Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BATTERY EXCHANGING-TYPE CHARGING STATION SYSTEM FOR
ELECTRIC VEHICLE
BACKGROUND
Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the inventive concept relate to a battery exchanging type
charging station system for an electric vehicle and in particular, to a
battery exchanging
type charging station system for an electric vehicle that can lead the way to
proliferation
and activation of electric vehicles and promote national interests through a
variety of
related industrial developments and securement of international
competitiveness by
building a charging infrastructure in which a battery of an electric vehicle
can be
exchanged quickly and accurately as well as safely and can be charged easily
at any
time and in any place based on robotic technology.
Description of Related Art
A vehicle, which is essential to human life and socioeconomic activities, is a
moving means that moves using fossil energy such as oil. However, fossil
energy is a
finite resource and is thus becoming depleted over time and the price is
constantly rising.
In particular, fossil energy emits various exhaust gases that pollute the
environment in the process of use and a large quantity of carbon dioxide that
is a main
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contributing factor to global warming. Thus, in order to reduce carbon dioxide
emissions, a variety of research and development activities are being
performed
throughout all industries in various countries of the world. As an
alternative, electric
vehicles which move using electricity as an energy source have been developed.
Electric vehicles that have been developed include a pure electric vehicle
(battery powered electric vehicle), a hybrid electric vehicle with an electric
motor and
an engine, a fuel cell electric vehicle, etc. In addition, in order to expand
the
vitalization and dissemination of electric vehicles, a charge infrastructure
by which
charging can be easily performed at any time and any place is essential, and
thus a
variety of research thereon is underway.
However, since electric vehicles use batteries charged in a plug-in manner,
unlike a vehicle that uses oil (gasoline, diesel, etc.) or natural gas, the
long charging
time is inconvenient for drivers and removes any economic efficiency for
companies
operating charging facilities.
In order to solve the above problems, in recent years, charging technology
including a method of precharging a battery and exchanging the fully charged
battery
instead of charging of a battery in an electric vehicle directly (hereinafter
referred to as
a "battery replacing method") has been proposed.
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Such a battery replacement method has an advantage in that when a driver in
need of charging visits a battery charge station, the driver can conveniently
replace his
or her pre-used with a precharged battery and mount the precharged battery.
However, when a consumer visits a charging station in order to replace a
battery, the battery mounted in an electric vehicle should be separated,
removed, and re-
mounted after a battery that matches a type of the electric vehicle or a type
of the
battery that is already mounted is found. Thus, there is a problem in that a
lot of time
is consumed. In addition, a professional worker who can replace a battery is
required
in order to replace the battery. Thus, there are problems in that replacement
cost,
which customers end up bearing, may be increased.
SUMMARY
Embodiments of the inventive concept provide a battery exchanging type
charging station system for an electric vehicle that can lead the way to
proliferation and
activation of electric vehicles and promote national interests through a
variety of related
industrial developments and securement of international competitiveness by
building a
charging infrastructure in which a battery of an electric vehicle can be
exchanged
quickly and accurately as well as safely and can be charged easily at ay time
and in any
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place based on robotic technology.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is a battery exchanging
type charging station system for an electric vehicle, comprising: a charging
type
battery installed on a battery mounting module of the electric vehicle; a
charging
station body formed with a structure in which the electric vehicle freely
enters and
exits and including a battery loading unit for receiving the battery; a
battery replacing
robot mounted in the charging station body to perform a battery replacement
operation;
and a charging station control unit to control the battery replacing robot
such that the
battery replacement operation is performed by controlling the battery
replacing robot.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the inventive concepts
will be apparent from the more particular description of preferred embodiments
of the
inventive concepts, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like
reference
characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The
drawings are not
necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the
principles of the
inventive concepts. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining a battery exchanging type charging
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station system for an electric vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the
inventive
concept;
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration view for explaining a battery exchanging
type charging station system for an electric vehicle in accordance with an
embodiment
of the inventive concept;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view representing an exterior structure of a battery
exchanging type charging station system for an electric vehicle in accordance
with an
embodiment of the inventive concept;
FIG. 4 is an expanded perspective view representing a main portion of an
exterior structure when exchanging a battery in the battery exchanging type
charging
station system for the electric vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of
the
inventive concept;
FIG. 5 is an expanded perspective view representing a main portion of an
interior structure when exchanging a battery in the battery exchanging type
charging
station system for the electric vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of
the
inventive concept;
FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views for explaining a battery loading unit of a
battery exchanging type charging station system for an electric vehicle in
accordance
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with an embodiment of the inventive concept;
FIGS. 8a to 9b are diagrams for explaining structures and operations of a
battery replacing robot and a battery mounting module in a battery exchanging
type
charging station system for an electric vehicle in accordance with an
embodiment of the
inventive concept; and
FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a modified example of a battery
exchanging type charging station system for an electric vehicle according to
an
embodiment of the inventive concept.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
Various embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the
accompanying drawings in which some embodiments are shown. These inventive
concepts may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be
construed as
limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are
provided
so that this disclosure is thorough and complete and fully conveys the
inventive concept
to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, the sizes and relative sizes of
layers and
regions may be exaggerated for clarity.
Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the inventive concept will be described
with reference to the drawings.
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FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining a battery exchanging type charging
station system for an electric vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the
inventive
concept, FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration view for explaining a battery
exchanging
type charging station system for an electric vehicle in accordance with an
embodiment
of the inventive concept, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view representing an
exterior
structure of a battery exchanging type charging station system for an electric
vehicle in
accordance with an embodiment of the inventive concept.
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the battery exchanging type charging station
system for an electric vehicle 200 in accordance with an embodiment of the
inventive
concept may include a rechargeable battery 10 mounted on a battery mounting
module
210 of the electric vehicle 200, a charging station body 20 in which a fully
charged
battery is stored and a battery replacing operation is performed, a battery
replacing robot
30, a information recognition unit 40, and a charging station control unit 50
that allows
a replacing operation of the battery 10 to be performed by controlling the
battery
replacing robot 30 according to information obtained from the information
recognition
unit 40. The battery exchanging type charging station system is implemented in
a
battery exchanging method by which the entire battery can be exchanged so as
to
replace a battery applied as an energy source of the electric vehicle quickly
and
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accurately based on robotic technology.
FIG. 4 is an expanded perspective view representing a main portion of an
exterior structure when exchanging a battery in the battery exchanging type
charging
station system for the electric vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of
the
inventive concept; and FIG. 5 is an expanded perspective view representing a
main
portion of an interior structure when exchanging a battery in the battery
exchanging
type charging station system for the electric vehicle in accordance with an
embodiment
of the inventive concept.
The charging station body 20 is a structure that actually performs an
operation of replacing the battery after the electric vehicle 200 enters a
charging station,
and is formed so as to allow the electric vehicle to freely access the battery
charge
station. The charging station body 20 includes the battery loading unit 70 for
loading
the battery.
In addition, the charging station body 20 according to the embodiment is
configured to include a vertical body 21 extending in a vertical direction and
coming in
contact with a road, and a horizontal body 22 extending in a horizontal
direction from a
top portion of the vertical body 21 toward the road, as shown in FIG. 2. Thus,
the
battery replacement operation can be performed easily under bad weather
conditions
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such as rain, snow and the like. However, as long as the electric vehicle 200
can enter
and exit the battery charge station and the replacement operation can be
easily
performed, the structure or type of the charging station body 20 is not
limited.
In addition, a platform 24 for passengers to use is provided between the
vertical body 21 and the road, and a bottom of the horizontal body 22 is
provided with
at least one outlet 22a for taking the battery 10 out.
In particular, the charging station body 20 includes the protection guide 23
for sealing the battery mounting module 210 which mounts the battery when the
electric
vehicle 200 enters the charging station, in order to avoid ill effects
according to changes
in the external environment when replacing the battery 10. The protection
guide 23
according to the embodiment is configured of a corrugate tube that is folded
toward the
battery mounting module 210 in a state in which the battery is mounted inside
the
charging station body 20 when the battery is being replaced and is unfolded to
an
original position after the battery is replaced. However, as long as the
battery
mounting module 210 including the battery can be effectively sealed and
protected
during the process of replacing the battery, the protection guide 23 may be
configured to
have various structures without limitation.
In addition, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the protection guide 23 is configured
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to include a sealed membrane such as a flexible hose which is installed in the
outlet 22a
disposed at the bottom of the horizontal body 22, and a door driving unit (not
shown)
which can operate the sealed membrane in the vertical direction under the
control of the
charging station control unit 50.
