CONTACT UNIT AND CHARGING SYSTEM

Abstract

The invention relates to a contact unit (16) for a charging system for electrically driven vehicles, in particular passenger vehicles, trucks, busses or the like, and a charging system, the charging system comprising a charging contact device and a contact device having a contact unit carrier, the contact unit carrier having the contact unit, the contact unit being electrically connectable to a charging contact of the charging contact device to form a contact pair, the contact unit having a contact element (19) made of metal, the contact unit having a connecting lead (20) for connection to the vehicle or the charging station, the contact element having a contact bump (21), the contact bump forming a contact surface (22) for forming an electric contact with the charging contact, the contact element being at least partially formed by a contact piece (23) in the area der contact surface.

Claims

1. A contact unit (16) for a charging system (10) for electrically driven vehicles, in particular passenger vehicles, trucks, busses or the like, the charging system comprising a charging contact device (12) and a contact device (13) having a contact unit carrier (15), the contact unit carrier having the contact unit, the contact unit being electrically connectable to a charging contact of the charging contact device to form a contact pair, the contact unit having a contact element (19, 28, 32, 36) made of metal, the contact unit having a connecting lead (20) for connection to the vehicle or the charging station, the contact element having a contact bump (21), the contact bump forming a contact surface (22, 31, 35, 39) for forming an electric contact with the charging contact, wherein the contact element is at least partially formed by a carbon contact piece (23, 29, 33, 37) in the area of the contact surface.

2. The contact unit according to claim 1, wherein the contact element (19, 28, 32, 36) is realized so as to be bolt-shaped or the contact surface (22, 31, 35, 39) is realized so as to be at least partly curved.

3. The contact unit according to claim 1, wherein the contact piece (23, 29, 33, 37) is realized so as to be flush with the contact surface (22, 31, 35, 39).

4. The contact unit according to claim 1, wherein characterized in that the contact piece (23, 29, 33, 37) is made of graphite or hard coal.

5. The contact unit according to claim 1, wherein the contact piece (23, 29, 33, 37) is coaxially disposed relative to a longitudinal axis (26) of the contact element (19, 28, 32, 36), the contact piece forming a point (27) of the contact surface (22, 31, 35, 39) closest to a charging contact.

6. The contact unit according to claim 1, wherein a first partial surface of the contact surface (22, 31, 35, 39) is formed by the contact piece (23, 29, 33, 37) and a second partial surface of the contact surface is formed by the contact bump (21), the first partial surface being circular, rectangular, square, star-shaped or cross-shaped.

7. The contact unit according to claim 1, wherein the contact piece (23, 29, 33, 37) is inserted into a cavity (24) which is formed in the contact bump (21).

8. The contact unit according to claim 7, wherein the contact piece (23, 29, 33, 37) is attached in the cavity (24) by means of an electrically conductive bonding material or a solder.

9. The contact unit according to claim 7, wherein the contact piece (23, 29, 33, 37) is formed in the cavity (24) by means of sintering.

10. The contact unit according to claim 1, wherein a spring of the contact unit (16) exerts a spring force on the contact element (19, 28, 32, 36) in such a manner that the contact element is pushed in the direction of a charging contact.

11. The contact unit according to claim 1, wherein the contact device has at least two additional contact units (17), the corresponding contact surface for forming an electric contact with the charging contact being completely made of metal.

12. The contact unit according to claim 11, wherein the contact unit (16) is realized such that a signal is transmissible via the contact element (19, 28, 32, 36), a current of 100 A to 1000 A, at a voltage of 60 V to 1500 V, being transferrable via the additional contact units.

13. The contact unit according to claim 1, wherein the connecting lead (20) is directly or indirectly attached to the contact element (19, 28, 32, 36).

14. The contact unit according to claim 1, wherein at least two contact elements (19, 28, 32, 36) protrude at different heights relative to a surface of the contact unit carrier (15), said surface facing the charging contact device.

15. The contact unit according to claim 1, wherein the charging contacts are formed by circuit boards of metal or graphite.

16. A charging system (10) having a charging contact device (12) and a contact device (13) having a contact unit (16) according to claim 1, the contact device or the charging contact device comprising a positioning device.

17. The charging system according to claim 16, wherein the charging system (10) comprises the contact device (13) having the contact unit carrier (15) and the charging contact device (12), said contact device (13) being disposed on a vehicle roof of a vehicle, the positioning device having a pantograph or a rocker by means of either of which the contact unit carrier is positionable in at least the vertical direction relative to the charging contact unit in such a manner that an electrically conductive connection is formable between the vehicle and a stationary charging station.

