Current collector for road vehicle and road vehicle equipped with current collector
By using acceleration, vibration or impact sensors in non-rail electric or hybrid electric road vehicle current collectors, the problems of slip feeder disengagement and lower conductivity in winter are solved, and contact stability is improved and Identification accuracy reduces costs.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202380043646.5
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-05-31
- Filing Date
- 2023-04-28
- Publication Date
- 2025-01-10
AI Technical Summary
When existing non-rail electric or hybrid electric road vehicle current collectors face factors such as side wind, road topology, vehicle swing or driver negligence, it is easy to cause the sliding feeder to be disconnected from contact and are tied in winter. When ice causes conductivity to drop, sensor recognition delays or fails, which may cause damage to the current collector.
Using scalable articulated supporting link and rocker bridge devices, combined with acceleration sensors, vibration sensors, impact sensors or microphones as slide feeder sensors, to detect contact of slide feeder wires by recording mechanical oscillation, acceleration and impact events. The situation is to avoid defects in the electrical slip feeder sensor, simplify wiring and reduce costs.
Improves contact stability and identification accuracy of the sliding feeder wire, avoids damage caused by misconnection of current collectors or changes in conductivity in winter, simplifies sensor wiring and reduces installation costs.
Smart Images
Figure CN119301006A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention relates to a current collector for a non-railway electric or hybrid electric road vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1 . Background Art
[0002] This type of current collector is known from the open document DE 10 2018 215 593 A1. The current collector is configured for non-track electrically driven vehicles, for feeding energy from an overhead line device having two poles of two sliding feeders. The fed-in energy is mainly used for direct traction supply of the vehicle drive device, but can also be fed to an energy storage device on the vehicle side. The sliding feeders of the overhead line device are tensioned above a lane that can be used by road vehicles, such as a lane of a multi-lane highway. The current collector includes an articulated supporting link, which supports two contact rockers with sliding contact strips arranged side by side on the sliding feeder side, and has a base joint for being hinged to the vehicle on the vehicle side. In addition, the current collector includes a lifting drive coupled to the supporting link, for generating a torque in the base joint to lift the contact rocker. As a result, the contact rocker can be lifted from a static position below to an upper contact position, so that its sliding contact strip is electrically contacted with the corresponding sliding feeder. In order to maintain the sliding contact which is produced during the travel of the road vehicle, the contact strip is pressed against the contact wire with a predetermined contact force by means of a lifting device.
[0003] Compared to rail traffic, in which rail vehicles are guided over rails and the current collectors only have to remain in contact with one contact wire due to the monopolar overhead line system, in road traffic it is much more difficult to guide road vehicles in such a way that the contact strip always remains in contact with the contact wire. In order to compensate for certain tolerances in the contact wire and in the adherence to the lane due to steering, the contact strip has a certain working range transversely to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, which has a certain width, but is limited by the distance between the contact wires to one another in order to avoid short-circuits in the contact wires. Therefore, due to side winds, road topology, swaying movements of road vehicles or negligence of the driver, as well as due to overtaking or evasive maneuvers, it can happen that the contact wire leaves the working range of the contact strip laterally or even through the drainage feelers provided for this purpose. Due to the pressing force applied by the lifting device, there is a risk that the trolley feeder wire will enter the gap between the contact rockers under the trolley bar and get stuck, which may cause serious damage to the collector and the overhead line equipment.
[0004] For this purpose, the collector known from DE 10 2018 215 593 A1 includes a rocker bridge device connected to the contact rocker and constructed as an intrusion protection device, which prevents the sliding feeder extending between the contact rockers from falling laterally below the sliding contact strip. The rocker bridge device is fixed on the contact rocker and is shaped so that, in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the sliding contact strip and the rocker bridge device form a smooth support curve without gaps for the sliding feeder. Thus, the lateral sliding feeder movement can be transferred to the rocker structure without generating significant lateral forces. However, despite this, due to safety reasons, in this case, the collector needs to be lowered. For this purpose, the rocker bridge device of the known collector has two conductive bridge bows, which are connected to the sliding feeder sensor to collect the contact between the sliding feeder and the bridge bow. The sliding feeder sensor is constructed as a conductivity sensor, which collects when the sliding feeder is placed on the two bridge bows and thus connects the two bridge bows in a conductive manner. The conductivity sensor can have a resistance circuit between the bridge bows, which is detuned when the low-ohmic sliding feeder contacts the two bridge bows. The resulting drop below a certain voltage level is registered by the collector controller and can trigger the lowering of the support link to disengage the collector.
