Charging rails and systems for charging parked road vehicles

Abstract

A charging rail for charging a parked road vehicle is provided. The charging rail includes a charging control segment, a first charging segment, a second charging segment, and a Protective Earth (PE) segment. The segments are arranged one after the other along a longitudinal extension of the charging rail, are electrically conductive, and are electrically isolated from each other. The charging rail further includes a base supporting the segments.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure pertains to a charging rail and system for charging parked road vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] The number of electric vehicles is currently growing at an unprecedented rate, as traditional combustion engines are being replaced or combined with electric motors in order to reduce dependency on fossil fuels for transportation. This also applies to heavy road vehicles, such as trucks or other work vehicles, as batteries are not only becoming more powerful but also more efficient from a charging point of view.

[0003] Charging of parked road vehicles is generally done by a cable connected between the charging station and the parked road vehicle. Thus, a person, e.g. the driver of the road vehicle, needs to manually attach the cable to the outside of the road vehicle. Furthermore, for safety reasons, a common modern standard is to lock the cable socket of the cable to the parked road vehicle while charging. This may reduce convenience in terms of flexibility for cargo platforms, for example when a large road vehicle needs to be moved suddenly.

[0004] There is therefore a need for a more flexible approach to charging parked road vehicles. Summary of the Invention

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide an approach for more flexible charging of parked road vehicles.

[0006] According to a first aspect, there is provided a charging rail for charging a parked road vehicle, the charging rail comprising: Charge control segment, A first charging segment; A second charging segment; Includes a protective earth (PE) segment, The segments are arranged one after the other along the longitudinal extension of the charging rail, are conductive and are electrically insulated from one another.

[0007] A parked road vehicle is considered herein to be a road vehicle that can travel on the road, the road vehicle being temporarily stationary. For example, the road vehicle may be a truck, a car, a bus, a forklift, a power shovel, a dump truck, a tractor, mining equipment, etc.

[0008] A parked road vehicle can be easily relocated since the driver of the road vehicle does not have to leave the driver's seat of the road vehicle while connecting or disconnecting from the charging rail. Hence, more flexible charging of parked road vehicles can be provided. Furthermore, the charging rail can be located on a cargo platform such that charging can take place during loading and / or unloading of the road vehicle. Thus, time can be saved since charging and loading / unloading take place simultaneously.

[0009] The charging rail may include a base that supports the segments.

[0010] The charging rail may include a Combined Charging System (CCS) device. The CCS device may be supported by the base. The CCS device may be a CCS coupler. The CCS device includes a control pilot (CP) connector, a negative direct current (DC-) connector, a positive direct current (DC+) connector, and a protective earth (PE) connector. In contrast to a normal CCS charger, the proximity pilot (PP) connector may be redundant for the CCS device of the present invention, since the PP connector for a normal CCS socket is positioned to lock the CCS socket to the vehicle during charging.

[0011] The PE connector may be connected to a PE segment.

[0012] The DC-connector may be connected to a first charging segment, which may therefore be referred to as a DC-segment.

[0013] The DC+ connector may be connected to a second charging segment, which may therefore be referred to as a DC+ segment.

[0014] The CP connector may be connected to a charging control segment. Hence, the charging control segment may be referred to as a CP segment. The term control pilot (CP) has its normal meaning within the scope of a CCS charger. Thus, the control pilot is a communication line used to communicate the charge level. Furthermore, interruption of the CP communication line will stop charging of the road vehicle battery. That is, if the CP communication line is interrupted, power will not be delivered to the DC- and DC+ segments. DC-, DC+, and PE also have their normal meaning within the scope of a CCS charger.

[0015] The segments can be spatially ordered in any suitable order along their longitudinal extent, and thus there are 24 different permutations for ordering these four segments.

[0016] The segments may have the same longitudinal extension, preferably in the range of 500-900 mm. This facilitates parking tolerances of road vehicles when connected to the charging rail. Preferably, the longitudinal extension of each segment is approximately 700 mm.

