A rail installation has an overhead line in the region of a stop and at least one rail vehicle with a current collector for making contact with the overhead line. The overhead line has a central part having a limited, predefined length and an adjoining end portion. The central part has a substantially constant predefined height above a rail. The end portion has a height that increases outward from the central part. The current collector of the rail vehicle is raised and matched to the overhead line such that, as the rail vehicle enters the stop, sliding strips of the current collector have a height above the rail that is at least equal to the substantially constant height of the central part of the overhead line, and that is at most equal to the greatest height of the raised first end portion of the overhead line above the rail.

A monitor device is provided with an imaging device that shoots an overhead line and a current collector, and a controller that processes an image. The controller includes a day or night determination processing section, and an image processing section that switches a parameter for recognizing the overhead line and the current collector in the image by executing image processing different in the daylight and at night based upon the result of the day or night determination. Further, there are provided reference photographic subjects to be shot by the imaging device in positions different from the overhead line and the current collector in an image area to be shot, and the day or night determination processing section performs the determination of day or night based upon a luminance average value of the reference photographic subjects inputted into an image input section.

Systems of an electrical vehicle and the operations thereof are provided that use identifiers and sensed power source parameters to determine whether a rule, such as a warranty or licensing requirement, has been violated.

A method and a device test whether there is contact between a current collector and a contact wire of an overhead line. The current collector is located on a motor vehicle driven by an electric motor, and the contact wire extends in a direction of travel. The current collector has two contact regions oriented transversely to the direction of travel which are arranged one behind the other in the direction of travel and on each of which an end contact element is located. A pair of end contact elements located on the same side is connected to a measuring device and an electrical state variable is detected by the measuring device. Subsequently, it is determined in accordance with the detected state variable whether the pair of end contact elements is in contact with the overhead line.

A device includes a microprocessor and a computer readable medium coupled to the microprocessor. The computer readable medium includes instructions stored thereon that cause the microprocessor to receive output from at least one sensor monitoring an interior space of a vehicle and determine, based on the received output, a condition of an occupant in the interior space of the vehicle. The instructions cause the microprocessor to determine, based on the determined condition of the occupant, to alter a first presentation of information displayed to a display device of the vehicle to a second presentation of the information displayed to the display device. The instructions case the microprocessor to render the second presentation of the information to the display device of the vehicle to replace the first presentation of the information displayed to the display device of the vehicle.

A device includes a microprocessor and a computer readable medium coupled to the microprocessor. The computer readable medium includes instructions stored thereon that cause the microprocessor to receive output from at least one sensor monitoring an interior space of a vehicle and determine, based on the received output, a condition of an occupant in the interior space of the vehicle. The instructions cause the microprocessor to determine, based on the determined condition of the occupant, to alter a first presentation of information displayed to a display device of the vehicle to a second presentation of the information displayed to the display device. The instructions case the microprocessor to render the second presentation of the information to the display device of the vehicle to replace the first presentation of the information displayed to the display device of the vehicle.

A vehicle is provided that detects a first presence of a driver in a vehicle, based upon detecting the first presence, provides a user interface for the driver to enter first user information, information, and communicates the first sensitive information to a vendor to authenticate the combines the first user information and the vehicle information to generate the first sensitive driver to enable the vendor to perform a financial transaction with the driver using the first sensitive information while the vehicle is in motion. The processor is programmed to initiate automatically, on behalf of the driver, the financial transaction with the vendor in response to a sensed state or location of the vehicle.

A vehicle, based on user preferences and while the vehicle is in motion: in response to identification of a first event (e.g., a third party resident being in a vehicle location and/or on the route of the vehicle) and based on the user preferences, determines that the user desires to perform a transaction with the third party, automatically sends a first communication to the third party for the user (the first communication being part of a secure session and enabling authentication of the user by the third party), at a second later time and while the vehicle is in motion, and in response to identification of a second event, automatically sends a different second communication to the third party. The second communication is part of the secure session and enables the third party to complete the transaction with the user.

A mobile power system may include an AC-DC converter configured to convert a grid AC signal to a power limited DC charging signal, and a DC-AC converter coupled to the AC-DC converter. The mobile power system may have a battery module configured to provide a DC power signal, and a switching circuit coupled between the battery module, and the AC-DC converter and the DC-AC converter. The switching circuit may include a first switch, and a first diode coupled in parallel to the first switch. The mobile power system also may include a controller coupled to the battery module and the switching circuit and configured to selectively switch the switching circuit between a first state, a second state, and a third state based upon a threshold voltage value from the battery module.

A mobile power system may include AC-DC converter configured to convert a grid AC signal to a power limited DC charging signal, a DC-AC converter coupled to the AC-DC converter, and a battery module configured to provide a DC power signal. The mobile power system may include a switching circuit coupled between the battery module, and the AC-DC converter and the DC-AC converter. The switching circuit may have a switch, and first and second diodes coupled in parallel to the switch. The mobile power system may include a controller coupled to the battery module, the switching circuit, and the DC-AC converter. The controller may be configured to selectively switch the switching circuit between a first state, a second state, and a third state.