Protection arrangement for an electric vehicle

• US 9,988,835 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2013
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volvo Truck Corporation (Volvo AB)
• Original Assignee: Volvo Truck Corporation (Volvo AB)
• Inventors: Storm, Jonas
• Primary Examiner(s): Borroto, Alfonso Perez
• Application Number:
  US14/898,320
• Publication Number:
  US 20160130851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,811 Days
• Field of Search: 307 91, 49 31
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/18 Buses
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/28 Devices for lifting and resetting the collector
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/42 for collecting current from individual contact pieces connected to the power supply line
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/53 in combination with an external power supply, e.g. from overhead contact lines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/32 by charging in short intervals along the itinerary, e.g. during short stops
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 9/00 Electric propulsion with power supply external to the vehicle electric propulsion for monorail vehicles, suspension vehicles or rack railways B60L13/00; in combination with batteries or fuel cells within the vehicle B60L50/53
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 1/36 Single contact pieces along the line for power supply
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/002 controlled by automatically acting means for powered-operated mechanisms E05F15/70
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/60 using electrical actuators
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/53 Type of wing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A protection arrangement for a current collector arranged on a vehicle having a rechargeable energy storage includes a first protective state in which the current collector is covered by the protection arrangement and a second open state in which the protection arrangement allows contact between the current collector and a corresponding current supply during charging of the energy storage and where the protection arrangement is automatically opened from the protective state to the open state when the vehicle has reached a predefined charging position. The current collector can be enclosed when the vehicle is not charged and the protection arrangement can open automatically when a charging position is reached. This can improve the safety of the vehicle and obviate the need of a specific circuit breaker that can disconnect the current collector from the electric energy storage. The charging of the vehicle can also be simplified.

Claims

1. A protection arrangement tier a current collector arranged on a vehicle having an electric propulsion unit and a rechargeable energy storage, where the protection arrangement comprises a cover having a first protective state in which the current collector is covered by the cover and a second open state in which the protection arrangement allows contact between the current collector and a corresponding current supply means during charging of the energy storage, wherein the cover is automatically opened from the protective state to the open state when the vehicle has reached a predefined charging position;

and wherein the cover is spring-loaded to automatically close the cover from the second open state to the first, protective state when a closing signal is issued.

2. The protection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the transition to the open state is, initiated by a specific opening signal.

3. The protection arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the opening signal is issued when the vehicle reaches a predefined position.

4. The protection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the opening signal is issued when the vehicle has stopped.

5. The protection arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the opening signal is issued when a request for charging is issued.

6. The protection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein closing signal is issued when the vehicle starts to move.

7. The protection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein closing signal is issued when the vehicle leaves the charging position.

8. The protection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein closing signal is issued when a person is in the vicinity of the current collector.

9. The protection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the protection arrangement is arranged on the roof of the electric vehicle.

10. The protection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a hybrid vehicle comprising a combustion engine.

11. The protection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the rechargeable energy source is a battery or a super capacitor.

12. The protection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the protection arrangement is a pivotable cover which opens upwards.

13. The protection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the protection arrangement is a slidable cover which is arranged to slide parallel to the driving direction of the vehicle.

14. The protection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the protection arrangement is a cover which is arranged to part sideways, perpendicular to the driving direction of the vehicle.

15. The protection arrangement according to claim 14, wherein the protection arrangement is a dividable cover.

16. The protection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the protection arrangement is opened by an electric means or a compressed air means when the opening signal is issued.

17. The protection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the protection arrangement is opened by a pushing means arranged on the current supply means.

18. An electric vehicle comprising a protection arrangement according to claim 1.