POSITIONING UNIT FOR A CHARGING STATION, AND METHOD FOR ESTABLISHING CONTACT

Abstract

The invention relates to a positioning unit (10) and a method for establishing an electrically conductive connection between a stationary charging station and a vehicle, in particular an electric bus or the like, the positioning unit being designed so as to be disposable above a vehicle, an electric charging contact (11) of the positioning unit being movable in relation to a charging contact surface (13) of the vehicle and being contactable therewith by means of the positioning unit, the positioning unit having a positioning device (14) and a drive device (15) for driving the positioning unit, the charging contact being able to be positioned between a contact position for power transmission and a retracted position for power interruption by means of the positioning device. The drive device has a displacement drive (16) having a support means (17) coupled with the positioning unit, a traction force being able to be transmitted in such a manner to the positioning device using the support means (17) that the positioning device is moveable between the contact position and the retracted position by means of the displacement drive.

Claims

1. A positioning unit (10) for establishing an electrically conductive connection between a stationary charging station and a vehicle, in particular an electric bus or the like, the positioning unit being designed so as to be disposable above a vehicle, an electric charging contact (11) of the positioning unit being movable in relation to a charging contact surface (13) of the vehicle and being contactable therewith by means of the positioning unit, the positioning unit having a positioning device (14) and a drive device (15) for driving the positioning unit, the charging contact being able to be positioned between a contact position for power transmission and a retracted position for power interruption by means of the positioning device, wherein the drive device has a displacement drive (16) having a support means (17) coupled with the positioning unit, a traction force being able to be transmitted in such a manner to the positioning device using the support means (17) that the positioning device is moveable between the contact position and the retracted position by means of the displacement drive.

2. The positioning unit according to claim 1, wherein the support means (17) is at least a belt, a rope (20) or a chain.

3. The positioning unit according to claim 1, wherein a weight of at least the positioning device (14) and the charging contact (11) produces a displacement force countering the traction force, a contact force being able to be exerted on the charging contact surface (13) by means of the weight.

4. The positioning unit according to claim 1, wherein the displacement drive (16) is formed having a winch (19) for actuating the support means (17).

5. The positioning unit according to claim 1, wherein the displacement drive (16) is designed such that a slack of the support means (17) in the contact position is detectable by the displacement drive.

6. The positioning unit according to claim 1, wherein the displacement drive (16) has an electric motor (18), by means of which a reel, a drum, a bobbin or a chain wheel of the displacement drive is drivable.

7. The positioning unit according to claim 6, wherein the displacement drive (16) has a controller by means of which the electric motor (18) is controllable and/or a rotational speed of the electric motor is controlled.

8. The positioning unit according to claim 6, wherein the displacement drive (16) is designed such that a torque of the electric motor (18) is detectable by the controller, the contact position being determinable by the controller as a function of the torque of the electric motor.

9. The positioning unit according to claim 1, wherein the displacement drive (16) and/or the positioning device (14) has a position sensor or a path sensor, by means of which a position of the charging contact (16) is determinable, and/or a force sensor, by means of which a contact force and/or a traction force is determinable.

10. The positioning unit according to claim 1, wherein the positioning device (14) forms a hinged-arm element (21).

11. The positioning unit according to claim 10, wherein the hinged-arm element (21) is designed as a one-arm system or as a crossbar system, preferably having a parallelogram guide, or as a pantograph.

12. The positioning unit according to claim 1, wherein the positioning unit (10) has a support frame (25) for fastening the positioning device (14) above a vehicle, the displacement drive (16) being disposed on the support frame.

13. The positioning unit according to claim 1, wherein the positioning unit (10) has a contacting element (12, 26) having two charging contact carriers (27) having at least two charging contacts (11) disposed thereon, the charging contacts being connected to each other via a parallel linkage (30) of the contacting element having two connective links (31) disposed parallel thereon and having two carrier links (32) disposed parallel thereon, the carrier links each being connected to the connective links in one of two parallel movement planes via spaced-apart connective arms (33) and forming a parallelogram together with the connective links.

14. The positioning unit according to claim 13, wherein the connective links (31) are connected to a lower end (24, 36) of the positioning device (14) in a parallel carrier plane extending centrally to the movement plane via two spaced-apart carrier arms (35), the charging contact carriers (27) each being connected to the carrier link (32) via a hinged joint (34), the hinged joints being disposed orthogonal in relation to the connective arms (33), the charging contact supports each coaxially holding the charging contacts (11) in relation to the hinged joint.

