Patent Application
20160167532
The invention relates to a mounting device for mounting a contact apparatus, to a contact apparatus mountable on the mounting device and to a method for mounting a contact apparatus on a mounting device of a rapid-charging system for electrically driven vehicles, in particular electric buses or the like, wherein the contact apparatus serves to form an electrically conductive connection between a vehicle and a stationary charging station comprising a charging contact unit, wherein the contact apparatus can be arranged on a vehicle, wherein the contact apparatus comprises a contact device, wherein the contact device can make contact with the charging contact unit, wherein the contact apparatus comprises a positioning device, wherein the contact device can be positioned relative to the charging contact unit and to the vehicle in the vertical and horizontal direction and can be brought from a contact position on the charging contact unit into a mounting position on the mounting device on the vehicle by means of the positioning device, wherein the mounting device forms a receiving opening comprising a guiding device, by means of which the contact device can be positioned in the mounting position in the horizontal direction, wherein the guiding device is designed to guide the contact device into the mounting position.
Similar contact apparatuses and charging contact units are known from the state of the art and are commonly employed for rapid charging of electrically driven vehicles at a stop or stopping place. Electrically driven vehicles used in local transport, such as buses, can be continuously supplied with electrical energy via an overhead wire, for example. However, that requires an overhead-wire system to be present and maintained. To be able to use the advantages of an electric drive without a network of overhead wires, it is known to equip means of public transport with batteries or with another kind of energy storage. These present the disadvantages of a limited range of the vehicle and of the batteries needing to be recharged after a comparatively short time of travel. However, continuous operation of the vehicle can be ensured if the batteries can be rapidly charged during a stop of the vehicle at stopping place.
In this context, different systems for forming an electrically conductive connection between a charging station, which is stationarily arranged in the area of a stopping place, and a vehicle or electric bus are known from the state of the art. For instance, a so-called current collector comprising a contact strip may be arranged on a roof of the electric bus, a rail running lengthwise in the direction of travel of the electric bus being suspended above a driving lane in the area of the stopping place. When the electric bus stops at the stopping place, the current collector is moved from the roof of the bus upward against the rail, and an electric connection is thus formed for the duration of the planned stop of the electric bus at the stopping place so that rapid charging can take place during this period. However, in particular two mutually independent current collectors and corresponding contacting areas at the rail are required in order to be able to form a charging circuit.
Furthermore, it is known to arrange multiple contact elements on a current collector that are realized as a contact strip and to bring them into contact with a corresponding number of parallel rails arranged in the direction of travel of the electric bus. In this way, it is possible to produce a greater number of contact pairs simultaneously with a single current collector or a single contact apparatus. Electrical connecting lines additionally formed in this way between the charging station and the vehicle can be used to control and monitor a charging process, for example.
In another known rapid-charging system, a contact apparatus is arranged on a roof of an electric bus in such a manner that an arm that can be connected to a charging contact unit that is integrated in a superstructure of the stopping place or in a building can be extended perpendicularly to the direction of travel of the electric bus. In this context, it is particularly disadvantageous that the electric bus has to be positioned by a driver in a particularly exact manner in a predefined position at such a stopping place in order to be able to form a connection at all between the electric bus and the charging station.
However, a number of problems can also occur in stationary charging contact units or rails that are arranged above or laterally of an electric bus stopping at a stopping place. In particular as a function of a payload of the electric bus, the electric bus may be positioned deeper or higher relative to the charging contact unit during a stop. When the electric bus is lowered on the entry side to assist the passengers in entering the bus, then too, the contact apparatus or the used contact strips shift relative to a charging contact unit or rail, an electrical contact possibly being interrupted. If parallel rails are used, it is necessary in that case as well, by the way, to position the electric bus in a relatively exact manner in a designated area at the stopping place. A position diverging from the designated position of the electric bus and a one-sided lateral lowering of the electric bus may prevent a successful contact or connection between the vehicle and the charging station and present a significant risk potential. For instance, conductors may be unintentionally contacted or connected and short circuits may occur, which may damage components of the rapid-charging system or harm people in the vicinity.
