Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
A SWAPPABLE BATTERY AND A BATTERY SWAPPING SYSTEM FOR EV's
AND OTHER APPLICATIONS
Field of the Invention:
This proposed invention relates to energy storage batteries used to power
electrical
vehicles and other applications. More particularly, it relates to swappable
batteries.
Background of the Invention:
The classical design of EV's with fixed battery packs comes with many
disadvantages. One of them is the non-standardised battery pack across all
EV's
leading to higher car production cost and higher maintenance cost in repairing
or
replacing the battery pack. Also, for recharging those vehicles, a big number
of
charging stations is needed, and building these infrastructure needs a lot of
resources and comes at a high cost. And no mater how big the charging station
is
(the number of charging points), its charging capacity is limited by the
maximum
electrical power it can withdraw from the local electrical grid. Even with
increasing charging capacity by adding energy storage to the charging station,
it is
still limited by the available electrical power from the grid at that
location, and yet
by increasing its cost (the energy storage units are expansive).
And given the relatively long time it takes to fully charge an EV even with a
super
charger, recharging an EV is somehow inconvenient especially when in high
demand (too many vehicles at the same station), for long distance drivers and
for
taxi and delivery fleet, etc.
Another drawback of the superchargers especially when using them often is the
reducing of lifespan of the Li-ion batteries of the EV's.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
It is also known that the classical EV's equipped with fixed battery packs are
much
more expensive compared to conventional internal combustion engines vehicles
due primarily to the cost of the fixed battery pack, and even if their routine
maintenance cost is less expensive, the battery capacity is degrading overtime
and
the cost of replacing the battery pack after warranty is very high for the
owner.
A proposed technology for mitigating the drawbacks of the fixed battery packs
consist of the swappable battery systems. There were some solutions for
swappable
battery systems that are developed in the recent years but none of them was
adopted broadly by the EV's manufacturing companies like Tesla or widely used
in
mobile or stationary applications. Among the reasons are the degree of
complexity
of such proposed systems, the economical feasibility, the convenience, the
safety,
and the non standardisation of both the swappable batteries and the swapping
systems. Among the examples of those systems, the ones developed by companies
like Ample and Aulton.
This emphasis the need to find a better solution for a battery swapping system
and
a swappable battery that mitigate those issues.
Summary of the Invention:
The proposed battery swapping system with its proposed portable universal use
battery (UNiBat) will redesign the charging of EV's by bringing more charging
capacity and flexibility for the charging stations and by speeding up the EV's
recharging process and giving more convenience and flexibility for the end
user.
The proposed battery (UNiBat) is designed such a way to facilitate its
loading,
unloading, transportation and handling during the replacement and recharging
procedures. As well it offers many operational and safety features thanks to
its
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
power converter and its battery management system (BMS) leading to more
convenience and safety when used or recharged.
The proposed battery swapping system could be entirely embedded on the EV or
any application in general since it has a simple design, and its swapping
operation
could work with minimal or without any external mechanism at the swapping
station or even anywhere.
For the EV owner, the proposed battery and battery swapping system will remove
the burden of replacing a degraded battery pack or repairing a malfunctioning
one,
in fact with swappable batteries, there is no battery degradation or
functionality
issues, thus less maintenance of the EV is needed.
At the swapping stations, the proposed battery and battery swapping system
will
bring recharging flexibility in a way that the batteries could be recharged
locally,
otherwise if there is not enough power from the local grid they will be
brought to
be recharged in another location and the recharged batteries will be brought
back to
be reloaded into the station, and this could be done by special trucks like
conventional fuel. Furthermore, it is not even necessarily for the batteries
to be
recharged at all locally at the swapping station thus removing the load demand
on
the local electrical grid and reducing the charging cost since there is less
needed
distributed electrical infrastructure.
Economically, the proposed battery and the battery swapping system can be
standardised, and mass produced given their simple design and easy assembly,
leading to reduce their cost considerably for the end user.
In the other hand, EV manufacturing will be redesigned as well, so the new
cars
will be made without integrated battery packs. This will speed up car
production
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
and will help the creation of new EV manufacturing companies and all of this
will
lead to cheaper EV's in the market.
Also, with the proposed battery swapping system, the electrical vehicles will
be
featured with modulable autonomy, given that the battery system can work with
only a few loaded batteries or possibly even one battery, this will bring
flexibility
of using only a needed number of batteries and a possibility of adding more
batteries in the future as needed, this will reduce even further the front
cost of EV
ownership for some users.
