Assembling method and assembling management method of electric vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9821882-B2
Application number	US-201314433017-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 3, 2013
Priority date	Oct 3, 2012
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017

Abstract

An assembling method of an electric vehicle comprises the steps of: assembling a vehicle body including a frame, wheels and an electric motor; conducting a vehicle body test including confirmation of a state of driving power transmission from the electric motor to the wheels by connecting an electric power supply unit installed in a vehicle body test place to the electric motor of the vehicle body and supplying electric power from the electric power supply unit to the electric motor; detaching the electric power supply unit from the electric motor and transporting the vehicle body which has passed the vehicle body test from the vehicle body test place to a mounting place, in a state in which a battery is not mounted to the vehicle body; and mounting the battery to the transported vehicle body in the mounting place.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An assembling method of an electric vehicle in which a battery as an electric power supply for an electric motor which generates a driving power transmitted to wheels is mounted to a vehicle body including a frame, the wheels, and the electric motor, the assembling method comprising steps of:
assembling the vehicle body;
conducting a vehicle body test including confirmation of a state of driving power transmission from the electric motor to the wheels by connecting an electric power supply unit installed in a vehicle body test place to the electric motor of the vehicle body and supplying electric power from the electric power supply unit to the electric motor;
detaching the electric power supply unit from the electric motor and transporting the vehicle body which has passed the vehicle body test from the vehicle body test place to a mounting place, in a state in which the battery is not mounted to the vehicle body; and
mounting the battery to the transported vehicle body, in the mounting place.

2. The assembling method of the electric vehicle according to claim 1 , comprising a step of storing the battery and the vehicle body to which the battery is not mounted, for a period that passes until the vehicle body is transported from the vehicle body test place to the mounting place, in the step of transporting the vehicle body;
wherein in the step of storing the battery and the vehicle body, the battery and the vehicle body are stored separately, and a temperature of the battery is controlled more accurately than a temperature of a vehicle body storage area in which the vehicle body is stored is controlled.

3. The assembling method of the electric vehicle according to claim 2 ,
wherein in the step of storing the battery and the vehicle body, the battery is re-charged or tested.

4. The assembling method of the electric vehicle according to claim 3 ,
wherein in the step of mounting the battery to the transported vehicle body, the battery which is re-charged or has a good test result in the step of storing the battery and the vehicle body, is mounted to the vehicle body.

5. The assembling method of the electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein in the step of mounting the battery to the transported vehicle body, it is determined whether or not the battery is permitted to be mounted to the vehicle body, based on vehicle body identification information provided to the vehicle body and battery identification information provided to the battery, according to a predetermined rule.

6. The assembling method of the electric vehicle according to claim 1 , comprising a step of detecting a state of the battery before the step of mounting the battery to the transported vehicle body,
wherein in the step of mounting the battery to the transported vehicle body, it is determined whether or not the battery is permitted to be mounted to the vehicle body, based on a result of detection in the step of detecting the state of the battery.

7. The assembling method of the electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the step of mounting the battery to the transported vehicle body is performed in a place which is closer to a location where the electric vehicle is provided to a user, than the vehicle body test place is.

8. The assembling method of the electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the electric vehicle is a straddle-type vehicle.

9. An assembling management method of an electric vehicle in which a battery as an electric power supply for an electric motor which generates a driving power transmitted to wheels is mounted to a vehicle body including a frame, the wheels, and the electric motor, the assembling management method comprising steps of:
assembling the vehicle body;
conducting a vehicle body test including confirmation of a state of driving power transmission from the electric motor to the wheels by connecting an electric power supply unit installed in a vehicle body test place to the electric motor of the vehicle body and supplying electric power from the electric power supply unit to the electric motor; and
detaching the electric power supply unit from the electric motor and transporting the vehicle body which has passed the vehicle body test from the vehicle body test place, in a state in which the battery is not mounted to the vehicle body.

10. The assembling management method of the electric vehicle according to claim 9 , comprising a step of storing the battery and the vehicle body transported in the step of transporting the vehicle body;
wherein in the step of storing the battery and the vehicle body, the battery is stored in a battery storage room isolated from a vehicle body storage area in which the vehicle body is stored, and a temperature of the battery storage room is adjusted to fall into a predetermined range.

11. The assembling management method of the electric vehicle according to claim 9 , comprising a step of storing the battery and the vehicle body transported in the step of transporting the vehicle body;
wherein in the step of storing the battery and the vehicle body, the battery is re-charged or tested.

12. An assembling management method of an electric vehicle in which a battery as an electric power supply for an electric motor which generates a driving power transmitted to wheels is mounted to a vehicle body including a frame, the wheels, and the electric motor, the assembling management method comprising steps of:
preparing the vehicle body which has passed a vehicle body test conducted in a state in which the battery is not mounted to the vehicle body;
preparing the battery;
storing the battery and the vehicle body for at least a portion of a stand-by period that passes until the battery is mounted to the vehicle body; and
transferring the battery and the vehicle body to a place where the battery is mounted to the vehicle body, after the step of storing the battery and the vehicle body;
wherein in the step of storing the battery and the vehicle body, the battery is stored in a battery storage room isolated from a vehicle body storage area in which the vehicle body is stored, and a temperature of the battery storage room is adjusted to fall into a predetermined range.

13. The assembling method of the electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the vehicle body transported to the mounting place in the step of transporting the vehicle body meets in the mounting place the battery having been prepared separately from the vehicle body and transported to the mounting place.

14. The assembling method of the electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein in the step of transporting the vehicle body, the vehicle body is transported by a transportation unit which is different from a transportation unit for transporting the battery.

15. The assembling method of the electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the mounting place is a place where the electric vehicle is provided to a user, or a place where the electric vehicle is maintained.

16. The assembling method of the electric vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of assembling the battery;
wherein plural kinds of vehicle bodies are assembled in the step of assembling the vehicle body, and the battery common to the plural kinds of vehicle bodies is assembled in the step assembling the battery.

17. The assembling method of the electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the vehicle body is transported overseas to the mounting place in the step of transporting the vehicle body, and the battery is mounted to the vehicl

Assignees

• Kawasaki Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Matsuda Yoshimoto

Classifications

• B60L53/80

  Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries · CPC title

• B60L3/0046

  relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors · CPC title

• Y10T29/49117

  Conductor or circuit manufacturing · CPC title

• B60L50/66

  Arrangements of batteries · CPC title

• B62K25/283

  for cycles without a pedal crank, e.g. motorcycles · CPC title