[0017] The first and second charging segments may be disposed between the charging control segment and the PE segment. Thus, along the longitudinal extension, the charging control segment and the PE segment may be located at the longitudinal ends, while the first and second charging segments are located between them. This helps to protect the high voltage components of the charging rail. Thus, safety may be promoted, since the charging control segment and the PE segment are less harmful in the event of a short circuit.

[0018] The charging rail may further include a switch configured to switch the polarity of the first and second charging segments (e.g., in the form of a DC- segment and a DC+ segment). This allows parking of the road vehicle along the longitudinal extension of the charging rail in either of two possible directions. If the parking direction of the road vehicle is opposite, this opposite parking direction may be detected by the antenna receiver. Thus, the switching may be facilitated using a relay in the road vehicle or in the charging rail, such that the charging control signal and the PE signal are correctly sequenced. The sequencing of the first and second charges (e.g., in the form of DC- and DC+) may further be switched by a diode, and thus not necessarily by a relay. This may further facilitate simplicity and save time.

[0019] The underside of the base may include an insulating layer, which may prevent short circuit situations that may occur through salt water present in the charging rail, thus promoting safety.

[0020] According to a second aspect, there is provided a stationary charger device, the stationary charger device comprising: A charging rail according to a first aspect, and and a safety device configured to stop charging of a parked road vehicle upon the proximity of a foreign object to the charging rail.

[0021] The above mentioned features and advantages of the charging rail apply equally to this second aspect. To avoid undue repetition, reference is made to the above where applicable. The safety device thereby interrupts the current used to charge the parked road vehicle. The foreign object may include human intervention, an animal approaching the charging rail, or the like. The safety device thus promotes safety, preventing fire or leakage of chemicals from the battery, or the like.

[0022] The safety device may include a curtain guard positioned along the charging rail, the curtain guard being extendable between a parked road vehicle and the surface on which the charging rail is positioned.

[0023] The curtain guard may be extendable from the underside of a parked road vehicle. Alternatively, the curtain guard may be extendable from the charging rail. The curtain guard may be manufactured from any suitable material. This may facilitate a safe and simple safety system to prevent accidents associated with high voltage currents.

[0024] The curtain protection includes one or more circuit breakers configured to stop charging of the parked road vehicle if the curtain protection is tampered with. Thus, charging may be stopped whenever the curtain protection is touched, lifted, or the like. The circuit breakers may be arranged to interrupt a charging control communication line, e.g., a CP communication line. This is because interruption of the charging control communication line (e.g., a CP communication line) typically indicates a stop of charging, i.e., stopping the current for charging the road vehicle battery. Thus, safety may be promoted.

[0025] The safety devices may include one or more of a radar, a camera, a temperature sensor, and a passive infrared (PIR) sensor, which may further facilitate safety.

[0026] According to a third aspect there is provided a system for a parked road vehicle, the system comprising: A charging rail according to a first aspect, a charge pick-up device connected to an undercarriage of the road vehicle, the charge pick-up device comprising: Charge control connection element, A first charging connection element; A second charging connection element, and Protective Earth (PE) Connection Element The connection element has a set including:

[0027] The charging control connection element may be a control pilot (CP) connection element. The first charging connection element may be a negative direct current (DC-) connection element. The second charging connection element may be a positive direct current (DC+) connection element.

[0028] The above mentioned features and advantages of the charging rail apply equally to this second aspect. To avoid undue repetition, reference is made to the above where applicable. The charge pick-up device may be installed on the underside of the road vehicle. Thus, a normal at least partially electric road vehicle may be converted such that charging of its batteries may be possible using the charging rail. Alternatively, the road vehicle may be equipped with the charge pick-up device during its manufacture.

[0029] The system may further include a safety device configured to stop charging of a parked road vehicle upon the proximity of a foreign object to the charging rail.

[0030] A proximal end of each connection element of the set of connection elements may be vertically movable to make electrical contact to a matching segment of the charging rail to enable charging of the road vehicle. Thus, during charging of the road vehicle, the charge control connection element is connected to the charge control segment, the first charging connection element is connected to the first charging segment, the second charging connection element is connected to the second charging segment, and the PE connection element is connected to the PE segment.

