Pantograph Charging Contact Alignment for Stable Bus Fast Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rapid-charging systems for electric vehicles face challenges in forming a reliable and cost-effective electrically conductive connection between vehicles and charging stations, particularly due to the need for precise vehicle positioning and the risk of contact interruptions caused by payload variations and passenger entry/exit movements, which can lead to safety hazards and system damage.
Innovation Solution
A contact apparatus with a positioning device featuring a pantograph or swing arm and a transverse guide allows for vertical and transverse positioning of contact elements relative to the charging contact unit, ensuring secure and stable contact formation, even with tilting or lateral movements of the vehicle, by reducing the mass and torque required for alignment and using a freely displaceable contact element support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a current collector with contact strip is arranged on the vehicle roof and moved upward against a rail at the charging station, then an electrically conductive connection can be formed for rapid charging, but two mutually independent current collectors and corresponding contacting areas are required, increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple contact elements and their support structure into a single integrated contact apparatus that can form multiple contact pairs simultaneously. The contact apparatus includes a support structure with multiple contact elements arranged to engage with corresponding charging contact elements, eliminating the need for multiple independent current collectors while maintaining reliable electrical connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact apparatus is designed as a multi-functional device that can simultaneously establish multiple electrical connections (multiple contact pairs) with the charging station. The single contact apparatus serves universal purposes by integrating functions that previously required separate current collectors, including power transmission and control signal exchange.
2Reliability
If the vehicle must be positioned in a particularly exact manner at the stopping place to form a connection, then contact stability is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to precise positioning requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The contact apparatus incorporates a positioning device with a pantograph or swing arm that can dynamically adjust the position of contact elements in the vertical direction. This dynamic positioning capability allows the contact elements to adapt to variations in vehicle height and positioning, maintaining stable contact without requiring precise vehicle alignment at the stopping place.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning device enables changes in the vertical position parameter of the contact elements relative to the charging contact unit. By adjusting this parameter dynamically, the system compensates for positioning variations and maintains reliable electrical connection despite imprecise vehicle placement at the charging station.
3Reliability
If payload variations and passenger entry/exit movements cause vehicle tilting, then contact interruptions occur leading to safety hazards, but adding complex stabilization mechanisms increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning device with pantograph or swing arm provides dynamic adjustment capability that automatically compensates for vehicle tilting caused by payload variations or passenger movements. The mechanism remains flexible and adaptive, maintaining contact stability without requiring complex active stabilization systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning device automatically adjusts the contact element positions in response to vehicle tilting and positioning variations without requiring external control or complex stabilization mechanisms. The system self-regulates to maintain stable contact through the inherent flexibility and adjustment range of the pantograph or swing arm mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a contact apparatus and to a charging contact unit for a rapid-charging system for electrically driven vehicles, in particular electric buses or the like, and to a method for forming an electrically conductive connection between a vehicle and a stationary charging station, wherein the contact apparatus serves to form an electrically conductive connection between the vehicle and the stationary charging station comprising a charging contact unit, wherein the contact apparatus can be arranged on a vehicle, wherein the contact apparatus comprises a contact device, wherein the contact device can make contact with the charging contact unit, wherein the contact apparatus or the charging contact unit comprises a positioning device, wherein the contact device can be positioned relative to the charging contact unit by means of the positioning device, wherein the positioning device has a pantograph or a swing arm, by means of which the contact device can be positioned in the vertical direction relative to the charging contact unit, wherein the contact device has a contact element support comprising contact elements, wherein the contact elements can make contact with the charging contact elements of the charging contact unit so as to form contact pairs, wherein the positioning device has a transverse guide, by means of which the contact element support can be positioned transversely relative to the charging contact unit, wherein the transverse guide is arranged at a distal end of the pantograph or of the swing arm.