METHOD AND CONTROL ARRANGEMENT OF A VEHICLE WITH A ROOF-MOUNTED POWER CONVERTER

Abstract

Method (600) performed by a control arrangement (500) of a vehicle (100), the vehicle (100) comprising a roof-mounted pantograph (130) configured to be connected to a power transmission segment (120) above the vehicle (100) while traveling on a road (101), the method (600) comprising the following steps: Detecting (601) a road irregularity (410) where the connection between the pantograph (130) and the power transmission segment (120) is expected to be interrupted; and temporary reduction (603) of the current demand of an energy converter (260) of the vehicle (100) below a current threshold value while the vehicle (100) passes the detected (601) road irregularity (410).

Description

TECHNICAL AREA

[0001] This document discloses a method and control arrangement for a vehicle comprising a roof-mounted pantograph configured to be connected to a power transmission segment above the vehicle while traveling on a road. The method relates to preventing the activation of an overvoltage protection mechanism configured to disconnect the pantograph from the power transmission segment when the voltage transmitted by the power transmission segment exceeds a voltage threshold due to vertical vehicle movements while passing over a road irregularity, by temporarily reducing the power demand of the energy converter during passage through the road irregularity. BACKGROUND

[0002] One way to transfer energy to a vehicle with an electric drive system, such as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHV), a plug-in hybrid, or a battery electric vehicle (BEV), is through the use of a roof-mounted pantograph. Energy transfer can be dynamic, meaning the vehicle's battery can be charged while driving on a road that includes an energy transfer segment. Once the battery is sufficiently charged, the vehicle can then leave the road with the energy transfer segment and drive on a "normal" road (i.e., without an energy transfer segment) to, for example, pick up or discharge a charge, and then return to the road with the energy transfer segment.

[0003] This results in various attractive advantages, such as reduced pollution / emissions of carbon dioxide and / or nitrogen oxides, lower noise levels during operation, lower operating costs (for fuel), lower maintenance / service costs, and time savings during the journey (since no refueling stop is necessary) compared to vehicles with combustion engines.

[0004] Compared to an electric vehicle with a battery but without pantographs, time is saved during the journey because no stationary battery charging is necessary.

[0005] It may also be possible to use a smaller battery in the pantograph vehicle, which would save costs and reduce the vehicle weight.

[0006] The vehicle with the electric drive system can include a rechargeable battery or similar energy storage device that can be fully recharged by connecting the roof-mounted pantograph to a positive or negative contact wire of the power transmission segment. Furthermore, an electric motor in the vehicle can be powered by the electricity stored in the batteries. A hybrid vehicle may also include an internal combustion engine. This can mitigate the range anxiety problem experienced by purely electric vehicles, as the combustion engine serves as a backup when the batteries are depleted and the vehicle needs to travel on a road without a power transmission segment.

[0007] The vehicle described here with the pantograph can be, for example, a truck, a bus, a van, a car, a motorcycle or any other similar type of vehicle that does not run on rails, i.e., that travels on a road on which overhead wires of an energy transmission segment are arranged.

[0008] The vehicle battery is a relatively expensive component that can be damaged by a voltage spike, such as one caused by a lightning strike to the pantograph and / or power transmission segment, rendering the vehicle inoperable and effectively blocking traffic. An even more serious concern is that electric batteries often contain components that can catch fire or explode if they overheat, a consequence of the overvoltage supplied to the battery.

[0009] For these reasons, the pantograph often includes an overvoltage protection mechanism configured to physically disconnect the pantograph from the power transmission segment by lowering it when the voltage transmitted by the power transmission segment exceeds a predetermined voltage limit.

[0010] Unlike electric trains that run on rails, potholes and similar irregularities in the road surface cause vertical vehicle movements in vehicles traveling on the road as they cross the irregularity. These vertical vehicle movements, in turn, lead to shocks between the pantograph and the wires of the power transmission segment, which in turn causes fluctuations or switching of the contact between the pantograph and the wires.

[0011] If contact is lost, the voltage on the vehicle side of the pantograph drops rapidly because the vehicle's power demand remains. When the pantograph eventually re-establishes contact with the wires, the capacitors can be charged to a voltage exceeding the voltage limit, triggering the pantograph's overvoltage protection mechanism to shut it off by lowering it.

[0012] The driver then has to operate a switch to raise the pantograph again and connect it to the power transmission segment, which can be distracting for the driver while driving.

[0013] An inattentive driver (or a driver inexperienced in operating a pantograph vehicle) might not notice the pantograph being lowered and continue driving on battery power without charging the battery. Since the pantograph then remains disconnected from the overhead wires, the vehicle's batteries will not charge, which could later lead to emergency braking when the battery is depleted.

[0014] Furthermore, it is better for the driver to focus his attention on the traffic situation in the surrounding area rather than constantly checking whether the pantograph is correctly raised on the power transmission segment.

[0015] The general concept of supplying electricity via overhead lines and pantographs for the propulsion of vehicles has been known for a long time (end of the nineteenth century).

[0016] From a global perspective, it is claimed that emissions of so-called greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide from combustion engines contribute to global warming, at least by some scientists. This problem could be completely eliminated or at least reduced by replacing combustion engine vehicles with pantograph electric vehicles (at least if the electricity supplied by the energy transmission segment is not generated by burning coal or other fossil fuels).

[0017] Despite the numerous advantages offered by the concept of pantograph technology itself, and the relatively long period of technological development in this area, it has not yet been possible to deploy road vehicles with roof-mounted pantographs on a large scale.

[0018] In this context, DE 10 2020 200 449 A1 refers to a road-guided motor vehicle with at least one pantograph for at least one overhead line and at least one actuator, wherein the motor vehicle is designed such that the at least one pantograph is controlled by the actuator from a first lowered position to a second raised position or vice versa, and wherein the pantograph is assigned at least one sensor which is connected to a control unit of the actuator via data transmission. The control unit is designed such that the contact pressure of the pantograph against the overhead line is detected or determined using the data from the sensor.Furthermore, the vehicle has a memory containing spatially resolved contact pressures and a position detection unit, the vehicle being designed such that a corresponding contact pressure is read from the memory for a position of the vehicle determined by the position detection unit. The read contact pressure is then automatically set by the control unit or signaled to the driver so that the driver can adjust it manually.

[0019] German patent DE 11 2016 001 257 T5 relates to a system and method for checking a track and / or a vehicle system. The system includes a control unit and track testing equipment. The track testing equipment receives a track parameter that identifies the state of a track over which a vehicle system is traveling. The control unit receives the track parameter and analyzes it to determine the track's state. The control unit can control at least one operational aspect of the vehicle system depending on the determined track state.