[0031] The proximal end of each connection element of the set of connection elements may have a lateral extension transverse to the longitudinal extension of the charging rail (assuming the road vehicle is correctly parked on the charging rail). The lateral extension may be in the range of 0.1-2 m, and more preferably in the range of 0.3-0.6 m. This may provide sufficient tolerance for parking, i.e. simplifying parking of the road vehicle such that charging via the charging rail is possible. Additionally or alternatively, the proximal end of each connection element may be movable along the lateral extension such that even if the road vehicle is parked at an angle to the charging rail, an electrical connection between the connection element and the charging rail is established, thus facilitating sufficient parking tolerance.

[0032] Each connection element of the set of connection elements may be pivotally mounted to the undercarriage of the road vehicle, which may reduce the space required for the charge pick-up device while not in use.

[0033] Each connection element of the set of connection elements may include a biasing member configured to provide additional pressure between each connection member and the matching segment while charging the road vehicle. The biasing member may be a spring, a resilient material, a hydraulic or pneumatic means, or the like. This may prevent loss of electrical contact during charging, thus facilitating improved charging reliability.

[0034] Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given for purposes of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the scope of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

[0035] Thus, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific components of the device described or acts of the method described, as such devices and methods may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. It should be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the articles "a," "an," "the," and "said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of an element, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a unit" or "the unit" may include several devices, etc. Furthermore, the words "comprising," "including," "containing," and similar expressions do not exclude other elements or steps.

[0036] The above, as well as additional objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of preferred embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals will be used for similar elements, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0037] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1A shows highly schematic perspective views of a charging rail for charging parked road vehicles. [Fig. 1B-1E] 1B-1E show highly schematic cross-sectional profiles of some of the insulating layers located underneath the charging rail. [Figure 1F] FIG. 1F shows highly schematic top view of a charging rail for charging a parked road vehicle. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a stationary charging device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 shows a system for charging a parked road vehicle. [Figure 4A-4B] 4A-B show perspective views of a charge pick-up device for charging a parked road vehicle. [Figure 5A-5B] 5A-5B show side views of a charge pick-up apparatus for charging a parked road vehicle. [Figure 6A] FIG. 6A shows highly schematic a first type of charge pick-up device arranged parallel to the charging rail. [Figure 6B] FIG. 6B shows highly diagrammatically a first type of charge pickup device positioned non-parallel to the charge rail. [Figure 6C] FIG. 6C shows highly schematic a second type of charge pick-up device arranged parallel to the charging rail. [Figure 6D] FIG. 6D shows highly schematic a second type of charge pickup device that is positioned non-parallel to the charge rail. [Figure 6E] FIG. 6E shows highly schematic a second type of charge pickup device that is adjusted laterally relative to the charge rail. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0038] The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which presently preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided for thoroughness and completeness, and to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0039] In connection with FIG. 1A, a charging rail 100 is shown for charging a parked road vehicle 10. The road vehicle 10 may be a road vehicle suitable for driving on normal roads. Non-limiting examples include cars, buses and trucks 10, forklifts, power shovels, dump trucks, tractors and mining equipment. An exemplary road vehicle 10 is shown in FIG. 3. The road vehicle 10 may have electrically insulating tires / wheels 2, e.g. made of rubber, suitable for driving on any suitable type of surface, such as asphalt, concrete, gravel or forest roads. Thus, a "parked road vehicle 10" refers to a road vehicle 10 that is temporarily stationary.