Also, there is even more flexibility with many options of using the batteries
as
needed, for the end user, with the possibility of buying, renting, or paying
per
use.. .etc.
To make the proposed solution more convenient for the EV user, the EV with the
proposed battery system could always be recharged at home in a conventional
way
by plugging with level 1 or level 2 charger.
Regarding the stationary applications, the proposed universal battery and the
battery swapping system will bring considerable benefits over the classical
fueling
or recharging methods especially for energy demanding applications as
machinery
in remote construction sites for example. There is also a possibility for this
battery
given its convenience and safety to be used for energy storage for any
application
with its power converter output that could be configured to deliver DC or AC
current depending on the need.
- In one aspect of the invention, a convenient, portable, and universal
swappable
battery for storing and delivering electrical energy is proposed. The battery
comprises an elongated body with two ends and at least one head attached to
one
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
end. The body and heads of the battery can be in any shape, but preferably
cylindrical for making it more convenient to handle and to swap.
Each head is made in overall of electrically insulating and mechanically
resistant
material and is provided with a passageway that is used for electrical mating
with a
plug member for at least one head, allowing the battery to deliver its power.
Depending on the applications, the passageways with the plug members are used
also for holding the battery firmly and secure in place.
The battery body comprises several modules stacked together along the body
longitudinal axis and are electrically connected in parallel via electrical
buses or
via any electrical conductors that run in the center of the battery along its
longitudinal axis. Each module is a grouping of Li-ion cells or any electrical
energy storage cells connected in parallel together and to the electrical
buses or
electrical conductors. The holding body of each module is made preferably of
cork,
a material that is highly fire resistant, fire retardant, shock tolerant,
vibration
absorbent; and liquid/gas proof and yet verry light weighted.
- In another aspect of the invention, the body of the proposed battery is
provided
with a heat sink envelope that is made of high temperature coefficient
transfer
material for heat exchange from the battery to cool it down when in operation.
The
material is preferably aluminium alloy, and the outer surface of the envelope
is
preferably slotted all around longitudinally along the length of the body to
facilitate such heat transfer. In this case, the heads are preferably provided
with
aeration openings to facilitate cooling air circulating along the body
envelope of
the battery.
- In another aspect of the invention, the heat sink envelope is reinforced
with steel
rods going along its length to enhance its strength, the said steel rods
extremities
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
could be threaded and used to fasten the said heads to the said envelope by
using
appropriate hardware.
- In another aspect of the invention, each one of the said battery modules
is
provided with a heat dissipater plate that is wrapped around some or all the
cells
and including the module holding body to allow for the heat transfer from the
cells
to the heat sink envelope. Preferably, two types of cells are put in the
modules; low
heat reaction cells in the middle of the module and high heat reaction cells
at the
periphery of the module and wrapped in the heat exchanger plate including the
module holding body.
- In another aspect of the invention, the battery is equipped with a
battery
management system to protect the battery from electrical and thermal damage,
and
for safety against electrical shock and arc flash to protect the public
against risks
related to misusage of the battery.
- In another aspect of the invention, the proposed battery is provided with
at least
one DC-DC power converter unit; the power converter has an input fed from the
main electrical conductors or bus bars and an output that is electrically
connected
to one head of the battery; The power converter play a double role of a
booster or a
buck converter allowing the battery to deliver power for use and to receive
power
in order to be recharged.
- In another aspect of the invention, each one of the battery modules is
provided
with at least one (+) connector allowing electrical contact between each one
of the
cells and at least one bus bar, and one main (-) connector allowing electrical
contact between the cells and one of the bus bars.
- In another aspect of the invention, the battery management system combined
with the power converter implement smart capabilities in reducing the heat
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
generated by the cells and protecting the cells and improving their lifespan
during
discharging and recharging processes of the battery. This is achieved by
managing,
in real time, the optimum amounts of current injected into or withdrawn from
each
cell group; (outer) high heat reaction cells and (inner) low heat reaction
cells,
without compromising the needed output power from the battery at that time.
-In another aspect of the invention, the battery management system BMS of the
battery is provided with a mean of wireless communication to receive and
transmit
data between the battery and a vehicle control system or any system where the
battery is used.
Therefore, this will make the proposed battery a robust, light weight, very
convenient, reliable, safe to use, and multi-purpose battery that will resist
eventual
mechanical shocks, stresses and vibrations and will contain any internal fire
caused
by temperature runaways of the cells or any discharge of the cells.
