Power line for an electric vehicle
AssigneeAnsaldo Transporti S.p.A.
InventorsVito Siciliano, Alcide Del Naja
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A power line (1) wherein a hollow elongated enclosure (4) houses a conducting line (27) and an elastically deformable strip element (60) which is normally in a rest position extending substantially undeformed along the whole of the enclosure when the line is not engaged by an electric vehicle. The strip element (60) interacts with a magnetic field generated by an electric vehicle (80) engaging the line, to attract a portion (60a) of the strip element (60) into a raised contact position in which an electric connection is established between the conducting line (27) and at least one power plate (34) outside the enclosure (4). The line also has a detecting device (52) for detecting the strip element (60) in the rest position and so determining non-engagement of the line.
Claims11
A power line for an electric vehicle, comprising:
- a number of conducting elements (34) arranged in a traveling direction (8) of the electric vehicle (80) and separated electrically from one another;
- at least a first conducting line (27) supplied with a first polarity;
- a strip element (60) extending in said traveling direction (8) along substantially the whole length of the line;
- an enclosure (4) for housing said strip element (60);
- said strip element (60) being elastically deformable and comprising at least one portion made of ferromagnetic material (65);
- said strip element (60) being positionable in a rest position in which it extends substantially undeformed along said enclosure;
- said portion made of ferromagnetic material (65) interacting with a magnetic field generated by excitation means (84) carried by said electric vehicle (80) engaging said line, to attract at least one portion (60a) of said strip element (60) into a contact position in which an electric connection (51, 65, 27) is established between said first conducting line (27) and at least one of said conducting elements (34);
- characterized by comprising position detecting means (52) for detecting a first arrangement in which said strip element (60) is in said rest position, and a second arrangement in which at least a portion of said strip element (60) is in said contact position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.