Since, in principle, contacts of the contact apparatus have to be moved toward the charging contact unit potentially located above the vehicle in the horizontal direction in order to form an electrical connection, a drive by means of a positioning device is necessary. A position of the electric bus diverging from a designated position and a lateral lowering of the electric bus have to be accommodated by a possible displacement of the contact apparatus or of the contact elements in a horizontal direction transversely to a direction of travel of the electric bus and relative to the charging contact unit and to the vehicle. In this case, too, a drive for displacing the contact elements in the horizontal direction may be required. In case of a motor drive, for example, additional means for detecting the actual positions and the target positions of the contact elements and for controlling the respective drive are required. This leads to significant costs for realizing the positioning device. Also, the use of the mentioned means presents an increased risk of failure for various reasons, such as unfavorable weather conditions. Moreover, it is necessary to perform regular maintenance on a positioning device realized in this manner including the option of positioning the contact elements on two axes and to replace the components of the respective drives, if needed.
Thus, the object of the present invention is to provide a mounting device and a contact apparatus and a method for mounting a contact apparatus on a mounting device that allow safely forming a contact while keeping the operation of the means of transport cost-effective.
This object is attained by a mounting device having the features of claim 1, by a contact apparatus having the features of claim 7, by a rapid-charging system having the features of claim 16 and by a method having the features of claim 17.
The mounting device according to the invention for mounting a contact apparatus of a rapid-charging system for electrically driven vehicles, in particular electric buses or the like, the contact apparatus serves to form an electrically conductive connection between a vehicle and a stationary charging station comprising a charging contact unit, wherein the contact apparatus can be arranged on a vehicle, wherein the contact apparatus comprises a contact device, wherein the contact device can make contact with the charging contact unit, wherein the contact apparatus comprises a positioning device, wherein the contact device can be positioned relative to the charging contact unit and to the vehicle in the vertical and horizontal direction and can be brought from a contact position on the charging contact unit into a mounting position on the mounting device on the vehicle by means of the positioning device, wherein the mounting device forms a receiving opening comprising a guiding device, by means of which the contact device can be position in the mounting position in the horizontal direction, wherein the guiding device is designed to guide the contact device into the mounting position.
Thus, when an electric bus, for example, stops at a stopping place, the contact device can be moved by means of the positioning device and can be moved toward the charging contact unit in a vertical and horizontal direction and can be joined with said charging contact unit. A charging contact formed in this manner between the charging station and the vehicle comprises at least two contact pairs, each consisting of a contact element and an associated charging contact element of the charging contact unit.
The charging contact unit can form a receiving opening for the contact device, wherein the contact device can be inserted into the receiving opening of the charging contact unit. The receiving opening can preferably be V-shaped. In case the contact element support shifts relative to the receiving opening when the contact device and the charging contact unit are being joined, the V-shape of the receiving opening causes the contact element support to be centered.
In this way, the receiving opening can form a guide for the contact device when the contact device and the charging contact unit are joined. Potential positional deviations of the vehicle stopping at a stopping place from a designated stopping position can thus be easily compensated in that the contact element support is guided into a contact position at the charging contact unit by the receiving opening.
However, it may be necessary to correct the positional deviation of the contact element support or of the contact device relative to the vehicle again for a new contact formation at the next stopping place. Otherwise, it may occur in the kind of contact formation described above that formation of a contact is not possible at all because of the positional deviation of the vehicle to the charging contact unit and a positional deviation of the contact device relative to the vehicle since the contact device is not arranged below the charging contact unit. This could be remedied by motor-driven positioning of the contact devices in the horizontal direction transversely to the direction of travel of the vehicle, but that presents the afore-described disadvantages. Owing to the fact that the mounting device is used for mounting the contact apparatus and that the mounting device allows the contact device to be positioned in the horizontal direction transversely to the direction of travel, motor-driven positioning in the horizontal direction is unnecessary. This is in particular a consequence of the fact that the mounting device forms the receiving opening comprising the guiding device. The contact device, which is moved toward the mounting device in the vertical direction by means of the positioning device, enters the receiving opening and is guided into the mounting position by means of the guiding device during the vertical downward movement. Thus, it is no longer necessary to provide a motor drive or another kind of drive for accurate positioning of the contact device in the mounting position. At the same time, the mounting of the contact apparatus or contact device in the mounting position leads to the contact device being positioned for contact formation at subsequent stopping places in such a manner that the contact devices is always positioned below a charging contact unit. In summary, the mounting device and the contact apparatus mountable in the mounting device thus represent a solution for horizontal positioning or alignment of the contact unit relative to the charging contact unit that is cost-effective and hardly prone to failure compared to a horizontal drive.