[0040] The charging rail 100 includes a charging control segment 102, a first charging segment 104, a second charging segment 106, and a protective earth (PE) segment. The segments 102, 104, 106, 108 are arranged one after the other along a longitudinal extension LE of the charging rail 100. The segments 102, 104, 106, 108 are mutually and electrically insulated from each other. The segments 102, 104, 106, 108 are electrically conductive. The segments 102, 104, 106, 108 may be made of any suitable conductive material / compound, for example, copper, steel, or the like. It should be understood that different segments 102, 104, 106, 108 may be made of different conductive materials / compounds, for example, the control segment 102 may be made of copper and the first charging segment 104 may be made of steel. The segments 102, 104, 106, 108 may be electrically insulated from each other by any suitable insulating means 112. The insulating means may be, for example, air, plastic or rubber. The electrical supply to the battery 4 of the parked road vehicle 10 may be by direct current of 0-200 A. Alternatively, alternating current may be used. The preferred voltage range for charging is 200-1000 V and the electrical effect during charging may be 0-200 kW. The charging of the road vehicle may be activated by wireless means such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, 4G, 5G or similar.

[0041] Charging rail 100 may include a combined charging system (CCS) device 120, preferably in the form of a CCS coupler, as in the example illustrated in FIG. 1 . In such a case, charging rail 100 may be easily connected to a CCS-compatible charger. However, it should be understood that charging rail 100 may be connected to other types of chargers for charging vehicles, such as a Megawatt Charging System (MCS)-compatible charger, a CHAdeMO-compatible charger, a Type 2-compatible charger, or any future charging system. Additionally, charging rail 100 may be part of a custom charging system. CCS device 120 includes a control pilot (CP) connector 101, a negative direct current (DC-) connector 103, a positive direct current (DC+) connector 105, and a protective earth (PE) connector 107. CP connector 101 is connected to a charging control segment 102. Thus, charging control segment 102 may be referred to as a control pilot (CP) segment. The DC- connector 103 is connected to the first charging segment 104, which may therefore be referred to as the DC- segment. The DC+ connector 105 is connected to the second charging segment 106, which may therefore be referred to as the DC- segment. The PE connector is connected to the PE segment. A schematic CCS combo connector is shown to illustrate the counterparts of the CCS combo connector along with segments 102, 104, 106, 108 of charging rail 100. As noted above in the overview section, the PP socket normally included in the CCS combo connector may be redundant for charging rail 100.

[0042] Charging rail 100 further includes a base 114 that supports segments 102, 104, 106, 108. The base may also support a CCS device or any other type of connection device for connecting charging rail 100 to a charger.

[0043] The segments 102, 104, 106, 108 may have the same longitudinal extension. This longitudinal extension of the segments may be denoted the length LS of the segment. Preferably, the length LS of each segment may be in the range of 500-900 mm. More preferably, the length of each segment is approximately 700 mm. The width W1 of each segment, i.e. the transverse extension across the longitudinal extension LE, may be substantially smaller than the length of the segment. A non-limiting example is a width of 50-200 mm. All the segments 102, 104, 106, 108 may be structurally similar to one another in terms of dimensions and materials. However, differences between the segments 102, 104, 106, 108 may occur within the scope of the claims.

[0044] The first and second charging segments 104, 106 may be disposed between the charging control segment 102 and the PE segment 108. Thus, the charging control segment 102 and the PE segment 108 may be the first and last segments along the longitudinal extension LE of the charging rail 100, and the first and second charging segments 104, 106 may be the second and third segments along the longitudinal extension LE of the charging rail 100. This ordering may be advantageous from a safety standpoint, since the charging control segment 102 and the PE segment 108 are exposed to smaller currents / voltages. That is, along the longitudinal extension LE, the first and second charging segments 104, 106 are substantially protected by the charging control segment 102 and the PE segment 108. However, other orderings of the segments 102, 104, 106, 108 may be possible within the claimed scope.

[0045] The charge rail 100 may further include a switch (not shown). The switch may be configured to switch the polarity of the first and second charging segments 104, 106. The switch may be a diode, a relay, or the like. The charge rail 100 may further include a second switch configured to switch the electrical function of the charge control segment 102 and the PE segment 108. That is, the segment associated with charge control connectivity may be changed to PE connectivity, and vice versa for the conductive segment associated with PE connectivity. Alternatively, the charge rail 100 may include a single switch configured to reverse the electrical ordering of the segments 102, 104, 106, 108.

