1. A method for exchanging batteries in battery-powered vehicles, comprising:
providing a robot for the transport of a battery to and from a vehicle respectively, the vehicle being provided with a horizontally-placed compartment configured to hold one or more batteries lying parallel to each other, the compartment being provided with a cover configured to be opened, and providing a transportation system configured to transport the battery into and out from said compartment,
the robot having a transport plane configured to be extended and withdrawn in one direction, the transport plane configured to be displaced along two mutually-perpendicular directions relative to the direction,
the vehicle being at a predetermined location relative to the robot at which the transport plane is located at the cover of the vehicle;
when the cover is opened, determining, by the robot using an optical device, the position of the battery in the compartment;
displacing, by the robot, the transport plane to a predetermined position relative to the battery, at which position the transport plane is extended;
attaching a withdrawal system belonging to the robot to the battery in the compartment, the withdrawal system being exchangeable, the withdrawal system including suction cups mounted onto drawbars, the suction cups being attached by suction to a surface of the battery facing the robot;
withdrawing the battery from the compartment by the withdrawal system such that the battery rests on the transport plane;
transporting the battery by the robot by the transport plane and subsequent transporters to a charging station;
transporting by the robot by one or more transporters, a charged battery from a store of charged batteries in the robot to the transport plane;
inserting, by a displacement system belonging to the robot, the battery into the compartment at a predetermined position; and
closing the cover.
2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising identifying, by the robot, the one or more batteries before extraction of the one or more batteries by a detection device.
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the detection device is a scanning laser.
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein an identification of the battery occurs through a reading of a barcode on the surface of the battery that faces the robot.
5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the detection device is a video camera with associated image processing software.
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein an identification of the battery occurs through a reading of a barcode on the surface of the battery that faces the robot.
7. The method according to claim 2, wherein an identification of the battery occurs through a reading of a barcode on the surface of the battery that faces the robot.
8. The method according to claim 2, wherein the optical device is a video camera with associated image processing software.
9. The method according to claim 2, wherein the optical device is a scanning laser.
10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the optical device is a scanning laser.
11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the detection device is a scanning laser.
12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the detection device is a video camera with associated image processing software.
13. The method according to claim 10, wherein an identification of the battery occurs through a reading of a barcode on the surface of the battery that faces the robot.
14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the optical device is a video camera with associated image processing software.
15. The method according to claim 14, wherein an identification of the battery occurs through a reading of a barcode on the surface of the battery that faces the robot.
16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the battery, or each one of the one or more batteries, has or have protrusions or wheels that interact with guiderails located transversely across the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in the compartment in order to position the battery in the compartment.
17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the optical device determines positions of the guiderails and positions of the protrusions or wheels.
18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the displacement system comprises drawbars that are extended such that the drawbars insert the battery into the compartment.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An exhaust apparatus provided in an engine having a plurality of cylinders arranged in a line, wherein the engine is transversely placed in an engine compartment at a front of a vehicle to allow a cylinder arrangement direction to be oriented in a vehicle-widthwise direction, and coupled with a transmission located on one side thereof in the cylinder arrangement direction, the exhaust apparatus comprising an upstream exhaust assembly connected to a surface of the engine on a vehicle-rear side, and a downstream exhaust pipe provided on an exhaust downstream side of the upstream exhaust assembly, wherein the upstream exhaust assembly includes:
a plurality of branch pipe portions communicated with respective ones of the plurality of cylinders and extending from the vehicle-rear-side surface of the engine toward the vehicle-rear side;
a single exhaust pipe portion provided on the exhaust downstream side of the plurality of branch pipe portions in such a manner that it is communicated with the branch pipe portions; and
an exhaust gas-purifying unit connected to an exhaust downstream end of the single exhaust pipe portion,
and wherein:
the exhaust gas-purifying unit is disposed on the vehicle-rear side of the engine to allow a gas passage thereinside to extend approximately in the vehicle-widthwise direction, in top plan view;
the upstream exhaust assembly includes, on an exhaust upstream side of the single exhaust pipe portion, a section which curves to allow an exhaust downstream region of the section to be oriented toward one side of the vehicle-widthwise direction which is a direction coming close to the transmission, in top plan view;
the single exhaust pipe portion curves to allow an exhaust downstream region of the single exhaust pipe portion to be oriented toward a vehicle-front side, in top plan view; and
the downstream exhaust pipe is connected to an exhaust downstream end of the exhaust gas-purifying unit, and disposed to extend from a connection portion thereof with the exhaust gas-purifying unit toward an tunnel opening formed in a vehicle-widthwise central region of a lower end of a dash panel of the vehicle.
2. The exhaust apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein:
the exhaust gas-purifying unit has a catalyst installation portion formed in a cross-sectionally generally circular shape and provided in the gas passage; and
a maximum vehicle-widthwise protruding amount of the single exhaust pipe portion with respect to an exhaust upstream end surface of the catalyst installation portion is set to be greater than a maximum vehicle-widthwise protruding amount of the downstream exhaust pipe with respect to an exhaust downstream end surface of the catalyst installation portion, to allow a gas entry angle with respect to the exhaust upstream end surface of the catalyst installation portion to become greater than a gas discharge angle with respect to the exhaust downstream end surface of the catalyst installation portion.
3. The exhaust apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the exhaust gas-purifying unit is disposed on the vehicle-front side of an exhaust upstream end of the single exhaust pipe portion and below the branch pipe portions.
