Background
The present invention relates to a device for the rapid replacement of the power supply battery of an electric vehicle for urban roads, such as an urban motor sweeper or a dust-removing or cleaning vehicle.
The present invention relates to a device for the rapid replacement of the power supply battery of an electric vehicle for urban roads, such as an urban motor sweeper or a dust-removing or cleaning vehicle.
Such vehicles are mainly composed of an articulated or non-articulated chassis comprising at least two axles, connectable cleaning means, such as brushes, suction means, a container for receiving the sucked-in residues, an optional foot-capacity reservoir and a control station.
Until the recent era, vehicles were powered by heat engines, low capacity batteries being used to control accessories for road tasks.
For environmental and cost-effective reasons, electric vehicles have been proposed.
These vehicles consist of one or more large-sized stationary battery packs which are permanently mounted on the vehicle, ensuring, on the one hand, the motorization of the vehicle and, on the other hand, the operation of various onboard tools.
If these batteries provide the vehicle with a certain autonomous operating capacity, in any case sufficient to fulfill the tasks assigned to them, they have a size disadvantage, since they are permanently implanted in the vehicle. Therefore, it is necessary to provide the charging time periodically, and as a result, the vehicle is not moved, and thus a predetermined task is not completed.
On the other hand, the work properties to be performed by road vehicles are various. Each type of task corresponds to the amount of battery power required, and therefore, if it is desired that the battery power be able to meet all the requirements, it is necessary to stack the electric vehicles. Excessive power consumption is caused by the extra weight of the vehicle-mounted battery, which increases the price of the automobile and reduces energy efficiency.
Furthermore, it is also desirable to provide a charging station that is compatible with the vehicle. To ensure charging, it is necessary, where appropriate, to provide a fleet of several vehicles so that one of the vehicles can function while the other vehicles are in the charging phase.
It would therefore be advantageous to have a method that allows for the rapid storage of discharged batteries and replacement with pre-charged batteries, by assembling one battery or several batteries of different power to minimize the downtime of the vehicle and to accommodate the power required, but to accommodate the work to be performed while avoiding increasing the weight of the vehicle.
Various modes are known which propose a quick battery changer.
Thus, document GB2255755 describes a vehicle in which the battery support is secured to the main chassis by a pair of cranks and a pair of links parallel to the cranks, and a pair of hydraulic cylinders are provided to pivot the cranks about their pivotal connection to the main frame. The battery is fixed on the battery bracket through a connecting pin, the connecting pin is also a rod of a hydraulic cylinder, the battery bracket is lowered to the ground when the battery is replaced, and the battery bracket and the chassis of the vehicle are kept at the same height when the battery is moved.
The main disadvantage of this known mode is the permanent installation of the battery changer on the vehicle chassis, which makes handling safe and makes the vehicle heavier.
US7004710 describes a hydraulic battery changer for pulling and pushing batteries in a conventional electric vehicle, the changer having a height adjustable leg connected to a chassis for raising and lowering the chassis, a roller rotatably connected to a frame for receiving the batteries.
The solution proposed here is not practical because even if the exchange device is independent of the vehicle chassis, it is not movable, so the vehicle has to adjust its own position according to the position of the exchange carriage, not vice versa.
The document of us 5,530,307 is the closest prior art known to the applicant and describes a device for the quick replacement of urban electric road vehicle batteries, comprising a chassis on which are mounted boxes, cabs and tools powered by at least one extractable battery, the battery comprising an electric connection socket, engaged with another electric connection socket on a connection block of the chassis, mounted in a housing of the chassis, accessible through a door, the device comprising at least one fixed battery internal receiver/receiver (consisting of a metal horizontal plate forming a base, the dimensions of which correspond to the housing ready to receive it), at least one external battery support receiver independent of the vehicle, mounted on a mobile cart, cooperating with the fixed internal battery receiver.
