Current collector and road vehicle equipped with such a current collector

Abstract

The invention relates to a current collector (2) for a road vehicle (1) for supplying electric energy from an overhead line system (3). The current collector comprises an articulated supporting rod system (8) which can be aligned and which has two mutually spaced contact rockers (12, 13). A respective contact strip (14) is mounted on each contact rocker (12, 13) in order to electrically contact the contact wire (5) paired with the respective pole. A rocker bridge (22) which connects the contact rockers (12, 13) and comprises at least one bridge bracket (23) prevents a contact wire (5) which runs between the contact rockers (12, 13) from running laterally below one of the contact strips (14) by supporting the contact wire (5) on the at least one bridge bracket (23). A contact wire detector (26) is provided in order to detect a contact wire (5) resting on the rocker bridge (22). According to the invention, the bridge bracket (23) is movably supported on each of the contact rockers (12, 13) at a support point (24, 25) and can be deflected out of a rest position when the contact wire (5) is resting on the rocker bridge. The contact wire detector (26) has at least one sensor unit (27) which is arranged on one of the support points (24, 25) and which is designed to detect a deflection (S) of the bridge bracket (23) at the support point (24, 25).

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Pantograph and a road vehicle equipped with such a pantograph

[0003] The invention relates to a current collector according to the preamble of patent claim 1 and to a vehicle according to claim 10 which is equipped with such a current collector.

[0004] Electrically powered vehicles with pantographs for supplying traction from a trackside overhead line system have long been known from rail-based railway transport for the transport of goods and people. Rail-bound road vehicles, in particular buses, are also known to have rod-shaped pantographs for feeding in electrical energy from an overhead line system. Due to the rubber tires of such road vehicles, two-pole overhead line systems are installed on electrified lanes, which span contact wires designed as forward and return conductors over this lane. More recently, non-track-bound road vehicles have also become known, in particular heavy commercial vehicles such as trucks, which have a diesel-electric drive and a pantograph with two contact rockers for contacting the two contact wires.A vehicle with such a pantograph is shown, for example, in the international publication WO 2018 / 153983 Al .

[0005] From the published patent application DE 10 2018 215 593 A1, a pantograph of the type mentioned at the beginning is known, which is intended for a non-track-bound, electrically powered vehicle for feeding in electrical energy from a two-pole overhead line system with two contact wires. The fed-in energy is primarily used to directly supply traction to an electric vehicle drive, but can also be fed to an on-board energy storage device. The contact wires of the overhead line system are stretched above a carriageway usable by road vehicles, for example a lane of a multi-lane motorway. The pantograph comprises an articulated support rod which, on the contact wire side, carries two contact rockers with collector strips arranged next to one another, and on the vehicle side, has a base joint for support on the vehicle.It further comprises a lifting drive coupled to the support rod for generating a torque in the base joint which lifts the support rod with the contact rockers. This allows the contact rockers to be lifted from a lower rest position to an upper contact position, whereby their sliding strips are brought into electrical contact with the respective contact wires. To maintain the sliding contact which develops while the road vehicle is moving, the sliding strips are pressed against the contact wires by means of the lifting device with a predetermined pressure force. The current collector comprises a rocker bridge which connects the contact rockers and is designed as an immersion protection device and prevents a contact wire running laterally between the contact rockers from sinking below the sliding strips.The contact bridge is attached to the contact bridges and shaped such that, viewed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the contact strips and the contact bridge form a seamless, smooth support curve for the contact wires. This allows lateral contact wire movement to be diverted into the contact bridge structures without significant transverse forces. For safety reasons, however, lowering the pantograph is still necessary in such a case.

[0006] For this purpose, the rocker bridge of this known pantograph has two electrically conductive bridge brackets which are connected to a contact wire sensor for detecting contact between a contact wire and the bridge brackets. The contact wire sensor is designed as an electrical conductivity sensor which detects when a contact wire rests on both bridge brackets, thereby creating a conductive connection between them. The conductivity sensor can have a resistance circuit between the bridge brackets which is detuned when a low-resistance contact wire touches both bridge brackets. A resulting drop in voltage level is registered by a pantograph control system and can trigger a lowering of the support rods to dewire the pantograph.

[0007] A disadvantage of the current collector is, on the one hand, that if the contact wire, which is designed as a positive pole, touches the overhead line, the high overhead line voltage can damage the pantograph control and other electronic components. On the other hand, especially in winter, there is a risk that the electrical conductivity of the contact wires is significantly reduced due to ice formation on their undersides, which can delay or even prevent detection of contact with the contact wire.