The contact device can be centered relative to the guiding device by means of the guiding device. Accordingly, the guiding device can be designed in such a manner that the contact device is centrally aligned or centered on the guiding device transversely to the direction of travel of the vehicle when the contact device is lowered into the mounting device. Consequently, the guiding device can also be of an axially symmetrical design.
In one embodiment, the guiding device can form a V-shaped receiving opening for guiding the contact device into the mounting position. Thus, the contact device is guided in a central area of the receiving opening and into the mounting position by means of the guiding device when being lowered into the V-shaped receiving opening independently of a position above the receiving opening. In principle, the receiving opening can also have a different shape that is suitable for the purpose of positioning the contact device and that can guide the contact device into the mounting position.
Moreover, the guiding device can form a linear guide in the vertical direction in the mounting position. In particular if a receiving opening is formed at the guiding device, the linear guide can be part of the receiving opening. The linear guide can ensure that the contact device is lowered once more in the vertical direction after horizontal positioning, whereby a potentially unintentional horizontal displacement of the contact device due to movements of the vehicle or the like can be safely avoided. Accordingly, the linear guide fixes the contact device in the horizontal direction in the mounting position in a form-fitting manner.
The guiding device can be made of plastic or metal and can be formed in a particularly simple and cost-effective manner by one or more sheets, profiles or the like, such as pipe profiles, for example.
It is advantageous if the mounting device has a cleaning device for the contact device, wherein said cleaning device can be arranged and designed in such a manner that contact elements of the contact device can to come into contact with the cleaning device prior to or after a movement of the contact device into the mounting position. Thus, contact elements of the contact device can be cleaned at least during each lowering or placement of the contact device in the mounting position. The same is possible during a vertical movement of the contact device from the mounting position into a contact position. Potential dirt on the contact elements, which might adversely affect the formation of an electric contact connection, can thus be regularly removed from the contact elements without much effort, which substantially increases the operational reliability of the contact device.
In particular, the cleaning device can be a brush and/or a wiper. It may be envisaged, among other things, that the brush and/or the wiper has an abrasive effect on the contact elements. For example, the wiper can be made of a rubber-like material comprising abrasive particles. Thus, the surface of the contact elements can be cleaned and, additionally, an oxide layer present on the surfaces can be at least partially removed, for example.
In the contact apparatus according to the invention for mounting on a mounting device of a rapid charging system for electrically driven vehicles, in particular electric buses or the like, the contact apparatus serves to form an electrically conductive connection between a vehicle and a stationary charging station comprising a charging contact unit, wherein the contact apparatus can be arranged on a vehicle, wherein the contact apparatus comprises a contact device, wherein the contact device can make contact with the charging contact unit, wherein the contact apparatus comprises a positioning device, wherein the contact device can be positioned relative to the charging contact unit and to the vehicle in the vertical and horizontal direction and can be brought from a contact position on the charging contact unit into a mounting position on the mounting device on the vehicle by means of the positioning device, to wherein the mounting device forms a receiving opening comprising a guiding device, by means of which the contact device can be positioned in the mounting position in the horizontal direction, wherein the contact device is designed to be guided the into the mounting position by means of the guiding device.
The substantial aspect of the contact apparatus according to the invention is that it has the contact device, which is designed to be guided by the guiding device of the mounting device. Hence, the contact device has a shape or elements that can come into contact with the guiding device so that the contact device can be guided into the mounting position by the guiding device. With respect to the advantageous effects of the contact apparatus, reference is made to the description of advantages of the mounting device according to the invention.
The positioning device can have a pantograph or a swing arm, by means of which the contact device can be positioned relative to the charging contact unit or to the vehicle in the vertical direction. In case of a swing arm, an additional linkage may be provided, which stabilizes the contact device relative to the charging contact unit and aligns it in the appropriate direction. A pantograph or a swing arm or a corresponding mechanical drive can be produced in a particularly simple and cost-effective way.
The positioning device can further have a transverse guide, by means of which the contact element support can be positioned transversely relative to the charging contact unit or to the direction of travel of the vehicle. The transverse guide can be arranged on the pantograph or on the swing arm of the positioning device. In both cases, the contact device arranged on the transverse guide can thus be displaced transversely to the direction of travel of the vehicle. For example, this displaceability allows an incorrect positioning of the vehicle at a stopping place to be compensated transversely to the direction of travel. Moreover, potential movements of the vehicle due to a one-sided lowering of the vehicle for entry and exit of passengers can be compensated in such a manner that the contact element support does not shift relative to the charging contact unit in the transverse direction.