Although not illustrated in detail, the door driving unit may include an air
pressure unit having a high pressure cylinder operated by pressure air and a
control
valve for controlling the operation of the high pressure cylinder, or may be
an electric
actuator.
FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views explaining a battery loading unit of a
battery exchanging type charging station system for an electric vehicle in
accordance
with an embodiment of the inventive concept. More concretely, FIG. 6 is a
diagram
illustrating a stacked storage rack type battery loading unit and FIG. 7 is a
diagram
illustrating a parallel storage rack type battery loading unit.
The battery loading unit 70 may be variously configured according to shapes
of the charging station body 20 as a loading rack mounted in the charging
station body
20 to store fully charged and discharged batteries 10 used when the battery is
replaced.
For example, the battery loading unit 70 may be configured to have a stacked
storage
rack type included in the vertical body 21 in which a plurality of batteries
are arranged
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so as to be formed in a line at the left and right sides and the batteries are
again stacked
over the upper side of the line in a multi-layer structure, as shown in FIG.
6.
In addition, the battery loading unit 70 may be configured to have a parallel
storage rack type in which the plurality of batteries 10 are stored in every
direction of
the horizontal body. In addition to this, it may be configured to have a mixed
storage
rack type including the stacked storage rack type and the parallel storage
rack type.
In addition, a reference numeral 71 of FIG. 6 may be a moving truck type
loading rack in which the batteries are moved on the battery loading unit 70
in order to
effectively perform ejection and receipt processes of the battery by a battery
ejecting
and loading robot 32 to be described later. Also, a reference numeral 72 of
FIG. 7 may
be a loading rack installed on the battery loading unit 70 of the parallel
storage rack type.
Meanwhile, a reference numeral 300 of FIG 7 may be a battery supply
vehicle used when the discharged batteries are charged in an outer charging
apparatus
and then fully charged batteries are transferred and stored, and a reference
numeral 301
may be a lift for elevating the batteries.
Alternatively, in the battery exchanging type charging station system for an
electric vehicle according to the embodiment, since a larger number of
discharged
batteries may be continuously replaced, it is preferable that the batteries be
transferred
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using the battery supply vehicle after the discharged batteries have been
fully charged.
However, the charging station body 20 may include a power charging apparatus
which
can autonomously charge the plurality of discharged batteries.
The information recognition unit 40 may be configured to obtain information
on an electric vehicle that enters the charging station body 20 and/or
information on the
battery mounted in the electric vehicle, that is, data of a type, size,
charging state,
release date, charging date or the like.
The information recognition unit 40 may be applied to a variety of techniques
and devices that can be utilized in an information recognition field, such as
an image
sensor module in which an image of the battery is captured, and the captured
image and
a stored image are compared to decide a type of the battery, and an RFID
technology-
based reader
On the other hand, according to the inventive concept, the battery exchanging
type charging station system for an electric vehicle may include a
communication
module 60 that performs or relays communication with the charging station
control unit
50 and the electric vehicle via a wired and/or wireless communication unit.
Since a
communication module 60 can communicate with a transmission unit (not shown)
provided in the electric vehicle, a replacing operation can be performed more
rapidly by
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receiving information such as a battery replacement reservation, a position of
the
electric vehicle, a type of battery and the like, via communication with the
electric
vehicle and previously controlling the battery replacing robot 30 and the like
under
control of the charging station control unit 50.
FIGS. 8a to 9b are diagrams explaining structures and operations of a battery
replacing robot and a battery mounting module in a battery exchanging type
charging
station system for an electric vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the
inventive
concept. More concretely, FIGS. 8a and 8b are a front view and a perspective
view for
explaining a process of removing a discharged battery, and FIGS. 9a and 9b are
a front
view and a perspective view for explaining a process of installing a fully
charged battery.
The battery replacing robot 30 is provided in the charging station body 20 to
actually perform the replacement operation of the battery. Any transport robot
that can
be applied in various industrial fields may be adopted as the battery
replacing robot 30
without limitation, as long as the replacement operation can be performed
effectively.
For example, in the embodiment, the charging station body 20 may be have
an approximate "¨I" shape including the vertical body 21 and the horizontal
body 22.