[0008] The invention is therefore based on the object of providing a current collector of the type mentioned at the outset which overcomes the disadvantages described.

[0009] The object is achieved according to the invention by a generic pantograph with the features specified in the characterizing part of patent claim 1. The invention is therefore based on a pantograph for a non-track-bound, electrically or hybrid-electrically powered road vehicle, which is designed and intended to feed in electrical energy from a two-pole overhead line system having a contact wire for each contact pole. The pantograph comprises an adjustable, articulated support rod which carries two contact rockers arranged at a distance from one another. At least one contact strip for making electrical contact with the contact wire assigned to the respective pole is mounted on each contact rocker.Preferably, two elongated collector strips are mounted on each contact rocker, extending parallel to one another in a transverse direction of the vehicle and arranged one behind the other in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Each contact rocker can perform a rocking movement about a rocker axis running parallel to the transverse direction of the vehicle. The support rod can have a lower arm and two upper arms which are articulated to one another in the manner of a pantograph. Each of the upper arms can carry one of the two contact rockers and rotate relative to the lower arm independently of the other upper arm. The current collector comprises a rocker bridge connecting the contact rockers and having at least one bridge bracket.The cantilever bridge is designed by the shape and arrangement of the at least one bridge bracket in such a way that a contact wire running between the contact brackets with respect to a transverse direction of the vehicle is prevented from running laterally under one of the collector strips when at least one of the contact brackets moves upwards by the contact wire resting on the at least one bridge bracket. This prevents a contact wire from getting caught on the contact brackets. The bridge bracket or brackets can have an arc-shaped section and run sloping from a bracket center to the lateral bracket ends at the support points. The current collector further comprises a contact wire detector for detecting a contact wire resting on the cantilever bridge in order to be able to trigger a lowering of the current collector when contact with the contact wire is detected, for example.

[0010] According to the invention, the at least one bridge bracket is movably supported on each of the contact rockers at a support point and can be deflected from a rest position when a contact wire rests thereon. The contact wire detector has at least one sensor unit which is arranged at at least one of the support points and is designed to detect a deflection of the bridge bracket at the support point. The rocker bridge can also have two such bridge brackets. By using a sensor unit which detects a mechanical deflection of the at least one bridge bracket at the location of its movable support on a contact rocker, the problems of an electrical contact wire sensor described at the outset, in particular with regard to susceptibility to errors due to weather, or electromagnetic compatibility, can be avoided.By eliminating the need for an electrical contact wire sensor, the testing and approval effort for a current collector according to the invention in road traffic applications can be reduced. The contact wire sensor can also be designed compactly at the support point(s) and positioned in a protected manner beneath the contact strips.

[0011] In an advantageous embodiment of the current collector according to the invention, the at least one bridge bracket is coupled to the first contact rocker at the first support point via a spring element which, when the bridge bracket is deflected from its rest position, is compressed or stretched against a spring-elastic restoring force by a spring travel corresponding to the restoring force. The sensor unit is designed to detect when the spring travel exceeds a predeterminable threshold value. Tension springs, compression springs or torsion springs can be used as the spring element and combined with damping elements. The sensor unit accordingly detects when a threshold value for a length or an angle as the spring travel is reached. Such sensor units can be designed compactly and require little installation space at the respective support point of the bridge bracket.

[0012] In a further advantageous embodiment of the current collector according to the invention, the at least one bridge bracket is coupled to the second contact rocker at the second support point via a linear bearing, whereby the bridge bracket can be deflected translationally, preferably along a vertical direction of the vehicle, when a contact wire rests against it. In this embodiment, the at least one bridge bracket performs a diving movement when deflected by a contact wire resting against it. If the bridge bracket loses contact with the contact wire, it is raised back to its rest position by the restoring force of the spring element(s).

[0013] In another advantageous embodiment of the current collector according to the invention, the at least one bridge bracket at the second support point is coupled to the second contact rocker via a pivot bearing. A rotation axis of the pivot bearing is arranged orthogonal to a connecting line running through the support points, preferably aligned in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, as a result of which the bridge bracket at the first support point can be deflected in rotation about the second support point. In this embodiment, the at least one bridge bracket performs a rotary movement about the pivot bearing at the second support point when it is deflected by a contact wire resting on it. The path that the bridge bracket travels at the first support point as a result of its rotation is recorded. If the bridge bracket loses contact with the contact wire, it is rotated back to its rest position by the restoring force of the spring element at the first support point.The rotational movement preferably occurs around a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, thus representing a rolling movement.