And depending on the chemistry of the cells, the battery will get rid of its
excess
heat simply through its heat sink envelope, passively or with the help of a
circulating air.
Furthermore, the battery simple design will result in the streamline of its
manufacturing process, lowering its manufacturing cost and making its
operation
unlikely to have technical issues resulting in lowering the service costs
associated
with its use as well. Thus, this will a potential for this battery to be
standardised
and widely used resulting in its mass production and further lowering its
cost.
- In another aspect of the invention, a battery compartment housing located on
an
electrical vehicle (preferably underside) or on any other moving or stationary
application, and that could be loaded with one battery or several batteries.
This
battery compartment housing with its simplest design, comprising a battery
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
jamming mechanism, a spring repulsion mechanism, and a container. For a
battery
to be loaded into the battery compartment housing, it will be pushed in by an
external mechanism typically located in a swapping station. The battery will
then
be jammed in the housing by the jamming mechanism and hold in place by the
help of spring repulsion mechanism, if there is more than one battery to be
loaded,
the next battery will be loaded the same way and then it will push the first
battery
further inside, and with the two mentioned mechanisms, both batteries will be
jammed and hold in place inside the housing. And so on if there are other
batteries
to be loaded into the battery compartment housing.
The unloading of each battery starts with the jamming mechanism being
disengaged first via a servomotor, then the spring repulsion mechanism will
push
out the battery from the battery compartment housing in order for the battery
to be
disposed off typically at the swapping station, one battery will be pushed
from the
battery compartment housing each time and disposed off, and the remaining
batteries will be hold in place by the jamming mechanism. And so on for the
next
battery to be unloaded until all the batteries are unloaded from the housing.
As mentioned above, this battery compailtnent housing is simple in design, and
it
will have a direct effect on the cost of producing battery driven vehicles and
in the
adoption of battery swapping technology.
- Another aspect of the invention is the battery compartment housing mentioned
above that has a self loading/unloading capability with a loading/unloading
mechanism that is an integral part of it. In order for a battery to be loaded
into the
housing, it is put on at least one lifter before the control system of the
electrical
vehicle detect its presence and then the lifter driven by a servomotor will
lift it and
push it inside the housing. The battery will then be jammed in the housing by
the
jamming mechanism and hold in place by the spring repulsion mechanism.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
The next battery will be loaded the same way and then it will push the first
battery
further inside. And with the two mentioned mechanism, both batteries will be
jammed and hold in place inside the housing. And so on for the remaining
batteries
to be loaded. Unloading of each battery starts with the jamming mechanism
being
disengaged first via another servomotor, then the spring repulsion mechanism
will
push out the batteries and with the intervention of the lifters, one battery
will be
pulled from the housing each time and disposed off the EV, and the remaining
batteries will be hold in place by the jamming mechanism. And so on for the
next
battery to be unloaded from the housing until all the batteries are unloaded.
Even with adding the loading/unloading mechanism as an integral part of the
battery compartment housing, it is still relatively simple in design compared
to
other battery swapping solutions. And especially, this design is very useful
such
that only a simple mechanism is needed at the swapping station for loading the
batteries into the battery compartment housing of a vehicle. Also, the
loading/unloading mechanism could also be optionally used for loading
batteries
without any external mechanisms at the swapping stations with the batteries
being
fed manually to the vehicle by an operator with added safety protocol.
- Another aspect of the invention is that each battery in the battery
compartment
housing is hold in its position by a retaining plug member or 2 retaining plug
members preferably driven by linear actuators, and every retaining plug member
penetrates one battery head via its passageway at its center to hold it in
place.
At the same time, at least one of the plug members play the role as an
electrical
contactor delivering power via two battery terminals, the positive (+) and the
negative (-). Each electrical contact point for every battery is connected to
a
common electrical bus bars via 2 spring shaped flexible wires to allow for the
linear movement of the retaining/contact plug member.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
The fact that all the batteries are independently connected in parallel with
their
respective contactors to common electrical bus bars will make the battery
system
very reliable in the case of failure of one battery or one contactor in the
battery
compartment housing.
- Another aspect of the invention is the cooling of the batteries through
their heat
sink envelopes using air that circulate through the battery compartment
housing by
entering via an inlet and exiting from an outlet.