[0005] A disadvantage of this known current collector is that, when the rocker bridge device comes into contact with the positively configured contacting wire, the high overhead line voltage can lead to damage to the current collector controller and other electronic components. On the other hand, there is the risk, in particular in winter, that due to ice formation at the bottom of the contacting wire, the electrical conductivity of the contacting wire drops significantly, which can delay or even prevent the detection of the contact of the contacting wire with the rocker bridge device. Summary of the invention
[0006] The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a current collector of the type mentioned at the outset which overcomes the disadvantages described.
[0007] The present invention is based on a collector for non-track electric or hybrid electric road vehicles, for example for heavy commercial vehicles. The collector is arranged to feed in electrical energy from a two-pole overhead line device, each contact pole of which has a sliding feeder. The sliding feeders, which are constructed as positive and negative poles, are preferably spread out in parallel in the middle above the thus electrified track of a roadway, which has infrastructure components known per se, such as electric poles, side brackets, supporting cables, suspension devices, tensioning devices, etc. The collector comprises an articulated support link that can be erected, which supports two contact rockers arranged spaced apart from each other. The support link can be constructed as a pantograph and has a lower arm, an upper arm, a pull rod and a guide rod connected to each other by a joint. By means of a lifting device of the collector, such as an air bellows, the support link can be erected and the contact rocker can be lifted thereby. Each contact pole is associated with one of the contact rockers. At least one sliding contact strip is elastically supported on each contact rocker to contact the sliding feeder associated with the corresponding contact pole. Preferably, two sliding contact strips arranged one after another in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and parallel to the transverse direction of the vehicle are supported on a contact rocker. However, each contact rocker can also support only one sliding contact strip. Downward-bent drainage feelers can be arranged at the lateral ends of the sliding contact strip. The collector also includes a rocker bridge device connecting the contact rockers, and the rocker bridge device is arranged and constructed to protect the sliding feeder running between the contact rockers from falling under the sliding contact strip by being placed on the rocker bridge device. The sliding feeder sliding in the direction of the center of the vehicle is thereby prevented from entering below the level of the sliding contact strip and being stuck there. In order to collect the sliding feeder placed on the rocker bridge device, the collector includes a sliding feeder sensor.
[0008] According to the invention, the contact wire sensor is designed to record mechanical oscillations excited by the contact wire placed on the rocker bridge. If the contact wire slides from the contact strip onto the rocker bridge during the travel of the road vehicle and rubs against the rocker bridge, or if the rocker bridge hits the contact wire when connecting the current collector, parts of the rocker bridge or the entire rocker bridge are caused to oscillate. The amplitude and frequency pattern of this mechanical oscillation characterize the predetermined design of the rocker bridge. By designing the contact wire sensor as an oscillation sensor, this phenomenon can be used to detect the event "detection of the contact wire being placed on the rocker bridge". For this purpose, the recorded oscillations can be fed to an evaluation unit of the contact wire sensor and evaluated there digitally. For example, the currently recorded oscillation pattern can be compared with the oscillation pattern provided in the evaluation unit corresponding to the detection event for similarity or consistency. An acceleration sensor, for example, which determines at least the inertial forces acting on the test mass, is suitable as an oscillation sensor. Depending on the setting, the acceleration sensor can measure the magnitude and direction of the accelerations experienced by the part of the rocker bridge device connected to the acceleration sensor in a short time, or can continuously measure and record these accelerations for a predetermined duration. Acceleration sensors for road vehicles are tested and certified based on a variety of measurement principles. This can avoid the problems of electrical sliding feeder line sensors described at the beginning, especially the error-proneness caused by weather or electromagnetic compatibility problems. In addition, the wiring, which is expensive to install for the known sliding feeder line sensors, is greatly simplified, and the electrical insulation between the two bridge bows of the rocker bridge device can be omitted.
[0009] In an advantageous embodiment of the current collector according to the invention, the sliding feeder sensor has a vibration sensor. The vibration sensor can, for example, piezoelectrically record the oscillations of a part of a rocker bridge connected thereto. In the vibration sensor, a so-called seismic mass is used, which strikes a piezoelectric ceramic by vibration. Accelerations, velocities or general oscillations can be measured. The frequency range that can be measured is between 0.2 and 20,000 Hz. The operating temperature is between -50°C and +85°C, so that the current collector according to the invention can be used well for road operation. From the recorded acceleration diagram, it can be inferred whether the rocker bridge moving in the direction of travel is vibrating due to the sliding feeder on which it is located, or whether its oscillation mode is not typical.