[0014] In a further advantageous embodiment of the current collector according to the invention, the at least one bridge bracket at the second support point is coupled to the second contact rocker via a pivot bearing. A rotation axis of the pivot bearing extends along a connecting line running through the support points, preferably in the transverse direction of the vehicle, as a result of which the bridge bracket can be rotationally deflected about both support points. In this embodiment, the at least one bridge bracket performs a rotational movement about the pivot bearing at the second support point and about the first support point when it is deflected by a contact wire resting thereon. The path covered by the bridge bracket at the first and second support points as a result of its rotation is recorded. If the bridge bracket loses contact with the contact wire, it is rotated back into its rest position by the restoring force of the spring element at the first support point.The rotational movement preferably occurs in a transverse direction of the vehicle, thus representing a pitching movement. In its rest position, the bridge bracket can already be adjusted by a certain angle of rotation - preferably opposite to or in the direction of travel of the road vehicle - which determines its deflection when a load is applied.

[0015] Contact wire is made easier. In a further advantageous embodiment of the current collector according to the invention, the sensor unit is an incremental encoder that measures the traveled spring travel. An incremental encoder capacitively or inductively detects the distance or angle that, for example, two components coupled to the spring element travel relative to one another when the spring element is stretched or compressed. The spring travel can also be measured by triangulation. In these embodiments, the measured spring travel is compared with a threshold value, and when the threshold value is reached, a contact wire resting on the rocker bridge is detected.

[0016] In a further advantageous embodiment of the current collector according to the invention, the sensor unit is a position sensor that detects when the spring travel reaches the threshold value. The position sensor can be designed, for example, as a light barrier or a mechanical switch and arranged at the first support point in such a way that the barrier or switch is triggered when a component coupled to the spring element has traveled a spring travel corresponding to the threshold value upon deflection of the bridge bracket.

[0017] In a further advantageous embodiment of the current collector according to the invention, the sensor unit is a pressure gauge which measures the jet pressure of a fluid jet emerging from a hose opening of a fluid-filled and pressurised hose. The hose is designed such that an opening cross-section of the hose opening increases with increasing spring travel. The hose can be elastic and filled with a liquid which flows out of the hose opening in an increasingly stronger jet the further its opening cross-section is opened, for example by compression of the hose. The compression of the hose progresses with increasing spring travel when the bridge bracket is deflected.

[0018] In a further advantageous embodiment of the current collector according to the invention, an elastic sheath enclosing the sensor unit and the spring element is arranged at a support point. The sheath can be designed, for example, as a rubber bellows, which follows the deflection movement of the bridge bracket at the first support point and which protects the spring element and the sensor unit from environmental influences such as dirt, weather, or the impact of foreign objects.

[0019] The invention also relates to a non-track-bound, electrically or hybrid-electrically powered road vehicle with a pantograph according to one of the preceding claims. The pantograph can be arranged as a module behind a driver's cab of a semi-trailer tractor or another truck and can be supported directly or indirectly on a vehicle chassis of the road vehicle. The road vehicle can comprise an electric traction drive which is supplied with traction energy from the overhead line system by means of the pantograph while driving on an electrified lane. Away from electrified lanes, the traction energy can be provided by a vehicle-mounted energy storage device, which can also be charged from the overhead line system by means of the pantograph while driving on an electrified lane, or by a diesel generator.

[0020] Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments of the invention with reference to drawings, in which

[0021] FIG 1 shows a road vehicle with a pantograph according to the invention in side view,

[0022] FIG 2 shows the road vehicle from FIG 1 in front view, FIG 3 shows a first embodiment of a rocker bridge of a current collector according to the invention,

[0023] FIG 4 shows a second embodiment of a rocker bridge of a pantograph according to the invention,

[0024] FIG 5 shows a third embodiment of a rocker bridge of a current collector according to the invention and

[0025] FIG 6 shows a support point of a bridge bracket schematically.

