Vehicle Charging Arrangement

Abstract

A charging arrangement for a vehicle includes: a charge receiving connector secured to the roof of a vehicle at a fixed height from the roof of the vehicle, the charge receiving connector including at least three elongate charge receiving conductors longitudinal axes of the charge receiving conductors being disposed substantially along the same line; and a charging gantry including at least three charging conductors, the charging conductors being vertically movable between a raised position in which the charging conductors are clear of the vehicle when the vehicle is under the charging gantry, and a lowered position in which the charging conductors make contact with the charge receiving conductors on the roof of the vehicle.

Claims

1.-50. (canceled)

51. A charging arrangement for a vehicle, the charging arrangement comprising: a charge receiving connector secured to the roof of a vehicle, the charge receiving connector including at least four elongate charge receiving conductors, longitudinal axes of the charge receiving conductors being disposed substantially along the same line; and a charging gantry including at least four charging conductors, the charging conductors being vertically movable between a raised position in which the charging conductors are clear of the vehicle when the vehicle is under the charging gantry, and a lowered position in which the charging conductors make contact with the charge receiving conductors on the roof of the vehicle.

52. The charging arrangement according to claim 51, in which the charge receiving connector is vertically movable to an extent which is significantly less than the movement of the charging conductors from a raised position to a lowered position.

53. The charging arrangement according to claim 52, in which the charge receiving connector is vertically movable by no more than 30 cm.

54. The charging arrangement according to claim 51, in which a cover is included for covering the charge receiving connector.

55. The charging arrangement according to claim 51, in which each charge receiving conductor is provided on an independent tilting mount.

56. The charging arrangement according to claim 51, in which at least two of the charge receiving conductors include a substantially planar contact surface.

57. The charging arrangement according to claim 56, in which the third charge receiving conductor has a curved contact area.

58. The charging arrangement according to claim 51, in which substantially triangular insulating spacers are provided on ends of the charge receiving conductors.

59. The charging arrangement according to claim 51, in which the charging gantry includes a rigid support structure having a substantially vertical stanchion and a substantially horizontal overhead section.

60. The charging arrangement according to claim 59, in which the charging conductors are movably mounted to the underside of the overhead section.

61. The charging arrangement according to claim 60, in which the charging conductors are mounted on pantographs.

62. The charging arrangement according to claim 59, in which all moving parts of the charging gantry are housed in the overhead section.

63. The charging arrangement according to claim 51, in which each charging conductor on the charging gantry is independently movable.

64. The charging arrangement according to claim 51, in which the charging conductors in the raised position are vertically offset from each other.

65. A charge receiving connector for mounting to the roof of a vehicle, the charge receiving connector including at least three elongate charge receiving conductors, longitudinal axes of the charge receiving conductors being disposed substantially along the same line, and at least two of the charge receiving conductors being provided on tilting mounts.

66. The charge receiving connector according to claim 65, in which each charge receiving conductor is provided on an independent tilting mount.

67. The charge receiving connector according to claim 65, in which the tilting mount(s) allow tilting of each charge receiving conductor in a direction substantially perpendicular to the elongate extent of the charge receiving conductor.

68. The charge receiving connector according to claim 65, in which the tilting mounts provide for tilting of up to around 15 in either direction.

69. The charge receiving connector according to claim 65, in which a cover is included for covering the charge receiving connector.

70. The charge receiving connector according to claim 69, in which the cover is formed in two elongate parts, the parts being movable outwardly to either side of the charge receiving conductors to open the cover, and being movable inwardly, towards one another, to close the cover.

71. The charge receiving connector according to claim 65, in which at least two of the charge receiving conductors include a substantially planar contact surface.

72. The charge receiving connector according to claim 71, in which the third charge receiving conductor has a curved contact surface.

73. The charge receiving connector according to claim 65, in which substantially triangular insulating spacers are provided on ends of the charge receiving conductors.