Detailed Description
Referring to the drawings, a road vehicle battery changing apparatus is used for a conventional road vehicle including an articulated or non-articulated chassis (1) on which a case (2) is mounted, a cab (3) in the front, and an operator in the cab, which is responsible for controlling the vehicle and performing road cleaning operations, and a cleaning tool (4), such as a brush as shown in the drawing, may be placed in the lower portion of the cab.
These elements are known per se and will not be described in detail.
The vehicle and the means for carrying out road work are powered by at least one battery (5), which battery (5) is arranged in at least one housing (6) on the chassis (1) and can be withdrawn.
The battery (5) is accessible through a safety door (7) on the vehicle body, the safety door (7) leading to a housing (6) to which the battery (5) is connected, the housing (6) itself being mounted on mutually independent internal brackets/receivers (8), each bracket/receiver (8) comprising guiding and locking/unlocking means allowing the battery (5) to be inserted or removed and fixed in position.
In a known manner, the battery (5) comprises a peripheral reinforcement pack consisting of aluminium profiles, in order to carry the battery without excessively increasing the weight.
The internal stent-receiver (8) will be described in detail later, as shown in fig. 9 and 10.
Advantageously, the door (7) is associated with a circuit breaker device which ensures the safety of the vehicle electrical system and cuts off the entire power supply when the door (7) is opened and kept in an open position in the direction of the chassis.
The removal and insertion of the vehicle battery (5) is carried out by moving a carriage (20), the top of which comprises an external receiver/receiver (21) for the battery, the latter cooperating with an internal receiving cradle (8) of the casing (6), the front comprising guiding and centring means (26, 27) which cooperate to ensure perfect alignment with the chassis and the casing (6) receiving the internal cradle-receiver (8).
The carriage (20) is movable and comprises at least two rear wheels (22 a) and two front wheels (22 b) in its lower part, the front wheels being designed and arranged to cooperate with centering and guiding means (26, 27).
The front part of the carriage is the part of the carriage which is connected with the chassis of the vehicle at the housing (6) of the battery (5). The term "top" of the carriage is understood to mean the carriage upper plate lying in a horizontal plane.
In order to manually move the carriage (20) forward or backward on the wheels (22 a, 22 b) in order to access the vehicle chassis (1) and the battery (5) housing (6), respectively, it is necessary to provide an operating handle (25) which is conventional per se and will therefore not be described further in the rest of the description.
The battery disassembly operation by the cart according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.
In fig. 1, it can be seen that the industrial truck (20) is aligned with the housing of the internal receiver (8). In a chassis (1) of a road vehicle.
In the example shown in the figures, two superimposed housings (6), respectively referred to as "lower layer" and "upper layer", are provided, each layer being able to house two cells (5) arranged side by side, i.e. a total of four cells. However, other arrangements may be provided, such as a single layer or only one cell per layer, without departing from the scope of the invention.
The centering and guiding means of the carriage (20) comprise centering means (26) and an observer (27) at the front for aligning the carriage on the vehicle in cooperation with the front wheel (22 b) and also for ensuring the displacement of the carriage in cooperation with the rear wheel (22 a).
The viewer (27) is conventional in itself, rectangular in shape, projecting upwardly from the bottom of the carriage (20) and includes a planar extension at its free end, seen in fig. 6, intended to bear against the chassis, thereby indicating to the operator (who moves the carriage from the other side via the handle (25)) that the carriage can no longer be advanced. The viewer (27) is sized such that the carriage (20) is positioned to be well suited for battery removal when the planar extension thereof is engaged with the chassis.
The "front edge" of the carriage refers to the front end portion of the carriage, located opposite the end connected to the operating handle (25) (referred to as the rear end portion).
As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the centering device (26) is a U-shaped sheet metal part located in the middle of the front edge of the carriage (20), the flat bottom of the U-shaped sheet metal being in the same horizontal plane as the front edge.
Then, the battery (5) is slid from the internal receiver to the external rack receiver (21) of the carriage (20).