[0026] According to FIGS. 1 and 2, an electrically or hybrid-electrically powered road vehicle 1, for example a semi-trailer tractor, comprises a pantograph 2, via which electrical energy can be fed in from an overhead line system 3 even while the vehicle is in motion. The overhead line system 3 is of two-pole design and comprises, spanned over a lane 4, a contact wire 5 for each contact pole to provide electrical energy. The contact wires 5, designed as forward and return conductors, are suspended from support cables 7 via hangers 6 and form longitudinal catenaries which are held by transverse support devices (not shown). The pantograph 2 shown is of the form of a half-scissor pantograph and comprises an articulated support rod 8 with a lower arm 9 and two upper arms 10, each of which is pivotally connected to the lower arm 9 via a knee joint 11.Each of the two upper arms 10 carries a contact rocker 12, 13 on the contact wire side with two parallel collector strips 14 which are arranged one behind the other parallel to a vehicle transverse direction Y and with respect to a vehicle longitudinal direction X. In order to link the current collector 2 to the road vehicle 1, the lower arm 9 is pivotally connected to the road vehicle 1 on the vehicle side via a base joint 15 and is supported on a rod base 16. A lifting device 17 is coupled to the support rod 8 such that the contact rockers 12, 13 can be raised. The lifting device 17 can be designed as an air bellows which, when pressurized, generates a torque in the base joint 15 via suitable mechanical coupling means which lifts the contact rockers 12, 13.

[0027] In a lower rest position of the contact rockers 12, 13, the support rod 8 of the unwired pantograph 2 is folded together, so that the road vehicle 1 does not exceed the maximum permissible vehicle dimensions to be observed for operation outside electrified routes and the pantograph 2 is in an electrically secured state. To wire the pantograph 2, the lower arm 9 is raised, with drawbars (not shown) forcing the upper arms 10 to be raised until the contact rockers 12, 13 have reached their upper contact position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in which electrical contact is established between the collector strips 14 and the contact wires 5. For this purpose, it is necessary that the road vehicle 1 is located sufficiently centrally in the electrified lane 4 so that the contact points of the contact wires 5 are located within a working area of ​​the contact strips 14.

[0028] According to FIG 1, the pantograph 2 is arranged as a module behind a driver's cab 18 of the road vehicle 1 and is supported directly or indirectly on a vehicle frame 19 of the road vehicle 1. The road vehicle 1 comprises an electric traction drive 20 which is supplied with traction energy from the overhead line system 3 by means of the pantograph 2 while driving on the electrified lane 4. Away from electrified lanes 4, the traction energy can be provided by a vehicle-mounted energy storage device 21, which can also be charged from the overhead line system 3 by means of the pantograph 1 while driving on an electrified lane 4, or by a diesel generator (not shown).

[0029] The current collector 2 comprises a contact bridge 22 connecting the contact rockers 12, 13 and having at least one bridge bracket 23 which, when at least one of the contact rockers 12, 13 moves upwards and is supported by the contact wire 5 on the at least one bridge bracket 23, prevents the contact wire 5 running between the contact rockers 12, 13 with respect to the transverse axis Y of the vehicle from running laterally under one of the contact strips 12, 13. A contact wire 3 can get caught laterally between the two contact rockers 12, 13 both when the current collector 2 is being wired up and when the current collector 2 is in the wired-up state if the road vehicle 1 and thus the current collector 2 are steered too far laterally from the center of the lane 4.The at least one bridge bracket 23 is movably supported on each of the contact rockers 12, 13 at a respective support point 24, 25 and can be deflected from a rest position, which is shown as a dashed line in FIGS. 3 to 5, when a contact wire 5 rests thereon. The bridge bracket(s) 23 of the rocker bridge 22 is / are shaped and arranged in such a way that, viewed in the vehicle's longitudinal direction X, the contact strips 14 and the rocker bridge 22 form a continuous, smooth support curve for the contact wires 5. This results in a smooth transfer of a contact wire 5 which has come between the contact rockers 12, 13 back onto a contact strip 14, without the movements of the contact rockers 12, 13 being influenced by the rocker bridge 22 during normal operation.

[0030] The current collector 2 further comprises a contact wire detector 26 for detecting a contact wire 5 resting on the rocker bridge 22, in order, for example, to be able to trigger a lowering of the current collector 2 when contact with the contact wire is detected. For this purpose, the contact wire detector 26 has, as shown in FIG. 6, at least one sensor unit 27, which is arranged at at least one of the support points 24, 25 and is designed to detect a deflection S of the bridge bracket 23 at the support point 24, 25. The rocker bridge 22 can also have two such bridge brackets 23. By using a sensor unit 27, which detects a mechanical deflection S of the at least one bridge bracket 23 at the location 24, 25 of its movable support on a contact rocker 12, 13, a contact wire detector 26 can be provided which is unproblematic with regard to weather-related susceptibility to errors or electromagnetic compatibility.The contact wire detector 26 can also be designed compactly at the support point(s) 24, 25 and arranged in a protected manner below the contact strips 14.