[0020] It is evident that further developments are needed for the practical implementation of vehicles with electric drive systems and roof-mounted pantographs, which will provide a solution to the problems mentioned above. SUMMARY

[0021] An objective of the present invention is to solve or alleviate at least some of the problems mentioned above and to improve the functionality of the power transmission from a power transmission segment to a vehicle with a roof-mounted pantograph.

[0022] According to a first aspect of the invention, this objective is achieved by a method carried out by a vehicle control system. The vehicle includes a roof-mounted pantograph configured to establish a connection with a power transmission segment located above the vehicle while driving on a road. The method includes detecting a road irregularity where the connection between the pantograph and the power transmission segment is expected to be interrupted. The method also includes temporarily reducing the current demand of a vehicle energy converter below a current threshold while the vehicle passes the detected road irregularity.

[0023] According to a second aspect of the invention, this objective is achieved by a vehicle control arrangement comprising a roof-mounted pantograph configured to be connected to a power transmission segment above the vehicle while driving on a road. The control arrangement is configured to detect a road irregularity where the connection between the pantograph and the power transmission segment is expected to be interrupted. Furthermore, the control arrangement is configured to temporarily reduce the power demand of a vehicle energy converter below a certain threshold while the vehicle passes the detected road irregularity.

[0024] By predicting the moment the vehicle passes the road irregularity that causes the interruption of contact between the pantograph and the power transmission segment, it is possible to reduce the current demand immediately before reaching the hole / extrusion / object in the road that forms the irregularity. This reduced current demand results in a smaller voltage drop when passing the irregularity compared to the prior art solution. Consequently, the voltage level increase when the pantograph re-establishes contact with the power transmission segment is minimal compared to the prior art and small enough not to trigger the pantograph's overvoltage protection mechanism.

[0025] This prevents the pantograph's overvoltage protection mechanism from switching off the pantograph by physically lowering it.

[0026] Once the vehicle has passed the road irregularity, the power demand is increased back to the normal level so that the battery can be charged normally.

[0027] This makes it possible to maintain the pantograph's overvoltage protection to protect against various faults in the power grid, lightning strikes, etc., while avoiding the disadvantage of unnecessary activations of the overvoltage protection and interruptions of the pantograph, which would otherwise require manual intervention by the driver to reconnect the pantograph to the power transmission segment after passing a road irregularity.

[0028] Safety is increased because the driver can concentrate on the road and the traffic situation instead of constantly checking whether the surge protection has switched off the pantograph, and if so: whether it is back in contact with the power transmission segment.

[0029] Further advantages and additional new features will become apparent from the detailed description below. FIGURES

[0030] Embodiments of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: Fig. Figure 1A shows a side view of a vehicle with a pantograph mounted on the roof; Fig. 1B shows a vehicle with a pantograph mounted on the roof in a top view; Fig. 2 shows an overview of a vehicle with a pantograph mounted on the roof and an energy transmission segment with overhead lines according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 3 shows a comparison of the voltage distribution when passing a road irregularity between a vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 4 shows an overview of a vehicle with a pantograph mounted on the roof and a section of road comprising a power transmission segment, from a top-down perspective; Fig. 5A shows an example of a vehicle interior according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 5B shows an example of a vehicle interior according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 5C shows an example of a vehicle interior according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 5D shows an example of a vehicle interior according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 6 is a flowchart that illustrates one embodiment of a process; Fig. 7 is an illustration of a system according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The embodiments of the invention described herein are defined as a method and a control arrangement that can be implemented in the embodiments described below. However, these embodiments can be illustrated and implemented in many different forms and are not limited to the examples presented here; rather, these illustrative examples of embodiments are provided to ensure that this disclosure is thorough and complete.

[0032] Further objectives and features can be seen from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that the drawings serve only for illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the embodiments disclosed herein, for which reference is made to the accompanying claims. Furthermore, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and, unless otherwise stated, serve only to conceptually illustrate the structures and processes described herein.

[0033] Fig. Figure 1A shows a scenario with a vehicle 100 traveling in a direction 105 on a road 101. In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 may include a rechargeable battery 110 or another similar energy storage device. The battery 110 can be charged by conductive electrical transfer from an overhead power transmission segment 120 via a roof-mounted pantograph 130.

[0034] Vehicle 100 could be, for example, a truck, bus, van, car, motorcycle, mining vehicle such as an excavator, agricultural vehicle, or another similar type of vehicle. Vehicle 100 could be configured for operation on a road, off-road, on a construction site, or in a mine.

[0035] Vehicle 100 can be configured in various ways, including driver-operated or driverless, autonomously controlled vehicles. For clarity, however, Vehicle 100 will be described below as a vehicle with a driver.

[0036] The battery 110 of vehicle 100 can be charged via the energy transmission segment 120 using the pantograph 130 mounted on the roof. An electric motor in vehicle 100 is then supplied with power either from battery 110 or directly from a drive inverter.

[0037] One advantage of energy storage in the battery 110 is that the vehicle 100 does not have to be constantly attached to the energy transmission segment 120, but can move away from the road 101 on which the energy transmission segment 120 is located.

[0038] However, some embodiments of the vehicle 100 may also include an additional internal combustion engine, which provides greater independence from the overhead power transmission segment 120 and enables more extensive operation off-grid. This additional unit not only provides greater operational capability away from the power lines, but also serves as protection against electrical failures in the electrical system.

[0039] One advantage of the battery 110 and / or the combustion engine is that the vehicle 100 can, for example, bypass a track closure and / or reduce the quantity and / or complexity of overhead lines required, for example, in maintenance workshops, depots, etc.

[0040] The energy transmission segment 120 is located above a road 101 or track of the vehicle 100 or possibly at the edge of the road 101 and in some embodiments may, for example, comprise two contact wires, a contact wire 121 with a positive pole and a contact wire 122 with a negative pole, which extend substantially parallel to each other and to the road 101 along at least part of the track of the vehicle 100.

[0041] This differs from the corresponding energy transmission section of a tram or electric train, which normally uses the track as the return path for the electrical current and therefore only requires one wire and one pole. However, other embodiments may provide a contact wire 121, 122 above the vehicle 100 and a contact wire below or on the side of the vehicle 100.