The sliding is performed manually by means of a handle (15) fixed to each cell, as shown in fig. 11.
After removal of the battery or batteries (5), the operator returns the carriage (20) and disconnects it from the chassis (1). The door (7) can be closed to isolate and protect the battery housing (6).
The plate of the handling carriage (20) fitted with the external receiver/receiver (21) can be moved in a vertical plane between two end positions (one in a so-called low position, in which the plate is close to the ground, and the other in a so-called high position, in which the plate is reinstalled by mechanical means, which means are not described here since they are known).
The carrier (20) can be lowered or reassembled in vertical planes of different height between the two end positions, which makes it possible to load a plurality of batteries during the same operation, which are housed in the internal support/receiver (8), the latter overlapping each other and therefore not on the same horizontal plane, as in the example shown.
In fig. 1, the external receiver/receiver (21) of the carriage (20) is in a rest position, that is to say, completely folded towards the ground at the end of the journey.
In fig. 2 it can be seen that the outer rack receiver (21) of the carriage (20) has been reinstalled to a position such that it can be placed at the level of the housing (6) of the first inner rack receiver (8) of the lower floor of the chassis to pick up the first battery (5) seen in the extraction process.
In fig. 3, it can be seen that the carriage (20) is always connected to the vehicle chassis (1), but its outer receiver (21) has been raised to align with the housing (6) of the inner rack-receiver (8) located in the upper part of the vehicle chassis.
A battery (5) is also seen here which is being extracted and slid from its inner receiver/receiver (8) onto the outer receiver/receiver (21) to be removed.
The number of batteries and the order of removal do not affect the practice of the invention. Thus, the samples shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are not necessarily produced in the same time sequence.
Once the battery (5) is extracted and slid onto the external receiver/receiver (21) of the carriage (20), the carriage is unhooked from the chassis (1).
In fig. 4, two batteries (5) can be seen, which after removal are placed on an external receiver/receiver (21) of the carriage (20) and can be transported to a charging or storage station as on a pallet truck.
In the same way, one or more batteries have been loaded, where appropriate placed on a second identical handling trolley, which can be replaced, and then rested again on the vehicle chassis (1) to insert the new battery (5) loaded in the corresponding internal rack-receiver (8) according to the same operating mode described above, but this time in the opposite direction.
Fig. 5 shows a carrying trolley (20) on which an external receiver/receiver (21) can be seen, and the safety of operation is ensured by automatic switching off of the power supply, in particular the centering device (26) and the observer (27).
Fig. 6 is a view of the carriage (20) corresponding to the view of [ fig. 5 ]. But this time from the front, the rear is slightly inclined and the bottom of the carriage is visible.
It can be seen that the front wheels (22 b) which enable the rear wheels (22 a) to move the carriage manually are respectively arranged in the housings (24) in the middle and lower part of the carriage ends, corresponding to the lower wall of the planar base of the U-shaped centering device (26)
More precisely, each of the two front wheels (22 b) is engaged in its housing (24) on a longitudinal axis (23) connecting the two side walls of the housing and comprises a spring (28) on both sides of the wheel.
Thus, each wheel (22 b) is horizontally movable along its axis (23) along a path defined by the side walls of its housing (24), this displacement being controlled and damped by springs (28).
This way, the centering of the carriage (20) on the vehicle chassis can be automatically adjusted laterally without restarting the alignment process.
As shown in fig. 1 to 5, the external receiver/receiver (21) serves to receive the battery (5) after the translation of the empty battery (5) from the internal support/receiver (8) or before the loading of the battery, and is composed of at least one receiving rack (29), the width and length dimensions of the receiving rack (29) being determined so as to be able to receive the at least one battery (5).
The receiving frame (29) is formed from a sheet metal part with holes in the bottom thereof to reduce the weight of the carriage in use, the longer sides of which are folded to form the guide rail (30).