[0046] The underside of the base 114 may include an insulating layer 110. Alternatively, the insulating layer 110 may partially or entirely form a portion of the base 114. Alternatively, the base 114 may be a rail made of any suitable material. As such, the base 114 may be located vertically below the insulating layer 114. The insulating layer 110 may be made of an electrically / thermally insulating material, such as rubber, plastic, or the like. Additionally or alternatively, the insulating layer 110 may have a cross-sectional profile configured to prevent liquids from forming substantial electrical contact between the segments and the ground on which the base layer is located, thus preventing, for example, a short circuit between the first and second charging segments 104, 106. The liquid in question may be water, salt water, or any anti-skid substance for use in icy / snowy weather that may form undesirable electrical contact between the segments or other nearby objects. At a conceptual level, the cross-sectional profile may be such that liquid is forced to separate between the segments and ground and at the non-connected portions between the segments. Examples of cross-sectional profiles are provided in Figs. 1B-1E. In Fig. 1B, the overall structure of the charging rail 100 is shown in a highly schematic manner, showing the cross-sectional profiles of the segments 108, the base layer 114, and the insulating layer 110a. In Fig. 1C, an alternative cross-sectional profile of the insulating layer is shown. Here, the cross-sectional profile has a sloped portion 111 at each end seen along the lateral extension of the segment 108. This may prevent liquid from flowing in a fluid-connected manner along the edges of the charging rail and the insulating layer. In Fig. 1D, yet another alternative cross-sectional profile 110c of the insulating layer 110 is shown. Here, there are multiple sloped portions 113 at each end. This may further prevent liquid from flowing in a fluid-connected manner along the edges of the charging rail 100 and the insulating layer 110. As yet another option, the insulating layer 110 may include multiple insulating portions 110d, as shown in Figure IE. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that many variations of insulating layers exist.

[0047] With reference to FIG. 2, a stationary charger device 150 is shown.

[0048] The stationary charger device 150 includes a charging rail 100. The above description of the charging rail 100 applies here too, and therefore, to avoid undue repetition, reference is made thereto where applicable.

[0049] The stationary charger device 150 further includes a safety device. The safety device is configured to stop charging of the parked road vehicle 10 if a foreign object approaches the charging rail 100. For this purpose, the safety device may include a curtain guard 130 arranged along the charging rail 100. The curtain guard 130 may be extensible between the parked road vehicle 10 and the surface on which the charging rail 100 is arranged. The curtain guard 130 may be made of any suitable material, for example an insulating material. The curtain guard 130 may be made of a flexible sheet material, such as synthetic fibers, rubber, combinations thereof, or the like. Alternatively, the curtain guard 130 may be made of any rigid material, such that the curtain guard 130 can substantially maintain its shape even if it is not suspended by a suspension means. An example may be an elongated substantially rigid curtain guard having a cylindrical or rectangular shape when viewed from above, in which case the curtain guard 130 has a sleeve that surrounds the charging rail 100 and the curtain guard 130 has an axial extension that runs vertically. Alternatively, curtain protection 130 may include multiple curtain protection portions. As will be appreciated, curtain protection 130 may extend vertically between the chassis of road vehicle 10 and the ground. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are many variations possible for curtain protection 130 to fulfill the purpose of curtain protection 130.

[0050] The curtain protection 130 may be able to extend from the underside of the road vehicle 10 to the charging rail 100 or from the charging rail 100 to the underside of the road vehicle 10.

[0051] The curtain protection 130 may include one or more circuit breakers configured to stop charging of the parked road vehicle 10 if the curtain protection 130 is tampered with. The one or more circuit breakers may be arranged to interrupt the charging control connection. Typically, interruption of the charging control connection interrupts charging of the road vehicle's battery 4. Conceptually, this may be achieved by keeping the secondary electric circuit closed while the road vehicle 100 is being charged, with the curtain protection 130 being extended to protect the charging rail 100 from its external environment. If the curtain protection 130 is tampered with, the secondary electric circuit may be interrupted. In response to this interruption of the secondary electric circuit, charging of the parked road vehicle 10 may be stopped, thus promoting safety, for example with respect to high current protection, fire prevention, or the like.

