Universal arm and mounting block for a current collector

A current collector assembly for positioning a collector shoe in contact with an electrified rail for transmitting current from the electrified rail to a mobile unit, the assembly comprising:

• a pair of substantially identical mounting blocks removably attached to the mobile unit, each mounting block including a mounting block body extending along a longitudinal axis;
• a connecting rod passing through the longitudinal axis of the mounting block body of at least one of the mounting blocks, the connecting rod being generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the mounting block body;
• at least one support arm attached to each connecting rod, the support arm having a support arm body extending along a longitudinal axis, a first end, and a second end, the first end extending from the support arm body at a non-straight angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the support arm body and connected to the connecting rod, wherein the support arm is configured for both a single arm connection and a dual arm connection, wherein the single arm connection includes a pivotal connection to the connecting rod at the first end and a non-pivotal connection to the collector head at the second end, and wherein the dual arm connection includes a pivotal connection at both the first end to the connecting rod and the second end to the collector head;
• and
• at least one collector head including a collector shoe and a collector shaft pivotally mounted to the collector shoe, the collector head being connected to the second end of the support arm.

A method of biasing a collector head into contact with an electrified rail to provide current to a mobile unit, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a pair of identical mounting blocks each having a body and a mounting groove;
• aligning the pair of mounting blocks to capture a portion of the mobile unit in the mounting grooves and between the pair of mounting blocks;
• providing a plurality of identically constructed support arms, each having a main body extending along a longitudinal axis, a first end extending from the main body at a non-straight angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the main body, and a second end extending from the main body opposite the first end;
• selectively determining the number of support arms to be used;
• attaching the desired number of support arms to a connecting rod passing through the body of the mounting block;
• attaching a collector head including a collector shoe and a shaft to the second end of each support arm;
• providing a single connector between the second end of the support arm and the shaft of the collector head when two support arms are connected to each connecting rod and providing a pair of connectors between the second end of each support arm and the shaft of the collector head when a single support arm is attached to the connecting rod;
• and
• attaching a spring to the support arms to provide bias force to bias the collector head into contact with the electrified rail.

A method of assembling a current collector for use in combination with a mobile unit to provide current to the mobile unit from an electrified mail, comprising the steps of:

• providing a mounting arrangement for securement to the mobile unit;
• providing a collector head having a mounting member;
• providing a plurality of substantially identically constructed support arms, each support arm having a support arm body extending along a longitudinal axis, a first end, and a second end, the first end extending from the support arm body at a non-straight angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the support arm body, the second end of the support arm including a pair of flanges extending from the support arm body, each flange having a flange height greater than a body height of the support arm body, and each flange including a pair of aligned mounting holes;
• and
• assembling an arm collector assembly by selectively connecting either a single support arm assembly or a dual arm collector assembly, wherein connecting a single support arm assembly includes pivotably connecting a single support arm at one end to the mounting arrangement and non-pivotally connecting the other end to the mounting member, and wherein connecting a dual arm collector assembly includes pivotably connecting each of a pair of support arms at one end to the mounting arrangement and pivotably connecting each of the pair of support arms at the other end to the mounting member.

A current collector assembly for positioning a collector shoe in contact with an electrified rail for transmitting current from the electrified rail to a mobile unit, the assembly comprising:

• a pair of substantially identical mounting blocks removably attached to the mobile unit, each mounting block including a mounting block body extending along a longitudinal axis;
• a connecting rod passing through the longitudinal axis of the mounting block body of at least one of the mounting blocks, the connecting rod being generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the mounting block body;
• at least one support arm attached to each connecting rod, the supoort arm having a support arm body extending along a longitudinal axis, a first end, and a second end, the first end extending from the support arm body at a non-straight angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the support arm body and connected to the connecting rod;
• at least one collector head including a collector shoe and a collector shaft pivotally mounted to the collector shoe, the collector head being connected to the second end of the support arm;
• a spring with a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is fixably connected to the connecting rod, and
• the support arm further comprising a pair of peg holes extending through the support arm body, the peg holes providing a point of attachment for the second end of the spring to be used in connection with the current collector assembly.