pantograph and a road vehicle equipped with one

Abstract

Current collector (2) for an electrically or hybrid-electrically powered road vehicle (1) for supplying electrical traction energy from a two-pole overhead line system having a contact wire (3) for each contact pole, comprising - a deployable support frame (4) which carries a contact group (9) with at least one contact strip (11) on each contact pole on the contact wire side and has a base joint (7) on the vehicle side for support on the road vehicle (1), and - a lifting device (10) for setting up the support frame (4), by means of which the contact groups (9) can be raised from a lower rest position to an upper contact position to establish contact between slip rings (11) and contact wires (3), and - a protective bridge (12) arranged between the contact groups (9) with a bridge bracket (13) which is arranged and shaped such that a contact wire (3) running laterally from a contact strip (11) between the contact groups (9) runs onto the bridge bracket (13) and is thus protected from catching below a contact strip (11), characterized in that - that the support rod (4) has a forearm (5) connected to the base joint (7) and an upper arm (6) articulated to it, - wherein the contact groups (9) are articulated to a group rocker (8) rotatably mounted on the upper arm (6) in such a way that a vertical relative movement can be carried out by the two contact groups (9) while maintaining a horizontal alignment of the slip strips (11), - wherein the protective bridge (12) has a bridge axle (21) rotatably mounted on the group rocker (8), about which the bridge bracket (13) can be deflected against a spring-elastic restoring force when a contact wire (3) runs onto it, and - wherein a sensor unit detects a deflection of the bridge bracket (13).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a current collector for an electrically or hybrid-electrically powered road vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] For the transport of goods or passengers, electric traction vehicles with pantographs for power supply from an overhead contact line system along the track are well-known in rail transport. However, for some time now, non-rail-bound traction vehicles, particularly road vehicles such as trucks or buses, with diesel-electric drives and pantographs for supplying electrical energy from an overhead contact line system have also been known. Due to the rubber tires of such road vehicles, electrified lanes with a two-pole overhead contact line system are required, with contact wires designed as forward and return conductors suspended above this lane. Accordingly, the pantograph must also be two-pole. It sometimes happens that the contact wires of the two poles hang at different heights above the road surface.A pantograph must be able to maintain contact with both contact wires even under such circumstances.

[0003] Such a pantograph for a two-pole overhead contact line system is known, for example, from German patent application DE 10 2017 203 046 A1. It has a lower arm pivotably mounted on a base and two upper arms pivotably mounted relative to each other at the ends of the lower arm opposite the base. Each upper arm has a separate contact assembly with contact strips, assigned to the respective pole of the overhead contact line. A central compensating rocker is located at the base. The pantograph comprises two drawbars, the first end of which is pivotably connected to the central compensating rocker and the second end of which is pivotably connected to one of the two upper arms. Due to the relative pivotability of the upper arms in conjunction with the compensating rocker, two contact wires with different heights can be contacted simultaneously.

[0004] Another problem with such pantographs is that during a sudden change from the electrified track, there is a risk of the contact wire becoming entangled in the pantograph. German patent application DE 10 2018 215 593 A1 discloses a further development of this known pantograph, in which a rocker bridge is designed as immersion protection for a contact wire running laterally between the contact assemblies. The rocker bridge is attached to the contact assemblies and shaped in such a way that, viewed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the contact strips and the rocker bridge form a continuous, smooth contact surface for the contact wires. The rocker bridge has two bridge arms extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and arranged one behind the other, which are connected centrally by a longitudinal link.The bridge brackets are connected to a first contact wire sensor for detecting contact between the contact wire and the bridge brackets via a resistor network. The contact rockers have two contact strips arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, with a downward-curved end horn at each of their lateral ends. A second contact wire sensor with an inductive detection range is arranged between at least one contact strip and at least one end horn. This sensor is designed to detect contact wire running within its detection range.