4. The exhaust apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein:
the exhaust gas-purifying unit is supported with respect to the engine; and
the downstream exhaust pipe has a flexible joint interposed therein.
5. The exhaust apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein:
the upstream exhaust assembly has a plurality of intermediate collector pipe portions between each of the plurality of branch pipe portions and the single exhaust pipe portion;
each of the intermediate collector pipe portions is formed by dividing the plurality of cylinders into a plurality of cylinder groups each consisting of two or more cylinders whose exhaust strokes are not successive with respect to each other, and merging the branch pipe portions communicated with respective ones of the cylinders in each of the cylinder groups, on a cylinder group-by-cylinder group basis;
the single exhaust pipe portion is formed by merging the plurality of intermediate collector pipe portions together; and
each of the plurality of intermediate collector pipe portions curves to allow an exhaust downstream region of the intermediate collector pipe portion to be oriented toward one side of the vehicle-widthwise direction which is a direction coming close to the transmission, in top plan view.
6. The exhaust apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein:
the section of the upstream exhaust assembly on the exhaust upstream side of the single exhaust pipe portion is comprised of the branch pipe portions;
the single exhaust pipe portion is formed by merging the plurality of branch pipe portions together; and
each of the plurality of branch pipe portions curves to allow an exhaust downstream region of the branch pipe portion to be oriented toward one side of the vehicle-widthwise direction which is a direction coming close to the transmission, in top plan view.
7. The exhaust apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the exhaust gas-purifying unit is disposed on the vehicle-front side of an exhaust upstream end of the single exhaust pipe portion and below the branch pipe portions.
8. The exhaust apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein:
the exhaust gas-purifying unit is supported with respect to the engine; and
the downstream exhaust pipe has a flexible joint interposed therein.
9. The exhaust apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein:
the upstream exhaust assembly has a plurality of intermediate collector pipe portions between each of the plurality of branch pipe portions and the single exhaust pipe portion;
each of the intermediate collector pipe portions is formed by dividing the plurality of cylinders into a plurality of cylinder groups each consisting of two or more cylinders whose exhaust strokes are not successive with respect to each other, and merging the branch pipe portions communicated with respective ones of the cylinders in each of the cylinder groups, on a cylinder group-by-cylinder group basis;
the single exhaust pipe portion is formed by merging the plurality of intermediate collector pipe portions together; and
each of the plurality of intermediate collector pipe portions curves to allow an exhaust downstream region of the intermediate collector pipe portion to be oriented toward one side of the vehicle-widthwise direction which is a direction coming close to the transmission, in top plan view.
10. The exhaust apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein:
the section of the upstream exhaust assembly on the exhaust upstream side of the single exhaust pipe portion is comprised of the branch pipe portions;
the single exhaust pipe portion is formed by merging the plurality of branch pipe portions together; and
each of the plurality of branch pipe portions curves to allow an exhaust downstream region of the branch pipe portion to be oriented toward one side of the vehicle-widthwise direction which is a direction coming close to the transmission, in top plan view.
11. The exhaust apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein:
the upstream exhaust assembly has a plurality of intermediate collector pipe portions between each of the plurality of branch pipe portions and the single exhaust pipe portion;
each of the intermediate collector pipe portions is formed by dividing the plurality of cylinders into a plurality of cylinder groups each consisting of two or more cylinders whose exhaust strokes are not successive with respect to each other, and merging the branch pipe portions communicated with respective ones of the cylinders in each of the cylinder groups, on a cylinder group-by-cylinder group basis;
the single exhaust pipe portion is formed by merging the plurality of intermediate collector pipe portions together; and
each of the plurality of intermediate collector pipe portions curves to allow an exhaust downstream region of the intermediate collector pipe portion to be oriented toward one side of the vehicle-widthwise direction which is a direction coming close to the transmission, in top plan view.
12. The exhaust apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein:
the section of the upstream exhaust assembly on the exhaust upstream side of the single exhaust pipe portion is comprised of the branch pipe portions;
the single exhaust pipe portion is formed by merging the plurality of branch pipe portions together; and
each of the plurality of branch pipe portions curves to allow an exhaust downstream region of the branch pipe portion to be oriented toward one side of the vehicle-widthwise direction which is a direction coming close to the transmission, in top plan view.
13. The exhaust apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein:
the upstream exhaust assembly has a plurality of intermediate collector pipe portions between each of the plurality of branch pipe portions and the single exhaust pipe portion;
each of the intermediate collector pipe portions is formed by dividing the plurality of cylinders into a plurality of cylinder groups each consisting of two or more cylinders whose exhaust strokes are not successive with respect to each other, and merging the branch pipe portions communicated with respective ones of the cylinders in each of the cylinder groups, on a cylinder group-by-cylinder group basis;
the single exhaust pipe portion is formed by merging the plurality of intermediate collector pipe portions together; and
each of the plurality of intermediate collector pipe portions curves to allow an exhaust downstream region of the intermediate collector pipe portion to be oriented toward one side of the vehicle-widthwise direction which is a direction coming close to the transmission, in top plan view.
14. The exhaust apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein:
the section of the upstream exhaust assembly on the exhaust upstream side of the single exhaust pipe portion is comprised of the branch pipe portions;
the single exhaust pipe portion is formed by merging the plurality of branch pipe portions together; and
each of the plurality of branch pipe portions curves to allow an exhaust downstream region of the branch pipe portion to be oriented toward one side of the vehicle-widthwise direction which is a direction coming close to the transmission, in top plan view.