In the example shown in the figures, two receiving racks (29) are shown arranged side by side, which constitute an external receiver/receiver (21).
As mentioned above, the external receiver/receiver (21) itself is mounted on a wheeled base (31) 22a, 22b for movement by the handle (25).
In the two shortest sides opposite the vehicle chassis (1), the receiving frame (29) comprises a part forming a stop (32) perpendicular to the rail (30) to ensure that the battery (5) locks backwards after removal or before insertion.
The term "rear" is understood to mean the part of the receiving rack opposite the housing (6) of the vehicle chassis (1).
The purpose of this is to avoid slipping during the movement of the carriage (20) after the battery has been placed on the receiving shelf (29) of the external receiver/receiver (21).
On the other hand, the opposite short side is open, since it must be placed at the level of the internal rack receiver (8) in order to insert or remove the battery (5), respectively.
In order to prevent the battery (5) from slipping out of the receiving rack (29) of the external receiver/receiver (21) after sampling or before insertion, the front end of the receiving rack is provided with locking claws (33) on both sides of its opening, preventing the battery from moving (figure 6). The clamping plate (33) is of a known type, for example consisting of a horizontal rod which is retractable by means of springs.
When the removal of the battery (5) is completed, the battery (5) is placed on the transport trolley (20), the replacement battery is in place, and the operator removes the transport trolley (20).
Advantageously, the external battery support receiver (21) is removable from the mobile carriage (20) independently of the vehicle, so that the characteristics of the support can be adjusted according to the battery to be treated.
Fig. 7 and 8 are therefore detailed views showing the internal stent-receiver (8) according to two possible modes of use.
The battery (5) is guided during movement to and from the external receiver/receiver (21) by means of wheels (34) which may be mounted on the bottom wall or on the side walls of the receiving frame (29), the latter being more preferred.
Fig. 7 shows a first variant embodiment of an external receiver/receiver (21) for batteries, in which guide wheels (34) are arranged along the inner side walls of each guide rail (30) to engage with corresponding guide rails (13) mounted on the batteries (5), in a similar way to that described above for the sliding of the batteries on the external support/receiver (8).
The first variant is particularly suitable for handling large and/or heavy batteries.
Providing transverse guide wheels may strengthen the rack that receives the cells, as described below.
Fig. 8 shows a second variant embodiment of the external receiver/receiver (21), particularly suitable for handling batteries of low volume and/or weight.
In this alternative configuration, inserts (35) containing small wheels (34) are provided along the rails (30) at the bottom of the shelves (29) to allow and facilitate movement of the batteries (5).
Fig. 9 shows the vacuum internal receiver/receiver (8) without the battery inserted.
The internal support receiver (8) consists of a horizontal metal plate forming a seat (9) of a size corresponding to the size of the housing (6) for receiving said internal support receiver (8).
The base (9) is divided along its longitudinal axis into two parts of equal size by a guide or central guide (10) perpendicular to the plane of the base, at equal distances from two equally perpendicular side guides (11) constituting the longitudinal peripheral edge of the base (9).
The central guide (10) and the lateral guides (11) of the base (9) form a guide and translation device for the battery (5).
For this purpose, the inner wall of each guide (10, 11) comprises a series of guide wheels (12) for corresponding engagement with guide rails (13) mounted on the battery (5).
The term "inner wall" is understood to mean a wall which is not in communication with the outside of the base.
As shown in fig. 11, the guide rail (13) is located above the caster (12).
The guide rail (13) is transversely fixed on an aluminum profile wrapping the battery through a screw.
The rail (13) is made of high strength steel and thus can surround the entire battery.
This is particularly advantageous because it allows to reinforce the aluminium profile constituting the battery casing, thus providing optimal protection for the battery during laying and placement.
The guides (10, 11) define two positions in the horizontal plane, enabling the two batteries to be positioned independently.