- Another aspect of the invention consists of the location of battery
compartment
housing at the bottom of the EV in a way that integrate the vehicle frame in a
convenable way. The battery housing will be embedded to the EV from the bottom
during manufacturing process of the vehicle in a way that is like embedding a
stationary battery pack. To protect the batteries from the elements, the
battery
compartment housing is equipped with a sealed lid that swing downward when
open.
- Another aspect of the invention is the swapping station, where discharged
batteries are disposed off and charged batteries are loaded into the EV. The
disposal
of the discharged batteries is done through an opening at the flour of the
station.
The loading of the charged batteries could be done automatically or manually.
The procedure is as follow:
- the driver will bring the vehicle at the exact location by some guiding
techniques.
- then the driver will initiate the unloading process by electrically
disengaging the
batteries from the battery compartment housing.
- then the batteries will be unloaded one by one, with the station
controller
counting the number of batteries being unloaded.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
- then a corresponding number of charged batteries will be released for
delivery
from a battery reservoir, and whether loaded automatically by using a
mechanism
that pushes the batteries inside the battery compartment housing of the EV, or
by
using a mechanism that delivers the batteries one by one to the battery
compartment housing that has its self loading capabilities, or loaded manually
by
an operator that has to pick the batteries and delivers them to the battery
compartment housing that has self loading capabilities.
- Another aspect of the invention is the introduction of the serial engaging
battery
swapping system with the use of 2 battery reservoirs. One reservoir where
several
charged batteries are stored and only a given number of charged batteries is
taken
from that reservoir to be engaged electrically at one time. Another reservoir
is
where the discharged batteries are disposed off. This system is suitable for
application with high energy demand like heavy machinery where several
batteries
are used, but only the minimum needed battery to produce the desired power are
engaged electrically at the same time.
NOTE: While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different
forms, this specification and accompanying drawings disclose only some
specific
forms as examples of the invention. The invention is not intended to be
limited to
the embodiments so described; however, the scope of the invention is pointed
out
in the appended claims.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
Brief Description of the Drawings:
- Fig 1 is showing the overall view of the UNiBat battery preferred
embodiment,
that is made of two heads and a body with a slotted heat sink envelope and
showing a detailed view of one head.
- Fig 2 is showing the UNiBat battery without the heat sink envelope where
are
shown the stacked battery modules and the BMS/Power converter
- Fig 3 is showing the UNiBat battery with some modules that are removed
and the
main electrical bus bars of the battery that connect all the modules to the
BMS/Power converter.
- Fig 4 is showing the top of one isolated module with outer and inner
positive
connectors that connect respectively the high heat reaction Li-ion cells (at
the
periphery) and the low heat reaction cells (at the middle) to the main bus
bars of
the battery (not shown).The high heat reaction cells are wrapped in a heat
dissipater plate (made of highly heat transfer material) that covers the
module body
as well and is in direct contact with the heat sink envelope of the battery
body to
insure proper heat exchange.
- Fig 5 is the bottom of one isolated module showing the negative connector
that
connects all the negative poles of the cells to the negative main bus bar of
the
battery (not shown).
- Fig 6 is showing an exploded view of the module, including the module
holding
body, the module heat dissipator plate, the Li-ion cells, the connectors, and
the
separation layer.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
- Fig 7 showing the energised head of the battery and its cross-section
view, where
are shown the electrical terminals, the electrical connections with the
BMS/Power
converter and the aeration openings of the head.
- Fig 8 showing the second non-energised head of the battery and its cross
section,
where are shown the aeration openings of the head.
- Fig 9 is the overall view of the battery compartment housing showing the
container of the batteries with its opening for battery loading/ unloading,
and the
cooling air inlet and outlet.
- Fig 9-a is an isolated view of the container of the batteries with a
detailed view
showing the openings for air flow at each side of the container.
- Fig 10 is showing a UNiBat battery on the lifting mechanism in the
process of
loading or unloading.
- Fig 11 is the fully loaded battery compartment housing with 10 batteries
(with the
container not shown for clarity). Showing the lifting mechanism, the jamming
mechanism, and the spring repulsion mechanism (with the spring fully
compressed).
- Fig 12 is a simplified representation of the battery compartment housing
with one
loaded battery in it and showing only the loading/unloading mechanism, the
jamming mechanism, and the spring repulsion mechanism (with expanded spring).