[0005] German patent application DE 10 2021 207 821 A1 discloses a current collector for an electrically powered road vehicle for supplying traction energy from a two-pole overhead contact line system. It comprises an articulated support frame that carries a rocker assembly on the contact wire side, with at least one contact strip per pole, and has a base joint on the vehicle side for support on the road vehicle. A lifting drive is coupled to the support frame in such a way that the contact strips can be raised to an upper contact position. The support frame is pantograph-like, with a lower arm and an upper arm connected to it via a knee joint. The rocker assembly has a rocker box with an upper crossbeam and a lower crossbeam, which are connected centrally by a cross member and on both sides by a cross member at pivot joints. The upper arm is connected to the cross member on the contact wire side via a rocker joint.The contact strips of the two contact poles are supported symmetrically on the rocker box relative to the central strut.

[0006] The invention is based on the objective of providing a generic current collector whose operational reliability can be achieved with simpler means.

[0007] The problem is solved according to the invention by a current collector of the type mentioned at the outset with the features specified in the characterizing part of claim 1.

[0008] A pantograph of this type for an electrically or hybrid-electrically powered road vehicle is suitable and designed to supply electrical traction energy from a two-pole overhead contact line system, each contact pole having a contact wire. It comprises an erectable support frame which, on the contact wire side, carries a contact group with at least one contact strip per contact pole and has a base joint on the vehicle side for support on the road vehicle. Furthermore, it includes a lifting device for erecting the support frame, by means of which the contact groups can be raised from a lower rest position to an upper contact position to establish contact between the contact strips and the contact wires. A protective bridge with a bridge bracket is arranged between the contact groups.The bridge bracket is arranged and shaped in such a way that a contact wire running laterally from a contact strip between the contact groups runs onto the bridge bracket and is thus protected from snagging below a contact strip.

[0009] According to the invention, the support linkage has a lower arm connected to the base joint and an upper arm articulated to the lower arm. The pantograph can thus be easily designed as a half-scissor pantograph. Furthermore, the contact groups are articulated to a group rocker mounted rotatably on the upper arm in such a way that a vertical relative movement of the two contact groups can be executed while maintaining a horizontal alignment of the contact strips. The group rocker enables a rocking movement of the contact groups around a rotational axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, which is defined by bearings supported on the upper arm. This allows the contact groups to assume different vertical positions and the associated contact strips to make contact with contact wires at different heights.The protective bridge features a bridge axle rotatably mounted on the group rocker arm, around which the bridge bracket can be deflected against a spring-loaded restoring force when a contact wire runs onto it. Due to the bracket's mounting, it follows the rocking motion of the group rocker arm, thus maintaining immersion protection even on overhead line sections with varying contact wire heights. Without a contact wire in contact, the bridge bracket remains in an acute angled position due to a pre-tensioned bridge spring. It is deflected from this angle by the pressure force of the lifting mechanism as soon as a contact wire running between the contact groups rests on the bridge bracket. A sensor unit detects the deflection of the bridge bracket to identify a contact wire resting on it. This sensor unit can, for example, be implemented as an angle sensor in one of the bridge axle's bearings.

[0010] In an advantageous embodiment of the current collector according to the invention, the sensor unit has a distance sensor and detects a component distance to the distance sensor that changes when the bridge arm is deflected. The distance sensor can, for example, be arranged on the rocker arm and detect the distance to a bracket support by which the bridge arm is connected to the bridge axis and which moves closer to or away from the distance sensor when the bridge arm is deflected.

[0011] In a further advantageous embodiment of the pantograph according to the invention, the sensor unit is connected to the lifting device, which triggers the lowering of the contact groups when a threshold value for the deflection of the bridge arm is reached. A threshold value is predefined for the deflection of the bridge arm, which is neither undershot nor exceeded by vibrations during normal operation of the road vehicle, but only when a contact wire is in contact with the bridge arm. In such a situation, the contact wire no longer has electrical contact with the carbon contact strip from which it has run. When the deflection threshold is reached, a signal is sent to the lifting device to lower the pantograph.If the lifting device is formed by an air bellows that can be pressurized with compressed air, the pressure can be relieved so that the contact groups sink downwards under their own weight, thereby pushing the exhaust air from the air bellows into the environment.

