Mechanical Charging Contact Assembly Without Cable Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical connection systems for vehicles, particularly for high-power applications like electric buses, face challenges such as safety risks, cable handling difficulties, and high costs due to the use of cables for charging, which are not suitable for rapid charging and pose constraints in terms of space and handling.
Innovation Solution
A connection system that eliminates the need for cables by using a rigid structure with mechanically actuated switches that short-circuit to earth when not in use, ensuring electrical safety and preventing accidental connections, and incorporates buffers on both the vehicle and charging station that are designed to be inaccessible to users during charging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cables are used to connect vehicles to charging stations, then electrical power can be transmitted, but safety risks and handling difficulties increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes cables from the charging system by implementing direct buffer-to-buffer contact between the charging station and vehicle. The connection is established through fixed buffers on the station side and movable buffers on the vehicle side that make direct contact, eliminating the need for cable-based connections and their associated handling issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces mechanical switches as intermediaries that control the electrical connection. These switches are actuated by the movement of buffers and provide automatic disconnection when the vehicle moves away, replacing manual cable plugging and unplugging operations.
2Power
If cables are used for high-power charging, then power transmission is achieved, but cable management constraints and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts cables from the high-power charging system and replaces them with a direct contact buffer system. The charging station has fixed buffers that remain stationary, while the vehicle has movable buffers that make contact automatically, eliminating the need for heavy-duty cable management infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer system is self-actuating through mechanical movement. When the vehicle approaches the charging station, the movable buffers on the vehicle side automatically make contact with the fixed buffers on the station side, and the mechanical switches are actuated by this movement, eliminating the need for external cable management operations.
3Reliability
If mechanical switches are used to control electrical connections, then safety is improved through automatic disconnection, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the buffer movement mechanism with the switch actuation mechanism. The same mechanical movement that establishes or breaks the electrical connection between buffers also actuates the mechanical switches, eliminating the need for separate control systems and reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable buffers serve multiple functions: they establish electrical contact for power transmission and simultaneously actuate the mechanical switches to control connection/disconnection. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed in the system.
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 enhances electrical safety, reduces the need for cable management, and eliminates the costs associated with cable storage and handling, while ensuring reliable operation through mechanical control rather than electronic components.
Implementation Method 1
When the buffers come into contact with one another, the switches are actuated mechanically, thereby creating an electrical connection between the charging station and the vehicle
Implementation Method 2
at least two mechanically actuated switches, the actuation of which is dependent on the position of the buffers relative to one another
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6A~7
AI summary
The invention relates to a system for connecting a movable object (8) with an electrical power supply, to a device (7) for supplying electrical energy, comprising, on the side of the electrical energy supply device: at least one first mechanical switch (59) that can be actuated by the movable object; and at least a first (52) and a second (54) electrical contact, connected to a circuit supplying a charging voltage, each having an accessible surface that is at least partially electrically conductive, the first mechanical switch, when at rest, short-circuiting said contacts to earth.