CONNECTING UNIT FOR CONNECTION TO AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE

Abstract

A connecting unit for connection to an electric vehicle with two or more contact rails is provided. By way of example, one contact rail is provided for the connection DC+ and one contact rail is provided for the connection DC−. These contact rails are dependent on one another to a certain degree on account of the positive and negative polarity. Therefore, the contact rails are not arranged in any desired manner, but rather at a specific distance from one another. Furthermore, the connecting unit has a further contact rail to which a signal can be applied. The contact rails can be connected to corresponding vehicle-side contact rails of the electric vehicle.

Claims

1. A connecting unit for connection to an electric vehicle, comprising: at least two contact rails, wherein: the at least two contact rails are arranged with a clearance from one another, wherein the clearance between the at least two contact rails being smaller than between two mechanically independent contact rails, and the at least two contact rails are connected to a corresponding first vehicle-side contact rail of the electric vehicle; and a third contact rail, wherein a signal is applied to the third contact rail, the third contact rail being connected to a corresponding second vehicle-side contact rail of the electric vehicle.

2. The connecting unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connecting unit is configured as a pantograph.

3. The connecting unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electric vehicle is an electric bus.

4. The connecting unit as claimed in 1, wherein the at least two contact rails are configured as a twin contact.

5. The connecting unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein a positive voltage is present on a first contact rail of the at least two contact rails, and a negative voltage is present on a second contact rail of the at least two contact rails.

6. The connecting unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the third contact rail is a ground rail, upon which a high-frequency and/or an interference-resistant signal is modulated.

7. The connecting unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the corresponding first vehicle-side contact rail of the electric vehicle comprises a plurality of segments.

8. The connecting unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein the polarity and/or another function of each segment of the plurality of segments is not predefined.

9. The connecting unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein each segment of the plurality of segments comprises at least two different segment sections, specifically one conductive segment section and one insulating segment section.

10. The connecting unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein a length of the insulating segment section is greater than a respective width of the at least two contact rails.

11. The connecting unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein a length of the conductive segment section corresponds to the clearance between the at least two contact rails.

12. The connecting unit as claimed in claim 8, wherein each segment of the plurality of segments is connected via at least one diode respectively to one of the at least two contact rails for an application of a positive voltage or for an application of a negative voltage.

13. A method for the connection of a connecting unit to an electric vehicle, comprising: arranging at least two contact rails with a clearance from one another, wherein the clearance between the at least two contact rails is smaller than between two mechanically independent contact rails, connecting the at least two contact rails to a corresponding first vehicle-side contact rail of the electric vehicle, applying a signal to the third contact rail; and connecting a third contact rail to a corresponding second vehicle-side contact rail of the electric vehicle.

14. An electric vehicle for connection to a connecting unit, comprising: a first vehicle-side contact rail, wherein the first vehicle-side contact rail is connected to the corresponding two contact rails of the connecting unit such that the at least two contact rails remain isolated from one another; and a second vehicle-side contact rail, wherein a signal applied to the second vehicle-side contact rail, and the second vehicle-side contact rail is connected to a third contact rail of the connecting unit.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0061] Some of the embodiments will be described in detail, with reference to the following figures, wherein like designations denote like members, wherein:

[0062] FIG. 1 shows a representation of an electric vehicle for connection to a connecting unit, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention;

[0063] FIG. 2 shows a detailed view of contact rails of the electric vehicle and those of the connecting unit, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention;

[0064] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary device from the prior art for the charging of an electric bus by means of a pantograph;

[0065] FIG. 4 shows an overhead view of the roof of the electric bus with its contact rails, which intersect with each of the contact rails of the pantograph at the contact points, according to the prior art; and

[0066] FIG. 5 shows the tolerance windows for the contact points, according to the prior art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0067] Forms of embodiment of the present invention are described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures.

[0068] FIG. 1 represents an electric vehicle 10 according to embodiments of the invention. The electric vehicle 10 can be configured, for example, as an electric bus. However, other electric vehicles are also possible, as mentioned above. The electric vehicle 10 comprises a roof which, for the purposes of illustration in an overhead view, is shown in a rectangular form. A contact rail 11, 12 is fitted to the roof of the electric vehicle 10. The contact rail 11, 12 comprises a plurality of segments. The individual segments in FIG. 1 are subdivided into two different segment sections, which are represented in black and white. The white segment section is configured as conductive, and the black segment section is configured as insulating. Alternatively or additionally, further segment sections can be provided. Advantageously, the polarity of any given segment of the contact rail 11, 12 is not predetermined. Accordingly, conversely to the prior art, only one rather than two contact rails is provided on the side of the electric vehicle 10.

