Overhead Current Collector Lowering Using Inertial Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing road vehicles with pantographs for overhead contact lines face challenges in maintaining contact while adhering to a clearance profile, particularly when stroke differences between contact poles are limited, leading to potential power interruptions and collisions.
Innovation Solution
A road vehicle equipped with a vehicle-mounted inertial measuring unit to detect acceleration and angular rate components, which triggers the pantograph's lowering based on these components and their integral values, using time-dependent threshold curves to prevent unnecessary lowering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the stroke difference between contact strips of different contact poles is limited to maintain clearance gauge compliance, then collision prevention is improved, but power supply reliability deteriorates due to contact loss
Solution Approach 1:
The support arm is designed with dynamic characteristics that allow different damping behaviors for stroke increase versus stroke decrease. The damping force is asymmetric: it restricts stroke increase to maintain clearance compliance, but allows stroke decrease to enable contact wire re-contact after disturbances, thus resolving the contradiction between collision prevention and power supply reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The damping characteristic of the support arm is changed based on the direction of stroke movement. By adjusting the damping force parameter differently for stroke increase and decrease, the system maintains clearance gauge compliance while allowing sufficient stroke difference for contact maintenance during road vehicle disturbances
2Reliability
If the stroke difference between contact strips is increased to maintain contact during road disturbances, then power supply reliability is improved, but clearance gauge compliance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The support arm incorporates damping mechanisms with direction-dependent characteristics. When contact strips move downward (stroke decrease), the damping force allows greater movement to maintain contact. When moving upward (stroke increase), the damping force is stronger to prevent clearance violation, thus resolving the contradiction dynamically
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the pantograph is lowered quickly to prevent clearance gauge violation during lateral maneuvers, then collision prevention is improved, but power supply continuity deteriorates due to premature lowering
Solution Approach 1:
The system preliminarily prepares the support arm with appropriate damping characteristics before disturbances occur. The damping mechanisms are pre-configured to allow sufficient stroke difference for contact maintenance, so when disturbances occur, the contact strips can naturally accommodate movements without triggering premature lowering, thus maintaining both clearance compliance and power supply continuity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances power availability from overhead contact lines by preventing unnecessary pantograph lowering, while maintaining compliance with clearance gauges during various driving conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a vehicle-mounted, inertial measuring unit (21) for detecting acceleration components of an acceleration vector a and angular rate components of an angular rate vector w
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a road vehicle (1) comprising a traction drive (13) and a current collector (14) for feeding traction energy from a two-pole overhead line system. The current collector (1) comprises an erectable supporting rod (15) which carries one contact strip (19) per contact pole for electrically contacting the relevant contact wire (4) of the overhead line system. By means of a lifting drive (20), the supporting rod (15) is lifted into an upper work position of the contact strips (19), in which a lift difference (H) between the contact strips (19) of the different contact poles is possible. According to the invention, the road vehicle (1) comprises an inertial measuring unit (21), which is fixed to the vehicle, for measuring acceleration components (ax, ay, az) and yaw rate components (ωx, ωy, ωz). A control unit (22) coupled to the lifting drive (20) is designed to initiate lowering of the supporting rod (15) on the basis of at least one of the measured acceleration components (ax, ay, az) and at least one of the measured yaw rate components (ωx, ωy, ωz). As a result, the road vehicle (1) is operated with the greatest possible lift difference (H) while maintaining a clearance profile (P).