[0042] The roof-mounted pantograph 130 can therefore, for example, comprise two pantographs 135a, 135b, or pantograph shoes, as they may also be called. One pantograph 135a can be provided for the contact wire 121 with the positive pole and another pantograph 135b for the contact wire 122 with the negative pole, as shown in Fig. 1B can be seen. This is related to the representation in Fig. 2 explained in more detail.

[0043] The vehicle 100 can have one or more pantographs 130. The pantograph 130 can be designed in various embodiments, e.g., as a symmetrical or diamond-shaped pantograph, as a half-pantograph, as a Z-shaped pantograph, as pantograph arms, or in a similar arrangement. The pantograph 130 can have either a single or a double arm in various embodiments. Furthermore, the two pantographs 135a, 135b can be jointly supported by one pantograph 130, or, in various embodiments, separate pantographs 130 can be used for each pantograph 135a, 135b.

[0044] The pantograph 130 can further be arranged in such a way that it brings one or both pantographs 135a, 135b into contact with the respective contact wire 121, 122, e.g. by applying a substantially upward force to the pantographs 135a, 135b, thereby bringing them into contact with the contact wires 121, 122, which in turn are connected to a mains power supply 210.

[0045] The upward force can be generated by pneumatic or hydraulic means, by a spring, by the elasticity of the material, by an electric motor, by a driver-controlled mechanical mechanism, or by a combination thereof. In some embodiments, a sensor can be configured to measure the compressive force between the pantographs 135a, 135b and the contact wires 121, 122. Exerting an excessive compressive force between the pantographs 135a, 135b and the contact wires 121, 122 (i.e., exceeding a limit) is undesirable, as this can increase the wear of the wires 121, 122 / pantographs 135a, 135b.

[0046] The pantograph 130 can include an overvoltage protection device 220 configured to disconnect the pantograph 130 from the power transmission segment 120 by lowering it towards the vehicle roof when the voltage transmitted by the power transmission segment 120 exceeds a voltage limit.

[0047] This protects the battery 110 and various other electronic components of the vehicle 100 from serious damage caused by overvoltage.

[0048] The current collector 130 can also include fuses 230, a main contactor 240 with pre-charging, and a DC converter 250, which supplies the battery 110 and / or an energy converter 260 with direct current, which in turn supplies an electric motor 270 with current. The electric motor 270 converts the supplied electricity into a rotary motion of a motor shaft via a coupling 280 and a gearbox 290 into a drive unit 295, which converts the rotational speed of the motor shaft into a corresponding wheel axle speed, which is supplied to the drive wheels of the vehicle 100.

[0049] Fig. Figure 3 schematically shows the voltage distribution at the DC / DC converter 250 of the vehicle 100 when passing a road irregularity, such as a hole or similar in the road surface.

[0050] The partially dashed line illustrates an example of the prior art problem solution. When vehicle 100 reaches the road irregularity at time t1, the resulting vertical vehicle movements cause the pantograph to lose contact with one or both wires 121, 122 of the power transmission segment 120. When contact is lost, the voltage on the vehicle side of the pantograph 130 drops rapidly because the current demand of vehicle 100 persists. When the pantograph 130 eventually re-establishes contact with wires 121, 122, the capacitors can be charged to a voltage exceeding the voltage limit U, thereby triggering the overvoltage protection mechanism 220 of the pantograph 130 to switch off the pantograph 130 by lowering it.

[0051] This problem is solved by the inventive method described here, which is described in Fig. The problem shown in Figure 3 by the solid line is completely avoided. By reducing the current demand immediately before reaching the road irregularity, the voltage level drops significantly less than with the prior art solution. Accordingly, the voltage increase when the pantograph 130 comes into contact with wires 121, 122 is also low compared to the prior art and remains safely below the voltage limit U.

[0052] This prevents the overvoltage protection 220 of the pantograph 130 from being triggered when passing the road irregularity.

[0053] Once the vehicle has passed the road irregularity at 100 km / h, the power demand is increased back to the normal level so that the battery can be charged normally.

[0054] Fig. Figure 4 schematically shows a vehicle 100 with a pantograph 130, traveling in a direction 105 on a road 101 which includes an energy transmission segment 120 above the road 101. The vehicle battery 110 can be charged by conductive electrical transfer from the above-ground energy transmission segment 120 via the roof-mounted pantograph 130.

[0055] The energy transmission segment 120 is located above the road 101 or the track of the vehicle 100 and may comprise one or two contact wires, e.g. a contact wire 121 with positive pole and a contact wire 122 with negative pole, which extend parallel to each other and to the road 101 along at least one section of the track of the vehicle 100.

[0056] In some embodiments, the road 101 may have a single, consistent energy transmission segment 120 from the starting point to the final destination of the vehicle 100. In other embodiments, the road 101 may be provided with one or more distinct energy transmission segments 120, and the vehicle 100 may be powered either by stored electricity in the battery / energy storage device 110 in the vehicle 100 or alternatively by an internal combustion engine in the vehicle 100, e.g., if the vehicle 100 is a PHEV, PHV, or similar hybrid vehicle 100.

[0057] In some embodiments, the electricity can be at least partially generated by solar cells and supplied to the energy transmission segment 120, which are arranged at the roadside and / or above the energy transmission segment 120 and fulfill the multiple functions of electricity generation, noise reduction, shading, and / or wildlife protection. These solar cells can be opaque (to protect the surroundings from the view of traffic) or transparent (to enhance the driver's visual experience while driving), or a combination thereof.

[0058] The path of the energy transmission segment 120, which includes the overhead contact lines 121, 122 and the road path 101, can be detected by suitable sensors on the vehicle 100, such as a monocular camera, a stereo camera, a laser scanner, an ultrasonic sensor, the Global Positioning System (GPS) in combination with detailed GPS data, by receiving information from other vehicles (or a sensor on another vehicle) via wireless communication, by receiving information from an external sensor via wireless communication, or a combination of at least two of the listed techniques for detecting the energy transmission segment 120.

[0059] Unfortunately, road 101 may have a road irregularity 410 at a specific road section 420.

[0060] The road irregularity 410 can include, for example, various irregularities in the road surface, such as holes, bumps, corrugations, obstacles and / or debris, which may be permanent, long-term or temporary.

[0061] To prevent the pantograph 130 from being disconnected from the power transmission segment 120 by the pantograph's overvoltage protection 220 due to vertical vehicle movements while passing the road irregularity 410, it is desirable to detect the road irregularity 410 in front of the vehicle 100 before it passes it and to temporarily reduce the power demand of a power converter 260 of the vehicle 100 below a current threshold while the vehicle 100 passes the detected road irregularity 410.

