WO2022155268A1

WO2022155268A1 - Swappable battery system for battery powered vehicles

Info

Publication number: WO2022155268A1
Application number: PCT/US2022/012208
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mohammed Alobaidi; Jochen Schumann
Original assignee: Green Cubes Technology LLC
Current assignee: Green Cubes Technology LLC
Priority date: 2021-01-15
Filing date: 2022-01-12
Publication date: 2022-07-21
Anticipated expiration: 2023-07-15

Abstract

The battery charging station for battery powered vehicles charging multiple batteries at a time and equipped with robotic arm to swap the empty battery from the battery powered vehicles/machines/equipment with a fully charged one. This process automates the work flow for AGVs and increase the efficiency by reducing the down time of the machine. It is also used in other battery powered vehicles by helping to lift the heavy weight of batteries during the battery swap operation. The Charging station includes a frame having a robot arm, battery handles, battery charging ports, LCD and control unit. The battery can be swapped automatically using remote controlled charger which will use its robot arm take the charged batteries from the charging station and move around the working place to swap the vehicles' discharged batteries with the charged ones. The remote-controlled charger may have a wireless charging plate to charge the battery powered vehicles that contains an internal battery. The robot arm end might be replaced with a wireless charger to charge the Vehicles/machines/equipment with fixed batteries using another plate mounted on them to receive the power.

Description

SWAPPABLE BATTERY SYSTEM FOR BATTERY POWERED VEHICLES

PRIORITY

The present patent application is related to, and claims the priority benefit of, U.S Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63/138,095, filed on January 15, 2021 the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety into this disclosure.

BACKGROUND

In warehouses, manufacturing plants, hospitals, and other industrial/commercial areas battery powered vehicles have become more relevant over the last few years. The industry has started shifting to battery powered vehicles due to safety, efficiency, and economic benefits as they can work for longer hours than their counter parts. The main issue facing the efficiency of battery powered vehicles is the charging time needed for the battery pack. In addition, the logistics of swapping batteries can introduce inefficiencies.

Some battery powered vehicles use automatic docking terminals to charge, such as Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs). The AGV automatically goes to the docking terminal to charge the battery, which is considered as a down time to the machine. Other battery powered vehicles, like forklifts, swap the empty battery for a full one to reduce the down time, which is especially important in three-shift companies. The staff members unplug the battery, remove it from the vehicle, and replace it with a fully charged one. This process takes a long time due to the battery size and weight, which makes it hard for the staff to switch the batteries even with the help of other tools. This is inefficient use of employee time. In another situation, the staff members may not be aware of the charging station’s location. The staff will spend a lot of time finding the battery charger which will reduce the productivity. Thus, there is a need for a solution that reduces the downtime associated with charging or replacing an empty battery. A solution that reduces inefficiencies in the logistics involved with swapping batteries would be well received in the marketplace.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Having a robotic arm near the charging station would be very desirable and increase the efficiency as it can easily carry the weight of the battery. The battery powered vehicle comes near the charging station, the arm carries the discharged battery from the vehicle, and plugs it in the charging station. Then a full charged battery will be swapped from the station to the vehicle. In other words, the robot arm helps the staff to swaps the batteries between the vehicle and the charging station. This process reduces the time and human effort needed and adds more efficiency and reliability to the work flow.

In another configuration, having a remote-controlled charger with robotic arm that goes back and forth between the charging station and the battery-operated vehicles would speed up the working process and boost up the efficiency levels. The remote-controlled charger will carry the fully charged batteries from the charging station and move around the work place to replace the drained batteries in the vehicles.

For fixed battery machines/vehicles, when there are no swappable batteries, the remote- controlled charger may have a wireless charger attached to the robot arm to charge the vehicles with fixed batteries. The wireless charger can take the batteries from the charging station and go to the machine/vehicle location to charge it. This process will save the time of moving the machine/vehicles back to the charging station for charging which will increase the efficiency and reduce the wasted time in the work place. Moreover, the robot arm is used to get a better alignment and smaller air gap between the transmitter and receiver plates as the volumetric power density and the efficiency are inversely proportional to the distance between the two plates. In this case a large amount of power can be transferred in a short time period. The charging time could be reduced a lot.