The transverse guide can be arranged at a distal end of the pantograph or of the swing arm. Thus, it is no longer necessary for the swing arm or the pantograph to be moved transversely to the direction of travel; instead, it is sufficient to move only the contact device on the transverse guide. Thus, a mass to be moved is reduced. Also, a smaller torque and no longer any substantial perpendicular forces act on a pantograph or a swing arm. Preferably, the transverse guide can be permanently mounted directly to the distal upper end of the pantograph or of the swing arm so that the contact device can be easily moved on the transverse guide.
The transverse guide can be realized as a straight linear guide or as a curved linear guide. The curved linear guide can then have a radius of a curve that corresponds to a height of the transverse guide above a roadway.
It is particularly advantageous if the contact device is arranged on the transverse guide in a freely displaceable manner. This freely displaceable arrangement of the contact device significantly simplifies compensation in case of tilting of the vehicle transversely to the direction of travel due to one-sided lowering. In case of tilting, the positioning device is inclined laterally, i.e. transversely to the direction of travel, the contact device staying connected to the charging contact unit and being displaced on the transverse guide. The transverse guide may be designed in such a manner that it is formed as a guide rail or comprises guide profiles for the contact element support.
Furthermore, it may be envisaged that the contact device has a contact element support comprising contact elements. The contact elements can be designed in such a manner that they can make contact with charging contact elements of the charging contact unit so as to form contact pairs.
When the contact device has been displaced as needed on the transverse guide, the contact element support can be centered again on the transverse guide in that it is aligned on the transverse guide or centered in a rest position in the mounting position by means of the guiding device.
The charging contact unit can be composed of a charging contact element support and of the charging contact elements, wherein the charging contact element support can be made of a plastic material. In this case, production of the charging contact unit is particularly cost effective and simple. For instance, the charging contact element support can also be made of plastic in one piece. In this case, the charging contact elements can be inserted into the charging contact element support or into designated mounts or recesses.
Furthermore, the charging contact unit can be realized as a roof-shaped longitudinal rail that can be arranged in a direction of travel of the vehicle. In this case, the charging contact elements can be arranged on an underside of the roof-shaped longitudinal rail so that the charging contact elements are not directly exposed to the effects of the weather. Also, the roof-shaped longitudinal rail can have a relatively long shape, making an exact positioning of the vehicle at a stopping place unnecessary. Also, the roof-shaped longitudinal rail can preferably be open at its ends so that the contact element support can also be inserted into and pulled out of the roof-shaped longitudinal rail in the direction of travel.
In one embodiment, the contact device can be arranged on a roof of a vehicle, which may be the roof of an electric bus or of a tramway car, for example. It may also be envisaged, for example, to position the contact device on the roof of the vehicle in such a manner that it is arranged on a driver side of the roof of the vehicle in the direction of travel. In this way, it is substantially easier for a driver of the vehicle to position the contact apparatus below a charging contact unit because it or its position is in the driver's line of sight.
The contact element support can form two, preferably three or more positioning surfaces, which are designed to match guiding surfaces of the guiding device for guiding the contact element support. The positioning surfaces of the contact element support can then come to fit closely to the guiding surfaces of the guiding device so that the contact element support can be accurately positioned into its designated position in the mounting device when the contact device and the mounting device are joined. The guiding surfaces may in particular have a geometry or relative arrangement to one another that matches the positioning surfaces in such a manner that a secure introduction of the contact device into the mounting device into a defined mounting position is ensured.
The contact element support can also have two rolling bodies, which are designed to come into contact with a guide track of the guiding device. The rolling bodies can each be realized as a wheel or in the manner of a roller, for example. Thus, the contact element support does no longer have to slide along guiding surfaces but can simply roll along the guide tracks without large frictional resistance. Abrasion on the guide track is thus minimized and damage to the contact element support is avoided to the largest extent. Also, the rolling bodies on the contact element support can be easily replaced if they are worn.
