Vehicle Charging Contact Head Pivot Arms for Misalignment Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power supply devices for vehicles, such as electric buses and trucks, face challenges in achieving precise and robust connections between contact heads and docking stations, especially when there are translational misalignments between the vehicle and the charging station.
Innovation Solution
A power supply device with a pivot arm system that allows the contact head to rotate about two axes at right angles, enabling precise orientation and contact with the docking station without the need for guide rails or sliding bearings, and incorporating a guide device like a rod or cable-pull arrangement to stabilize the contact head during movements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If guide rails and sliding bearings are used between the contact head and the rod system, then translational misalignments can be compensated, but the device complexity increases and manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the guide rails and sliding bearings from the system, extracting the problematic components that added complexity. Instead, it uses a pivot arm system with rotational degrees of freedom to achieve the same misalignment compensation function more simply.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a static guide rail system to a dynamic pivot arm system that uses rotational movements. The pivot arms can rotate about horizontal and vertical axes, dynamically adapting to misalignments between the contact head and docking station without requiring precise guide rails.
2Adaptability or versatility
If guide rails and sliding bearings are used, then translational movements are enabled, but manufacturing precision and structural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces static guide rails with dynamic pivot arms that achieve translational movement capability through rotational degrees of freedom. The pivot arms can rotate about horizontal and vertical axes, enabling the contact head to reach the docking station despite misalignments without requiring high manufacturing precision in guide rails.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the mechanical guide rail and sliding bearing system with a pivot arm rotational system. This replacement eliminates the need for precise guide rail manufacturing while achieving the same functional outcome of compensating for positional misalignments.
3Reliability
If the contact head is connected via rod systems, then current can be transmitted, but the connection robustness decreases when misalignments occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses dynamic pivot arms with multiple rotational degrees of freedom to connect the contact head to the rod system. This dynamic connection can adapt to misalignments while maintaining robust electrical contact, improving reliability compared to rigid rod systems that cannot compensate for positional errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds rotational degrees of freedom in multiple dimensions (horizontal and vertical axes) to the connection system. This multi-dimensional mobility allows the contact head to accommodate misalignments in any direction while maintaining reliable electrical connection to the docking station.
Data Source
AI summary
A power supply device for a vehicle, in particular for a utility vehicle such as an electric bus or an electric heavy goods vehicle, wherein the power supply device includes at least one contact head that can be brought in contact with a docking station to establish an electrical connection, and includes at least a first pivot arm that is connected to the at least one contact head, where the at least first pivot arm is connectable to a vehicle so as to be rotatable about a first axis and a second axis that extend at an angle from one another, where the first axis extends parallel to a transverse vehicle axis, and the second axis extends parallel to a longitudinal vehicle axis so as to allow for more flexible movability of the contact head.