The swappable battery system can be used in other areas such as telecom and data centers as the battery can be swapped by the robot arm.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a battery charging station, comprising a frame or cabinet as the base of the charger station; a multi-charging port with a battery groove; a swappable rechargeable battery positioned within a battery housing, wherein the battery housing is securely attached to the frame; a robot arm to swap the batteries between the charging station and battery powered vehicles; a power cord connected to the wall outlet or a DC charger; and a control box containing electronic component to power up and control the charging station.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a remote-controlled charger comprising a frame or cabinet as the base of the remote-controlled charger; a multi-charging port with a battery groove; a swappable rechargeable lithium battery positioned within a battery housing, wherein the battery housing is securely attached to the frame; an internal battery positioned securely inside the charger; a robot arm to swap the batteries between the remote-controlled charger, charging station and battery powered vehicles; a charging port can connect to an external charging terminal; and a control box containing electronic components to power up and control the charging station.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a battery charging station and a remote- controlled charger, comprising a computer securely mounted to the frame. The present disclosure includes disclosure of a battery charging station and a remote- controlled charger, wherein the computer further comprises Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy

(BLE), NFC (near-field communication technology) and/or GPS therein.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a battery charging station and a remote- controlled charger, wherein the computer further comprises a display providing real time information comprising the location and status of the components of the charging station and the remote-controlled charger and the vehicles to be charged.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a battery charging station and a remote- controlled charger, further comprising an artificial intelligence hub securely mounted to frame.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a battery charging station and a remote- controlled charger, wherein the swappable battery further comprises an anti-theft tag.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a battery charging station and a remote- controlled charger, wherein the swappable battery is configured for use with various battery powered vehicles such as AGV, GSE, Forklifts, Electric golf cars, Diagnostic imaging devices (e.g. Medical carts, CT, X-Ray Endoscope, Ultrasound devices), Electric bicycle, electric motorcycle, cleaning machines and others.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a battery charging station and a remote- controlled charger, wherein the swappable battery is configured for use with various battery powered equipment such as the power module used in telecom towers and data centers.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a battery charging station and a remote- controlled charger, wherein the robotic arm might be long and/or short or have a variety of grippers to hold the battery. The present disclosure includes disclosure of a remote-controlled charger, comprising a wireless charger connected to the robot arm and a receiver mounted on the battery powered vehicles/machines.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a remote-controlled charger,, configured for use with various battery powered vehicles such as AGV, GSE, Forklifts, Electric golf cars, Diagnostic imaging devices (e.g. Medical carts, CT, X-Ray Endoscope, Ultrasound devices), Electric bicycle, electric motorcycle, cleaning machines and others.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a battery charging station, comprising: a plurality of slots for receiving a rechargeable battery, wherein each of the plurality of slots comprises a charging port for connecting to the rechargeable battery; and a robotic arm attached to the battery charging station and configured to remove a drained battery from a battery powered vehicle or device and install the rechargeable battery into the battery powered vehicle or device.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a battery charging station, wherein the robotic arm is configured to remove and insert the rechargeable battery from and into the battery charging station.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a battery charging station, further comprising at least one display screen to display the status of the rechargeable battery.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a battery charging station, wherein the robotic arm is disposed on the top of the battery charging station.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a battery charging station, wherein the battery charging station is mobile. The present disclosure includes disclosure of a battery charging station, wherein the battery charging station is powered by a second rechargeable battery, wherein one of the plurality of slots can receive the second internal battery.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a battery charging station, wherein the battery charging station is powered by an internal battery.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a battery charging station, wherein the battery charging station is remote controlled.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a battery charging station, wherein battery charging station communicates with a battery attached to a separate device or vehicle to determine if the battery attached to a separate device or vehicle needs to be swapped with the rechargeable battery.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a system for a mobile battery charging station, comprising a charging terminal configured to accept a mobile battery charging station; and a mobile battery charging station, comprising a plurality of slots for receiving a rechargeable battery, wherein each of the plurality of slots comprises a charging port for connecting to the rechargeable battery; and a robotic arm attached to the battery charging station and configured to remove a drained battery from a battery powered vehicle or device and install the rechargeable battery into the battery powered vehicle or device; and a terminal for engaging the charging terminal.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a system for a mobile battery charging station, wherein the charging terminal charges the mobile battery charging station and the rechargeable battery. The present disclosure includes disclosure of a system for swapping rechargeable batteries, comprising a battery charging station comprising a plurality of slots for receiving a rechargeable battery, wherein each of the plurality of slots comprises a charging port for connecting to the rechargeable battery; and a mobile battery charger comprising a plurality of slots for receiving the rechargeable battery, wherein each of the plurality of slots comprises a charging port for connecting to the rechargeable battery, and a robotic arm attached to the battery charging station and configured to remove a drained battery from a battery powered vehicle or device and install the rechargeable battery into the battery powered vehicle or device