[0010] In another advantageous embodiment of the collector according to the invention, the sliding feeder sensor has an impact sensor. The impact sensor includes an electronic component that changes the initial state of its circuit due to the impact or vibration that occurs. This can be used to determine the collision of the sliding feeder to the rocker bridge device, especially when the collector is connected incorrectly. Impacts and vibrations are continuously collected by integrating MEMS technology (English: Micro Electro Mechanical System). The evaluation unit integrated in the impact sensor distinguishes between normal acceleration and impact events, which occur when the collector is erected and lowered and when the contact rocker is compressed, and the impact event is caused by the sliding feeder colliding with the rocker bridge device. Once a pre-set limit value is exceeded, a signal is output to a superior controller. These sensors can be directly fixed to the components of the rocker bridge device, for example, fixed to one or two bridge bows.
[0011] In another advantageous embodiment of the current collector according to the invention, the sliding feeder sensor has a microphone. The mechanical oscillations excited by the sliding feeder hitting the rocker bridge and by the sliding feeder rubbing against the rocker bridge cause characteristic sound emissions of the oscillating part of the rocker bridge. A microphone with a matching frequency range can record such sound events and monitor with the aid of an evaluation unit whether a detection event "placing of the sliding feeder on the rocker bridge is detected" exists.
[0012] In another advantageous embodiment of the current collector according to the invention, the current collector according to the invention further comprises a control device, which is designed to trigger the lowering of the support link together with the contact rocker, wherein the control device is connected to the sliding feeder sensor and triggers the lowering when the sliding feeder sensor detects that the sliding feeder is placed on the rocker bridge device. In order to avoid indirect damage after the sliding feeder is placed despite the presence of the rocker bridge device, a rapid lowering of the current collector is triggered. This can be achieved, for example, by the deadweight of the support link and the contact rocker in a gravity-driven manner when the lifting device designed as an air bellows is deactivated and the ventilation duct with a large outlet cross section is released.
[0013] The invention also relates to an electric or hybrid electric road vehicle having a current collector according to any of the preceding claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] Further advantages and features of the invention are apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0015] Figure 1 schematically shows a current collector according to the invention viewed in the longitudinal direction of a vehicle, and
[0016] Figure 2 Schematically shows Figure 1 A three-dimensional illustration of the rocker bridge device of the collector. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] according to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , an electric or hybrid electric road vehicle 1, such as a truck or bus, comprises a current collector 2, by means of which electrical energy can also be fed in from an overhead line system during travel. The overhead line system is designed to be bipolar and, in a manner spread out above the roadway, each contact pole comprises a sliding feeder 3 for supplying electrical energy. The current collector 2 shown is designed as a semi-scissor pantograph and comprises an articulated support link 4 with a lower arm 5 and two upper arms 6, which are each pivotably connected to the lower arm 5 via a knee joint 7. Each of the two upper arms 6 supports a contact rocker 8 with two parallel sliding contact strips 9 on the sliding feeder side, which are arranged one behind the other parallel to the vehicle transverse direction Y and with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction X. In order to articulate the current collector 2 to the road vehicle 1, the lower arm 5 is pivotably connected to the road vehicle 1 on the vehicle side via a base joint 11 and is supported on a link base 10. A lifting device known per se and therefore not shown in detail is coupled to the support link 5 so that the contact rocker 8 can be lifted. The lifting device can be designed as a pneumatic spring bellows which generates a torque in the base joint 11 that lifts the contact rocker 8 when a force is applied via a suitable mechanical coupling.
[0018] In the rest position below the contact rocker 8, the supporting link 5 of the disconnected collector 2 is folded upwards, so that the road vehicle 1 does not exceed the maximum permissible vehicle dimensions to be observed for operation outside the electrified track and the collector 2 is in an electrically safe state. When the collector 2 is connected, the lower arm 5 is erected, wherein a pull rod (not shown) forces the upper arm 7 to erect until the contact rocker 8 reaches the position at which the upper arm 7 is pulled upwards. Figure 1 , in which electrical contact is established between the sliding contact strip 9 and the sliding feeder 3. To this end, the road vehicle 1 needs to be fully located in the middle of the electrified track so that the contact point of the sliding feeder 3 is located within the working range of the sliding contact strip 9.
