Slidable current collector and method for contacting conductor rail

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12322918-B2
Application number	US-202217829528-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2022
Priority date	Jan 18, 2022
Publication date	Jun 3, 2025
Grant date	Jun 3, 2025

Abstract

A slidable current collector has frame formed as central substrate and sloped shoulders on opposing lateral sides of the central substrate. Electrical terminals pass through orifices arranged in at least two rows within the central substrate. At least one bumper is disposed on an underside of the central substrate between the at least two rows. During sliding on a power rail, the electrical terminals contact a rail surface, and the current collector can shift laterally on the rail surface across a distance between the bumper and one of the sloped shoulders. If disengagement of the electrical terminals from the rail surface occurs, angles on the sloped shoulders and the at least one bumper resist excessive lateral shifting and urge the electrical contacts to reengage with the rail surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electric current collector for sliding in a direction along one or more power rails, comprising:
a substrate having a central longitudinal axis, the substrate including an upper surface, a lower surface, an inner lateral edge, and an outer lateral edge, the inner lateral edge and the outer lateral edge being on opposite sides of the central longitudinal axis;
an inner wall extending below the substrate from the inner lateral edge at an inner obtuse angle relative to the lower surface;
an outer wall extending below the substrate from the outer lateral edge at an outer obtuse angle relative to the lower surface;
a first bumper disposed along the lower surface of the substrate, the first bumper extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis; and
a first electrical terminal having a first contact projecting from the lower surface between the inner wall and the first bumper.

2. The electric current collector of claim 1 , wherein the first bumper has a first inner face and a first outer face, the first inner face extending from the lower surface adjacent the first electrical terminal and at an angle relative to the lower surface away from the inner wall.

3. The electric current collector of claim 1 , further comprising a second electrical terminal having a second contact projecting from the lower surface between the outer wall and the first bumper.

4. The electric current collector of claim 3 , further comprising a second bumper extending from and along the lower surface of the substrate substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, wherein the second bumper is positioned between the outer wall and the second contact.

5. The electric current collector of claim 4 , further comprising a third electrical terminal having a third contact projecting from the lower surface between the outer wall and the second bumper.

6. The electric current collector of claim 5 , wherein the second bumper has a second inner face and a second outer face, the second outer face extending from the lower surface adjacent the third electrical terminal and at an angle relative to the lower surface away from the outer wall.

7. The electric current collector of claim 6 , wherein the first contact, the second contact, and the third contact are configured to slide along different ones of the one or more power rails.

8. The electric current collector of claim 1 , further comprising an inner flange extending from the inner wall laterally away from the longitudinal axis and an outer flange extending from the outer wall laterally away from the longitudinal axis.

9. The electric current collector of claim 1 , wherein the upper surface and the lower surface are fiberglass and the substrate further comprises a foamed polymer between the upper surface and the lower surface.

10. The electric current collector of claim 1 , wherein the first electrical terminal passes through the substrate from the upper surface to the lower surface.

11. A work machine, comprising:
an electric engine;
traction devices configured to cause movement of the work machine disposed proximate a haul route when powered by the electric engine; and
a current collector configured to move across a surface of at least one power rail along the haul route and conduct electrical energy to the electric engine, the current collector comprising:
a frame having a central substrate along a longitudinal axis and sloped shoulders on opposing lateral sides of the central substrate, the central substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface with orifices extending from the first surface to the second surface, wherein the orifices are arranged in at least two rows substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis;
electrical terminals positioned within the orifices; and
at least one triangular wedge extending along an underside of the central substrate between the at least two rows.

12. The work machine of claim 11 , wherein the electrical terminals include contacts exposed below the central substrate, and wherein at least one of the contacts in a first of the at least two rows is laterally adjacent to one of the sloping shoulders and to the at least one triangular wedge.

13. The work machine of claim 12 , wherein the at least one triangular wedge has a first face laterally adjacent to the at least one of the contacts, and the first face and the one of the sloping shoulders are angled away from each other relative to the underside of the central substrate.

14. The work machine of claim 13 , wherein the at least one triangular wedge has a second face laterally adjacent another of the contacts within a second of the at least two rows, and the second face and the other of the sloping shoulders are angled away from each other relative to the underside of the central substrate.

15. The work machine of claim 11 , further comprising another triangular wedge extending along the underside of the central substrate between one of the at least two rows and a third row of the orifices.

16. The work machine of claim 14 , further comprising flanges extending from the sloping shoulders laterally away from the longitudinal axis, the flanges being below the surface of the at least one power rail when the current collector moves across the surface.

17. A method for powering a work machine from at least one power rail, comprising:
establishing a slidable connection between a current collector associated with the work machine and a rail surface of the at least one power rail, the current collector comprising:
a central substrate along a longitudinal axis,
a sloped shoulder on a lateral side of the central substrate,
at least two rows of electrical contacts on an underside of the central substrate, and
at least one bumper between the at least two rows of electrical contacts;

sliding the current collector across the rail surface in a direction of the longitudinal axis;
during the sliding, permitting first lateral shifting of the current collector on the rail surface across a distance between the bumper and the sloped shoulder;
during the sliding, upon disengagement of the current collector from the rail surface, resisting second lateral shifting of the current collector beyond the distance between the bumper and the sloped shoulder, wherein the second lateral shifting is larger than the first lateral shifting.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the bumper has a triangular configuration with a first side facing the sloped shoulder and a second side facing away from the sloped shoulder, the first side and the sloped shoulder being angled away from each other.

19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising conducting electrical energy through the at least two rows of electrical contacts and to the work machine.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the current collector has three rows of electrical contacts and two bumpers between the three rows of electrical contacts.

Assignees

• Caterpillar Global Mining Equipment Llc

Inventors

• Strashny Igor

Classifications

• B60L5/08

  Structure of the sliding shoes or their carrying means · CPC title

• H01R2201/26

  for vehicles · CPC title

• B60L5/16

  Devices for lifting and resetting the collector (B60L5/34 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60L5/10

  Devices preventing the collector from jumping off · CPC title

• B60L2200/40

  Working vehicles · CPC title