74. A charge receiving connector for a vehicle, the charge receiving connector including at least one charge receiving conductor and an insulating cover, the cover being closable over the charge receiving conductor(s) to protect the charge receiving conductor(s) when charging is not taking place.

75. The charge receiving connector according to claim 74, in which the cover is formed in two elongate parts, the parts being movable outwardly to either side of the charge receiving conductors to open the cover, and being movable inwardly, towards one another, to close the cover.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made by way of example only to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a charge receiving connector for a vehicle, with the cover in the open position;

[0039] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the charge receiving connector of FIG. 1, with the cover in the closed position;

[0040] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a vehicle charging arrangement, including a charge receiving connector mounted on a vehicle and a charging gantry, the charging gantry having four charging conductors in a raised position;

[0041] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the vehicle charging arrangement of FIG. 3, with the charging conductors in a lowered position;

[0042] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of an alternative charging connector; and

[0043] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a vehicle charging arrangement.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0044] Referring firstly to FIG. 1, a charge receiving connector for a vehicle is indicated generally at 10. The charge receiving connector includes four charge receiving conductors 12, 14, 16, 18. The charge receiving connectors are substantially in the form of cuboids and are elongate, each having a longitudinal axis. The longitudinal axes of the elongate charge receiving conductors are disposed along the same line.

[0045] Each charge receiving conductor has a substantially planar contact face 12a, 14a, 16a, 18a. The contact faces are each substantially rectangular. On a side of each charge receiving conductor which opposes the contact face 12a, 14a, 16a, 18a, each conductor is fixed onto pivoting mounts 20, 22, 24, 26. Each pivoting mount comprises a pair of upright stands for securing to a vehicle, and pair of clamp sections for securing to the conductor. The clamp sections are secured to the conductor on the side opposing the contact face, each clamp section being disposed near an end of a conductor. The clamp sections are fixed to the upright stands by, for example, a screw, rivet or pin, so that the clamp sections can pivot with respect to the stands, and thus the charge receiving conductors 12, 14, 16, 18 can pivot slightly on the vehicle.

[0046] Where two ends of charge receiving conductors are placed adjacent to each other, that is, on both ends of the two inner charge receiving conductors 14, 16 and on one end of each of the outer charge receiving conductors 12, 18, insulating spacers 28 are provided. The insulating spacers are triangular in shape, having three sides. The first side is coincident with an end of its associated charge receiving conductor, the second side is perpendicular to the first side, and the third side completes the triangle. The insulating spacers insulate the conductors from each other, whilst preventing debris from falling between the conductors and also preventing the charging conductors from becoming caught in the charge receiving connector.

[0047] A movable cover 30 is provided in two halves 30a, 30b. Each half of the cover is substantially identical, and the cover is adapted to open outwardly and close inwardly, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Each half of the cover has a pivoting edge which is hinged to the roof of the vehicle, and the cover can be opened by operating arms 36 which are pushed outwardly by an actuator 34.

[0048] Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, an alternative embodiment of a charge receiving connector 110 is shown, mounted to the roof of a vehicle 100. The second embodiment does not have a cover, but in other respects it is materially the same as the first embodiment 10, and in particular includes four charge receiving conductors disposed along one line.

[0049] A charging gantry 150 is shown in use with the vehicle 100, and includes a substantially upright stanchion section 152, and a substantially horizontal overhead section 154. The vertical stanchion section is provided for support only, and in some embodiments may include conduit or other features allowing wiring to be run down the stanchion. However, the stanchion includes no moving parts and therefore various different designs of stanchion can be used with the same horizontal overhead section 154.

[0050] The horizontal overhead section 154 supports four conductors 142, 144, 146, 148, each of which is independently movable on an associated pantograph 142a, 144a, 146a, 148a. The conductors are movable between a raised position as shown in FIG. 3, and a lowered position as shown in FIG. 4. In the lowered position, the charging conductors 142, 144, 146, 148 contact the contact surfaces 12a, 14a, 16a, 18a of the charge receiving connector 10. Because the conductors are independently movable, a reasonably predictable contact force between the each charging conductor and its respective charge receiving conductor can be relied upon. The pantographs are raised and lowered using a motor, and software speed control is used to reduce the speed and reduce the impact force as the charging conductor meets the charge receiving conductor. When charging, the contact force is between 200 N and 700 N.