[0019] The current collector 2 comprises a rocker bridge device 12 which is designed as an intrusion protection device for a trolley feeder 3' running laterally between adjacent contact rockers 8. If the vehicle 1 and therefore the current collector 2 are deflected laterally too much from the middle of the electrified track, the trolley feeder 3 may fall onto the track when the current collector 2 is connected and in the connected state. Figure 1The position of the sliding feeder 3' is shown in the figure. The rocker bridge device 12 prevents the contact rocker 8 from rising due to the lifting force of the contact rocker 8 transmitted by the lifting drive device, thereby preventing the sliding feeder 3' from entering the gap between the contact rockers 8, which may otherwise cause serious damage to the collector 2 and other parts of the overhead line equipment. The rocker bridge device 12 is fixed to the contact rocker 8 so that when the sliding feeder 3' is pressed against the rocker bridge device 12, the mutual alignment of the contact rockers 8 is achieved. The rocker bridge device 12 is shaped and arranged so that, viewed in the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle, the sliding contact strip 9 and the rocker bridge device 12 form a smooth supporting curve without gaps for the sliding feeder 3 or 3'. As a result, a soft transition of the sliding feeder 3' is achieved between adjacent contact rockers 8, and the rocker bridge device 12 does not affect the movement of the contact rocker 8 during normal operation.
[0020] according to Figure 2 The rocker bridge 12 has two bridge bows 14 running parallel to the vehicle transverse direction Y and arranged one after another with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction X. The tubular bridge bows 14 are curved and descend laterally downward. The bridge bows 14 are connected approximately in the middle by a rod-shaped longitudinal deflection rod 16 via clamping elements 17 that surround the bridge bows 14 from below. Each clamping element 17 is coupled to each end of the longitudinal deflection rod 16 via a swivel joint 18 with a vertical rotation axis. In addition, the rocker bridge 12 has support elements 19, by which the bridge bows 14 are supported on the adjacent contact rockers 8. In this case, the end sections 15 of the bridge bows 14 are supported in ball joints 20 arranged in the support elements 19. The thin rod end caps of the bridge bows 14 are guided by the ball joints 20 in a longitudinally movable manner. Through the articulated connection of the rocker bridge 12 and its freedom of movement, the rocker bridge 12 allows the contact rockers 8 to move relative to each other and ensures their mutual alignment. Each of the two contact rockers 8 has two sliding contact strips 9 arranged one after another in the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle, and downwardly bent drainage feelers 21 are arranged on the lateral ends of the sliding contact strips 9. Figure 2 Only the inner drainage tentacles 21 among these drainage tentacles 21 can be seen.
[0021] according to Figure 1 and Figure 2The collector 2 also includes a trolley sensor 22, which detects when the vehicle 1 with the connected collector 2 deviates from the middle of the lane, so that the trolley 3' leaves the working range of the contact strip 9 and is located on the bridge bow 14 of the rocker bridge 12. According to the invention, the trolley sensor 22 is designed to record mechanical oscillations excited by the trolley 3' located on the rocker bridge 12. If the trolley 3' slides from the contact strip 9 onto the rocker bridge 12 during the travel of the road vehicle 1 and rubs against the rocker bridge 12, or if the rocker bridge 12 hits the trolley 3' when the collector 2 is connected, parts of the rocker bridge 12 or the entire rocker bridge 12 are caused to oscillate. The amplitude and frequency pattern of this mechanical oscillation are characteristic of the predetermined design of the rocker bridge 12. By configuring the trolley sensor 22 as an oscillation sensor, this phenomenon can be used to detect the event "detection of the placement of the trolley 3' on the rocker bridge 12". For this purpose, the recorded oscillations can be fed to an evaluation unit of the contact feeder sensor 22 and evaluated there in a digital manner. For example, the currently recorded oscillation pattern can be compared for similarity or consistency with the oscillation pattern provided in the evaluation unit and corresponding to the detection event. An acceleration sensor, for example, which determines the inertial forces acting on the test mass, is suitable as an oscillation sensor. Depending on the setting, the acceleration sensor can measure the magnitude and direction of the accelerations experienced by the part of the rocker bridge 12 to which the acceleration sensor is connected for a short period of time, or can continuously measure and record these accelerations for a predeterminable duration.