- Fig 13 is a view of detailed representations of the loading/unloading
mechanism
showing the lifting arms (with their respective servomotors), the lifting bar
and its
servomotor as well the jamming mechanism with the jams, the jamming bar, and
its servomotor.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
- Fig 14 is a view of the battery compartment housing without the container
and the
side covers and a detailed view showing the retaining/contactor plug members
with
their corresponding linear actuators and their flexible wires that are
connected to
the main electrical bus bar, and the bracket as well that is holding them.
- Fig 15 is showing the DC output power terminals and the
control/communication
ports on the back side of the battery compartment housing.
- Fig 16 is a view of the battery compartment housing (without the
container and
the side covers) and a detailed view of the retaining plug members and the
retaining/contactor plug members that are disengaged with the batteries.
-Fig 17 is a top view of Fig 16.
- Fig 18 is the same as Fig 16 but with the retaining/contactor plug
members that
are engaged with the batteries.
- Fig 19 is showing a sectional view of one battery with a retaining plug
member
and a retaining/contactor plug member that are disengaged and their respective
linear actuators. Also showing the electrical terminals (contact points) of
the
energised battery head, the BMS/Power Converter, and the battery modules.
- Fig 20 is showing a typical emplacement of the system on an electrical
vehicle.
- Fig 21 is showing the emplacement of an EV at the swapping station.
- Fig 22 is a view of a swapping station and a detailed view showing the
opening
for a disposal of discharged batteries and a release mechanism for charged
batteries.
- Fig 23 is an EV at the swapping station in the process of loading a
charged
battery.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
- Fig 24 is an illustration of an example of the serial engaging technique,
with
contactor engagement mechanism, charged batteries reservoir and discharged
batteries reservoir.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments:
Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiments are provided herein. It is
to be
understood however, that the present invention may be embodied in various
forms.
- The UNiBat Battery:
In some embodiments, the UNiBat battery as shown in Fig 1 is cylindrical in
shape, has a body (3) and two heads (1) (2) that are attached to the ends of
the
body. In some embodiments, the battery has one energised head (1) with a
positive
and a negative terminal and both heads (1) (2) are used for immobilising the
battery. The heads (1) and (2) shown in figures (7) and (8) are made with high
resistant and electrically insulating material preferably coated with a layer
of
rubber material to withstand impacts during loading and unloading processes of
the
battery.
In some embodiments, the body is provided with a heat sink envelope made with
a
high heat transfer and rigid material preferably aluminum alloy and is slotted
along
its length to increase its heat transfer capability.
In some embodiments, the heat sink envelope is reinforced with steel rods that
are
going along its length and fitted around it to enhance its strength, the steel
rods
extremities are preferably threaded and used to fasten the heads (1) (2) to
the
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
envelope by using appropriate hardware.
In some embodiments, to allow for air flow to circulate along the heat sink
envelope and cool down the battery, the heads (1), (2) are equipped with
openings
(14) along each head periphery, as Fig 7 and Fig 8 show.
As fig2 and Fig 3 show, Inside the body, many individual modules (4) are
stacked
and connected electrically via 3 bus bars (6) to a power converter/BMS module
(5)
that is connected electrically to the energised head (1).
In some embodiments, for making electrical contact with the rest of the
battery
system, the passageway of the head (1) has a pin shaped positive terminal (15)
and
a cylindrical shaped negative terminal (16), and both terminals are made with
a
conductive material preferably copper. On the inner side of the head (1),
there is 2
bolted electrical connections (17) for making contact between the wires from
the
Power converter/BMS (5) and the head (1) (shown as well in Fig 19).
In some embodiments, the battery module shown in Fig 4, 5 and 6 contains 19 Li-
ion cells (7), 12 outer cells with high heat reaction as NMC cells (Nickel
Manganese Cobalt Oxide) or NCA cells (Nickel Cobalt Aluminum oxide) and 7
inner cells with low heat reaction as Lithium Iron Phosphate cells.
The outer cells are all connected to one of the bus bars (6) (shown in Fig 3)
via a
ring-shaped outer (positive) connector (9) and every cell is electrically
protected
with a fuse (9-a). The same for the inner cells, they are all connected to one
of the
bus bars (6) (shown in Fig 3) via a ring shaped inner (positive) connector
(10) and
every cell is electrically protected with a fuse (9-a). And to prevent the
inner
connector (10) to make an electrical contact with the outer connector (9), a
ring-
shaped sheet (13) made of an adequate electrically insulating material is put
between the two connectors (shown in Fig 6 only for clarity). To prevent the
outer
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
connector (9) and the inner connector (10) from making electrical contact with
the
bodies of the cells (that have a negative polarity), a disk-shaped sheet (not
shown
for clarity of the drawings) made of an adequate electrically insulating
material
should be put between the top of the cells and the connectors. At the bottom
side of
the module as shown in Fig 5, all the 19 cells are connected to the third bus
bar via
the main (negative) connector (11).
