Spring-Elastic Contact Element for Low-Wear Forklift Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing inductive charging systems for forklift trucks in warehouses face complexity, require minimal spacing or increased power for efficient charging, and pose health risks due to high magnetic fields, affecting electronic devices.
Innovation Solution
A contact charging system with a contact element featuring a convexly curved contact section, trough-shaped side walls, and a spring-elastic restoring mechanism, ensuring stable and reliable electrical contact despite misalignment, and a contact station with sliding contacts of varying lengths to prevent sparking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If inductive charging is used for forklift trucks, then charging can be performed during storage and retrieval operations, but the system complexity increases and high magnetic fields cause health problems and interfere with electronic devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the inductive charging system (electromagnetic field-based) with a conductive charging system using physical contact elements. The contact element with spring-elastic restoring mechanism establishes direct electrical contact with the sliding contact on the forklift, eliminating the need for complex transmission coils and high magnetic fields while maintaining charging functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates the harmful electromagnetic field generation components (transmission coils) from the charging system, retaining only the essential electrical contact function through simplified contact elements and sliding contacts.
2Productivity
If inductive charging uses minimal spacing between transmission coils, then charging efficiency improves, but the magnetic field strength increases causing health risks and device interference
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes the electromagnetic induction mechanism with a direct mechanical-electrical contact system. The contact element with spring-elastic restoring mechanism maintains constant physical contact with the sliding contact, providing efficient charge transfer without generating harmful magnetic fields.
3Reliability
If contact elements are designed with spring-elastic restoring mechanism, then contact stability improves over millions of cycles, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The contact element incorporates a spring-elastic restoring mechanism that automatically maintains contact pressure and restores the element to its initial position after each contact cycle. This self-service mechanism ensures consistent contact stability over millions of cycles without requiring external control systems or complex actuation mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a dynamic spring-elastic restoring mechanism that allows the contact element to adapt to variations in positioning and maintain reliable electrical contact. The elastic deformation and recovery of the spring mechanism compensates for tolerances and ensures continuous contact stability.
4Reliability
If sliding contacts of varying lengths are used, then sparking is prevented, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses sliding contacts of varying lengths that can adapt to different positions and orientations of the forklift. The progressive contact sequence ensured by different lengths dynamically prevents sparking by establishing contact in a controlled manner, while the tolerance compensation reduces manufacturing precision requirements.
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
Enables safe, efficient, and low-wear conductive energy transmission to mobile electrical consumers, maintaining reliable contact over millions of cycles while minimizing health risks and device interference.
Implementation Method 1
the contact element (30a-c) comprises a mounting section (31a-c), a strongly curved section (33), an S-shaped bent section (34) and a contact section (36a-c), wherein the strongly curved section (33) adjoins the mounting section (31a-c) in a longitudinal direction of the contact element (30a-c), in which the contact element (30a-c) is curved backwards by 180°
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a contact element (30a-c; 130) for contacting a sliding contact (16a-c), comprising a mounting section (31a-c) and a contact section (36a-c) connected thereto and extending in a longitudinal direction (L), wherein the sliding contact (16a-c) and the contact element (30a-c; 130) are movable relative to each other. The invention solves the problem of enabling improved, safe, reliable, and yet low-wear conductive transmission of electrical energy and/or data to and/or from a movable electrical load by providing the contact section (36a-c) with at least one electrically conductive contact (39a-e; 139a-e) with a contact surface (42a-e; 142a-e) for electrically conductive contacting the sliding contact (16a-c).The invention further relates to a current collector (20) for the conductive transmission of electrical energy and/or data to or from a contact station (10) with at least one such contact element (30a-c; 130), such a contact station (10) with one or more sliding contacts (16a-c) for contacting one or more contact elements (30a-c; 130) of the current collector (20), a contact charging system (1) between at least one contact station (10) and at least one current collector (20), and a system with at least one electrical consumer movable relative to a frame part of the system with at least one such contact charging system (1).