[0012] In a further advantageous embodiment, the current collector according to the invention comprises a release device designed to deflect the bridge arm when the contact groups reach their lower rest position during lowering. The bridge axis can, for example, be rotationally fixed to a release lever which strikes a release stop when the current collector lowers into its lower rest position. This allows a potential failure of the sensor device or the bridge mechanism to be detected. Accordingly, the function of the protective bridge is checked every time the current collector is raised and lowered. Furthermore, the achievement of the lower rest position is reliably detected.

[0013] In a further advantageous embodiment of the current collector according to the invention, the group rocker has an upper crossbeam and a lower crossbeam arranged parallel to it. The upper and lower crossbeams are each rotatably mounted centrally on the upper arm at a central box bearing and each has a lateral box bearing on either side. A group holder is rotatably mounted in each pair of lateral box bearings at the same end, such that the four lateral box bearings form a movable parallelogram. The contact groups of the two contact poles are connected symmetrically to the central box bearings by a group holder each. The group rocker can be box-shaped and forms a rectangle in a horizontal position, which deforms into a parallelogram when the contact groups rock.During the rocking motion, the lateral box bearings of a group holder always remain vertically aligned above each other, ensuring that the contact strips of the contact groups always remain horizontally aligned during the rocking motion.

[0014] In a further advantageous embodiment of the pantograph according to the invention, the support linkage interacts with a parallel guide linkage such that the axes of rotation of the central box bearings remain horizontally aligned when the support linkage is raised. The parallel guide linkage can include a tie rod which, when the lower arm is raised by the lifting device, forces the upper arm to also be raised. Furthermore, the parallel guide linkage can include a coupling rod that connects the lower arm to the group rocker arm in such a way that the axes of rotation of the central and lateral box bearings are always kept horizontal when the support linkage is raised. This ensures that the rocker axis of the rocking motion, defined by the central box bearings, also remains horizontally aligned at all times when the pantograph is raised and lowered.

[0015] In a further advantageous embodiment of the current collector according to the invention, the vertical relative movement of the contact groups is limited by a stop element. A stop at the bottom limits the deformation. The stop element can be rigidly connected to the upper arm and arranged such that it acts as a mechanically limiting stop on both sides of the rocking motion of the contact group rocker. The position of the stop element allows the maximum angle of rotation of the rocking motion, and thus the maximum permissible vertical height difference between the contact groups or between their contact strips, to be set. Advantageously, the position of the stop element is designed to be adjustable in order to allow the maximum height difference to be adjusted.

[0016] In a further advantageous embodiment of the current collector according to the invention, each contact group has a contact strip holder that supports at least one contact strip and is resiliently supported on the group holder by at least one leaf spring. Preferably, a pair of leaf springs, arranged, for example, one above the other and transversely to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, is provided for each contact strip. The leaf springs enable vertical linear oscillation of each contact strip. A contact strip stop can be provided for each contact strip, which can, for example, be arranged on the spring holder and limits the downward vertical oscillation of the contact strip. A second distance sensor can detect the downward deflection of the contact strips, from which the contact force acting between the contact wire and the contact strip can be calculated.If the contact groups have two contact strips arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the height difference between the front and rear contact strips when the contact wire is rising or falling is compensated for by the vertical stroke of the leaf springs so that both contact strips touch the contact wire.

[0017] In a further advantageous embodiment of the current collector according to the invention, each of the contact groups carries only one contact strip. Only one contact strip then presses against each contact wire. The carbon pieces of the contact strips are rounded on the upper side facing the contact wire to ensure uniform contact with the contact wire, particularly when the wire is inclined or inclined.

[0018] In a further advantageous embodiment of the pantograph according to the invention, each contact group has two contact strips arranged parallel to each other. The contact strips are supported by a contact strip holder, which is supported by at least one leaf spring, preferably two pairs of leaf springs, on a spring holder rotatably mounted in a rocker bearing of the group holder. Due to the rotatable mounting, the contact groups are designed as contact rockers, with the spring holder being able to pivot relative to the group holder about a transverse axis of the vehicle. This enables both contact strips of a contact group to simultaneously contact the contact wire, even when the contact wire is inclined. While normally the contact groups are held by two bearings on a continuous axle, here there is only one group holder on the inside with a rocker bearing and only a very short axle.The center of gravity of the contact groups lies below the axis of rotation of the rocker bearing, so that the contact group always aligns itself horizontally when lifting.