[0051] As seen best in FIG. 3, the charging conductors 142, 144, 146, 148 are vertically offset from each other in the raised position. From the left of the figure, charging conductor 142 is the lowest down, followed by charging conductors 144, 146, 148 in that order. In this embodiment, charging conductor 142 is an earth connection, conductor 144 is a negative power connection, conductor 146 is a positive power connection, and conductor 148 is a pilot contact for communication between the vehicle and the charger to facilitate control of the charging process. The vertically offset charging conductors as described above ensure connection of the conductors in the correct order according to IEC61851.

[0052] Preferably, the charging conductors 142, 144, 146, 148 have a contact width of around 50 mm. Also, they may have the ability to rock or tilt slightly from side-to-side, in a similar manner to the charge receiving conductors 12, 14, 16, 18 on pivoting mounts.

[0053] The spacing between the charging conductors 142, 144, 146, 148 is around 500 mm. This ensures that the charge receiving connector can be mounted to most commercial vehicles, and yet maintains a good side-to-side docking tolerance of around 375-430 mm. The length of each charging conductor is around 1000 mm, which again gives a reasonable front-to-back docking tolerance whilst ensuring that the charge receiving connector can be mounted to most types of vehicle. Preferably, the charge receiving connector will always be at the highest point on the vehicle roof, but as long as it is the highest point in its approximately 1000 mm long section of roof, then the system will work. Therefore, the charge receiving connector may be fitted to, for example, a refuse lorry, even where the refuse collection and/or compaction plant extends above the height of the charge receiving connector.

[0054] Referring now to FIG. 5, an alternative arrangement of charging conductors 142, 144, 146, 148 is shown. In this arrangement, the charging conductors 142, 144, 146, 148 do not move on pantographs, but are each mounted to spring-loaded pivoting frames 142a, 144a, 146a, 148a, which is turn are mounted on pivoting arms 160, 162. This arrangement has the advantage that its vertical height is very small when folded.

[0055] In a typical embodiment which is suitable for multiple types of vehicle, the charging conductors can be lowered to any height between 4.3 meters and 3.0 meters above the road. With the conductors raised, the clearance is greater than 4.5 meters.

[0056] Referring now to FIG. 6, an alternative embodiment of a charging arrangement is indicated generally at 200. In this arrangement, four charge receiving conductors 202, 204, 206, 208 are provided, two charge receiving conductors on either side of each of two movable arms 210, 212. Although in this arrangement the charge receiving conductors move significantly, the arrangement of charge receiving conductors all on the same line still provides for a reasonably compact charge receiving connector, which does not require excessive roof-space on the vehicle. Charging conductors 214, 216, 218, 220 are provided, running parallel with each other and on a horizontal section 222 of a charging gantry 224, the horizontal section being movable vertically with respect to a substantially vertical stanchion 226.

[0057] The charging arrangement described provides for lower cost, smaller footprint and less weight on the vehicle. Because the charge receiving connector has no or very limited mechanical moving parts, the probability of failure is reduced. The charge receiving connector can be fitted to many types of vehicles, including vehicles which have limited roof space. The vertical stanchion of the charging gantry can incorporate various different designs to better blend in with the streetscape in particular installations, and the relatively low moving mass of the charging conductors provides increased safety when installing and servicing the charging gantry. The tilting conductors on the charge receiving connector provide the advantages of vehicle-mounted pantographs in terms of tolerating uneven or sloping road surfaces, but without the drawbacks of increased cost, weight, and likelihood of failure.

[0058] The embodiments described above are provided by way of example only, and various changes and modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.