It is particularly advantageous if the positioning device of the contact apparatus has a pivot mechanism, by means of which the contact element support can be inclined relative to a vertical axis of the contact element support. In particular if a height of the contact element support is greater than its width or depth, it is advantageous if the contact element support can be inclined relative to the vertical axis of the contact element support and thus also relative to a horizontal roof of the vehicle. In this way, the contact element support can protrude above the vehicle roof far enough for a height of the respective vehicle to substantially increase. In principle, however, this is undesirable because passages of bridges, underpasses and the like might no longer be usable. Furthermore, the aerodynamic properties of the vehicle might possibly be impaired by the contact element support. If the contact element support can be inclined, the mentioned disadvantages are compensated at least in part or completely. In particular, it may be envisaged to design the contact element support in such a manner that in can be inclined at an angle of 45°, preferably 30° and particularly preferably 0° relative to a roof of a vehicle.
The pivot mechanism employed for this purpose can be realized as a linkage of the positioning device. The linkage can translate a movement of the positioning device during lowering of the contact element support into the mounting position into a pivoting movement. Thus, an additional drive for pivoting or inclining the contact apparatus can be omitted. The linkage can also be realized as a cam mechanism comprising a lever and a cam disk.
By means of the pivot mechanism, the contact element support can be aligned orthogonally relative to the charging contact unit in the contact position and at an inclination relative to a horizontal roof of the vehicle in the mounting position. In connection with the mounting device, the contact element support can thus be inclined during contact formation with the guiding device.
The rapid-charging system according to the invention comprises a mounting device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and/or a contact apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 15. Furthermore, the rapid-charging system can also comprise a charging station and a charging contact unit.
In the method according to the invention for mounting a contact apparatus on a mounting device of for a rapid-charging system for electrically driven vehicles, in particular electric buses or the like, comprising a contact apparatus and a mounting device, the contact apparatus and the mounting device are arranged on a vehicle, wherein the contact apparatus comprises a contact device, wherein the contact device is brought into contact with a charging contact unit, wherein the contact apparatus comprises a positioning device, wherein the contact device is positioned relative to the charging contact unit and to the vehicle in the vertical and horizontal direction and is brought from a contact position on the charging contact unit into a mounting position on the mounting device on the vehicle by means of the positioning device, wherein the mounting device forms a receiving opening comprising a guiding device, wherein the contact device is guided and positioned into the mounting position in the horizontal direction by means of the guiding device. With respect to the advantageous effects of the method according to the invention, reference is made to the description of advantages of the mounting device and of the contact apparatus according to the invention.
Consequently, the method provides that after the contact apparatus has been displaced in the horizontal direction relative to a direction of travel of the vehicle because of a contact formation or joining with the charging contact unit, the contact device is returned into the mounting position or original position upon separation of the contact with the charging contact unit and upon return into the receiving opening of the mounting position prior to a vertical movement or positioning of the contact device. The alignment or positioning of the contact device always takes place during a return into the mounting device when the contact device has been moved in the horizontal direction because of the formation of a contact with the charging contact unit.
Other advantageous embodiments of the method become apparent from the dependent claims, which refer back to independent claims 1 and 7.
In the following description, a preferred embodiment of the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawing.
In the drawing:
A combined view of
A combined view of
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In principle, the rapid-charging system 98 is realized similarly to the rapid-charging system described in
The mounting device 101 is substantially composed of a base frame 118 for mounting the mounting device 101 on a roof 102 of the vehicle 103 and of a guiding device 119 and a cleaning device 120. The guiding device 119 is made of two curved tube profiles 121, which are curved and arranged in such a manner that a V-shaped receiving opening 122 for the contact device 114 is formed. Furthermore, a linear guide 123 is formed in a vertical direction in the mounting position 117. In particular tube sections 124 of the tube profiles 121 form a guide track 125 for rollers 126 that are arranged on the contact device 114, allowing the rollers 126 to roll on and slide along the guide tracks 125. When being lowered into the mounting position 117, the contact device 114 is centered in the middle of the guiding device 119 in such a manner that the contact device 114 is also centered on the transverse guide 111. When a charging contact unit (not illustrated) is approached, the contact device 114 is then aligned on the transverse guide 111 in such a manner again that the contact device 114 can be introduced into the corresponding charging contact unit.
The cleaning device 120 is substantially composed of a brush 127, which is arranged on the base frame 118 in such a manner that contact elements 128 come into contact with the brush 127 in the mounting position 117 and are cleaned by the brush 127 each time they are moved into the mounting position 117 and out of the mounting position 117.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2013 013 201.0 | Aug 2013 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2014/066984 | 8/7/2014 | WO | 00 |