The outer cells are wrapped in a heat exchanging plate (8) (made of high heat
transfer material) and are engulfed in the module holding body (4-a). The heat
exchanging plate (8) will transfer the excess heat from the outer cells to the
heat
sink envelope of the battery body (3).
The module holding body (4-a) is made preferably of cork, given the many
thermal
and mechanical proprieties of this material. In fact, cork is a fire-
resistant, fire-
retardant material and has high heat storage capacity that will contain any
localised
fire in the case of a cell temperature run away and will contain any cell
gas/liquid
discharge given its gas/liquid proofing. Also, given that cork has a good
shock and
vibration absorption and impact resistance properties, this will make the
UNiBat
robust enough to withstand all mechanical stresses that it will be subject to
when in
moving vehicles and during loading and unloading processes.
The use of cork as the principal material for holding the cells in the battery
modules and between the modules (as discussed below) along the use of aluminum
allow as the material for the heat sink envelope will make the UNiBat battery
a
very light weighted compared to its volume, making it an easy-to-handle
battery.
In order to isolate the stacked modules one from each other electrically and
for
thermal, chemical and mechanical protection of the modules, an inter-module
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
separation (12) is inserted between the modules and is made preferably of
cork,
given its proprieties discussed above.
In some embodiments, the Power Converter/BMS (05) has three principal roles:
boosting the DC voltage of the cells to an adequate level (preferably hundreds
of
volts) when the battery is delivering power, lowering the DC voltage to the
cell
charging voltage level when the battery is recharging, and as a battery
management
system, protecting the battery from overheat, electrical and chemical damages.
The
Power Converter/BMS (05) input is fed directly from the 3 bus bars (6) (as
shown
in Fig3); one main negative bar (-) and two positive bars (+). Each positive
bar is
connected to one of the two groups of cells of each module (inner cells and
outer
cells) and are managed separately by the BMS during power delivery and
recharging of the battery (given that each cell group has its own electrical
and
thermal characteristics).
It is worth noting that the fact all the cells are connected in parallel
configuration
offers an advantage over combined serial/parallel configuration in a way that
the
battery operation and performance will not be affected in the case of any
blown
cell fuses or cell failure.
The power converter (5) must combine these two low voltage inputs and convert
them to one higher voltage at its output. The output has two wires (+) (-)
that go
from the power converter to the energised head and connect with it using a
wire
connection (17) preferably with lugs and bolts as shown in Fig 7.
In some embodiments, the BMS have some safety features to protect the public
from electric shock and arc flash hazards. These safety feature comprises
cutting
off the power output of the battery in a faulty condition or to prevent
electric shock
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
and arc flash hazards. As well, enabling/disabling the power output of the
battery
as needed, by wireless or direct control.
In some embodiments, in order for the BMS to receive and send data with the
vehicle central computer directly or indirectly, a wireless communication
module
(as Bluetooth) is installed on the battery energised head and connected with
the
BMS (not shown in the drawings for simplicity).
In some embodiments, the battery has 2 Power Converter/BMS units coupled with
two energised heads if more power is needed to be delivered by the battery or
the
battery need to be recharged faster.
In some embodiments, the BMS implements smart capabilities in further reducing
the heat generated by the cells and further protecting the cells and enhancing
their
lifespan during the use and recharging processes of the battery. This is
achieved by
the BMS when managing in real time, the optimum amounts of current withdrawn
from each different cell group (inner cells and outer cells) at a given time
without
compromising the needed total output power from the battery at that time.
- The Battery Compartment Housing:
In some embodiments, the battery compartment housing is as shown in Fig 9 with
its cooling air inlet (19) and outlet (20) and its container (18).
In some embodiments, the container (18) as shown in Fig 9-a where the
batteries
are stacked and has several openings (19-a) on its sides, allowing cooling air
to
circulate through to cool down the batteries.
In some embodiments, the battery compartment housing is comprising: the
container (18), the loading/unloading mechanism (21), the battery Jamming
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
mechanism (22), the Spring repulsion mechanism (32) and the battery retaining
and electrical contact mechanism (34).