[0062] Road safety is increased because the driver can concentrate on the road and the traffic situation instead of looking at the contact wires 121, 122 and checking whether the overvoltage protection 220 has been activated and whether the pantograph 130 is in contact with the energy transmission segment 120.

[0063] Fig. 5A shows an example of how the previous scenario in Fig. 4 can be perceived by the driver of vehicle 100 (if present, vehicle 100 can be autonomous).

[0064] The vehicle 100 includes a control arrangement 500 for controlling and adjusting the power requirements of an energy converter 260 of the vehicle 100 when passing a road irregularity 410.

[0065] In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 may include a navigation / positioning device 510 based on a satellite navigation system such as the Navigation Signal Timing and Ranging (Navstar) Global Positioning System (GPS), Differential GPS (DGPS), Galileo, GLONASS or similar.

[0066] The geographical position of the navigation device 510 (and thus also of the vehicle 100 and / or the pantograph 130) can be continuously determined at certain predetermined or configurable time intervals according to various embodiments.

[0067] Positioning via satellite navigation is based on distance measurement through triangulation from a series of satellites: 520a, 520b, 520c, and 520d. These satellites continuously transmit information about the time and date (e.g., in coded form), their identity (which satellite is transmitting), their status, and their location at any given time. The GPS satellites transmit information encoded using various codes, for example, but not necessarily, based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). This allows the information of a single satellite 520a, 520b, 520c, 520d to be distinguished from the information of the others, based on a unique code for each individual satellite 520a, 520b, 520c, 520d.This information can then be transmitted to be received by the appropriately adapted navigation device 510 in the vehicle 100.

[0068] According to some embodiments, the distance measurement can include measuring the time difference that each satellite signal transmitted by the respective satellites 520a, 520b, 520c, 520d requires to reach the navigation device 510. Since the radio signals travel at the speed of light, the distance to the respective satellite 520a, 520b, 520c, 520d can be calculated by measuring the signal travel time.

[0069] The positions of satellites 520a, 520b, 520c, and 520d are known because they are continuously monitored by approximately 15-30 ground stations located primarily along and near the equator. This allows the geographic position, i.e., the geographic latitude and longitude, of vehicle 100 to be calculated by determining the distance to at least three satellites 520a, 520b, 520c, and 520d through triangulation. According to some embodiments, the signals from four satellites 520a, 520b, 520c, and 520d can be used to determine the altitude.

[0070] After the geographical position / direction of travel 105 of the navigation device 510 (and thus also of the vehicle 100 and / or the pantograph 130) has been determined, it can optionally be displayed on a map / display 540, on which the position of the vehicle 100 and the positions of the road irregularities 410 detected in the past, which were taken from a database 530, can be marked.

[0071] In this case, the positions of the previously known / detected road irregularities 410 are stored in a local database 530 in the vehicle 100, which has the advantage that one is not dependent on access to the wireless communication network.

[0072] In some embodiments, a message, sign, or other display on the screen 540 may also inform the driver of the upcoming road irregularity 410. If the vehicle is carrying 100 passengers (e.g., a bus or an ambulance, etc.), the driver may wish to pass the road irregularity 410 at a reduced speed to avoid inconvenience to the passengers.

[0073] In other embodiments, such as in Fig. As shown in Figure 5B, the database 530 can be located outside the vehicle 100 and be accessible via a wireless radio connection through a radio transmitter / receiver 550 of the vehicle 100.

[0074] Any radio signal and any wavelength can be used for this purpose in various configurations. However, since the size of the receiving antenna on the 550 radio transmitter / receiver depends on the wavelength of the signal, very long wavelengths (i.e., low frequencies) would require very large antennas, which may not be practical.

[0075] Wireless communication can take place via a wireless communication interface, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication. Sometimes the more general term vehicle-to-everything (V2X) is also used.

[0076] In some embodiments, wireless communication between Agent 100 and the machine learning-based System 400 can be established via V2X communication, for example, using Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) devices. DSRC operates in the 5.9 GHz band with a bandwidth of 75 MHz and an approximate range of 1000 m in some embodiments.

[0077] Wireless communication can be implemented according to an IEEE standard for wireless vehicle communication, such as a special operating mode of IEEE 802.11 for vehicle networks called Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE). IEEE 802.11p is an extension of the 802.11 Wireless LAN Medium Access Layer (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) specification.

[0078] Such a wireless communication interface may include or at least be inspired by wireless communication technologies such as Wi-Fi, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Bluetooth® (BT), Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID), to name just a few possible examples of wireless communication in some embodiments.

[0079] Alternatively, communication can take place via a wireless interface that incorporates or is at least inspired by radio access technologies such as 3GPP LTE, LTE-Advanced, UMTS, GSM or similar, to name just a few options, over a wireless communication network.

[0080] One advantage of recording the previously discovered road irregularities 410 and their respective geographical position on road 101 is that this information can be shared and is accessible to multiple vehicles, e.g., vehicles of the same owner, vehicles of the same category, vehicles of the same make, vehicles recorded under the road irregularity information service, etc.

[0081] This allows the information stored by another vehicle about the detection of the road irregularity and the associated geographical position to be made accessible to the own vehicle 100 via the database 530, which enables the vehicle to avoid triggering the overvoltage protection 220 of the pantograph 130 in order to disconnect the pantograph 130 from the power transmission segment 120 due to a resulting overvoltage when passing the road irregularity 410.

[0082] The contents of database 530 can be continuously checked and the stored data on road irregularities 410 can be verified, and if road irregularity 410 has been eliminated or adjusted, the data on road irregularity 410 can also be removed from database 530.

[0083] The verification of the data on road irregularities 410 in database 530 can be performed either by the control unit 500 in vehicle 100 or by a central processing unit that has access to database 530. The control unit 500 or the central processing unit can determine the positional coordinates of the road irregularities 410 and obtain sensor measurements from sensors measuring the vehicle suspension of vehicle 100 as they pass the positional coordinates of the road irregularities 410. If the recorded sensor measurement of the vehicle suspension movements is less than a threshold value, it can be concluded that the road irregularity 410 has been removed / filled / repaired, and the corresponding data can be deleted from database 530.

[0084] Continuous updating of database 530 ensures high data reliability.

[0085] Fig. Figure 5C shows an embodiment in which the vehicle 100 includes a sensor 560 configured to detect the road irregularity 410 in combination with an analysis performed by the control arrangement 500 of the vehicle 100 and sensor signal analysis software running thereon.