Thus, the battery replacing robot 30 may be configured to include a battery
transporting
and mounting robot 31 and a battery ejecting and loading robot 32 so as to be
suitable
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for the structure of the charging station body 20.
The battery transporting and mounting robot 31 may be a robot that removes
a discharged battery 10 mounted in the battery mounting module 210 of the
electric
vehicle and then transports a fully charged battery, which is ejected from the
battery
loading unit 70, and mounts on the battery mounting module 210. In addition,
the
battery ejecting and loading robot 32 may be a robot that ejects a fully
charged battery
stored in the battery loading unit 70 and then provides the fully charged
battery to the
battery transporting and mounting robot 31, or receives a discharged battery
from the
battery transporting and mounting robot 31, and then loads into the battery
loading unit
70. The battery transporting and mounting robot 31 and the battery ejecting
and
loading robot 32 may be configured by properly disposing at least a pair of
robots,
depending on the size of the charging station body 20, a processing scale of
the battery
and the like.
The battery transporting and mounting robot 31 may be configured to include
a fixed rail 31a installed at the upper portion of the charging station body
20, a
transporting rail 31 b installed to be moved in the direction orthogonal to
the fixed rail
31a, an elevating rail 31c installed to be moved along the longitudinal
direction of the
transporting rail 31b, or in the direction orthogonal to the transporting rail
31b, and a
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clamping unit 31d installed at the bottom of the elevating rod 31c to perform
locking
and unlocking operations in the process of replacing the battery. In addition,
although
the fixed rail 31a, the transporting rail 31b and the elevating rod 31c are
not shown in
detail in the drawings, it is obvious that driving units which generate power
for the rails
or apply the power to the rails may be included therein.
Meanwhile, the clamping unit 31d includes a base plate 31d1 installed at the
bottom of the of the elevating rod 31, and a plurality of clamps 31d2
installed at the
base plate 31d1 to perform locking and unlocking operations in order to fix or
release
the battery 10. In addition, the clamps 31d2 may be disposed in pairs to face
each
other at the edge of the base plate so as to be hooked or released to or from
the battery
while an angular motion is performed toward an inside or outside thereof. In
addition,
the clamping unit 31d may include a clamp driving device (not shown) inside
the base
plate 31d l in order to drive the clamps.
In addition, the clamping unit 31d includes, at the base plate 31d1, an
unclamping member 31d3 for releasing a fixed state of a discharged battery and
a
position decision member 31d4 for positioning the battery 10 at the base plate
31d1
when the battery mounted on the battery mounting module 210 is released.
The unclamping member 31d3 may be disposed in pairs to face each other at
CA 02781513 2012-06-26
the portion of the base plate 31d1 corresponding to a non-mounted portion of
the clamp
31d2. When the battery 10 is released, the unclamping member 31d3 is lowered
in a
straight state by a clamp driving device (not shown) as shown in FIGS. 8a and
8b. In
addition, when a fully charged battery is installed, the unclamping member
31d3 is
lowered in an outwardly titled state (an outwardly opened state) as shown in
FIGS. 9a
and 9b. In addition, the position decision member 31d4 performs a function by
which
the battery is accurately placed on the bottom of the base plate 31d while
being inserted
in an upper side of a guide hole formed at the battery. For reference, the
position
decision member 215 of the battery mounting module 210 to be described later
performs a function by which the battery is accurately placed on a battery
seating base
211 while being inserted in a lower side of a guide hole formed at the
battery.
Meanwhile, the battery mounting module 210 is installed on a frame (not
shown) of the electric vehicle, and includes a battery seating base 211 on
which the
battery is seated, and having a terminal unit which electrically connects the
battery, a
plurality of fixing units 212 which fix the battery to the battery seating
base 211, and a
mounting module door 213 (see FIG. 2) installed to seal a portion of the
battery seating
base 211 and opened when the battery is being replaced.
The mounting module door 213 may be configured to have various types in
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which the battery seating base 211 on which the battery is seated during an
operation
can be effectively sealed and be opened when the battery is being replaced to
rapidly
perform the replacement operation of the battery by the clamping unit 31d.