18. The charging system according to claim 16, wherein the charging system (10) comprises the charging contact device (12), which is disposed on a vehicle floor of a vehicle, and the contact device (13) having the contact unit carrier (15), the contact units (16) being positionable relative to the charging contacts by means of the positioning device in such a manner that an electrically conductive connection is formable between the vehicle and a stationary charging station.

19. The charging system according to claim 16, wherein the charging system (10) comprises the contact device (13) having the contact unit carrier (15) and the charging contact device (12), which is disposed on a vehicle roof of a vehicle, the positioning device having a pantograph or a rocker by means of either of which the charging contact device is positionable in at least the vertical direction relative to the contact unit carrier in such a manner that an electrically conductive connection is formable between the vehicle and a stationary charging station.

20. The charging system according to claim 16, wherein the charging system (10) comprises the contact device (13) having the contact unit carrier (15) and the charging contact device (12), which is disposed on a vehicle floor of a vehicle, the charging contacts being positionable relative to the contact units (16) by means of the positioning device in such a manner that an electrically conductive connection is formable between the vehicle and a stationary charging station.

Description

[0030] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0031] In the figures:

[0032] FIG. 1 shows a side view of a charging system;

[0033] FIG. 2 shows a detailed view of a contact element of the charging system;

[0034] FIG. 3 shows a top view of the contact element of FIG. 2;

[0035] FIG. 4 shows a top view of a contact element in a second embodiment;

[0036] FIG. 5 shows a top view of a contact element in a third embodiment;

[0037] FIG. 6 shows a top view of a contact element in a fourth embodiment.

[0038] A combined view of FIGS. 1 to 3 shows a charging system 10 having a contact unit arrangement 11. Charging system 10 comprises a charging contact device 12 which is disposed on a vehicle floor of a vehicle (not shown) and which has charging contacts (not shown) which are made of circuit boards. Furthermore, charging system 10 comprises contact device 13 which is disposed on a ground 14 on which a vehicle can drive. Contact device 13 comprises a contact unit carrier 15, which is formed in the shape of a trough in this case, and a number of contact units 16 and 17 of contact unit arrangement 11. By means of a positioning device (not shown) of charging system 10, charging contact device 12 can be lowered onto contact device 13, such that contact pairs can be formed between conductor strips of charging contact device 12 and each assigned contact unit 16 and 17.

[0039] Contact unit 16 serves to transmit signals between charging contact device 12 and contact device 13, contact unit 17 serving to transfer a charging current. Contact device 13 thus has a plurality of contact units 17 (not shown). Contact unit 17 has a contact element 18 which is essentially made of copper or a copper alloy. Contact units 16 and 17 or the associated contact elements 18 or 19 are elastically or displaceably mounted on contact device 13. Contact unit 16 has a contact element 19 which is shown in more detail in FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0040] Contact element 19 is made of metal and a connecting lead 20 is directly attached to contact element 19. Contact element 19 is bolt-shaped and has a contact bump 21. Contact bump 21 forms a contact surface 22 for forming an electric contact with charging contacts or conductor strips (neither shown) of charging contact device 12. Contact element 19 is partially formed by a contact piece 23 made of carbon or graphite in the area of contact surface 22. Contact surface 22 is dome-shaped and contact piece 23 is inserted into a cavity 24 in contact bump 21 so as to be flush with contact surface 22. In this case, cavity 24 is a groove 25 into which contact piece 23 is glued by means of an electrically conductive bonding material. Groove 25 is formed in contact bump 21 in such a manner that contact piece 23 is disposed coaxially or symmetrically relative to a longitudinal axis 26 of bolt-shaped contact element 19. A central, highest point 27 of contact surface 22 is thus formed by contact piece 23. When contact element 19 approaches a charging contact of charging contact device 12, an electric contact is thus initially established via point 27.

[0041] FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a contact element 28 which, in contrast to the contact element of FIG. 3, has a contact piece 29, which forms a circular contour 30 in a contact surface 31 of contact element 28.

[0042] FIG. 5 shows a contact element 32 having a contact piece 33 which forms an essentially cross-shaped contour 34 in a contact surface 35 of contact element 32.

[0043] FIG. 6 shows a contact element 36 having a contact piece 37 which essentially forms a square contour 38 in a contact surface 39 of contact elements 36.