Patent ID: 8366371
Filing Date: 2013-02-05
Classification: B65G,H01M,Y02E

Abstract:
1. An industrial battery charging, storage, and handling system comprising, in combination: a first storage rack comprising an array of storage bays, each storage bay including a front entry opening and a support floor, said storage bays forming a first grid of vertical and horizontal rows, said first storage rack including bottom row first and second transfer bays, each said transfer bay having a front entry opening and a back entry opening, at least some of said storage bays positioned above said transfer bays in said grid; a second storage rack comprising an array of storage bays, each said second rack storage bays including a front entry opening and a support floor, said second rack storage bays forming a second grid of vertical and horizontal rows; said first storage rack and said second storage rack arranged generally parallel, and spaced from each other to define a passageway with the front entry openings of the first and second storage racks opposed and facing the passageway, at least some of said storage bays including battery charging terminals; a pallet transporter mounted in the passageway intermediate the spaced first and second storage racks, said transporter including a movable carriage capable of vertical and horizontal movement between the first and second storage racks and including a pallet support platform capable of horizontal movement into the front entry openings of the storage bays of said first and second storage racks and into the front entry opening of the transfer bay openings of the first storage rack; and a battery exchanger mechanism mounted for movement to a position opposite the back entry opening of said transfer bays, said battery exchanger mechanism moveable generally horizontally between said transfer bay back openings and a vehicle battery exchange station, said exchanger mechanism including first and second pallet battery exchange bays horizontally arrayed and alignable with the back entry openings of the transfer bays, said exchanger mechanism movable horizontally to align a battery exchange bay with a battery of a battery operated vehicle at said vehicle station and including a battery removal and support mechanism for removing a battery from a said vehicle at said vehicle station and placing thereof on a transfer pallet in one of said exchange bays, said exchanger mechanism movable horizontally to align one each of said exchange bays with a separate one of said transfer bays, said at least one exchange bay of said exchange mechanism further including a battery and pallet movement mechanism to transfer a said one of said battery and pallet from an exchange bay into a transfer bay through the back entry opening thereof, said one exchange bay sized to include a transfer pallet having a plurality of slots for receipt of battery support rollers in said one exchange bay, said one exchange bay including rollers mounted in said one exchange bay for movement into said pallet slots in said exchange bay to support rolling of a said battery transferred by said battery removal and support mechanism into said one exchange bay, said rollers being further mounted to disengage from said pallet slots to enable support of a said battery on said pallet in said one exchange bay.