[0052] Additionally or alternatively, the safety device may include one or more of a radar, a camera, a temperature sensor, and a passive infrared (PIR) sensor. Each of these alternatives may detect the presence of an object or living thing in the vicinity of the charging rail 100 while charging the parked road vehicle 10. If the safety device is a PIR sensor, it may be configured to detect the presence of a living thing, e.g., a cat, a bird, or the like, that is small in terms of weight and / or size compared to a human. If the safety device is a temperature or PIR sensor, interruption of the charging current may occur upon detecting an abnormal temperature in association with charging the parked road vehicle 10. That is, the safety device may detect an abnormal, possibly dangerously high temperature of the charging rail 100 and its electrical connection to the parked road vehicle 10, resulting from an electrical short circuit or other possible connection problem. As a further safety measure, there may be built-in safety means in the electrical circuit associated with the charging rail 100, such as a voltage meter and its switch to prevent potential temporary overloads in the electrical network, or an ampere meter and its switch to prevent potential DC overloads when charging the parked road vehicle 10.

[0053] 3 to 6, a system for charging a parked road vehicle 10 is shown. The system includes a charging rail 100. The above description of the charging rail 100 also applies to the system. Therefore, in order to avoid undue repetition, the features and advantages of the charging rail 100 are referred to above, where applicable.

[0054] The system further includes a charge pickup device 200 connected to the chassis of the road vehicle 10 (FIGS. 5-6). The charge pickup device 200 has a set of connection elements 202, 204, 206, 208. The set of connection elements includes a charge control connection element 202, a first charging connection element 204, a second charging connection element 206, and a protective earth (PE) connection element 208. In the case of a combined charging system (CCS) enabled charging rail 100 including a CCS device 120, the charge control connection element 202 may be referred to as a control pilot (CP) connection element, the first charging connection element 204 may be referred to as a negative direct current (DC-) connection element, and the second charging connection element 206 may be referred to as a positive direct current (DC+) connection element.

[0055] The system may further include a safety device configured to stop charging of a parked road vehicle upon the proximity of a foreign object to the charging rail. As described above, the safety device may include a curtain guard 130. The curtain guard 130 may be attached to the charge pickup device 200 such that it is extendable from the charge pickup device 120 to the surface on which the charging rail 100 is located. Other features of the curtain guard 130 may be as described above.

[0056] Additionally, the safety device may include one or more of a radar, a camera, a temperature sensor, and a passive infrared (PIR) sensor. Again, the above descriptions of these features may apply here.

[0057] A proximal end of each connection element 202, 204, 206, 208 of the set of connection elements may be vertically movable to form electrical contact with a matching segment 102, 104, 106, 108 of the charging rail 100, thereby enabling charging of the road vehicle 10. Each connection element 202, 204, 206, 208 may be suspended by an arm 212, 214, 216, 218 that allows vertical movement of the connection element. Preferably, each connection element 202, 204, 206, 208 is suspended by a pair of arms 212, 214, 216, 218 such that a connection element is connected to a respective end of two arms. Thus, each connection element may be elongated. The distance between the ends of the pair of arms, i.e., substantially the length W2 of the connection element, may be in the range of 100 to 700 mm, more preferably 250 to 600 mm, and even more preferably 400 to 500 mm. However, the length W2 of the connection elements may differ from these values ​​without departing from the claimed scope. Provided that the road vehicle 10 is correctly parked on the charging rail 100 during charging of the road vehicle 10, each connection element 202, 204, 206, 208 may extend along its elongated extension substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal extension LE of the charging rail 10. The length W2 of each connection element may thus introduce a tolerance for parking, such that charging may be possible even if the road vehicle 10 is parked diagonally on the charging rail. This situation is illustrated diagrammatically in Figs. 6A-6B. In Fig. 6A, the set of connection elements is centrally positioned on the charging rail 100 such that each connection element 202, 204, 206, 208 forms a contact with its matching segment 102, 104, 106, 108 of the charging rail 100. In Fig. 6B an obliquely arranged charge pickup device, i.e. a road vehicle parked at an angle, on the charging rail 100 is shown diagrammatically. In practice, this may correspond to a longitudinal extension of the road vehicle 10 forming an angle V1 with respect to the longitudinal extension of the charging rail 100. The length W2 of the connection element may be greater than the width W1 of the segment, so that sufficient electrical contact between the charge pickup device 200 and the charging rail 100 may be possible at an angle V1 that is less than the threshold angle.This threshold angle thus depends on the length W2 of the connecting elements 202, 204, 206, 208 and the width W1 of the segments 102, 104, 106, 108.