In these embodiments, the Loading/Unloading Mechanism (21) as shown in Fig
10, load and unload the batteries one by one into and from the container (18).
The battery jamming mechanism (22) as shown in Fig 11, helps in the process of
loading/unloading a battery by holding the other batteries from coming out of
the
container. The spring repulsion mechanism (32) allows for the ejection of the
batteries one by one from the container in the unloading process as well
regulating
the loading process and correctly positioning the batteries in the container
(18)
especially in the case it is not fully loaded. The Battery Retaining and
Electrical
Contact Mechanism (34) has the role of engaging electrical contact with the
batteries as well retaining the batteries flit lily in place.
Explanation of the loading process of the batteries into the battery
compartment housing:
By Referring to Fig 10,11,12 and 13, the process begins by depositing one
battery
on the 4 lifters (24) of the loading/unloading mechanism (21). The two lifters
on
the sides are equipped with proximity detectors (27) to indicate the presence
of the
battery to the vehicle control system. The control system will then rotate the
lifter
bar (25) via a servomotor (23) to bring the battery by the lifters inside the
container
via its opening. During this process at some point, the controller will engage
the
lifter arms (35) (of the four lifters) to extend using the lifter servomotor
(26) to
push the battery further inside the container until it will reach and push
down
(release) the three jams (29) of jamming mechanism (22). While the battery is
pushed in by the lifters (24) and de-engaging (releasing) the jams (29), it
will also
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
push back the spring pulling plate (31) of the spring repulsion mechanism
(32).
And with the help of the jam retention spring (36) the jams (29) will be
engaged
again once the battery has passed through them and jam the loaded battery in
place.
The spring repulsion mechanism (32) with its pulling plate (31) along the
engaged
jams (29) will then hold the battery in place. the lifters (24) then, return
to their
initial position and be ready to load the next battery.
When all the batteries are loaded as shown in Fig 16 (without the container),
the
battery electrical contact/retaining mechanism (34) is then ready to be
engaged
with the batteries.
Explanation of the battery retaining and electrical contact procedure:
As shown in Fig 19, the Contactor/Retainer plug members (37) and Retainer plug
members (43) driven by the linear actuators (41) and (44) are pushed inside
each
battery head passageway to make the electrical contact and to retain the
batteries
solidly in place (as shown in Fig 18).
The electrical continuity is then obtained between the battery teitninals (15)
(16)
and the electrical buses of the housing (38) via flexible wires (40) that
allow for
linear movement of the Contactor/Retainer plug members.
Each side of the Battery Retaining and Electrical Contact Mechanism (34) has a
holding bracket (39) as shown in Fig 14, that is fixed to the container and
has the
linear actuators that are bolted to it.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
Explanation of the unloading (ejection) process of the batteries from the
battery compartment housing:
The unloading of the batteries starts by disengaging the Retaining and
Electrical
Contact Mechanism from the batteries, where all the Contactor/Retainer plug
members (37) and Retainer plug members (43) driven by their corresponding
linear
actuators (41) and (44) are pushed out from the battery head passageways,
resulting of the batteries being isolated electrically from the electrical
buses (38) as
shown in Fig 14. Then the batteries will be ejected one by one from the
container
in three steps. The first step is releasing the jams (29) via the jam release
bar (30)
and the jam release servomotor (28) as shown in Fig 12. The second step is
driving
out the battery by the spring repulsion mechanism (32) and the
loading/ejection
mechanism (21) where the battery is pushed by the spring puling plate (31)
against
the four lifters (24).
The four lifters(24) driven by the servomotor (23) and the driving bar (25)
with the
help of their respective lifter aims (35) and their respective lifter
servomotors (26)
(Fig 13) will catch the battery, and guide it while pushed out by the spring
repulsion mechanism (32) until dropping it completely from the housing
(disposed
of), or alternatively, bring the battery to a position (initial position)
where it can be
picked up from the lifters (24) as shown for example in Fig 10.
At some point during this second step, the jams (29) will be engaged again by
driving counter wise the jam release bar (30) via the jam release servomotor
(28)
and with the help of the jam retention spring (36) as shown in Fig 12, 13 to
hold
the remaining batteries in place and prevent them from being pushed out by the
spring repulsion mechanism (32). The third step is when the vehicle controller
detect that the battery is disposed off or taken from the lifters via the two
sensors
(27), the 4 lifters (24) then will be brought to the position where they will
be ready
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
to unload the next battery, as shown in Fig 11. And so on for the next battery
to be
unloaded until all the batteries are unloaded from the housing.