[0019] The invention further relates to a road vehicle with an electric or hybrid-electric drive and a pantograph according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

[0020] Further advantages and features will become apparent from the following description of an exemplary embodiment based on the drawings, in which Fig. 1 a front view of a current collector according to the invention, Fig. 2 a central part of the pantograph made of Fig. 1 with protective bridge, Fig. 3-5 side views of the protective bridge made of Fig. 2 with different deflections of the bridge bracket, Fig. 6 a front view of a contact group of the pantograph Fig. 1 and Fig. 7. A side view of the contact group Fig. 6 are illustrated schematically.

[0021] According to Fig. 1 is a road vehicle 1, for example a heavy commercial vehicle, equipped with a pantograph 2 which is suitable and intended for feeding electrical traction energy for an electric or hybrid-electric drive from a two-pole overhead contact line system. The overhead contact line system is known per se and has two contact wires 3 suspended above a lane, designed as outgoing and return conductors. The contact wires 3 run side by side and approximately symmetrically to a center line of the lane, with a longitudinal axis of the road vehicle 1 and the contact wires 3 perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. Fig. The current collector 2 is designed as a pantograph-type half-scissor current collector and comprises an erectable support frame 4 with a lower arm 5 and an upper arm 6 articulated to it. At the vehicle-side end, the lower arm 5 is supported on the road vehicle 1 via a base joint 7. At the contact wire-side end of the upper arm 6, a contact rocker 8 is supported, which carries a contact group 9 on each side for each contact pole. The contact rocker 8 is designed to allow a rocking movement of the contact groups 9 around a rocking axis aligned parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. This allows the vertical positions of the contact groups 9 to have a height difference Δh in order to make contact with contact wires 3 at different heights equally.By means of a lifting device 10, which can be designed, for example, as an air bellows, the support frame 4 is erected or raised, thereby allowing the contact groups 9 to be lifted from a lower rest position to an upper contact position. In the upper contact position, contact strips 11 of the contact groups 9 are pressed against the contact wires 3, and electrical contacts for energy transmission are established. A protective bridge 12, supported on the group rocker 8, with a bridge bracket 13, is arranged between the contact groups 9. The bridge bracket 13 is arranged and, for example, curved in such a way that a contact wire 3 running laterally from a contact strip 11 between the contact groups 9 runs onto the bridge bracket 13. This prevents a contact wire 3 from becoming entangled below a contact strip 11.Not shown in detail is a parallel guide linkage cooperating with the support linkage 4, which provides a positive guidance for the alignment of the rocker axis of the group rocker 8 when the support linkage 4 is erected.

[0022] According to Fig. 2 The group rocker 8 is box-shaped and has an upper crossbeam 14 and a lower crossbeam 15 arranged parallel to it. The crossbeams 14 and 15 are each rotatably mounted centrally on the upper arm 6 at a central box bearing 16. At both ends, the crossbeams 14 and 15 each have a lateral box bearing 17. The two central box bearings 16 can be connected by a central strut 18, to which the upper arm 6 and a coupling rod (not shown) of the parallel guide linkage are articulated. In each pair of lateral box bearings 17 at the same end, a group bracket 19 is rotatably mounted such that the four lateral box bearings 17 form a movable parallelogram. The contact groups 9 (see Figure 2) are... Fig. 1) The two contact poles are symmetrically connected to the central box bearings 16, each with one of the group holders 19. During the rocking motion of the group rocker 8, the lateral box bearings 17 of a group holder 19 always remain vertically aligned, thus keeping the contact strips 11 of the contact groups 9 horizontally aligned during the rocking motion. To limit the vertical relative movement of the contact groups 9, a stop element 20 is connected to the upper arm 6, against which the group rocker 8 mechanically abuts when the maximum rotation angle is reached. The position of the stop element 9 is adjustable, so that the maximum rotation angle and thus the maximum height difference Δh (see figure) can be adjusted. Fig. 1) The contact group 9 is adjustable.