The internal bracket receiver (8) is permanently mounted within a housing (6) formed on the vehicle chassis (1) to receive the battery (5) and connect it to the electrical system of the vehicle and place it separately.
The internal receiver (8) is mounted in the corresponding housing (6), each battery comprising a connector (37) intended to engage a corresponding electrical connection socket (14') located in a connection block (14) at the bottom of each housing (6).
Fig. 10 shows an internal receiver/receiver (8) on which two batteries (5) are placed side by side, which batteries are connected to a connection block (14).
Fig. 13 and 14 show the electrical connection of the cells and the method of ensuring the connection seal.
The connection between the connector (37) of the battery (5) and the electrical connection socket (14') of the connection block (14) must be very precise to prevent wear and to ensure proper operation.
In order to compensate for dimensional deviations occurring during the manufacturing process, the socket (14') is fixed in a floating manner, and guide means (not shown) are provided so that it can be automatically adjusted according to the position of the connector (37) of the battery (5).
An external seal is also provided for isolating the distribution line behind the connector (37).
The connection socket (14') is covered by a housing (39) made of an elastic material, and the assembly can be fixed between a fixing plate (38) of a connector (37) of the battery (5) and a fixing plate (40) which can be adjusted in reverse without clamping.
A handle (15) is provided on the opposite wall of each battery intended to be connected to the vehicle electrical system, which handle allows easy removal or insertion of each battery (5) respectively, when it translates on the internal receiver (8).
Advantageously, it can be provided on each connection socket (14 ') of the vehicle protection valve (16) to conceal said connection sockets (14') when the internal receiver-receiver (8) is not receiving or they are removed.
During the insertion of the battery, the protection valve (16) is automatically opened along the portion of the guide facing the side of the connection block (14) by means of a lever (17) located at the outer edge of each side guide (11) to release the connection socket (14'), as shown in fig. 12.
The lever (17) is spring loaded between two positions (referred to as "low" and "high", respectively) and is connected to the valve (16).
The lever (17) can be driven between these two positions when the battery (5) is moved over the internal receiver (8).
More precisely, the high position corresponds to a rest position in which the lever (17) does not exert any pressure on the valve (16) to which it is connected, so that the latter remains in the closed position.
When the battery (5) is inserted and pressure is applied to the lever (17) by sliding on the internal receiver (8), the lever (17) descends and causes the protection valve (16) to descend accordingly, releasing the passage of the connection socket (14'), and when the battery (5) reaches the end of travel of the end of the internal receiver (8), the battery (5) can be connected to the electrical system of the vehicle.
Once mounted on the internal receiver (8) and connected to the electrical connection block (14), the battery (5) is locked by means of an inclined hook (18) hinged at one end about the axis of the end of the receiver-receiver (8) opposite the connection block (14).
In the open position, i.e. without a battery, the hook (18) is in a low position. After the batteries (5) are inserted, the hooks (18) are only required to move upwards, and the hooks are meshed with tenons (19) on the outer wall of each battery (5), and the tenons are positioned below the handle (15).
A sensor (36) may control the lock to be active.
List of numerical reference marks
1. Frame
2. Box
3. Cab
4. Tool for cutting tools
5. Battery cell
6. Battery case
7. Safety door
8. Internal receiver
9. Support base
10. Center guide
11. Side guide
12. Guide castor
13. Guide rail
14. Connecting block
14'. Electrical connection socket
15. Battery carrying handle
16. Protective valve
17. Lever
18. Locking hook
19. Tenon head
20. Mobile truck
21. External support
22A rear wheel
22B front wheel
23. Front wheel axle
24. Wheel cover
25. Truck carrying handle
26. Centering device for truck
27. Observer device
28. Spring
29. Receiving rack
30. Guide rail
31. Base seat
32. Toe piece
33. Locking splint
34. Guide castor
35. Roller insert
36. Sensor for detecting a position of a body
37. Battery connector
38. Front fixing plate
39. Sealed housing
40. Rear plate