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EP-4741215-A1 - BATTERY SWAP MODULE AND BATTERY SWAP STATION AND METHOD

EP4741215A1EP 4741215 A1EP4741215 A1EP 4741215A1EP-4741215-A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a battery swap module (102) for a battery swap station (100) for electric vehicles (106). The battery swap module (102) comprises a battery compartment (108) configured to store at least one battery, the at least one battery being configured to be installed in an electric vehicle (106) and a battery transportation device (110). The battery swap module is configured to operate in a battery swap mode and a maintenance mode. In the battery swap mode, the battery compartment (108) is configured to be arranged in a space (114) provided vertically below a battery swap level (104), so that the battery compartment (108) is located vertically below an electric vehicle (106) provided on the battery swap level (104). In the battery swap mode, the battery transportation device (110) is configured to dismount at least one discharged battery from an electric vehicle (106) located on the battery swap level (104), transport the at least one discharged battery from the electric vehicle (106) to the battery compartment (108), to transport at least one charged battery from the battery compartment (108) to the electric vehicle (106), and to mount the at least one charged battery to the electric vehicle (106). In the maintenance mode, the battery compartment (108) is configured to be lifted vertically above the battery swap level (104) by a lifting device (112).

Inventors

  • WANG, YONG
  • LYU, Shuxiu
  • LUO, JUN
  • YIN, HANG

Assignees

  • Nio Technology (Anhui) Co., Ltd

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20241107

Claims (15)

  1. Battery swap module (102) for a battery swap station (100) for electric vehicles (106), the battery swap module (102) comprising: a battery compartment (108) configured to store at least one battery, the at least one battery being configured to be installed in an electric vehicle (106); and a battery transportation device (110), wherein the battery swap module is configured to operate in a battery swap mode and a maintenance mode; wherein, in the battery swap mode, the battery compartment (108) is configured to be arranged in a space (114) provided vertically below a battery swap level (104), so that the battery compartment (108) is located vertically below an electric vehicle (106) provided on the battery swap level (104); wherein, in the battery swap mode, the battery transportation device (110) is configured to dismount at least one discharged battery from an electric vehicle (106) located on the battery swap level (104), transport the at least one discharged battery from the electric vehicle (106) to the battery compartment (108), to transport at least one charged battery from the battery compartment (108) to the electric vehicle (106), and to mount the at least one charged battery to the electric vehicle (106); and wherein, in the maintenance mode, the battery compartment (108) is configured to be lifted vertically above the battery swap level (104) by a lifting device (112).
  2. The battery swap module (102) of claim 1, wherein, in the battery swap mode, the battery swap module (102) including the battery compartment (108) and the battery transportation device (110) is configured to be arranged in the space (114) provided vertically below the battery swap level (104); and/or wherein, in the maintenance mode, the battery swap module (102) including the battery compartment (108) and the battery transportation device (110) is configured to be lifted above the battery swap level (104).
  3. The battery swap module (102) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the battery transportation device (110) comprises a rail guided vehicle.
  4. The battery swap module (102) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the battery compartment (108) is configured to store at least 3, preferably at least 5, more preferably between 5 and 10 batteries.
  5. The battery swap module (102) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the battery swap module (102) is configured to charge at least one battery located in the battery compartment (108).
  6. The battery swap module (102) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the electric vehicle (106) is an electric passenger automobile.
  7. The battery swap module (102) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one battery is a traction battery.
  8. The battery swap module (102) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the battery swap level is at ground level.
  9. The battery swap module (102) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lifting device (112) comprises a hydraulic lifting device.
  10. The battery swap module (102) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the battery swap module (102) comprises the lifting device (112).
  11. A battery swap station (100) comprising the battery swap module (102) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the battery swap module (102) being arranged in the space (114) in the battery swap mode, and comprising the lifting device (112) configured to lift at least the battery compartment (108) vertically above the battery swap level (104) in the maintenance mode.
  12. A battery swap station (100) comprising the battery swap module (102) according to claim 10, the battery swap module (102) being arranged in the space (114) in the battery swap mode.
  13. The battery swap station (100) of claim 11, wherein the lifting device (112) is arranged in the space (114) vertically below the battery swap level (104).
  14. The battery swap station (100) of any one of claims 11 to 13, further comprising roofing (116) arranged over the battery swap level (104) and the space (114) to protect the battery swap module (102) from weather conditions, preferably from rain; wherein, preferably, the roofing (116) comprises solar cells (118), the battery swap station (100) is configured to use electric power generated with the solar cells (118) to charge the at least one battery stored in the battery compartment (108).
  15. Method of operating a battery swap station, preferably a battery swap station according to any one of claims 10 to 14, comprising: a battery swap mode comprising: • dismounting at least one discharged battery from an electric vehicle (106) located on a battery swap level (104); • transporting the at least one discharged battery from the electric vehicle (106) to a battery compartment (108), the battery compartment (108) being arranged in a space (114) provided vertically below the battery swap level (104); • transporting at least one charged battery from the battery compartment (108) to the electric vehicle (106); and • mounting the at least one charged battery to the electric vehicle (106); a maintenance mode comprising: • lifting the battery compartment (108) vertically above the battery swap level (104).