For example, the mounting module door 213 may be configured as a structure
in which the protection cover 213 may be closed and opened in front and rear
directions
of the battery seating base 211 as shown in FIG. 4. In addition, the mounting
module
door 213 may be preferably configured as a structure in which the protection
cover 213
may be closed and opened at the inner space surrounded by the protection guide
23 as
briefly shown in FIG. 2, such that the battery is exposed to the external
environment as
little as possible when the battery 10 is being replaced.
In addition, the battery mounting module 210 may further include a plurality
of position decision members 215 configured in the form of pins so as to be
inserted
guide holes formed in the battery in order for the battery 10 to be positioned
and
mounted on the battery seating base 211. In addition, the battery fixing unit
212 may
be installed at the edge of the battery seating base 211 and configured to
include a
locking hook 212a for fixing the battery and an elastic member 212b for
maintaining the
fixed state by applying an elastic force to the locking hook 212a.
In addition, the battery 10 may be formed in the rectangular shape
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corresponding to the battery seating base 211. That is, a charging module
including,
for example, a cell inside a body having a shape corresponding to a shape of a
seating
groove portion 214 may be built in, and a locking groove portion 212 may be
installed
in order for the locking hook 212a to be seated and locked on the edge of the
battery
Meanwhile, the battery ejecting and loading robot 32 according to the
embodiment is configured in an elevating cylinder form that includes an
elevating rod
32a and a loading plate 32b formed at the top of the elevating rod 32a as
shown in FIG
6. However, as long as the battery ejecting and loading robot 32 can eject and
load
easily and accurately, the structure or type of the battery ejecting and
loading robot 32 is
not limited.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a modified example of a battery
exchanging type charging station system for an electric vehicle according to
an
embodiment of the inventive concept.
in accordance with the inventive concept, the battery exchanging type
charging station system for an electric vehicle may further include a vehicle
stop
position guide unit 80 to guide a stop position of the electric vehicle 200 to
enter the
charging station body 20 to correspond with a battery exchanging position.
For example, the vehicle stop position guide unit 80 may include an entry
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detecting unit (not shown) to detect an entry position of the electric
vehicle, and
notification means (not shown) notifying a driver of position information such
as a
current position, a battery exchanging position, a moving direction, a moving
distance
and the like according to detected signals of the entry detecting unit under
control of the
charging station control unit 50.
At this time, the notification means may be configured to include at least one
of a display unit such as a monitor that displays the position information
through text,
drawings, images and the like, a sound output unit such as a speaker that
outputs voice
signals so that the driver can confirm by hearing and a lamp unit that
flickers with the
position information so that the driver can confirm through the flicker of a
lamp.
Meanwhile, the battery exchanging type charging station system for an
electric vehicle according to the inventive concept may further include a
vehicle
movement unit 90 that moves an electric vehicle into the exchanging position
when the
stop position of the electric vehicle does not correspond to the exchanging
position.
Such a vehicle movement unit 90 may be configured to have any structures
without limitation, as long as the vehicle movement unit is installed on a
road that
adjoins the charging station body 20, such that it can move the vehicle to a
predetermined position when the stop position of the electric vehicle does not
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correspond to the exchanging position. For example, the vehicle movement unit
90
may be configured by selecting any one of a belt conveyor, a chain conveyor
and a
roller conveyor, which can be transported in the front and rear direction.
In addition, the battery exchanging type charging station system for an
electric vehicle according to the invention concept may further include a
memory unit
110 that stores various information such as a use history, a charging history,
a revival
history, or the like. Thus, management and monitoring can be effectively
performed
during a period from manufacturing time of the battery to a discard time
thereof using
the charging station control unit.
The information stored in the memory unit 110 may be used in vehicle
management and the like by providing additional service to an owner or a
driver
through the communication module 60 or offline after being processed by the
charging
station control unit 50 and the like.
Meanwhile, the battery exchanging type charging station system for an
electric vehicle described above has been described based on a configuration
in which
the electric vehicle is configured with a typical vehicle such as a bus used
in public
transportation. However, all vehicles such as passenger cars, vans, trucks and
the like
can be applied to the charging station for an electric vehicle.
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Hereinafter, an operation of the battery exchanging type charging station
system for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment will be described
briefly.
As shown in FIG. 1, when replacement of a battery in the charging station is
reserved and a battery type to be replaced, a position of the electric vehicle
and the like
are input by communicating with a transmitting unit (not shown) provided in
the electric
vehicle and the communication module 60, the charging station control unit 50
may
control the battery replacing robot 30 such that a reserved type of battery
may be
already prepared by processing data received from the communication module 60.