[0069] The connecting unit further comprises two contact rails. For example, the connecting unit 20 is a pantograph. The first contact rail 21 is provided for the connection DC+. The second contact rail 22 is provided for the connection DC−. The two contact rails 21, 22 of the connecting unit 20 are positioned in close proximity, and are thus advantageously configured as a twin contact. The twin contact can be arranged at any desired location on the contact rail 21, 22. The one contact rail 11, 12, with the segments of the electric vehicle 10, can overlap with the contact rails 21, 22 of the connecting unit 20 at a contact point 31, 32.

[0070] The dimensions of this contact rail, and of the two constituent rails of a contact point on the connecting unit 10, are coordinated such that the following condition is fulfilled:

l.sub.2>b

wherein, in an optimum embodiment
i. l1=d for i ϵ IN, where i=1
would be chosen. Herein, 12 is the length of the insulating segment section of the corresponding vehicle-side contact rail 11, 12 of the electric vehicle 10, 11 is the length of the conductive segment section of the corresponding vehicleside contact rail 11, 12 of the electric vehicle, and d is the clearance between the first and second contact rails 21, 22 of the pantograph.

[0071] On the roof of the electric vehicle 10, a contact rail 13 is additionally fitted, which can overlap with a corresponding third contact rail 23 of the connecting unit 20. Additionally, further contact rails can be fitted to the roof of the electric vehicle 10 and/or to the connecting unit 20.

[0072] The third contact rail of the electric vehicle 10 is connected to the vehicle bodywork (ground), and can connect the vehicle to the ground potential. Moreover, a signal, for example a high-frequency and/or interference-resistant signal, can also be modulated thereupon. Additionally or alternatively, an infrastructure-side modulated signal can be received. The third contact rail of the connecting unit 20 is connected to the ground potential. A signal is applied here by the control circuit of the charging point, and a check is moreover executed as to whether a signal is applied by the bus. The signal is modulated upon the ground rail 13. This signal constitutes a defined character string for individual messages, and can also be evaluated without the involvement of a CPU.

[0073] Conversely to the prior art, no further contact rail 14 is provided for the connection CP on the roof of the electric vehicle 10. The function of the connection CP is the monitoring of the contact between the contact rails 11, 12, 13 on the electric vehicle and the contact rails 21, 22, 23 on the pantograph 20. This monitoring functionality is transferred to the ground rail. Accordingly, the ground rail, in addition to the protection function for the exchange of information, is also equipped with the monitoring functionality. This means that, in other words, monitoring of the ground rail is advantageously executed directly, conversely to the prior art, in which monitoring is executed indirectly, wherein the contact of CP is lost when one of the other contacts is lost. This has previously been executed, for example, by mechanical means.

[0074] During the positioning process, the pantograph 20 is lowered in the direction of the roof of the electric vehicle 10, in order to connect the contact rails 11, 12, 13 of the electric vehicle 10 to the contact rails 21, 22, 23 of the pantograph 20.

[0075] To this end, firstly, the segments of the contact rail 11, 12 of the electric vehicle 10, via one or more diodes, are connected to the negative or positive potential of the contact rail 21, 22 of the pantograph 20. Moreover, the contact rail 13 of the electric vehicle 10 is connected to the ground rail 23 of the pantograph 20. For example, the connection can be constituted by way of coupling capacitors. By means of the arrangement of the contact rails according to embodiments of the invention, the latter only overlap at two contact points 31, 32 and 33.

[0076] The contact rails can be configured as copper conductors, and can be arranged as required in the longitudinal direction or in the transverse direction. However, other arrangements or configurations of the contact rails on the electric vehicle or on the connecting unit are also conceivable. Alternatively, for example, the orientation or composition of the contact rails could be varied.

[0077] As already described above, a conventional arrangement of the contact rails according to the prior art requires four contact points. By means of the advantageous arrangement of the contact rails according to embodiments of the invention on the electric vehicle 10 and on the connecting unit 20, respectively, and the coordinated overlap thereof, the number of contact points 31, 32, 33, 34 is reduced from four to two contact points 31, 32 and 33. The number is thus halved. As a result, the width of the tolerance window is also increased two-fold, such that the translational tolerance is also increased two-fold.

[0078] The two contact points 31, 32 and 33 are, inevitably, arranged in a line. As a result, moreover, the maximum rotational tolerance is significantly increased.

[0079] Although the invention has been illustrated and described in greater detail with reference to the preferred exemplary embodiment, the invention is not limited to the examples disclosed, and further variations can be inferred by a person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of protection of the invention.

[0080] For the sake of clarity, it is to be understood that the use of “a” or “an” throughout this application does not exclude a plurality, and “comprising” does not exclude other steps or elements.