Static system for supplying current through the ground for an electric vehicle and electric vehicle intended to be supplied by means of such a supply system

System for supplying current through the ground for an electric vehicle, the system comprising:

• succession of conducting segments (16A, 16B, 16C, 16D) which are electrically isolated from each other and together form a conducting supply track (16) against which at least one supply collector shoe (32) on the vehicle is applied, the at least one supply collector shoe coming successively into contact with the segments (16A, 16B, 16C, 16D) during the movement of the vehicle;
• and
• a set of high-voltage supply devices (20) each connected to a corresponding conducting segment of the succession of conducting segments and each comprising:
• means (46, 48) for detecting the at least one supply collector shoe (32);
• and
• switching means (45) suitable for selectively causing the corresponding conducting segment to be supplied with current when the collector shoe is present on the latter and causing the corresponding conducting segment to be connected to a zero-potential source (26) when the collector shoe is not present thereon,
• the switching means (45) comprising switch-forming elements (T1, T2) forming static switches controlled by the detection means (46, 48) in order to cause the corresponding segment to be supplied with current when the at least one supply collector shoe (32) is present thereon and to be connected to the zero-potential source when the at least one supply collector shoe (32) is not present thereon, respectively, and
• each supply device of the set of high-voltage supply devices (20) comprising short-circuiting means (52, 54) which are forced into the closed state, and are interposed between the corresponding conducting segment and the zero-potential source (26), and which are made to open by the detection means,
• wherein the detection means (46, 48) for detecting when the at least one supply collector shoe is in contact with the corresponding segment comprise means for detecting a coded signal transmitted, by conduction and by carrier current, by the vehicle to the supply device connected to the corresponding segment, via the collector shoe (32), and
• wherein the detection means comprise means (48) for checking that the coded signal has been received in its entirety, by processing a redundant cyclic code incorporated into the coded signal.

System for supplying current through the ground for an electric vehicle, the system comprising:

• a succession of conducting segments (16A, 16B, 16C, 16D) which are electrically isolated from each other and together form a conducting supply track (16) against which at least one supply collector shoe (32) on the vehicle is applied, the at least one supply collector shoe coming successively into contact with the segments (16A, 16B, 16C, 16D) during the movement of the vehicle;
• and
• a set of high-voltage supply devices (20) each connected to a corresponding conducting segment of the succession of conducting segments and each comprising:
• means (46, 48) for detecting the at least one supply collector shoe (32);
• and
• switching means (45) suitable for selectively causing the corresponding conducting segment to be supplied with current when the collector shoe is present on the latter and causing the corresponding conducting segment to be connected to a zero-potential source (26) when the collector shoe is not present thereon,
• the switching means (45) comprising switch-forming elements (T1, T2) forming static switches controlled by the detection means (46, 48) in order to cause the corresponding segment to be supplied with current when the at least one supply collector shoe (32) is present thereon and to be connected to the zero-potential source when the at least one supply collector shoe (32) is not present thereon, respectively, and
• each supply device of the set of high-voltage supply devices (20) comprising short-circuiting means (52, 54) which are forced into the closed state, and are interposed between the corresponding conducting segment and the zero-potential source (26), and which are made to open by the detection means,
• wherein the detection means (46, 48) for detecting when the at least one supply collector shoe is in contact with the corresponding segment comprise means for detecting a coded signal transmitted, by conduction and by carrier current, by the vehicle to the supply device connected to the corresponding segment, via the collector shoe (32), and
• wherein the coded signal carries coded information relating to the vehicle (10) which has transmitted the coded signal, the detection means comprise means (48) for processing the said information and means (48) for comparing data resulting from the said processing with data corresponding to information relating to the vehicle permitted to run on the conducting track,
• said system further comprising a monitoring device for monitoring the voltage on each segment of the conducting segments (16A, 1GB, 16C, 16D) connected to each of the detection means, the monitoring device comprising means for comparing the voltage on the corresponding segment with a maximum threshold value, and a set of logic circuits designed to cause the short-circuiting means to close if the threshold value is exceeded and a collector shoe is not present.

System for supplying current through the ground for an electric vehicle, the system comprising:

• a succession of conducting segments (16A, 16B, 16C, 16D) which are electrically isolated from each other and together form a conducting supply track (16) against which at least one supply collector shoe (32) on the vehicle is applied, the at least one supply collector shoe coming successively into contact with the segments (16A, 16B, 16C, 16D) during the movement of the vehicle;
• and
• a set of high-voltage supply devices (20) each connected to a corresponding conducting segment of the succession of conducting segments and each comprising:
• means (46, 48) for detecting the at least one supply collector shoe (32);
• and
• switching means (45) suitable for selectively causing the corresponding conducting segment to be supplied with current when the collector shoe is present on the latter and causing the corresponding conducting segment to be connected to a zero-potential source (26) when the collector shoe is not present thereon,
• the switching means (45) comprising switch-forming elements (T1, T2) forming static switches controlled by the detection means (46, 48) in order to cause the corresponding segment to be supplied with current when the at least one supply collector shoe (32) is present thereon and to be connected to the zero-potential source when the at least one supply collector shoe (32) is not present thereon, respectively, and
• each supply device of the set of high-voltage supply devices (20) comprising short-circuiting means (52, 54) which are forced into the closed state, and are interposed between the corresponding conducting segment and the zero-potential source (26), and which are made to open by the detection means,
• wherein the switch-forming elements (T1, T2) comprise insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs).