15. A method for establishing an electrically conductive connection between a stationary charging station and a vehicle, an electric charging contact (11) of the positioning unit being moved above a vehicle in relation to a charging contact surface (13) of the vehicle and being contacted therewith by means of a positioning unit (10) of the charging station, a positioning device (14) of the positioning unit being driven by a drive device (15) of the positioning unit, the charging contact being positioned between a contact position for power transmission and a retracted position for power interruption by means of the positioning device, wherein a traction force is transmitted in such a manner to the positioning device by means of a support means (17) of a displacement drive (16) of the drive device, the support means being coupled with the positioning device, that the positioning device is moved between the contact position and the retracted position by means of the displacement drive.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein a movement of the positioning device (14) from the retracted position to the contact position comprises the following steps: a. moving the positioning device and the electric charging contact (11) disposed thereon downwards by means of the displacement drive (16) by releasing the support means (17); b. stopping the support means in the contact position by abutting the electric charging contact against the charging contact surface (13); c. and simultaneously producing the contact force solely via a weight of at least the positioning device and the charging contact.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the contact position and the contact force are produced irrespective of a relative distance of the charging contact surface (13) of the vehicle below the positioning unit (10) to the retracted position of the positioning unit.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the contact force is produced consistently in the contact position while a relative distance of the charging contact surface (13) of the vehicle below the positioning unit (10) to the retracted position of the positioning unit is changed.

Description

[0031] FIG. 1 shows a lateral view of a first embodiment of a positioning unit in a first working position;

[0032] FIG. 2 shows the positioning unit in a second working position:

[0033] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a contacting element.

[0034] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a positioning unit 10 for establishing an electrically conductive connection between a stationary charging station (not shown) and a vehicle (not shown), in particular an electric bus or the like, disposed below the positioning unit 10. The positioning unit 10 can be used to move four electrical charging contacts 11 of the positioning unit 10, which are disposed on a contacting element 12 of the positioning unit 10 in this case, relative to charging contact surfaces 13 on a roof of the vehicle and be contacted therewith. The positioning unit 10 comprises a positioning device 14 and a drive device 15 for driving the positioning device 14. By means of the positioning device 14, the charging contacts 11 are positioned between a retracted position or rest position shown in FIG. 1 for storing the charging contacts 11 and a contacting position shown in FIG. 2 for power transmission.

[0035] The drive device 15 has a displacement drive 16 having a support means 17 coupled to the positioning device 14. The displacement drive 16 is formed by a winch 19 designed having an electric motor 18, the support means 17 being formed by a rope 20, which can be raised or lowered using the winch 19. The displacement drive 16 also comprises a controller (not shown) for controlling and regulating the electric motor 18. The positioning device 14 is further formed by a hinged-arm device 21, consisting essentially of two articulated arms 22 and 23. The contacting element 12 and the rope 20 are fastened to a lower end 24 of the positioning device 14. The positioning unit 10 also has a support frame 25 for fastening the positioning device 14 to a mast (not shown) or a ceiling of a hall or the like. The winch 19 is fastened to the support frame 25.

[0036] By actuating the electric motor 18, the rope 20 can now be wound up or released using the winch 19, so that a length of the rope 20 released by the winch 19 can be changed. Accordingly, as can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the contacting element 12 having the charging contacts 11 can be raised to the retracted position or lowered to the contacting position. A weight of the positioning device 14 and/or the contacting element 12 and the charging contacts 11 causes a traction force in the rope 20, which essentially counteracts and corresponds to the displacement force which must be applied by the electric motor 18 to raise the charging contacts 11. If the charging contacts 11 rest on the charging contact surfaces 13 and the rope 20 is unloaded, i.e., no traction force is transmitted via the rope 20 or the rope 20 sags a little, the weight acts as a contact force on the charging contact surfaces 13, the weight being distributed proportionally to the respective charging contacts 11. The displacement drive 16 has at least one sensor (not shown) which can be used to determine the position of the charging contacts 11. This position can easily be de-termined via the displacement drive 16 on the basis of a torque of the electric motor 18 of a traction force or the like.

[0037] FIG. 3 shows a contacting element 26, which can also be used with the positioning unit described above. The contacting element 26 has two charging contact carriers 27, to the distal ends 28 of which contact strips 29 are fastened, thus forming the charging contacts 11. The essentially arc-shaped or O-shaped charging contact carriers 27 are connected to a parallel linkage 30 of the contacting element 26, formed from connective rods 31 and vertically disposed carrier links 32. The connective rods 31 are movably connected to the carrier links 32 via connective joints 33, the charging contact carriers 27 each being movably connected to the carrier rod 32 via a hinged joint 34. Furthermore, carrier joints 35 movably connect a lower end 36 of a positioning device (not shown) to the connective rods 31.