[0023] The protective bridge 12 shows according to Fig. 2 A bridge axle 21 is mounted, rotatably in two bridge bearings 22 supported on the group rocker 8. The bridge bracket 13 is attached to the bridge axle 21 via two bracket supports 23 and is thus pivotable about it. Due to the mounting of the bridge bracket 13, it follows the rocking motion of the group rocker 8, thereby maintaining the immersion protection even in overhead line sections with different contact wire heights.

[0024] According to Fig. 3 to Fig. 5 The bridge bracket 13 can be deflected against a spring-elastic restoring force of a bridge spring 24. The bridge spring 24 is, for example, designed as a pre-tensioned tension spring that exerts a tensile force between a spring holder 26 rigidly connected to the bridge bearing 22 and a spring lever 26 non-rotatably connected to the bracket holder 23.

[0025] According to Fig. 3 The bridge bracket 13 remains without contact wire 3 resting on it due to the pre-tensioned bridge spring 24 in a position set at an acute angle, in which the spring lever 26 rests against a first end stop 27.

[0026] As soon as a contact wire 3 running between the contact groups 9 rests on the bridge bracket 13, it is held in place by the pressure force of the lifting device 10 in the illustrated embodiment according to Fig. The bridge arm 13 is deflected downwards. A second end stop 31 limits the downward deflection of the bridge arm 13. The resulting approach of the bridge arm 13 to the group rocker 8 or to a box bearing 17 can be detected by a sensor device. For this purpose, the sensor device has a first distance sensor 28, which can be arranged on the group rocker 8 or the box bearing 17. For example, by comparing the detected distance with a predefined threshold value, a contact wire 3 can be easily detected via the deflection of the bridge arm 13. Reaching the threshold value can trigger a lowering signal to the lifting device 10, so that the pantograph 2 is lowered in this case.

[0027] The pantograph 2 further comprises a release device that forcibly deflects the bridge arm 13 when the contact groups 9 assume the lower rest position during lowering. For this purpose, the bridge axis 21 can be... Fig. 5 is rotationally fixed to a release lever 29, which moves against a release stop 30 when the pantograph 2 lowers into its lower rest position. This allows a possible failure of the sensor device or the bridge mechanism to be detected. Furthermore, the sensor device reliably detects when the lower rest position has been reached.

[0028] Each contact group 9 indicates according to Fig. 6 and Fig.7 at least one contact strip 11, which is supported by a contact strip holder 32. In the illustrated embodiment, two contact strips 11 are arranged parallel to each other, one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and are jointly supported by a contact strip holder 32. Each of the contact strips 11 has an elongated, electrically conductive piece of carbon, which is held by a support profile. At the lateral ends of the support profile, an outer discharge horn 33 and an inner discharge horn 34 are arranged, which curve downwards. The contact strip holder 32 is resiliently supported on a spring bracket 36 by means of two pairs of leaf springs 35, each arranged one above the other and transversely to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The leaf springs 35 enable a vertical oscillating movement of each contact strip 11, which is limited downwards by contact strip stops 37 arranged on the spring bracket 36.Second distance sensors 38, arranged on the spring bracket 36, can detect the deflection of the downward-pressed contact strips 11. Based on the spring characteristic curve of the leaf springs 35, the contact force acting between the contact wire 3 and the contact strip 11 can be calculated from the detected deflection. The contact groups 9 are designed as contact rockers. For this purpose, a rocker axis 39 of the spring bracket 36 is rotatably mounted in a rocker bearing 40 of the group bracket 19, with the rocker axis 39 extending parallel to a transverse axis of the vehicle. This allows the height difference between the front and rear contact strips 11, which exists when the contact wire 3 is rising or falling, to be compensated for, ensuring that both contact strips 11 touch the contact wire 3.The center of gravity of the contact groups 9 lies below the rocker axis 39, so that when the contact group 9 is lifted, the two slip rings 11 are always in a horizontally aligned contact plane above the rocker axis 39.