[0022] The contact feeder sensor 22 can also have a vibration sensor, which, for example, piezoelectrically records the oscillations of parts of the rocker bridge 12 connected thereto. In the vibration sensor, a so-called seismic mass is used, which strikes a piezoelectric ceramic by vibration. Accelerations, velocities or general oscillations can be measured. The frequency range that can be measured is between 0.2 and 20,000 Hz. The operating temperature is between -50°C and +85°C, so that the collector 2 according to the invention can be used well for road operation. From the recorded acceleration diagram, it can be inferred whether the rocker bridge 12 moving in the direction of travel is vibrating due to the contact feeder 3' on which it is located, or whether its oscillation mode is not typical.
[0023] The sliding feeder sensor 22 may also have an impact sensor. The impact sensor includes an electronic component that changes the initial state of its circuit due to the impact or vibration that occurs. This can be used to determine the collision of the sliding feeder 3' to the rocker bridge device 12, especially when the collector 2 is connected incorrectly. Impacts and vibrations are continuously collected by integrating MEMS technology (English: Micro ElectroMechanical System). The evaluation unit integrated in the impact sensor distinguishes between normal acceleration and impact events, which occur when the collector 2 is erected and lowered and when the contact rocker 8 is compressed, and the impact event is caused by the sliding feeder 3' colliding with the rocker bridge device 12. Once a preset limit value is exceeded, a signal is output to the control device 23 of the collector 2. These sensors can be directly fixed to the components of the rocker bridge device 12, for example, fixed to one or two bridge bows 14.
[0024] The trolley feeder sensor 22 can also have a microphone. The mechanical oscillations excited by the impact of the trolley feeder 3' on the rocker bridge 12 and by the friction of the trolley feeder 3' on the rocker bridge 12 cause characteristic sound emissions of the oscillating part of the rocker bridge 12. A microphone with a matching frequency range can record such sound events and monitor with the aid of an evaluation unit whether a detection event "the placement of the trolley feeder 3' on the rocker bridge 12" is detected.
[0025] In either case, the control device 23 of the current collector 2 is designed to trigger the lowering of the support link 4 together with the contact rocker 8, wherein the control device 23 is connected to the sliding feeder sensor 22 and triggers the lowering when the sliding feeder sensor 22 detects that the sliding feeder 3' is placed on the rocker bridge device 12. In order to avoid indirect damage after the sliding feeder 3' is placed and / or after the sliding contact is broken despite the existence of the rocker bridge device 12, a rapid lowering of the current collector 2 is triggered. This can be achieved, for example, by the deadweight of the support link 4 and the contact rocker 8 in a gravity-driven manner.
Claims
1. A current collector (2) for a non-railway electric or hybrid electric road vehicle (1), for feeding in electrical energy from a two-pole overhead line device, each contact pole of the overhead line device having a sliding feeder (3, 3'), the current collector comprising: - an articulated support link (4) which can be erected and which supports two contact rockers (8) arranged at a distance from one another, wherein at least one sliding contact strip (9) is elastically supported on each contact rocker (8) in order to contact a sliding contact wire (3, 3') associated with the respective contact pole, - a rocker bridge (12) connected to the contact rockers (8), the rocker bridge being arranged and constructed to protect the trolley feeder (3') running between the contact rockers (8) from dropping under the trolley bar (9) by being placed on the rocker bridge (12), and - a sliding feeder sensor (22) for collecting data from a sliding feeder (3') placed on the rocker bridge device (12), The invention is characterized in that the contact line sensor (22) is designed to register mechanical oscillations excited by a contact line (3') placed on the rocker bridge device (12).
2. The current collector (2) according to claim 1, -in, The contact feeder sensor (22) has a vibration sensor.
3. Current collector (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, -in, The contact feeder sensor (22) has an impact sensor.
4. Current collector (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, -in, The sliding contact feeder sensor (22) has a microphone.
5. Current collector (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, - the current collector further comprises a control device (23) configured to trigger the lowering of the supporting link (4) and the contact rocker (8), -in, The control device (23) is connected to the trolley feeder sensor (22) and triggers the descent when the trolley feeder sensor (22) detects that the trolley feeder (3') is placed on the rocker bridge device (12).
6. An electric or hybrid electric road vehicle (1) having a current collector (2) according to any one of the preceding claims.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Current collector for a non-track-bound, electrically powered vehicle
DE102018215593A1