In some embodiments, the battery compartment housing is comprising:
the container (18), the battery Jamming mechanism (22), the Spring repulsion
mechanism (32) and the battery retaining and electrical contact mechanism
(34).
In this case, an external loading/unloading mechanism typically located a
swapping
station is needed to load and unload the batteries to and from the battery
compartment housing.
In some embodiments, as shown in Fig-15, for the battery compartment housing
to
be connected to the rest of the vehicle in term of electrical power and data
transmission, it is provided with 2 DC power terminals (45), 2 actuator
control
ports (46) and a data communication port (47).
In some embodiments, in order for the battery compartment housing to exchange
data with each battery in it, it is provided with a wireless communication
mean
preferably Bluetooth technology allowing such communication. The battery
compartment housing exchanges the data with the vehicle control system via the
data communication port (47).
In some embodiments, the batteries inside the battery compartment housing
could
be configured in a way such that the power is withdrawn from the batteries in
a
sequential way (battery by battery) rather then in parallel way (all the
batteries).
The sequential way works such that one or more batteries are used at the same
time
depending on the needed power until they are discharged, and one or more
batteries are in standby mode to be used next when needed. Some advantages of
this are that there is no need to wait for all the batteries to be discharged
to go to
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
the swapping station and replace them, and the possibility of having one or
more
spare charged batteries to use latter when in need.
-The Swapping Station:
In some embodiments, as shown in Fig 20, the battery compartment housing is
located underside of an electrical vehicle and has a swinging lid (49)
allowing for
the loading/unloading of the batteries which is done typically at a swapping
station.
In some embodiments, the swapping station comprise two reservoirs one for
discharged batteries and another one for the charged batteries, the discharged
batteries are recharged locally or withdrawn from the first reservoir and
transported
to another location by special trucks to be recharged.
The recharged batteries are brought the same way to the station to be put in
the
second reservoir and ready to be used.
In some embodiments, as shown in Fig21,22 and 23, the swapping operation works
as follow:
The vehicle is brought to the right position by the driver with some guiding
technics, the driver then interacts with the swapping station via its control
panel
(51) and start the swapping process of the batteries by a mean of a wireless
communication from inside the vehicle, or as an option, by using the control
panel
interface (51).
Depending on the configuration of the system that the user wants as explained
above, the disposed discharged batteries at the station could be the total
batteries
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
that are in the battery compartment housing or just some of them (as in the
case of
the gas tank that is totally empty or partially full of gas).
If the green light is given by the control panel (51) of the station, the
process then
begins.
The battery disposal gate (52) opens to allow for the dropping of the
discharged
batteries from the vehicle. Then the same number of the charged batteries (54)
will
be dispensed and loaded one by one via the battery release mechanism (53).
This begins with the retractable train (61) coming out of the battery
dispensing
machine (50), then the charged batteries are pulled one by one from the second
reservoir and put one by one onto the battery dispensing pans (58).The
pans(58)
are driven by a servomotor (59) via a bar (60) to swing downward in order to
deposit the charged battery in the battery system of the vehicle and swing
back
upward to be ready to receive the next battery, until all the batteries are
loaded into
the battery compartment housing of the vehicle.
-The Serial Electrically Engaging Battery Swapping System:
In some embodiments, as shown in Fig24, the serial electrical engaging system
works such that the batteries go through an appropriate mechanism (57) to be
engaged to make an electrical contact in a serial method. Wherein depending on
the amount of power needed for the usage, only a given number of batteries are
electrically engaged at the same time by that system.
Once the engaged batteries are used and drained from their stored energy, they
will
be disengaged by the system and recovered in a reservoir (55) made for this
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
purpose. Then, the same number of charged batteries is pulled from another
reservoir (56) that is made for storing the charged batteries. The new
batteries in
their turn, will be electrically engaged with the battery system, and so on.
It is however worth noting that a device for storing and releasing the energy
needed during the transitional step is necessary, preferably super capacitors
given
their high-power output, so there will be no power shortage from the battery
system during that transitional step.
Typically, this system, given the high number of batteries involved, is
suitable for
applications that uses a lot of energy in relatively a short period of time
like heavy
machinery, trains, ships, or trucks for example.
Note:
Although the invention has been described in connection with a preferred
embodiment, it should be understood that various modifications, additions and
alterations may be made to the invention by one skilled in the art without
departing
from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-12-26