[0086] The sensor 560 can, for example, include a front camera of the vehicle 100, which is arranged to detect objects in the direction of travel 105 on the road 101.

[0087] Alternatively or in addition to a camera, in some embodiments the sensor 560 may include, for example, a stereo camera, a film camera or a similar device based on radar, laser, lidar, visible or infrared light or microwaves to detect the road irregularity 410.

[0088] The road irregularity 410 can be a hole in the road surface and / or an obstacle protruding from the road surface.

[0089] The control arrangement 500 can receive sensor signals from the sensor 560 and, based on an image / sensor signal analysis, detect the road irregularity 410 and possibly also the size of the road irregularity 410 and / or the distance between the detected road irregularity 410 and its own vehicle 100.

[0090] The estimated size of the detected road irregularity 410 can then be compared to a threshold value for the size of the irregularity. If the irregularity 410 is a hole in the road surface, the depth of the hole cannot be measured using the sensors. However, it can be assumed, for example, that the depth of the hole is proportional to its diameter. The diameter of the hole, in turn, can be estimated based on sensor measurements, such as a lidar measurement or image analysis of an image captured by an image sensor. Alternatively, all holes, regardless of depth / size / diameter, can be considered as exceeding the threshold value for the size of the irregularity.

[0091] If the road irregularity 410 includes a protruding obstacle, its height above the road surface can be estimated based on the aforementioned sensor measurements. The estimated height can then be compared to the limit value for the irregularity's size.

[0092] In some embodiments, two different thresholds for the size of the irregularity can be applied: one threshold for the size of the irregularity in the case of holes and one threshold for the size of the irregularity in the case of bumps.

[0093] The control arrangement 500 can determine a distance between the own vehicle 100 and the detected road irregularity 410 if the threshold for the size of the irregularity is exceeded, e.g. by a laser measurement or an image analysis.

[0094] Based on the determined distance between vehicle 100 and the detected road irregularity 410, as well as the knowledge of the direction of travel 105 and the current speed of vehicle 100, the time at which vehicle 100 will pass the detected road irregularity 410 can then be determined.

[0095] An advantage of the sensor-based embodiment is that a recently formed road irregularity 410 can be detected for the first time without a vehicle having to first pass over the road irregularity 410 and trigger the overvoltage protection mechanism. Furthermore, temporarily road-blocking obstacles that contaminate the roadway can be detected by the sensor 560, and the method according to the invention can be carried out to prevent the overvoltage protection from being triggered.

[0096] The embodiments in Fig. 5A and / or Fig. 5B can be advantageously combined with the in Fig. The embodiment shown in 5C can be combined and thus serve as a complement to the embodiments discussed previously. If the vehicle 100 detects the road irregularity 410 via the sensor 560, it can then determine the position and store information about the road irregularity 410 and its geographical position in the database 530.

[0097] Fig. Figure 5D shows a further embodiment of the solution according to the invention in a side view. A preceding vehicle 100a and the vehicle 100 are traveling on a road 101 which has an energy transmission section 120 above the vehicle 100 while they are traveling on the road 101.

[0098] When the preceding vehicle 100a passes the road irregularity 410, the overvoltage protection of this vehicle 100a can disconnect the pantograph 130a from the power transmission segment 120 if the voltage transmitted by the power transmission segment 120 exceeds a voltage limit.

[0099] The preceding vehicle 100a may or may not have implemented the inventive method and solution and / or have access to the database 530. Regardless, the following vehicle 100 may receive a wireless signal from the preceding vehicle 100a indicating that the pantograph 130a of that vehicle 100a has detached from the energy transmission segment 120 above the other vehicle 100a, or that the other vehicle 100a has detected a road irregularity 410 that exceeds the threshold for the size of the irregularity.

[0100] In some embodiments, the wireless signal of the preceding vehicle 100a can include the position of the preceding vehicle 100a at the time of passing / detecting the road irregularity 410, thereby transmitting the position of the road irregularity 410 to the following vehicle 100.

[0101] Radio signaling between the preceding vehicle 100a and the following vehicle 100 can be carried out via the respective radio transmitters / receivers 550a, 550 using one of the previously listed radio access technologies, e.g. using V2V communication.

[0102] The rear vehicle 100 can alternatively determine its relative position / distance to the preceding vehicle 100a at the moment the preceding vehicle 100a passes the road irregularity 410. The distance can be determined by an onboard sensor 560, e.g., based on laser or lidar, and by calculating the round-trip time of a sensor signal emitted and reflected by vehicle 100a; or alternatively, by using an image sensor 560 and an image recognition program.

[0103] In other embodiments, the preceding vehicle 100a cannot report / transmit signals regarding the road irregularity 410. Instead, the following vehicle 100 can detect that the pantograph 130a of this vehicle 100a has detached from the energy transmission segment 120 via the sensor 560, and conclude that the reason for this is that the preceding vehicle 100a is passing the road irregularity 410.

[0104] Fig. Figure 6 illustrates an example of a method 600 according to one embodiment. The flowchart in Fig. Figure 6 shows the method 600 for use in a vehicle 100 to control the power demand of an energy converter 260 of the vehicle 100.

[0105] The vehicle 100 includes a roof-mounted pantograph 130, which is configured to be connected to a power transmission segment 120 above the vehicle 100 while it is traveling on a road 101.

[0106] In some embodiments, the energy transmission segment 120 may comprise a first contact wire 121 with a positive pole and a second contact wire 122 parallel to it with a negative pole. In other embodiments, the energy transmission segment 120 may comprise a first contact wire, while the second contact wire is located under the vehicle 100 or possibly on the side of the vehicle 100.

[0107] The pantograph 130 mounted on the roof can include or be attached to a first pantograph 135a, which is intended for contact with the contact wire 121 with positive pole, and a second pantograph 135b, which is intended for contact with the contact wire 122 with negative pole.

[0108] The pantograph 130 of the vehicle 100 can include an overvoltage protection device 220 configured to disconnect the pantograph 130 from the power transmission segment 120 when the voltage transmitted by the power transmission segment 120 exceeds a voltage limit. One objective of the method 600 can be to prevent the pantograph 130 from being disconnected from the power transmission segment 120 by the overvoltage protection device 220 due to vertical vehicle movements while passing over the road irregularity 410, by temporarily reducing the power demand of the energy converter 260 during the passage over the road irregularity 410.

[0109] Vehicle 100 can be any type of means of transport, such as a truck, a bus, a car, a motorcycle or similar.