Claims

[1] Current collector (2) for an electrically or hybrid-electrically powered road vehicle (1) for supplying electrical traction energy from a two-pole overhead contact line system having a contact wire (3) for each contact pole, comprising - a deployable support frame (4) which carries a contact group (9) with at least one contact strip (11) on each contact pole on the contact wire side and has a base joint (7) on the vehicle side for support on the road vehicle (1), and - a lifting device (10) for setting up the support frame (4), by means of which the contact groups (9) can be raised from a lower rest position to an upper contact position to establish contact between slip rings (11) and contact wires (3), and - a protective bridge (12) arranged between the contact groups (9) with a bridge bracket (13) which is arranged and shaped in such a way that a contact wire (3) running laterally from a contact strip (11) between the contact groups (9) runs onto the bridge bracket (13) and is thus protected from catching below a contact strip (11), characterized by , - that the support rod (4) has a forearm (5) connected to the base joint (7) and an upper arm (6) articulated to it, - wherein the contact groups (9) are articulated to a group rocker (8) rotatably mounted on the upper arm (6) in such a way that a vertical relative movement can be carried out by the two contact groups (9) while maintaining a horizontal alignment of the slip strips (11), - wherein the protective bridge (12) has a bridge axle (21) rotatably mounted on the group rocker (8), about which the bridge bracket (13) can be deflected against a spring-elastic restoring force when a contact wire (3) runs onto it, and - wherein a sensor unit detects a deflection of the bridge bracket (13). [2] Current collector (2) according to claim 1, - wherein the sensor unit has a first distance sensor (28) and detects a component distance to the first distance sensor (28) that changes when the bridge bracket (13) is deflected. [3] Current collector (2) according to any of the preceding claims, - wherein the sensor unit is connected to the lifting device (10), which triggers a lowering of the contact groups (9) when a threshold value for the deflection of the bridge bracket (13) is reached. [4] Current collector (2) according to any of the preceding claims, - comprising a release device designed to forcibly deflect the bridge bracket (13) when the contact groups (9) assume the lower rest position during lowering. [5] Current collector (2) according to any of the preceding claims, - wherein the group seesaw (8) has an upper crossbeam (14) and a lower crossbeam (15) arranged parallel or approximately parallel to it, - wherein the upper crossbeam (14) and the lower crossbeam (15) are each rotatably mounted centrally on a central box bearing (16) on the upper arm (6) and each have a lateral box bearing (17) on both sides, - wherein a group support (19) is rotatably mounted in each of two symmetrical, lateral box bearings (17) such that the four lateral box bearings (17) form a movable parallelogram or approximate parallelogram, - wherein the contact groups (9) of the two contact poles are connected symmetrically to the central box bearings (16) with a group holder (19) each. [6] Current collector (2) according to any of the preceding claims, - wherein the support linkage (4) interacts with a parallel guide linkage in such a way that when the support linkage (4) is erected, the axes of rotation of the central box bearings (16) remain horizontally aligned. [7] Current collector (2) according to any of the preceding claims, - wherein the vertical relative movement of the contact groups (9) is limited by a stop element (20). [8] Current collector (2) according to any of the preceding claims, - wherein each of the contact groups (9) has a contact strip holder (32) supporting at least one contact strip (11), which is resiliently supported on the group holder (19) by at least one leaf spring (35). [9] Current collector (2) according to any of the preceding claims, - where each of the contact groups (9) carries only one sliding strip (11). [10] Current collector (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, - wherein each of the contact groups (9) has two sliding strips (11) arranged parallel to each other, - wherein the two sliding strips (11) are supported by a sliding strip holder (32) which is supported by at least one leaf spring (35) on a spring holder (36) rotatably mounted in a rocker bearing (40) of the group holder (19). [11] Road vehicle (1) with an electric or hybrid-electric drive and a pantograph (2) according to any of the preceding claims.

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