[0031] According to FIGS. 3 to 6, the at least one bridge bracket 23 is coupled to the first contact rocker 12 at the first support point 24 via a spring element 28 which, when the bridge bracket 23 is deflected S from its rest position, is compressed or stretched against a spring-elastic restoring force by a spring travel corresponding to the restoring force. The sensor unit 27 is designed to detect when the spring travel exceeds a predeterminable threshold value. Tension springs, compression springs or torsion springs can be used as the spring element 28 and combined with damping elements. The sensor unit 27 accordingly detects when a threshold value for a length or an angle as the spring travel is reached. Such sensor units 27 can be designed compactly and require little installation space at the respective support point 24, 25 of the bridge bracket 23.

[0032] In the embodiment according to FIG 3, the at least one bridge bracket 23 is connected to the second support point 25 via a linear bearing

[0033] 29 is coupled to the second contact rocker 13, whereby the bridge bracket 23 can be deflected translationally, preferably along the vehicle vertical direction Z, when a contact wire 5 rests thereon. The bridge bracket 23 executes a diving movement S when it is deflected by a contact wire 5 resting thereon. If the bridge bracket 23 loses contact with the contact wire 5, it is raised back to its rest position by the restoring force of the spring element(s) 28.

[0034] In the embodiment according to FIG 4, the at least one bridge bracket 23 is connected to the second support point 25 via a pivot bearing

[0035] 30 is coupled to the second contact rocker 13. In this case, an axis of rotation D1 of the pivot bearing 30 is arranged orthogonally to a connecting line running through the support points 24, 25, preferably aligned in the vehicle longitudinal direction X. As a result, the bridge bracket 23 at the first support point 24 can be rotated about the second support point 25. In this embodiment, the at least one bridge bracket 23 performs a rotary movement about the pivot bearing 30 at the second support point 25 when it is deflected by a contact wire 5 resting thereon. The path S which the bridge bracket 23 covers at the first support point 24 as a result of its rotation is recorded. If the bridge bracket 23 loses contact with the contact wire 5, it is rotated back into its rest position by the restoring force of the spring element 28 at the first support point 24. The rotational movement S preferably occurs around a vehicle longitudinal direction X, thus representing a rolling movement.

[0036] In the embodiment according to FIG 5, the at least one bridge bracket 23 is coupled to the second contact rocker 13 at the second support point 25 via a pivot bearing 31. In this case, a rotational axis D2 of the pivot bearing D2 extends along a connecting line passing through the support points 24, 25, preferably in the vehicle transverse direction Y, whereby the bridge bracket

[0037] 23 is rotatably deflectable around both support points. In this embodiment, the at least one bridge bracket 23 performs a rotary movement S around the pivot bearing 31 at the second support point 25 and around the first support point 24 when it is deflected by a contact wire 5 resting thereon. In this case, the path S that the bridge bracket 23 travels at the first and second support points 24, 25 due to its rotation is recorded. If the bridge bracket 23 loses contact with the contact wire 5, it is restored by the restoring force of the spring element 28 at the first support point

[0038] 24 is rotated back into its rest position. The rotational movement S preferably takes place about a transverse direction Y of the vehicle, thus representing a pitching movement. In its rest position, the bridge bracket 23 can already be adjusted by an angle of rotation - preferably, as shown, opposite to the direction of travel of the road vehicle 1 - which facilitates its deflection S when a contact wire 5 is in contact.

[0039] The sensor unit 27 of the contact wire detector 26 shown in FIG 6 can be an incremental encoder which measures the traveled spring travel. An incremental encoder capacitively or inductively detects the distance or angle which, for example, two components coupled to the spring element 28 travel relative to one another when the spring element 28 is stretched or compressed. The spring travel can also be measured by triangulation. In these embodiments, the measured spring travel is compared with a threshold value and, when the threshold value is reached, contact of a contact wire 5 on the rocker bridge 22 is detected. The sensor unit 27 can also be a position sensor which detects when the spring travel reaches the threshold value.The position sensor can be designed, for example, as a light barrier or mechanical button and can be arranged at the first support point 24 in such a way that the barrier or the button is triggered when a component coupled to the spring element 28 has covered a spring travel corresponding to the threshold value upon deflection S of the bridge bracket 23.

[0040] The sensor unit 27 can also be a pressure gauge that measures the jet pressure of a fluid jet emerging from a hose opening of a fluid-filled and pressurized hose. The hose is designed such that the opening cross-section of the hose opening increases with increasing spring travel. The hose can be elastic and filled with a liquid that flows out of the hose opening in an increasingly powerful jet the further its opening cross-section is opened, for example by compression of the hose. The compression of the hose progresses with increasing spring travel when the bridge bracket 23 is deflected S.