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention generally relates to providing electric vehicles with a charged battery, in particular a battery swap module, a battery swap station, and a method of operating a battery swap station. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Since the process of recharging a battery of an electric vehicle may be time consuming, there exist facilities to replace the depleted battery of an electric vehicle by a charged battery, so-called battery swap stations or power swap stations. In such battery swap stations, the depleted battery can be replaced by a charged battery within a few minutes, so that the process of providing the electric vehicle with a charged battery is not as time consuming as a charging operation. However, such battery swap stations may take up more space than charging stations, may have a visual and aesthetic impact on urban landscapes, may be exposed to weather conditions, temperature and environmental factors, and may be more susceptible to security issues or vandalism. Furthermore, there may be building regulations that prevent or impede the installation of battery swap stations. Moreover, battery swap stations may emit noise, which may impede the installation of power swap stations in certain areas. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to solve all or at least some of the above-mentioned challenges. In particular, it may be an object of the invention to provide a battery swap station which is less prone to weather conditions, ambient temperature and other environmental factors. A further object may be to provide a battery swap station that may comply with stricter building regulations. A further object may be to provide a battery swap station with reduced noise emission. These and further objects are solved by the invention defined in the independent claim. Further embodiments of the invention are set out in the dependent claims, the description and the drawings. In the context of the present document, the expressions "up", "down", "vertically above" and "vertically below", and the like refer to directions and/or positions defined by the gravitational force. As such, the downward direction is generally parallel to and into the direction of the gravitational force. An upward direction therefore is generally parallel to and against the direction of the gravitational force. The invention provides a battery swap module for a battery swap station for electric vehicles. The battery swap module comprises a battery compartment configured to store at least one battery, the at least one battery being configured to be installed in an electric vehicle, and a battery transportation device. The battery swap module is configured to operate in a battery swap mode and a maintenance mode. In the battery swap mode, the battery compartment is configured to be arranged in a space provided vertically below a battery swap level, so that the battery compartment is located vertically below an electric vehicle located on the battery swap level. Furthermore, in the battery swap mode, the battery transportation device is configured to dismount at least one discharged battery from an electric vehicle located on the battery swap level, transport the at least one discharged battery from the electric vehicle to the battery compartment, to transport at least one charged battery from the battery compartment to the electric vehicle, and to mount the at least one charged battery to the electric vehicle. In the maintenance mode, the battery compartment is configured to be lifted vertically above the battery swap level by a lifting device. The battery swap mode refers to an operating mode of the battery swap module, in which the battery swap module performs a battery swap operation on a vehicle located on the battery swap level. The maintenance mode refers to an operating mode of the battery swap module, in which at least the battery compartment is accessible for service personnel for maintenance tasks on the batteries and/or the battery compartment. Furthermore, in the maintenance mode, the battery compartment may be accessible for inserting, removing or replacing one or more batteries stored in the battery compartment. Preferably, in the battery swap mode, the battery compartment is not accessible for service personnel. The battery swap module may refer to a part of the battery swap station. Preferably, the battery swap module is structured as a modular part enclosing all components of the battery swap module, e.g., a housing enclosing the battery compartment and the battery transportation device. The battery swap level may refer to a defined level configured so that an electric vehicle can be parked on the battery swap level for performing a battery swap operation. In the battery swap mode, the battery swap station defines a battery swap area configured to receive the electric vehicle for the battery swap operation. The battery swap area may comprise devices, e.g. wheel guides, to ens