System for supplying current through the ground for an electric vehicle, the system comprising:

• a succession of conducting segments (16A, 16B, 16C, 16D) which are electrically isolated from each other and together form a conducting supply track (16) against which at least one supply collector shoe (32) on the vehicle is applied, the at least one supply collector shoe coming successively into contact with the segments (16A, 16B, 16C, 16D) during the movement of the vehicle;
• and
• a set of high-voltage supply devices (20) each connected to a corresponding conducting segment of the succession of conducting segments and each comprising:
• means (46, 48) for detecting the at least one supply collector shoe (32);
• and
• switching means (45) suitable for selectively causing the corresponding conducting segment to be supplied with current when the collector shoe is present on the latter and causing the corresponding conducting segment to be connected to a zero-potential source (26) when the collector shoe is not present thereon,
• the switching means (45) comprising switch-forming elements (T1, T2) forming static switches controlled by the detection means (46, 48) in order to cause the corresponding segment to be supplied with current when the at least one supply collector shoe (32) is present thereon and to be connected to the zero-potential source when the at least one supply collector shoe (32) is not present thereon, respectively, and
• each supply device of the set of high-voltage supply devices (20) comprising short-circuiting means (52, 54) which are forced into the closed state, and are interposed between the corresponding conducting segment and the zero-potential source (26), and which are made to open by the detection means,
• wherein outputs of the high-voltage supply devices constitute a means for locating the vehicle, intended to locally operate signaling devices, and/or a means for detecting malfunctions for carrying out a diagnostic check.

An electric vehicle (10) supplied by a system for supplying current through the ground, the system including:

• a succession of conducting segments (16A, 16B, 16C, 16D) which are electrically isolated from each other and together form a conducting supply track, and
• a set of high-voltage supply devices (20) each connected to a corresponding conducting segment of the succession of conducting segments and each including:
• means (46, 48) for detecting a supply collector shoe, and
• switching means (45) suitable for selectively causing the corresponding conducting segment to be supplied with current when the supply collector shoe is present on the latter and causing the corresponding conducting segment to be connected to a zero-potential source (26) when the collector shoe is not present thereon,
• the switching means (45) comprising switch-forming elements (T1, T2) forming static switches controlled by the detection means (46, 48) in order to cause the corresponding segment to be supplied with current when the supply collector shoe is present thereon and to be connected to the zero-potential source when the supply collector shoe is not present thereon, respectively, and
• each supply device of the set of high-voltage supply devices (20) comprising short-circuiting means (52, 54) which are forced into the closed state, and are interposed between the corresponding conducting segment and the zero-potential source (26), and which are made to open by the detection means,
• the electric vehicle comprising:
• at least one shoe (32) for supplying current to a motor of the vehicle,
• wherein the at least one shoe is applied against the conducting track of the system for supplying current through the ground, and the at least one shoe has means (42) for transmitting a coded signal conveying information relating to a type of the electric vehicle (10).

System for supplying current through the ground for an electric vehicle, the system comprising:

• a succession of conducting segments (16A, 16B, 16C, 16D) which are electrically isolated from each other and together form a conducting supply track (16) against which at least one supply collector shoe (32) on the vehicle is applied, the at least one supply collector shoe coming successively into contact with the segments (16A, 16B, 16C, 16D) during the movement of the vehicle;
• and
• a set of high-voltage supply devices (20) each connected to a corresponding conducting segment of the succession of conducting segments and each comprising:
• means (46, 48) for detecting the at least one supply collector shoe (32);
• and
• switching means (45) suitable for selectively causing the corresponding conducting segment to be supplied with current when the collector shoe is present on the latter and causing the corresponding conducting segment to be connected to a zero-potential source (26) when the collector shoe is not present thereon,
• the switching means (45) comprising switch-forming elements (T1, T2) forming static switches controlled by the detection means (46, 48) in order to cause the corresponding segment to be supplied with current when the at least one supply collector shoe (32) is present thereon and to be connected to the zero-potential source when the at least one supply collector shoe (32) is not present thereon, respectively, and
• each supply device of the set of high-voltage supply devices (20) comprising short-circuiting means (52, 54) which are forced into the closed state, and are interposed between the corresponding conducting segment and the zero-potential source (26), and which are made to open by the detection means,
• wherein the detection means (46, 48) for detecting when the at least one supply collector shoe is in contact with the corresponding segment comprise means for detecting a coded signal transmitted, by conduction and by carrier current, by the vehicle to the supply device connected to the corresponding segment, via the collector shoe (32),
• wherein the coded signal carries coded information relating to the vehicle (10) which has transmitted the coded signal, the detection means comprise means (48) for processing the said information and means (48) for comparing data resulting from the said processing with data corresponding to information relating to the vehicle permitted to run on the conducting track, and
• wherein the detection means comprise means (48) for checking that the coded signal has been received in its entirely, by processing a redundant cyclic code incorporated into the coded signal.