[0041] According to FIG. 6, an elastic sheath 32 enclosing the sensor unit 27 and the spring element 28 is arranged at a support point 24, 25. The sheath 32 can, for example, be designed as a rubber bellows, which follows the deflection movement S of the bridge bracket 23 at the first support point 24 and which protects the spring element 28 and the sensor unit 27 from environmental influences, such as dirt, weather, or the impact of foreign bodies.

Claims

Patent claims 1. A current collector (2) for a non-track-bound, electrically or hybrid-electrically driven road vehicle (1) for feeding in electrical energy from a two-pole overhead line system (3) having a contact wire (5) for each contact pole, comprising - an adjustable, articulated support rod (8) which carries two contact rockers (12, 13) arranged at a distance from one another, with at least one contact strip (14) being mounted on each contact rocker (12, 13) for electrically contacting the contact wire (5) assigned to the respective pole, - a rocker bridge (22) connecting the contact rockers (12, 13) with at least one bridge bracket (23), which prevents a contact wire (5) running between the contact rockers (12, 13) with respect to a vehicle transverse direction (Y) from being able to run laterally under one of the contact strips (14) during an upward movement of at least one of the contact rockers (12, 13) by resting the contact wire (5) on the at least one bridge bracket (23), and - a contact wire detector (26) for detecting a contact wire (5) resting on the rocker bridge (22), characterized in - that the at least one bridge bracket (23) is movably supported on each of the contact rockers (12, 13) at a respective support point (24, 25) and can be deflected from a rest position when a contact wire (5) rests thereon, and - that the contact wire detector (26) has at least one sensor unit (27) which is arranged at one of the support points (24, 25) and is designed to detect a deflection (S) of the bridge bracket (23) at the support point (24, 25).

2. Current collector (2) according to claim 1, - wherein the at least one bridge bracket (23) is coupled to the first contact rocker (12) at the first support point (24) via a spring element (28), which upon deflection (S) of the bridge bracket (23) from its rest position against a spring- elastic restoring force is compressed or stretched by a spring travel corresponding to the restoring force, - wherein the sensor unit (27) is designed to detect when the spring travel exceeds a predeterminable threshold value.

3. Current collector (2) according to claim 2, - wherein the at least one bridge bracket (23) is coupled to the second contact rocker (13) at the second support point (25) via a linear bearing (29), whereby the bridge bracket (23) can be deflected translationally, preferably along a vehicle vertical direction (Z), when a contact wire (5) rests thereon.

4. Current collector (2) according to claim 3, - wherein the at least one bridge bracket (23) is coupled to the second contact rocker (13) at the second support point (25) via a pivot bearing (30), - wherein an axis of rotation (Dl) of the pivot bearing (30) is arranged orthogonally to a connecting line running through the support points (24, 25), preferably aligned in the vehicle longitudinal direction (X), whereby the bridge bracket (23) at the first support point (24) can be deflected in a rotational manner about the second support point (25).

5. Current collector (2) according to claim 4, - wherein the at least one bridge bracket (23) is coupled to the second contact rocker (13) at the second support point (25) via a pivot bearing (31), - wherein an axis of rotation (D2) of the pivot bearing (31) extends along a connecting line running through the support points (24, 25), preferably in the transverse direction (Y) of the vehicle, whereby the bridge bracket (23) can be deflected in a rotational manner about both support points (24, 25).

6. Current collector (2) according to one of claims 1 to 5, - wherein the sensor unit (27) is an incremental encoder which measures the travelled spring travel.

7. Current collector (2) according to one of claims 1 to 5, - wherein the sensor unit (27) is a position sensor which detects when the spring travel reaches the threshold value.

8. Current collector (2) according to one of claims 1 to 5, - wherein the sensor unit (27) is a pressure gauge which measures the jet pressure of a fluid jet emerging from a hose opening of a fluid-filled and pressurised hose, - wherein the hose is designed such that an opening cross-section of the hose opening increases with increasing spring travel.

9. Current collector (2) according to one of the preceding claims, - wherein an elastic sheath (32) enclosing the sensor unit (27) and the spring element (28) is arranged at a support point (24, 25).

10. Non-track-bound, electrically or hybrid-electrically powered road vehicle (1) with a pantograph (2) according to one of the preceding claims.

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