[0110] To correctly control the power consumption of vehicle 100, method 600 may comprise a series of steps 601-608. However, some of these steps 601-608 may be performed alone in some alternative embodiments, such as step 602 or steps 604-608. Furthermore, the described steps 601-608 may be performed in a slightly different chronological order than the numbering suggests. Method 600 may comprise the following steps: Step 601 includes detecting a road irregularity 410 where the connection between the pantograph 130 and the power transmission segment 120 is expected to be interrupted.

[0111] The detection of the road irregularity 410, and thus also the prediction of the interruption of the connection between the pantograph 130 and the power transmission segment 120, can be carried out by determining the position coordinates, direction of travel and speed of the vehicle 100, for example on the basis of position data from a navigation device 510 of the vehicle 100. Furthermore, the position coordinates of the road irregularity 410 can be taken from a database 530 which contains position coordinates of road irregularities 410 where the connection between the pantograph 130 and the power transmission segment 120 was previously interrupted.

[0112] The detection and / or estimation of the size of the road irregularity 410, and thus also the prediction of the interruption of the connection between the pantograph 130 and the power transmission segment 120, can also or alternatively be carried out by detecting the road irregularity 410 via a sensor 560 arranged in the direction of travel 105 of the vehicle 100, e.g., a vehicle sensor. The road irregularity 410 can be detected, for example, behind a curve in front of the vehicle 100, for example, if the sensor 560 is located at the roadside, on another vehicle, on a drone hovering above the road, and / or on a satellite, etc.; or a sensor 560 that is configured to detect obstacles behind the curve, e.g., based on lidar.

[0113] Furthermore, an estimated size of the detected road irregularity 410, based on sensor measurements, can be compared with a threshold value for the size of the irregularity. Additionally, a distance between the vehicle 100 and the detected road irregularity 410 can be determined, for example, if the threshold value for the size of the irregularity is exceeded.

[0114] The sensor 560, which can be mounted on the vehicle, can comprise one or more instances of a camera, laser scanner, ultrasonic sensor, or similar detector on the vehicle 100, which may be of the same or different types. An advantage of the sensory detection of road irregularities 410 is that obstacles that only temporarily occur on the road 101 can be detected and compensated for.

[0115] The detection of the road irregularity 410, and thus also the prediction of the disconnection between the pantograph 130 and the power transmission segment 120, can also or alternatively be carried out by receiving a wireless signal from a preceding vehicle 100a, indicating that a pantograph 130a of this vehicle 100a has disconnected from the power transmission segment 120 above the other vehicle 100a, or that the other vehicle 100a has detected the road irregularity 410, which exceeds the threshold for the size of the irregularity, in another way, for example by means of a sensor on this vehicle 100a and the analysis of the data acquired by this sensor, similar to or identical to one of the methods described above. Alternatively, the road irregularity 410 can be detected using information from the database 530.

[0116] Step 602, which can be performed in some embodiments, includes determining a time at which the vehicle 100 will pass the detected road irregularity 410.

[0117] Based on the determined position coordinates, the direction of travel and the speed of vehicle 100 and the obtained position coordinates of the road irregularity 410 and / or the determined distance between vehicle 100 and the detected road irregularity 410, the time at which vehicle 100 will pass the detected road irregularity 410 can be determined.

[0118] Step 603 involves temporarily reducing the power demand of an energy converter 260 of the vehicle 100 to a value below a current threshold while the vehicle 100 passes the detected 601 road irregularity 410.

[0119] The power demand of the energy converter 260 can be temporarily reduced at the specified time 602 when the vehicle 100 passes the detected road irregularity 410.

[0120] The time period in which the power consumption of the energy converter 260 is reduced can depend on the current speed of the vehicle 100, but typically ranges from parts of a second to several seconds.

[0121] Step 604, which can be performed in some embodiments, includes detecting that the pantograph 130 of the vehicle 100 has separated from the energy transmission segment 120 due to the road irregularity 410, for example by means of sensor detection.

[0122] Step 605, which can be performed in some embodiments where step 604 has been performed, includes determining the current position coordinates of the road irregularity 410 / road segment 420 in which the pantograph disconnection 130 is detected 604, based on the position information of the navigator 510 of the vehicle 100.

[0123] Step 606, which can be performed in some embodiments where step 605 has been performed, comprises providing the specified 605 position coordinates of the road irregularity 410 to the database 530 to store them there in conjunction with information about the disconnection of the pantograph 130.

[0124] By carrying out the procedure steps 604-606, a database 530 is created which contains position coordinates of recorded / confirmed road irregularities 410, whereby the database 530 can be used in carrying out steps 601-603 to record the position of road irregularities 410.

[0125] Step 607, which may be performed in some embodiments where step 605 has been performed, comprises providing the position coordinates of the road irregularity 410 determined in step 605 and information about the disconnection of the pantograph 130 to a road maintenance service provider.

[0126] This informs him about the road irregularity 410 and allows him to take appropriate action, e.g. by inspecting the road section 420 with the road irregularity 410 and planning its repair, or alternatively by removing the obstacle / road irregularity 410 that is causing the interruption.

[0127] This promotes road maintenance, leading to better road conditions, which in turn increases road safety.

[0128] Step 608, which may be performed in some embodiments where step 605 has been performed, includes triggering the deletion of data relating to the road irregularity 410 from the database 530 when sensor detections by the vehicle 100 at the position coordinates of the expected road irregularity 410 confirm that the road irregularity 410 has been repaired / eliminated.

[0129] After the road irregularity 410 has been repaired or the obstacle that constitutes the road irregularity 410 has been removed, the road maintenance service provider can delete the information about the specific road irregularity 410 from database 530. This keeps database 530 up-to-date and relevant.

[0130] In some embodiments, the data on the road irregularities 410 and their respective stored position coordinates can be continuously monitored and either verified or deleted from the database 530. For example, this can be achieved by continuously determining the vehicle suspension movements while passing position coordinates associated with each road irregularity 410. If the vehicle suspension movements are less than a threshold value, it can be assumed that the road irregularity 410 in question has been repaired / filled / eliminated. The data for the road irregularity 410 could then be removed from the database 530.

[0131] Continuously checking and updating the entries in database 530 increases confidence, and there can be no or at least a smaller reduction in the power requirements of the energy converter 260, which improves battery charging.

[0132] Fig. Figure 7 shows an embodiment of a system 700 for supporting a vehicle 100 with a roof-mounted pantograph 130, configured to be connected to a power transmission segment 120 above the vehicle 100 while it is traveling on a road 101.