[0058] Alternatively, each connection element 202, 204, 206, 208 may be laterally movable (FIG. 6E), thereby allowing it to have a shorter length W2a without unnecessarily restricting the parking tolerance. For example, the length W2a of each conductive element 202, 204, 206, 208 may be 30-100 mm in such a situation. That is, each connection element 202, 204, 206, 208 may be movable relative to the charge pickup device 200 to create electrical contact with the matching segments 102, 104, 106, 108 of the charging rail 100. The lateral movement distance may be, for example, 200-600 mm. Thus, the lateral position of each connection element 202, 204, 206, 208 may be adjusted later for a road vehicle parked at an angle. By way of example, as depicted in FIG. 6D , the road vehicle 10 may be parked such that the PE connection element 208 and the PE segment 108 are initially in contact, while the charging control connection element 202 and the charging control segment 102 are substantially offset, for example, by 300 mm. The charging control connection element 202 may thus be moved laterally approximately 300 mm to form electrical contact with the charging control segment 102. The remaining connection elements may be aligned with their matching segments accordingly, if necessary. With reference to FIG. 6D , it should be understood that the offset may have been reduced if, at angle V1, the first and second charging connection elements 204, 206 were initially in contact with their respective segments 104, 106.

[0059] Each connection element 202, 204, 206, 208 of the set of connection elements may be pivotally mounted to the chassis of the road vehicle 10. Preferably, the connection elements 202, 204, 206, 208 may be indirectly pivotally mounted to the chassis of the road vehicle 10 via the frame 250 of the charge pick-up system 200. Thus, each connection element 202, 204, 206, 208 may include a hinge 230 connecting the connection element with the frame 250 of the charge pick-up system 200. Such a hinge 230 may be of any suitable type. The arms 212, 214, 216, 218 connecting the connection elements 202, 204, 206, 208 with the frame 250 of the charge pick-up system 200 may thus be articulated relative to the frame 250. The arms 212, 214, 216, 218, and thus the connection elements 202, 204, 206, 208, may be mechanically, hydraulically or pneumatically controlled for vertical movement of the connection elements 202, 204, 206, 208. As will be appreciated, the term "vertically", as used above, applies when the charge pick-up system 200 is mounted on the chassis of the road vehicle 10 such that the lateral plane of the charge pick-up system 200 is substantially parallel to the surface on which the road vehicle 10 sits.

[0060] Each connection element 202, 204, 206, 208 of the set of connection elements may include a biasing member configured to provide additional pressure between each connection element 202, 204, 206, 208 and the matching segments 102, 104, 106, 108 while charging the road vehicle 10. The biasing member may be a mechanical spring. Alternatively, the additional pressure may be achieved by hydraulic or pneumatic means.

[0061] 4A and 4B show the connection elements 202, 204, 206, 208 folded, i.e. in their normal position while driving the road vehicle 10. FIGS. 5A-5B show side views of the charge pickup device 200, with FIG. 5A corresponding to FIG. 4A and FIG. 5B corresponding to FIG. 4B. The mounting orientation of the charge pickup device 200 may be as depicted in FIG. 3. That is, if the connection elements 202, 204, 206, 208 are pivotally suspended, the corresponding hinges 230 may be located horizontally behind the respective proximal ends while driving the road vehicle 10 forward. However, the opposite may be equally applicable, i.e. the corresponding hinges 230 may be located horizontally in front of the respective proximal ends while driving the road vehicle 10 forward. The latter mounting orientation thus corresponds to the charge pickup device 200 being flipped laterally by 180 degrees.

