POSITIONING UNIT AND METHOD FOR CONTACTING

Abstract

The invention relates to a positioning unit and to a method for forming an electrically conductive connection between a stationary charging station and a vehicle, in particular an electric bus or similar, wherein an electrical charging contact of the positioning unit can be moved relative to a charging contact surface and contacted with same by means of the positioning unit, wherein the positioning unit has an articulated arm device and a drive device for driving the articulated arm device, wherein the charging contact can be positioned between a contact position for power transmission and a retracted position for power interruption by means of the articulated arm device, wherein the drive device has an adjustment drive for forming an adjustment force acting on the articulated arm device, wherein the drive device has a control device by means of which the adjustment drive can be actuated, wherein the drive device has a sensor device by means of which the charging contact surface can be detected, wherein the sensor device is coupled with the control device, wherein a speed of the charging contact during movement of the charging contact from the retracted position into the contact position can be controlled by the control device in accordance with a relative distance between the charging contact and the charging contact surface.

Claims

1. A positioning unit for forming an electrically conductive connection between a stationary charging station and a vehicle, wherein an electrical charging contact of the positioning unit is moveable relative to a charging contact surface and contacted with the charging contact surface by means of the positioning unit, wherein the positioning unit has an articulated arm device and a drive device configured to drive the articulated arm device, wherein the electrical charging contact is positioned between a contact position for power transmission and a retracted position for power interruption by means of the articulated arm device, wherein the drive device has an adjustment drive configured to form an adjustment force acting on the articulated arm device, wherein the drive device has a control device configured to actuate the adjustment drive, wherein the drive device has a sensor device configured to detect the charging contact surface or the charging contact, wherein the sensor device is coupled with the control device, wherein a speed of the charging contact during a movement of the charging contact from the retracted position to the contact position is controlled by the control device in accordance with a relative distance between the charging contact and the charging contact surface, wherein the adjustment drive in configured to form a contact force acting on the charging contact surface, wherein the adjustment drive has the control device and an electric motor, the control device being configured to actuate the electric motor.

2. (canceled)

3. The positioning unit of claim 1, wherein the adjustment drive is a linear drive.

4. The positioning unit of claim 1, wherein the sensor device has at least one sensor, the at least one sensor including at least one of a mechanical switch, an inductive sensor, a capacitive sensor, a magnetic sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a radar sensor, and an optical sensor.

5. The positioning unit of claim 4, wherein the at least one sensor is disposed on the articulated arm device or on the charging contact surface.

6. The positioning unit of claim 1, wherein at least one of the adjustment drive and the articulated arm device has at least one of a displacement sensor and a position sensor.

7. The positioning unit of claim 1, wherein the drive device has a spring device mechanically cooperating with the adjustment drive.

8. The positioning unit of claim 7, wherein the positioning unit comprises a holding device configured to fasten the positioning unit above a vehicle on a pole or an underpass, wherein the spring device has at least one restoring spring dimensioned to form a restoring force acting on the articulated arm device in a first direction, wherein the restoring force is greater than a gravitational force of the articulated arm device acting on the restoring spring in a second direction, the second direction being opposite to the first direction.

9. The positioning unit of claim 7, wherein the positioning unit comprises a holding device configured to fasten the positioning unit on a roof of a vehicle, wherein the spring device comprises at least one lifting spring dimensioned to form a lifting force acting on the articulated arm device in a third direction, wherein the lifting force is smaller than a gravitational force of the articulated arm device acting on the lifting spring in a fourth direction, the fourth direction being opposite to the third direction.

10. The positioning unit of claim 1, wherein the drive device is configured for coupling with a data bus of a vehicle.

11. A method for forming an electrically conductive connection between a stationary charging station and a vehicle, wherein an electrical charging contact of a positioning unit is moved relative to a charging contact surface and contacted with the charging contact surface by means of the positioning unit, wherein an articulated arm device of the positioning unit is driven by a drive device of the positioning unit, wherein the charging contact is positioned between a contact position for power transmission and a retracted position for power interruption by means of the articulated arm device, wherein an adjustment force acting on the articulated arm device is formed by means of an adjustment drive of the drive device, and wherein the drive device of the adjustment drive is actuated by a control device, the method comprising: detecting the charging contact surface or the charging contact with a sensor device of the drive device, wherein the sensor device is coupled with the control device, controlling a speed of the charging contact during a movement of the charging contact from the retracted position to the contact position by the control device in accordance with a relative distance between the charging contact and the charging contact surface, and moving the charging contact from the retracted position to the contact position at a first speed in a first portion of a movement and at a second speed in a second portion of the movement section before reaching the contact position, the first speed being at least one of a constant speed and a maximum speed, the second speed being slower than the first speed.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein during the movement of the charging contact from the retracted position to the contact position, positively accelerating the charging contact at a first moment of time and negatively accelerating the charging contact at a later point in time.