Of
course, this procedure may be simplified to only a reserved procedure if there
is only
one type of battery.
Then, when the electric vehicle enters the charging station body 20, the
information recognition unit 40 may recognize information on the entering
electric
vehicle and apply the information to the charging station control unit 50.
According to
such obtained information, the charging station control unit 50 may determine
whether
the electric vehicle is a vehicle reserved for replacing a battery. In this
case, when the
vehicle is a reserved vehicle, a replacement operation may be performed by
driving the
battery replacing robot 30 and ejecting a reserved battery. Even if the
vehicle is not a
reserved vehicle, a control operation may be performed according to
information
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obtained by the information recognition unit 40 or requirements of a driver.
Hereinafter, a replacement procedure of a battery will be described in detail.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, first, when an electric vehicle enters the charging
station
body 20 in a regular position, the battery mounting module 210 is sealed by
lowering
the protection guide 23 under control of the charging station control unit 50.
In the
replacement procedure, when a stop position of the electric vehicle is not
consistent
with a battery exchanging position, the replacement operation may be performed
after
moving the electric vehicle in the battery exchanging position using a vehicle
movement unit 90.
In addition, when the battery mounting module 210 is sealed by the
protection guide 23, the mounting module door 213 sealing a portion of the
battery
seating base 211 is opened and the discharged battery therein is exposed. At
this time,
a removing process of the discharged battery already mounted on the electric
vehicle is
first performed by the battery transporting and mounting robot 31. That is,
the
clamping unit 31d is lowered from a regular position of the outlet 22a and the
discharged battery is locked, separated and removed from the outside according
to
operations of the transporting rail 31b transporting along with the fixed rail
31a and the
elevating rod 31c elevating along with the transporting rail 31b. Such a
removed
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discharged battery may be transferred from the battery transporting and
mounting robot
31 to the ejecting and loading robot 32 and accepted and stored in the battery
loading
unit 70. At the same time, another battery transporting and mounting robot 31
for
replacing with a charged battery may mount the charged battery transferred
from the
battery ejecting and loading robot 32 on the battery seating base 211. In
addition,
when the replacement operation of the charged battery is completed, as shown
in FIG. 3,
the battery mounting module 210 may be sealed again according to a closing
operation
of the mounting module door 213, and then the electric vehicle is in a state
in which it
can be driven again while the replacement operation of the battery is all
completed
when the protection guide 23 sealing the battery mounting module 210 is
elevated.
As described above, in the battery exchanging type charging station system
for an electric vehicle according to the inventive concept, since reservation
for replacing
a battery may be performed in advance and a battery can be rapidly exchanged
by a
robot while the electric vehicle enters in a state in which a corresponding
battery (or a
single type of battery) is prepared according to the reservation information,
the
replacement operation of the battery can be rapidly performed in a short time
of 30
seconds, during which passengers can also ride in the electric vehicle if the
electric
vehicle is applied as a public transportation means.
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. .
In the battery exchanging type charging station system for an electric vehicle
according to the inventive concept, since reservation for replacing a battery
may be
performed in advance and a battery can be rapidly exchanged by a robot while
the
electric vehicle enters in a state in which a corresponding battery (or a
single type of
battery) is prepared according to the reservation information, the replacement
operation
of the battery can be rapidly performed in a short time of 30 seconds, during
which
passengers can also ride in the electric vehicle if the electric vehicle is
applied as a
public transportation means. In addition, since all the replacement operations
can be
accurately handled by a robot automatically, convenience and safety can be
improved.
Accordingly, since problems for a charging infrastructure that may act as
major obstacles to proliferation and activation of electric vehicle can be
solved, it is
possible to lead the way to proliferation and activation of electric vehicles
and promote
national interests through a variety of related industrial developments and
securement of
international competitiveness.
The foregoing is illustrative of embodiments and is not to be construed as
limiting thereof. Although a few embodiments have been described, those
skilled in
the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in
embodiments
without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages.
Accordingly,
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CA 02781513 2012-06-26
all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this
inventive
concept as defined in the claims. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses
are
intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited
function, and
not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures.