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a system for swapping rechargeable batteries,, wherein the robotic arm is configured to remove the rechargeable battery from the battery charging station and install it into the mobile battery charger.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a system for swapping rechargeable batteries,, wherein the robotic arm is on top of the mobile battery charger.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a system for swapping rechargeable batteries, further comprising a charging terminal configured to accept a mobile battery charging station; and the mobile battery charger further comprises a terminal for engaging the charging terminal.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a mobile battery charging station, comprising a plurality of slots for receiving a rechargeable battery, wherein each of the plurality of slots comprises a charging port for connecting to the rechargeable battery; and a robotic arm and a wireless charging plate attached to the robotic arm.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a mobile battery charging station, wherein the mobile battery charging station is powered by an internal battery. The present disclosure includes disclosure of a mobile battery charging station, wherein the mobile battery charging station is powered by the rechargeable battery.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a mobile battery charging station, wherein the mobile battery charging station comprises a terminal for engaging a separate charging terminal.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a battery charging station, comprising a plurality of slots for receiving a rechargeable battery, wherein each of the plurality of slots comprises a charging port for connecting to the rechargeable battery; a robotic arm attached to the battery charging station and configured to remove a drained battery from a battery powered vehicle or device and install the rechargeable battery into the battery powered vehicle or device; and a communication means for obtaining and monitoring the status of a rechargeable battery not currently connected to the battery charging station.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a battery charging station, comprising a plurality of slots for receiving a rechargeable battery, wherein each of the plurality of slots comprises a charging port for connecting to the rechargeable battery; a robotic arm attached to the battery charging station and configured to remove a drained battery from a battery powered vehicle or device and install the rechargeable battery into the battery powered vehicle or device; and a communication means for tracking and sending performance and efficiency data related to the rechargeable battery.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a battery charging station, comprising a plurality of slots for receiving a rechargeable battery, wherein each of the plurality of slots comprises a charging port for connecting to the rechargeable battery; a robotic arm attached to the battery charging station and configured to remove a drained battery from a battery powered vehicle or device and install the rechargeable battery into the battery powered vehicle or device; and a communication means selected from the group consisting of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy, and GPS.

The present disclosure includes disclosure of a battery charging station, comprising a plurality of slots for receiving a rechargeable battery, wherein each of the plurality of slots comprises a charging port for connecting to the rechargeable battery; and a robotic arm attached to the battery charging station and configured to remove a drained battery from a battery owered vehicle or device and install the rechargeable battery into the battery powered vehicle or device; wherein the rechargeable battery can be used in automatic guided vehicles, golf carts, forklifts, diagnostic imaging devices, electric bicycles, electric motorcycles, telecom towers, and data centers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosed embodiments and other features, advantages, and disclosures contained herein, and the matter of attaining them, will become apparent and the present disclosure will be better understood by reference to the following description of the present disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a battery charging station with robot arm for AGVs.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a battery charging station with robot arm for electric forklifts.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a battery charging station with robot arm for electric golf cars. FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a remote-controlled charger with robot arm for medical cart and a battery charging station.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a battery charging station, remote controlled charger with robot arm and mobile battery powered computerized tomography (CT).

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a battery charging station, remote controlled charger with robot arm and mobile battery powered X-ray machine

FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a battery charging station and the remote controlled charger.

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of remote-controlled wireless charger and a Forklift with wireless charging plate.

FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of remote-controlled wireless charger charging the Forklift with wireless charging plate.

FIG. 10 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of remote-controlled wireless charger and a motorcycle with wireless charging plate.

FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of bicycle with wireless charging plate.

Fig. 12 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of swappable batteries for telecom and data centers application with remote controlled charger.

As such, an overview of the features, functions and/or configurations of the components depicted in the figures will now be presented. It should be appreciated that not all of the features of the components of the figures are necessarily described and some of these non-discussed features (as well as discussed features) are inherent from the figures themselves. Other non- discussed features may be inherent in component geometry and/or configuration. Furthermore, wherever feasible and convenient, like reference numerals are used in the figures and the description to refer to the same or like parts or steps. The figures are in a simplified form and not to precise scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding the principles of the present disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of this disclosure is thereby intended.

