SOC and Temperature Aware Battery Swapping for an E-Scooter Using a Robotic Arm

Abstract

The main contribution of this paper is the integration of a battery management system (BMS) to ensure safe battery operation and automated battery swapping for an electric scooter (e-scooter). The BMS constantly monitors the battery state of charge (SOC) and temperature, and initiates battery swapping under predefined conditions. This is crucial because the conventional BMS sometimes fails to detect early signs of potential issues, leading to safety hazards if not addressed promptly. Battery swapping stations are an effective solution, offering an alternative to traditional charging stations by addressing the issue of lengthy charging time. Also, this paper addresses the problem of frequent battery recharging, which limits e-scooters’ operational range. The proposed solution employs a robotic arm to execute battery swaps without human intervention. A computer vision system is utilized to detect an e-scooter’s battery, compensating for any tilt in a parked e-scooter to ensure accurate alignment, thereby enabling the robotic arm to efficiently plan and execute the battery swap. The proposed system requires minimal modifications to the existing e-scooter design by incorporating a specifically designed battery compartment thus offering significant improvements over manual swapping methods.