[0133] System 700 comprises an infrastructure for supplying power to the vehicle 100, which includes the power transmission segment 120. This segment is positioned above the road 101, allowing vehicles to pass underneath it, for example, at a height of approximately 4 meters. In some embodiments, the power transmission segment 120 may include a first contact wire 121 with a positive pole and a parallel second contact wire 122 with a negative pole. The power transmission segment 120 is electrically powered by current from a power grid. The power transmission segment 120 can be supported and held by masts at the roadside or by a similar arrangement. The system also includes the vehicle 100 with the pantograph 130 mounted on its roof.The roof-mounted pantograph 130 in turn comprises a first pantograph 135a, which is intended for contact with the contact wire 121 with positive pole, and a second pantograph 135b, which is intended for contact with the contact wire 122 with negative pole, or is attached to such a pantograph.

[0134] System 700 also includes a control unit 500 in vehicle 100. The control unit 500 is configured to perform at least some of the described process steps 601-608. Specifically, the control unit 500 is configured to detect a road irregularity 410 where the connection between the pantograph 130 and the power transmission segment 120 is expected to be interrupted. The control unit 500 is also configured to temporarily reduce the power demand of a power converter 260 of vehicle 100 below a current threshold while vehicle 100 passes the detected road irregularity 410.

[0135] In some embodiments, the control arrangement 500 can also optionally be configured to determine a time at which the vehicle 100 will pass the detected road irregularity 410. The control arrangement 500 can then temporarily reduce the power consumption of the energy converter 260 at that specified time.

[0136] The control arrangement 500 can detect the road irregularity 410 and thereby also predict an interruption of the connection between the pantograph 130 and the power transmission segment 120 by determining the position coordinates, the direction of travel 105, and the speed of the vehicle 100, for example, based on position data from a navigation device 510 of the vehicle 100. The control arrangement 500 can also be configured to obtain position coordinates of the road irregularity 410 from a database 530 that contains position coordinates of road irregularities 410 for which the connection between the pantograph 130 and the power transmission segment 120 was previously interrupted.The control arrangement 500 can additionally be configured to determine, based on the specified position coordinates, direction of travel and speed of the vehicle 100 and the obtained position coordinates of the road irregularity 410, the time at which the vehicle 100 will pass the detected road irregularity 410.

[0137] In some embodiments, the control arrangement 500 can be configured to detect the road irregularity 410 and thereby also predict an interruption of the connection between the pantograph 130 and the power transmission segment 120 via a vehicle sensor 560 arranged in the direction of travel 105 of the vehicle 100. The control arrangement 500 can also be configured to compare an estimated size of the detected road irregularity 410 with a threshold value for the size of the irregularity and determine a distance between the vehicle 100 and the detected road irregularity 410 if the threshold value for the size of the irregularity is exceeded.

[0138] The control arrangement 500 can additionally be configured to determine, based on the determined distance between the vehicle 100 and the detected road irregularity 410 and the speed of the vehicle 100, the time at which the vehicle 100 will pass the detected road irregularity 410.

[0139] The control arrangement 500 can be configured to detect the road irregularity 410 and thereby also predict the disconnection between the pantograph 130 and the power transmission segment 120 by receiving a wireless signal from a preceding vehicle 100a, which informs that a pantograph 130a of this vehicle 100a has disconnected from the power transmission segment 120 above the other vehicle 100a, or that the other vehicle 100a has detected the road irregularity 410 which exceeds the threshold for the size of the irregularity.

[0140] In some embodiments, the control arrangement 500 can be configured to determine the current position coordinates of the road irregularity 410 at which the pantograph disconnection 130 is detected, based on position information from the navigation device 510 of the vehicle 100. The control arrangement 500 can be configured to transmit the determined position coordinates of the road irregularity to the database 530 for storage there in conjunction with information about the pantograph disconnection 130.

[0141] The control arrangement 500 can also be configured to transmit the specific position coordinates of the road irregularity 410 and information about the shutdown of the pantograph 130, and thus indirectly also the road irregularity 410, to a road maintenance service provider.

[0142] The pantograph 130 of the vehicle 100 can include an overvoltage protection device 220 configured to disconnect the pantograph 130 from the power transmission segment 120 if the voltage transmitted by the power transmission segment 120 exceeds a voltage limit. The control arrangement 500 can then be configured to prevent the disconnection of the pantograph 130 from the power transmission segment 120 by the overvoltage protection device 220 due to vertical vehicle movements while passing over the road irregularity 410, by temporarily reducing the current demand of the energy converter 260 while passing over the road irregularity 410.

[0143] The control arrangement 500 may include a processor 720 configured to perform at least some of the previously described process steps 601 to 608 according to the method 600, in some embodiments.

[0144] Such a 720 processor can comprise one or more instances of a processing circuit, i.e., a central processing unit (CPU), a processing unit, a processing circuit, a processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a microprocessor, or other processing logic capable of interpreting and executing instructions. The term "processor" as used here can thus refer to a processing circuit comprising a variety of processing circuits, such as one, some, or all of the circuits listed above.

[0145] The control arrangement 500 may further include a receiving circuit 710 configured to receive a signal from a database 530, a sensor 560, a navigation device 510 and / or a radio transmitter / receiver 550 in order to detect the road irregularity 410 and / or to obtain information about the absolute or relative position of the road irregularity 410.

[0146] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the control arrangement 500 may include a memory 725. The optional memory 725 may comprise a physical device used for the temporary or permanent storage of data or programs, i.e., sequences of instructions. In some embodiments, the memory 725 may consist of integrated circuits comprising silicon-based transistors. The memory 725 may, for example, include a memory card, flash memory, USB storage, a hard disk, or a similar volatile or non-volatile storage device for storing data, such as ROM (Read-Only Memory), PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable PROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable PROM), etc., in various embodiments.

[0147] Furthermore, the control arrangement 500 can include a signal transmitter 730. The signal transmitter 730 can be configured to send a control signal that is received by an energy converter 260 of the vehicle 100.

[0148] The previously described process steps 601-608, which are to be executed in the control arrangement 500, can be implemented by the one or more processors 720 within the control arrangement 500 together with a computer program product for executing at least some of the functions of the process steps 601-608. Thus, a computer program product containing instructions for executing the process steps 601-608 in the control arrangement 500 can execute the process 600, which includes at least some of the process steps 601-608 for controlling the power requirements of the energy converter 260, when the computer program is loaded into the one or more processors 720 of the control arrangement 500.