The present disclosure includes a battery charging station charging multiple batteries at a time and equipped with robotic arm to swap the empty battery from the battery powered vehicle with a fully charged one. For Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), the charger usually uses a docking type terminal to engage with the AGV for an hour or more. Having a robot arm near the charging station helps to eliminate the charging time by swapping the empty battery with a full one. The charger station may communicate with the batteries to check the state of charge of each battery and decide which battery to swap with the AGV. This process reduces or eliminates the down time of the machine and making the work flow machine-dependent.

As shown in FIG. 1 the charging station 100 may have a frame, having several slots 101 for the battery to slot in, and a display screen 102 to display the status of the batteries. On top of the charging station, there’s a robotic arm 104 to swap the batteries between the charging ports and the AGVs. Once the AGV 200 reaches the station for the swap, the robot arm plugs out the swappable battery 105 from the AGV and plug it in one of the empty charging ports. Then, based on the charging station algorithm, the arm replaces a full battery into the AGV.

Another use of the charging station with robot arm is to carry the weight of the battery in other battery powered vehicle such as forklifts, GSE and Golf cars. In some companies, the electric forklift works for multiple shifts in one day and whenever the battery charge finishes, the operators take the forklift to the battery room to change the discharged battery with another fully charged one. This process is very time consuming due to the battery heavy weight.

As shown FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the same charging station 100 with robot arm 104 can be used to swap the battery 105 in electric forklifts 201, electric golf car 202, medical cart 203, CT scanning machines 204, X-ray machines 205 and other battery powered applications such as cleaning machines and robots. The operator takes the forklift 201 to the charging station 100 and the robot arm 104 helps to carry the empty batteries from the vehicle and put them in the charger slots 101. Then, they replace the batteries with fully charged batteries.

In FIG.4, FIG. 5, FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the robot arm 104 can be on top of a remote- controlled charger 300 that moves from one place to another to replace the discharged batteries from the vehicles with charged batteries (from the charging station 100). The charger has slots 101 to take multiple batteries in one trip. The remote-controlled charger is powered by the same swappable battery 105 or an internal battery 302. The charger can communicate with other batteries in the vehicles to know which battery to be swapped with the full ones. Moreover, when the remote-controlled charger 300 is free, it can go back and engage to its docking type charging terminal 301. This terminal can charge the remote-controlled charger’s internal battery 302 and external batteries 105. FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG 10 and FIG. 11 shows the remote-controlled wireless charger 400. The wireless charger takes the batteries 105 from the charging station 100 and moves around the working place over to the battery powered vehicles/machines and charges them using the wireless charging plate 402. The vehicle/machine receives the power using the receiver plate 404 mounted on it. The remote-controlled wireless charger 400 can be powered from an internal battery 403, external battery 105 or by the fixed charging port 401. By using the robot arm, the wireless charger aligns the position of the two plates precisely to increase the transfer rates of the energy density. When the air gap is small and the plates precisely aligned, the ability to transfer more than or equal to 25 kW power in a 50 cm x 50 cm plate is achievable. There’s two factors controlling the efficiency of the power transfer: the alignment between the transmitter and receiver plates and the distance between them; which are both improved using the robot arm.

In FIG. 12, the swappable batteries 105 can be used to provide the power needed for telecom towers and data centers as the batteries 105 can be swapped using the robot arm 104 inside the power module 208. The power module is installed inside the cabinet/base unit 209 for telecom/data centers. The power module using the standard rack size 19 inches/23 inches.

The battery powered vehicle and the remote-controlled charger may have one battery 105 or more, which is rechargeable (so to cover a desired amount of time, such as at least one or two work shifts, for example) and/or removable. While the embodiments described herein utilize a lithium battery 105, other batteries may also be used herein within the scope of the present invention. Also, it may have an internal battery to supply power to the battery powered vehicle during the swapping activities.

Equipping the charging station 100 and the remote-controlled charger 300, 400 with an artificial intelligence hub will allow the working place to have an artificial intelligence powered hub at the point of fulfillment to monitor the performance and efficiency of the batteries, machines, and staff which will establish the foundation for future artificial intelligence software within the work place. The artificial intelligence hub can interact with the work place database(s) so the performance of the staff can be monitored.

