device.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the detection device is a scanning laser.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein an identification of the battery occurs through a reading of a barcode on the surface of the battery that faces the robot.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the detection device is a video camera with associated image processing software.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein an identification of the battery occurs through a reading of a barcode on the surface of the battery that faces the robot.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein an identification of the battery occurs through a reading of a barcode on the surface of the battery that faces the robot.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein the optical device is a video camera with associated image processing software.

9. The method according to claim 2, wherein the optical device is a scanning laser.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the optical device is a scanning laser.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the detection device is a scanning laser.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the detection device is a video camera with associated image processing software.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein an identification of the battery occurs through a reading of a barcode on the surface of the battery that faces the robot.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the optical device is a video camera with associated image processing software.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein an identification of the battery occurs through a reading of a barcode on the surface of the battery that faces the robot.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the battery, or each one of the one or more batteries, has or have protrusions or wheels that interact with guiderails located transversely across the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in the compartment in order to position the battery in the compartment.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the optical device determines positions of the guiderails and positions of the protrusions or wheels.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the displacement system comprises drawbars that are extended such that the drawbars insert the battery into the compartment.