[0149] Furthermore, some embodiments may include a vehicle 100 comprising the control arrangement 500 and configured to carry out the procedure 600 according to at least some of the procedure steps 601-608.

[0150] The computer program product mentioned above can be provided, for example, in the form of a data carrier containing computer program code for performing at least some of the process steps 601-608 according to some embodiments, when loaded into one or more processors 720 of the control arrangement 500. The data carrier can be, for example, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, a memory stick, an optical storage medium, a magnetic storage medium, or another suitable medium such as a disc or tape on which machine-readable data can be stored in a non-transitory manner. The computer program product can also be provided as computer program code on a server and downloaded remotely, for example, via an Internet or intranet connection, to the control arrangement 500.

[0151] The term "and / or" as used here encompasses all combinations of one or more of the listed points. The term "or" as used here is to be understood as a mathematical OR, i.e., an inclusive disjunction, not a mathematical exclusive OR (XOR), unless explicitly stated otherwise. Furthermore, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are to be interpreted as "at least one" and can therefore also include a multitude of units of the same kind, unless explicitly stated otherwise.It is further understood that the terms "comprises," "includes," "including," and / or "comprising" specify the presence of the mentioned features, actions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, actions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. A single unit, such as a processor, can perform the functions of several elements listed in the claims. The mere fact that certain actions are listed in different dependent claims does not preclude the possibility of combining these actions being advantageous.A computer program can be stored / distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or a solid-state medium supplied with or as part of other hardware, but it can also be distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or another wired or wireless communication system.

Claims

[1] Method (600) performed by a control arrangement (500) of a vehicle (100), the vehicle (100) comprising a roof-mounted pantograph (130) configured to be connected to a power transmission segment (120) above the vehicle (100) while traveling on a road (101), the method (600) comprising the following steps: Detecting (601) a road irregularity (410) where the connection between the pantograph (130) and the power transmission segment (120) is expected to be interrupted; and temporary reduction (603) of the current demand of an energy converter (260) of the vehicle (100) below a current threshold value while the vehicle (100) passes the detected (601) road irregularity (410). [2] Method (600) according to claim 1, further comprising the step: Determine (602) a time at which the vehicle (100) will pass the detected (601) road irregularity (410); and wherein the power requirement of the energy converter (260) is temporarily reduced (603) at the determined (602) time. [3] Method (600) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the step of detecting (601) the road irregularity (410) in which the connection between the current collector (130) and the power transmission segment (120) is expected to be interrupted comprises the following substeps: Determining the vehicle's position coordinates, direction of travel, and speed (100); and Obtaining position coordinates of the road irregularity (410) from a database (530) containing position coordinates of the road irregularity (410) for which the connection between the pantograph (130) and the power transmission segment (120) was previously interrupted. [4] Method (600) according to claim 3, wherein the step of determining (602) the time at which the vehicle (100) will pass the detected (601) road irregularity (410) is based on the determined position coordinates, direction of travel and speed of the vehicle (100) and the obtained position coordinates of the road irregularity (410). [5] Method (600) according to one of claims 1-2, wherein the step of detecting (601) the road irregularity (410) in which the connection between the current collector (130) and the power transmission segment (120) is expected to be interrupted comprises the following substeps: Detecting road irregularity (410) via a vehicle sensor (560) in the direction of travel of the vehicle (100); Comparing an estimated size of the detected road irregularity (410) with a threshold for the size of the irregularity; and Determine a distance between the vehicle (100) and the detected road irregularity (410) when the threshold for the size of the irregularity is exceeded. [6] Method (600) according to claim 5, wherein the step of determining (602) the time at which the vehicle (100) will pass the detected (601) road irregularity (410) is based on the determined distance between the vehicle (100) and the detected road irregularity (410) and the speed of the vehicle (100). [7] Method (600) according to one of claims 1-2, wherein the step of detecting (601) the road irregularity (410) in which the connection between the current collector (130) and the power transmission segment (120) is expected to be interrupted comprises the following substeps: Receiving a wireless signal from a preceding vehicle (100a) indicating that a pantograph (130a) of that vehicle (100a) has been disconnected from the power transmission segment (120) above the other vehicle (100a), or that the other vehicle (100a) has detected that the estimated size of the detected road irregularity (410) exceeds the threshold for the size of the irregularity. [8] Method (600) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising the further steps: Detect (604) that the pantograph (130) of the vehicle (100) has been disconnected from the power transmission segment (120); Determine (605) the current position coordinates of the road irregularity (410) where the pantograph disconnection (130) is detected (604), based on position information from the navigation device (510) of the vehicle (100); and Providing (606) the determined (605) position coordinates of the road irregularity (410) to the database (530) for storage, combined with information about the disconnection of the pantograph (130). [9] Method (600) according to claim 8, comprising the further step: Providing (607) the determined (605) positional coordinates of the road irregularity (410) and information about the pantograph disconnection (130) to a road maintenance service provider. [10] Method (600) according to claim 8 or claim 9, comprising the further step: Delete (608) data of the road irregularity (410) from the database (530) when sensor readings from the vehicle (100) at the position coordinates of the expected road irregularity (410) confirm that the road irregularity (410) has been repaired. [11] Method (600) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the pantograph (130) of the vehicle (100) comprises an overvoltage protection device (220) configured to disconnect the pantograph (130) from the power transmission segment (120) when the voltage transmitted by the power transmission segment (120) exceeds a voltage limit (limit U); and wherein the method (600) avoids disconnecting the pantograph (130) from the power transmission segment (120) by the overvoltage protection device (220) by temporarily reducing (603) the current demand of the power converter (260) while passing the road irregularity (410). [12] Control arrangement (500) of a vehicle (100) comprising a roof-mounted pantograph (130) configured to be connected to a power transmission segment (120) above the vehicle (100) while it is traveling on a road (101); wherein the control arrangement (500) is configured to perform the method (600) according to any one of claims 1-11. [13] Vehicle (100) with a roof-mounted pantograph (130) configured to be connected to a power transmission segment (120) above the vehicle (100) while it is traveling on a road (101), the vehicle (100) comprising a control arrangement (500) according to claim 12. [14] Computer program with program code for carrying out a method (600) according to any one of claims 1-11, when the computer program is executed in a control arrangement (500) according to claim 12. [15] Computer-readable medium containing instructions which, when executed by the control arrangement (500) according to claim 12, cause the control arrangement (500) to perform the steps of the method (600) according to any one of claims 1-11.

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