Additionally, any of the battery powered vehicle, remote controlled charger, Batteries 105 and charging station 100 described herein may also include Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and/or GPS and/or a GPS locator therein (shown generally as electronic components and/or as computer 103). The Wi-Fi capability will allow the battery 105 or battery powered vehicle to connect to the local network and the charging stations. The BLE capability can communicate the location within the warehouse or work place, while the GPS can transmit the cart’s location outside of the work place. The Wi-Fi capability will be important for integrating the battery/charging station/ remote controlled charger with the warehouse’s existing technology and software. The Wi-Fi may also help to monitor work progress and may also be used to communicate with the battery state of charge data and the available batteries in the charging station to be taken by the remote-controlled charger. The Wi-Fi, BLE, and GPS may also help to prevent theft of the battery 105, as its exact position can be monitored/tracked. If lost, the battery 105 can quickly be found using the Wi-Fi, BLE, and GPS.

While various embodiments of devices and systems and methods for using the same have been described in considerable detail herein, the embodiments are merely offered as non-limiting examples of the disclosure described herein. It will therefore be understood that various changes and modifications may be made, and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting with respect to the content thereof. Further, in describing representative embodiments, the present disclosure may have presented a method and/or a process as a particular sequence of steps. However, to the extent that the method or process does not rely on the particular order of steps set forth therein, the method or process should not be limited to the particular sequence of steps described, as other sequences of steps may be possible. Therefore, the particular order of the steps disclosed herein should not be construed as limitations of the present disclosure. In addition, disclosure directed to a method and/or process should not be limited to the performance of their steps in the order written. Such sequences may be varied and still remain within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A battery charging station, comprising: a frame or cabinet as the base of the charger station; a multi-charging port with a battery groove; a swappable rechargeable battery positioned within a battery housing, wherein the battery housing is securely attached to the frame; a robot arm to swap the batteries between the charging station and battery powered vehicles; a power cord connected to the wall outlet or a DC charger; and a control box containing electronic components to power up and control the charging station.

2. A remote-controlled charger comprising: a frame or cabinet as the base of the remote-controlled charger; a multi-charging port with a battery groove; a swappable rechargeable lithium battery positioned within a battery housing, wherein the battery housing is securely attached to the frame; an internal battery positioned securely inside the charger; a robot arm to swap the batteries between the remote-controlled charger, the charging station and battery powered vehicles; a charging port can connect to an external charging terminal; and a control box contains electronic components to power up and control the charging station. The battery charging station of claim 1 and the remote-controlled charger of claim

2, further comprising a computer securely mounted to the frame. The battery charging station of claim 3 and the remote-controlled charger of claim

3, wherein the computer further comprises Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), NFC (near-field communication technology) and/or GPS therein. The battery charging station of claim 4 and the remote-controlled charger of claim

3, wherein the computer further comprises a display providing real time information comprising the location and status of the components of the charging station and the remote-controlled charger and the vehicles to be charged. The battery charging station of claim 1 and remote-controlled charger of claim 2, further comprising an artificial intelligence hub securely mounted to the frame. The battery charging station from claim 1 and remote-controlled charger of claim

2, wherein the swappable battery further comprises an anti-theft tag. The battery charging station from claim 1 and remote-controlled charger of claim

2, wherein the swappable battery is configured for use with various battery powered vehicles such as AGV, GSE, Forklifts, Electric golf cars, Diagnostic imaging devices (e.g. Medical carts, CT, X-Ray Endoscope, Ultrasound devices),

Electric bicycle, electric motorcycle, cleaning machines and others. The battery charging station from claim 1 and remote-controlled charger of claim 2, wherein the swappable battery is configured for use with various battery powered equipment such as the power module used in telecom towers and data centers. The battery charging station from claim 1 and remote-controlled charger of claim 2, wherein the robotic arm might be long and/or short or have a variety of grippers to hold the battery. The remote-controlled charger from claim 2, comprising a wireless charger connected to the robot arm and a receiver mounted on the battery powered vehicles/machines. The remote-controlled wireless charger from claim 11, configured for use with with various battery powered vehicles such as AGV, GSE, Forklifts, Electric golf cars, Diagnostic imaging devices (e.g. Medical carts, CT, X-Ray Endoscope, Ultrasound devices), Electric bicycle, electric motorcycle, cleaning machines and others. A battery charging station, comprising:

18 a plurality of slots for receiving a rechargeable battery, wherein each of the plurality of slots comprises a charging port for connecting to the rechargeable battery; and a robotic arm attached to the battery charging station and configured to remove a drained battery from a battery powered vehicle or device and install the rechargeable battery into the battery powered vehicle or device. The battery charging station of claim 13, wherein the robotic arm is configured to remove and insert the rechargeable battery from and into the battery charging station. The battery charging station of claim 13, further comprising at least one display screen to display the status of the rechargeable battery. The battery charging station of claim 13, wherein the robotic arm is disposed on the top of the battery charging station. The battery charging station of claim 13, wherein the battery charging station is mobile. The battery charging station of claim 17, wherein the battery charging station is powered by a second rechargeable battery, wherein one of the plurality of slots can receive the second internal battery

