Dual-Axis Rocker Arm for Pantograph Contact Wear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current rocker designs for pantographs in electric vehicles have limited rotational mobility, leading to uneven heating and wear of contact strips, which can result in unsatisfactory contact with power supply devices, especially at large inclination angles.
Innovation Solution
The rocker design incorporates a contact piece that is rotatable about two orthogonal axes, allowing independent alignment parallel to a power supply device, providing additional rotational degrees of freedom and enabling uniform loading and stress distribution, thereby reducing local overheating and uneven wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the contact strip is connected via levers with swivel joints and torsion springs, then the contact strip can perform rotational movements, but the rotational mobility is still limited and uneven heating and wear occur
Solution Approach 1:
The contact piece is designed with dynamic rotational freedom about two orthogonal axes (transverse axis and longitudinal axis), allowing it to adapt its orientation dynamically. This dual-axis rotation enables the contact piece to maintain optimal contact angle with the overhead line even during vehicle acceleration, braking, or when the overhead line has inclination, thereby ensuring uniform heating and wear across the contact surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds an additional rotational degree of freedom by enabling rotation about the longitudinal axis in addition to the transverse axis. This dimensional expansion from single-axis to dual-axis rotation provides superior adaptability, allowing the contact piece to align with the overhead line in three-dimensional space and eliminate localized overheating caused by fixed angular positions.
2Device complexity
If the contact strip has fixed angular position, then the structure is simpler, but manual adjustment is needed and contact quality deteriorates at large inclination angles
Solution Approach 1:
The contact piece is equipped with self-adjusting capability through dual-axis rotational freedom, allowing it to automatically align with the overhead line based on operational conditions such as vehicle motion and line inclination. This eliminates the need for manual adjustment during maintenance while maintaining optimal contact geometry, thereby improving ease of operation without significantly increasing structural complexity.
3Quantity of substance
If the contact strip width is increased, then more current can be transmitted, but small angular errors cause unsatisfactory contact condition
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the angular parameters of the contact piece by enabling dual-axis rotation, allowing the contact piece to dynamically adjust its orientation. This parameter adaptation ensures that even with wide contact strips for high current capacity, the contact angle remains optimal throughout operation, preventing unsatisfactory contact conditions that would otherwise result from small angular errors.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a rocker arm for a vehicle's pantograph, comprising at least one first contact piece (11) which is coupled to at least one first bearing device (18) via at least one first support device (13), wherein the at least first contact piece (11) is rotatably connected to the at least first bearing device (18) about a first parallel to a transverse axis (25) of the contact piece (11), and wherein the at least first bearing device (18) is connectable to a pantograph linkage (1). It is proposed that the at least first contact piece (11) be rotatably connected to the at least first bearing device (18) about a second parallel to a longitudinal axis (26) of the contact piece (11) and be independently alignable parallel to a power supply device depending on the rocker arm's deflection.This results in a mobility of the first grinding piece (11) that is advantageous with regard to uniform wear.