13. (canceled)

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said moving the charging contact at the first speed includes moving the charging contact at the first speed that is 100 mm/s, preferably 360 mm/s, particularly preferably 500 mm/s.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein upon arrival to the contact position, the second speed is at least 70%, preferably 50%, particularly preferably 30% of the first speed or 0 mm/s.

16. The method of claim 11, comprising reducing the speed of the charging contact during said movement of the charging contact prior to arrival to the contact position at a relative distance of 150 mm, preferably 100 mm, particularly preferably 50 mm.

17. The method of claim 11, comprising reducing the speed of the charging contact during said movement of the charging contact, prior to arrival to the contact position, according to a linear function or an approximation function.

18. The method of claim 11, comprising continuously transmitting, with at least one sensor of the sensor device, a distance value or a defined threshold of the relative distance to the control device.

19. The method of claim 11, comprising exerting a contact force on the charging contact surface by the adjustment drive, wherein an electric motor of the adjustment drive is actuated by the control device.

20. The method according to claim 19, comprising detecting a torque of the electric motor with the control device, wherein the contact force is controlled by the control device in accordance with the torque of the electric motor.

21. The method of claim 11, comprising detecting the charging station or the vehicle with another sensor device of the drive device, wherein the control device determines a relative distance of the charging contact in the retracted position and in the contact position, wherein the control device initiates a movement of the charging contact out of the retracted position before the vehicle stops at the charging station.

22. The method of claim 21, comprising determining a relative height of at least one of the charging contact and the contact position above a road, wherein the control device determines a height of the vehicle above the road.

Description

[0044] In the following, preferred embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail with the aid of the attached drawings.

[0045] In the figures:

[0046] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a positioning unit in a retracted position in side view;

[0047] FIG. 2 shows the positioning unit in a contact position in side view;

[0048] FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of a positioning unit in a contact position in a perspective view;

[0049] FIG. 4 shows a detailed view of FIG. 3;

[0050] FIG. 5 shows the positioning unit of FIG. 3 in a retracted position in perspective view;

[0051] FIG. 6 shows the positioning unit of FIG. 3 in the contact position in a perspective view.

[0052] An overview of FIGS. 1 and 2 shows a first embodiment of a positioning unit 10 in various positions. A contacting of a charging contact surface 11 is only illustrated symbolically. The positioning unit 10 comprises an articulated arm device 12 and an adjustment drive 13 for driving the articulated arm device 12. The articulated arm device 12 is designed as a single-arm system 14 and comprises an upper scissor 15 with an upper scissors arm 16 and an upper coupling rod 17 as well as a lower scissor 18 with a lower scissors arm 19 and a lower coupling rod 20. An upper coupling link 21 is swivel-mounted to the upper scissors arm 16, so that a mount 22 of the positioning unit 10 for an electrical charging contact (not shown) of the positioning unit 10 can always be moved parallel to a horizontal plane 23. For this purpose, the upper coupling link 21 is connected to the upper coupling rod 17 via an axis 38. The lower scissors arm 19 and the lower coupling rod 20 are swivel-mounted to fixed bearings 24 and 25, respectively, of a holding frame 26 of the positioning unit 10. The lower scissors arm 19 is swivel-mounted to the upper scissors arm 16 via an axis 27. A swivel movement of the upper scissors arm 16 therefore leads to a parallel movement of the mount 22 relative to the horizontal plane 23.

[0053] The adjustment drive 13 is a linear drive 28. A spring device 29 of the positioning unit 10 is formed with a restoring spring 30 that is formed as a tension spring 31. The tension spring 31 is attached to a fixed bearing 31 on the holding frame 26 and to an axis 33 of a lever 34. Together with the axis 33 and the tension spring 31, the lever 34 forms a restoring gear 35. Depending on the position of the articulated arm device 12, the lever 34, which is mounted for co-rotation with the lower scissors arm 19, is swung relative to the tension spring 31 so that an effective length of the lever 34 is shortened or extended. In a retracted position 36 and in a contact position 37 of the positioning unit 10, the tension spring 31 has a direct effect on the axis 33. If the articulated arm device 12 is extended further downwards, an effective length of the lever 34 is shortened significantly through swiveling of the same. Therefore, it is possible to adapt the tension spring 31 or its effective restoring force to a position of the positioning unit 10. The articulated arm device 12 together with the adjustment drive 13 has a design-related gravitational force including a charging contact (not shown) that works on the charging contact or the mount 22. The tension spring 31 causes a spring force or a restoring force that exceeds the gravitational force so that, irrespective of a position of the positioning unit 10, return of the positioning unit to the retracted position 36 is ensured at all times even in the event of a power outage.