19 The battery charging station of claim 17, wherein the battery charging station is powered by an internal battery. The battery charging station of claim 17, wherein the battery charging station is remote controlled. The battery charging station of claim 17, wherein battery charging station communicates with a battery attached to a separate device or vehicle to determine if the battery attached to a separate device or vehicle needs to be swapped with the rechargeable battery. A system for a mobile battery charging station, comprising: a charging terminal configured to accept a mobile battery charging station; and a mobile battery charging station, comprising: a plurality of slots for receiving a rechargeable battery, wherein each of the plurality of slots comprises a charging port for connecting to the rechargeable battery; and a robotic arm attached to the battery charging station and configured to remove a drained battery from a battery powered vehicle or device and install the rechargeable battery into the battery powered vehicle or device; and

20 a terminal for engaging the charging terminal. The system for a mobile battery charging station as in claim 22, wherein the charging terminal charges the mobile battery charging station and the rechargeable battery. A system for swapping rechargeable batteries, comprising: a battery charging station comprising a plurality of slots for receiving a rechargeable battery, wherein each of the plurality of slots comprises a charging port for connecting to the rechargeable battery; and a mobile battery charger comprising a plurality of slots for receiving the rechargeable battery, wherein each of the plurality of slots comprises a charging port for connecting to the rechargeable battery, and a robotic arm attached to the battery charging station and configured to remove a drained battery from a battery powered vehicle or device and install the rechargeable battery into the battery powered vehicle or device The system for swapping rechargeable batteries of claim 24, wherein the robotic arm is configured to remove the rechargeable battery from the battery charging station and install it into the mobile battery charger. The system for swapping rechargeable batteries of claim 24, wherein the robotic arm is on top of the mobile battery charger.

21 The system for swapping rechargeable batteries of claim 24, further comprising: a charging terminal configured to accept a mobile battery charging station; and the mobile battery charger further comprises a terminal for engaging the charging terminal. A mobile battery charging station, comprising: a plurality of slots for receiving a rechargeable battery, wherein each of the plurality of slots comprises a charging port for connecting to the rechargeable battery; and a robotic arm and a wireless charging plate attached to the robotic arm. The mobile battery charging station of claim 28, wherein the mobile battery charging station is powered by an internal battery. The mobile battery charging station of claim 28, wherein the mobile battery charging station is powered by the rechargeable battery. The mobile battery charging station of claim 28, wherein the mobile battery charging station comprises a terminal for engaging a separate charging terminal.

22 A battery charging station, comprising: a plurality of slots for receiving a rechargeable battery, wherein each of the plurality of slots comprises a charging port for connecting to the rechargeable battery; a robotic arm attached to the battery charging station and configured to remove a drained battery from a battery powered vehicle or device and install the rechargeable battery into the battery powered vehicle or device; and a communication means for obtaining and monitoring the status of a rechargeable battery not currently connected to the battery charging station. A battery charging station, comprising: a plurality of slots for receiving a rechargeable battery, wherein each of the plurality of slots comprises a charging port for connecting to the rechargeable battery; a robotic arm attached to the battery charging station and configured to remove a drained battery from a battery powered vehicle or device and install the rechargeable battery into the battery powered vehicle or device; and a communication means for tracking and sending performance and efficiency data related to the rechargeable battery. A battery charging station, comprising: a plurality of slots for receiving a rechargeable battery, wherein each of the plurality of slots comprises a charging port for connecting to the rechargeable battery;

23 a robotic arm attached to the battery charging station and configured to remove a drained battery from a battery powered vehicle or device and install the rechargeable battery into the battery powered vehicle or device; and a communication means selected from the group consisting of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy, and GPS. A battery charging station, comprising: a plurality of slots for receiving a rechargeable battery, wherein each of the plurality of slots comprises a charging port for connecting to the rechargeable battery; and a robotic arm attached to the battery charging station and configured to remove a drained battery from a battery powered vehicle or device and install the rechargeable battery into the battery powered vehicle or device; wherein the rechargeable battery can be used in automatic guided vehicles, golf carts, forklifts, diagnostic imaging devices, electric bicycles, electric motorcycles, telecom towers, and data centers.

24