Vehicle Current Collector Suspension for Reversible Deflection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current collector arrangements for vehicles, which rely on slip clutches to prevent wheel offloading, face issues with irreversible triggering and high strain on components due to high vertical accelerations, leading to increased wheel offloading and maintenance needs.
Innovation Solution
A current collector arrangement featuring a carrier connected to the vehicle via two springs with reserve spring-length regions, allowing for adjustable bias forces to manage both ordinary and extraordinary deflections, thereby eliminating the need for slip clutches and reducing strain on components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a slip clutch is used to prevent wheel offloading, then the current collector can be released in extraordinary operating states, but the current collector becomes irreversible and requires manual guidance back onto the conductor rail
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the irreversible slip clutch with a dynamic spring-based suspension system that automatically adjusts the current collector's position. The first and second springs provide reversible deflection capability, allowing the current collector to respond dynamically to vertical accelerations and automatically return to its normal position without manual intervention, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring suspension system enables the current collector to self-correct its position after extraordinary deflections. The biased springs automatically push the current collector back onto the conductor rail after it has been lifted during extraordinary operating states, eliminating the need for manual reset operations and implementing a self-service mechanism.
2Reliability
If a high trigger force is set for the slip clutch to prevent erroneous triggering, then the current collector remains stable under normal conditions, but the current collector and its components are under great strain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of force transmission by replacing the high-trigger-force slip clutch mechanism with a spring-based suspension system. The springs are biased to provide continuous contact force under normal conditions, eliminating the need for high trigger forces while maintaining stability. This parameter change reduces component strain while preserving reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring suspension system provides beforehand cushioning by continuously absorbing vertical accelerations and height errors through elastic deflection. The springs are pre-biased to accommodate ordinary deflections, cushioning the current collector against shocks and vibrations before they can cause component strain or erroneous triggering.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the spring length is increased to accommodate extraordinary deflections, then the current collector can handle extraordinary operating states, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the spring mechanism into two distinct springs (first spring and second spring) with different functions. The first spring handles ordinary deflections through its biased force, while the second spring provides additional travel for extraordinary deflections. This segmentation allows each spring to be optimized for its specific range, accommodating extraordinary operating states without excessive overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring suspension system implements a dynamic, two-stage deflection mechanism that adapts to different operating conditions. Under normal conditions, only the first spring is actively compressed, providing stable support. During extraordinary events, the system dynamically transitions to engage the second spring, which provides additional travel capacity without requiring the entire mechanism to be oversized for maximum deflection.
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
This solution provides reversible deflections, preventing unintentional triggering and wheel offloading, while reducing maintenance and operational costs by allowing for adjustable bias forces and improved tracking of conductor rail profiles.
Implementation Method 1
a first spring (4) and a second spring (5), which each have at least one reserve spring-length region
Implementation Method 2
the first spring and the second spring can therefore be further compressed or expanded beyond the amount of compression or expansion that occurs because of an appropriate adjustment of the first spring and the second spring in ordinary operating states
Data Source
AI summary
A current-collector arrangement for a vehicle, said arrangement includes a current collector with a contact shoe for collecting current from a conductor rail, wherein the current collector is connected to the vehicle in sprung fashion where, in order to create advantageous design conditions, the current collector and the vehicle should have arranged between them a carrier, which is connected to the vehicle via a first spring and a second spring and also a joint, and where the first spring and the second spring should each have at least one reserve spring-length region for extraordinary deflections of the current collector, and where absolute values of the extraordinary deflections exceed absolute values of ordinary deflections of the current collector such that a deflection of the current collector achieved in an extraordinary operating state is reversible and need not be restored manually.