[0062] Thus, and in summary, a charging rail 100 and system for charging a parked road vehicle 10 is disclosed that facilitates a convenient approach to charging the road vehicle 10. For example, the charging rail 100 may be located on a cargo platform such that charging may occur during loading and / or unloading of the truck 10 via the charge pickup device 200, thereby saving time as charging and loading / unloading are performed simultaneously. The approach may be utilized for personal purposes as well, such as charging a conventional at least partially electric automobile.

[0063] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention is not in any way limited to the preferred embodiments described above. On the contrary, many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A charging rail (100) for charging a parked road vehicle (10), said charging rail (100) comprising: A charging control segment (102), A first charging segment (104); A second charging segment (106), and a protective earth (PE) segment (108); The segments (102, 104, 106, 108) are disposed one after the other along a longitudinal extension (LE) of the charge rail (100), are electrically conductive, and are electrically insulated from one another.

2. The charge rail (100) of claim 1, further comprising a base (114) supporting the segments (102, 104, 106, 108).

3. The system further includes a combined charging system (CCS) device (120), the combined charging system (CCS) device (120) comprising: Control Pilot (CP) Connector (101), a negative direct current (DC-) connector (103); a positive direct current (DC+) connector (105); and a protective earth (PE) connector (107); the CP connector (101) is connected to the charging control segment (102), the DC- connector (103) is connected to the first charging segment (104), the DC+ connector (105) is connected to the second charging segment (106), and the PE connector (107) is connected to the PE segment (108); The charging rail (100) of claim 2, wherein the base (114) supports the CCS device (120).

4. Charging rail (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the segments (102, 104, 106, 108) have the same longitudinal extension, preferably in the range of 500 to 900 mm.

5. The charge rail (100) of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first and second charge segments (104, 106) are disposed between the charge control segment (102) and the PE segment (108).

6. The charge rail (100) of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a switch configured to switch the polarity of the first and second charge segments (104, 106).

7. The charging rail (100) of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the underside of the base (114) comprises an insulating layer (110).

8. A stationary charger device (150), comprising: A charging rail (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and A stationary charger device (150) including a safety device configured to stop charging of the parked road vehicle (10) upon the proximity of a foreign object to the charging rail (100).

9. 9. The stationary charger device (150) of claim 8, wherein the safety device includes a curtain guard (130) disposed along the charging rail (100), the curtain guard (130) being extendable between the parked road vehicle (10) and a surface on which the charging rail (100) is disposed.

10. 10. The stationary charger device (150) of claim 8 or 9, wherein the curtain protection (130) includes one or more circuit breakers configured to stop charging of the parked road vehicle (10) if the curtain protection (130) is tampered with.

11. The stationary charger device (150) of any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the safety device comprises one or more of a radar, a camera, a temperature sensor, and a passive infrared (PIR) sensor.

12. A system for charging a parked road vehicle (10), said system comprising: A charging rail (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and a charge pickup device (200) connected to the chassis (6) of the road vehicle (10), the charge pickup device (200) comprising: A charging control connection element (202), A first charging connection element (204), A second charging connection element (206), and The system has a set of connection elements, including a protective earth (PE) connection element (208).

13. 13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a safety device configured to stop charging of the parked road vehicle (10) upon proximity of a foreign object to the charging rail (100).

14. 14. The system of claim 12 or 13, wherein a proximal end of each connection element (202, 204, 206, 208) of the set of connection elements is vertically movable to form electrical contact with a matching segment (102, 104, 106, 108) of the charging rail (100) thereby enabling charging of the road vehicle (10).

15. A system according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein each connection element (202, 204, 206, 208) of the set of connection elements is pivotally mounted to the chassis (6) of the road vehicle (10).

16. 16. The system of claim 12, wherein each connection element (202, 204, 206, 208) of the set of connection elements includes a biasing member configured to provide additional pressure between each connection element (202, 204, 206, 208) and a matching segment (102, 104, 106, 108) while charging the road vehicle (10).

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