[0054] A lever 39 that has a control gear 40 for the articulated arm device 11 is firmly fixed to the articulated arm device 12 or the lower scissors arm 19. The linear drive 28 is swivel-mounted on an axis 41 of the lever 39. Furthermore, the linear drive 28 is firmly connected to the holding frame 26 via an axis 42. The linear drive 28 is driven by an electric motor 43 and is not self-locking. This way, for example in the event of a power outage, the tension spring 31 can automatically move the articulated arm device 12 from the contact position 37 to the retracted position 36, which causes the linear drive 28 to be retracted. Therefore, the linear drive also serves for the damping of a movement of the articulated arm device 12. Furthermore, the positioning unit 10 shown comprises a control device (not shown) to which the electric motor 43 is connected. A torque of the electric motor 43 is detected by means of the control device, wherein the control device controls the torque of the electric motor 43 in accordance with a contact force that is exerted onto the charging contact surface 11 by the charging contact (not shown). The contact force is strong enough for forming an electric contact and can be formed in a substantially constant manner or at the same level in the contact position 37 as well as in any other optional contact position since the torque of the electric motor 43 is controlled.

[0055] The adjustment drive 13 or the electric motor 43 can be controlled using the control device (not shown). A sensor 61 of a sensor device 62 is disposed on the mount 22 of the lower scissor arm 19, said sensor 61 being capable of detecting a relative distance from the sensor 61 and the plane 23 or charging contact surface 11. Thus, a relative distance between the charging contact (not shown) and the charging contact surface 11 can also be determined. Since the sensor device 62 is coupled with the control device, a speed of the charging contact during movement of the charging contact from the retracted position 36 into the contact position 37 can be controlled by the control device in accordance with a measured or detected relative distance between the charging contact and the charging contact surface 11.

[0056] An overview of FIGS. 3 to 6 shows a second embodiment of a positioning unit 44 that is mounted on the roof of an electrically driven vehicle (not shown). The positioning unit 44 substantially comprises an articulated arm device 45, at the end 46 of which charging contacts 47 and 48 are located for the contacting of a charging contact surface (not shown) above the vehicle. Furthermore, the positioning unit 44 comprises an adjustment drive 49 and a spring device 50 as well as a holding frame 51. The articulated arm device 45 is formed as a single-arm system 52 similar to the previously described single-arm system. The spring device 50 comprises two tension springs 53 that are formed as lifting springs 54 and exert a lifting force on the articulated arm device 45. Here, the lifting force is determined in a way that a gravitational force of the articulated arm device 45 together with the charging contacts 47 and 48 is greater than the lifting force, so that in the event of a power outage, for example, the articulated arm device 45 descends from a working position 55 or a contact position (not shown) to a retracted position 56 in all cases. The adjustment drive 49 therefore comprises a linear drive 57 without self-locking having an electric motor 58 that is connected to and controlled by a control device (not shown) of the positioning unit 44. The control device detects a torque of the electric motor 58, wherein the control device controls the torque of the electric motor 58 in such a way that a defined contact force is formed on the charging contacts 47 and 48. The linear drive 57 for its part comprises a trapezoidal thread spindle (not shown) that, in this case, is accommodated in a housing 59 of the linear drive 57 and acts on a drive rod 60 by means of a nut. Therefore, the articulated arm device can be moved to the contact position 55 or to the retracted position 56 by means of a movement of the drive rod 60.

[0057] The positioning unit 44 also has a sensor 63 of a sensor device 64, wherein the sensor 63 is attached to the single-arm system 52 adjacent to the charging contacts 47. In FIG. 3 in particular, the positioning unit 44 and the single-arm system 52 are illustrated in a working position 55. The working position 55 is far enough away from a contact position 65 that the charging contacts 47 and 48 are still located at a relative distance A from a charging contact surface (not shown). The charging contact surface is indicated by a line 66, and the working position 55 is indicated by a line 67 disposed parallel relative thereto. Here, the charging contact surface is located in a detection range 68 of the sensor 63 so that a speed of the charging contacts 47 and 48 during movement from the retracted position 56 into the contact position 65 can be controlled by the control device in accordance with the relative distance A between the charging contacts 47 and 48 and the charging contact surface or line 66.