Conduit Plow Patents (Class 191/48)
  • Patent number: 10500978
    Abstract: An assembly made up of a recharging system including a power supply contact on the ground, and a switching device, to bring the power supply contact to a supply voltage delivered by a source to which the recharging system is connected, and a vehicle including a contact shoe electrically connected to onboard energy storage means, the contact shoe being placed below the vehicle and movable between a high position and a low position, the vehicle including a control device able to command the movement of the contact shoe from the high position to the low position so that it is placed in contact with the power supply contact, only when the vehicle is stopped in said predetermined position allowing the capture of energy from the recharging system, in which the footprint of the vehicle covers the power supply contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Alstom Transport Technologies
    Inventors: Jean-Luc Hourtane, Yann Chaintron
  • Patent number: 9162577
    Abstract: The present invention has its application to a vehicle-related arm-shaped contact means ((4)) related to a contact means arrangement as a current collector or system (“S”) for propelling an electrically, i.a. by batteries (“II”, B), propellable vehicle (1) along a roadway (2) comprising “a” a plurality of roadway portions (2a, 2a1), wherein said road portions are allotted at least one track or slit (51, 52), having introduced therein current supplyable conductors (4a, 4b), and “b” one or more powerable vehicles (1), with each vehicle exhibiting a control circuit (100, “R1”) adapted for necessary distribution of power, wherein said vehicle (1) is on its underneath side provided with a displaceable contact means ((4)) as said current collectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: ELWAYS AB
    Inventor: Gunnar Asplund
  • Publication number: 20150041273
    Abstract: Systems and methods for providing in-road electric conductivity boxes and on-vehicle descent and pivot contacts for vehicles are provided. In one example embodiment, a system includes, inter alia, a charging component physically coupled to a roadway, a power source electrically coupled to the charging component, and a vehicle that electrically couples with the charging component for receiving power from the power source via the charging component when the vehicle is on the roadway at a location proximate to the charging component. Additional embodiments are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2014
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Inventors: Patrick Klein, Steven Roe, Matthew L. Kaplan, Thomas Dwight
  • Publication number: 20130025168
    Abstract: The present invention comprises a snow plough arrangement (41, 14?) adapted to a vehicle-related system for driving an electrically driven vehicle (1) along a stretch of road, said adapted system (5) comprising: “a” one or more over an individual electric motor (5) or motors drivable vehicles (1), and “b” a plurality of road sections (2a1, 2a) subdividing the stretch of road, each road section being allotted a track (51). Said snow plough arrangement (241) is in the form of a yieldable means (80) cleansing a track (51) of loose obstacles, such as snow, ice, water, sand, gravel and the like, and being foldable away, by rotatably fastened in its upper area (145) over a horizontally disposed axis of rotation (82) so that the cleansing means (80) and said axis of rotation (82) are movably fastened in vertical direction towards and away from an allotted chassis over a resilient means (150).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Publication date: January 31, 2013
    Applicant: ELWAYS AB
    Inventor: Gunnar Asplund
  • Publication number: 20120067684
    Abstract: The present invention has its application to a system for driving an electric and by one or more batteries powered vehicle along a roadway, comprising “a” one or more vehicles, which may be driven by an individual electric motor or motors and where in the respective vehicles exhibit a power-controlling control circuit for creating the necessary power and/or speed control and wherein required power i.a. can be provided primarily by a chargeable can be provided primarily by a chargeable battery set associated with the vehicle and “b” a plurality of road sections road portions divisible for the roadway, each being allotted one or more vehicle external electric stations for charging the battery set thereby and/or for supplying necessary power and energy for driving the vehicle. The underneath side of the mentioned vehicle is provided with a contact means displaceably positioned up and down and sideways, counted in the direction of transportation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2010
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Inventor: Gunnar Asplund
  • Patent number: 7748509
    Abstract: The inventive power supply system (1) comprises a ground placed power supply device (2) provided with at least one linear supply wire (7) connected to a voltage supply, a rail (6) comprising at least one zero reset conductor strip (8) and at least one protective profile in a flat L-shaped position profile masking the conductor wire. The system also comprises an on-board current sensing device (3) comprising at least one movable sensing subassembly (38) comprising a power sliding contactor (41) and a zero volts sliding contactor (42) which are electrically connected to the vehicle load circuits and used for slidingly contacting the supply wire and the zero reset conductor strip. The invention is useful for manufacturers of public transport vehicles and the lines therefor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Lohr Industrie
    Inventor: Rene Donnard
  • Publication number: 20090038902
    Abstract: This invention describes a new method of supplying a moving automobile with electricity. Electrodes placed beneath the automobile pass over electrodes embedded in the roadway. The capacitance between the electrodes beneath the car and the electrodes embedded in the roadway closes the circuit and high voltage pulses or a high voltage sinusoidal signal is transferred from the electrodes in the roadway to the electrodes beneath the car. This power is used to charge the car batteries. Hence the charging occurs while the automobile is in motion so that the automobile can travel from city to city without ever stopping.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2007
    Publication date: February 12, 2009
    Inventor: Sitaramarao Srinivas Yechuri
  • Patent number: 6250442
    Abstract: The invention relates to a ground power supply device for electric vehicles (5), the device including power supply segments (52) insulated from each other and each having a length less than half the length of the footprint of the vehicle (5), and being adapted to apply a supply voltage to a segment (52) only when said segment (52) is within the footprint of the vehicle (5), the vehicle (5) having a power supply rubbing member (80), and the device being adapted to apply the supply voltage to two adjacent segments (52) when the rubbing member (80) is in simultaneous contact with the two segments (52) and to earth one of the two segments (52) a short time after said rubbing member (80) has left that segment (52).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2001
    Assignee: Societe Generale de Techniques et d'Etudes
    Inventors: Olivier Perraud, Stéphane Brunet, Bruno Morin
  • Patent number: 6230861
    Abstract: A buried power supply system for an electric vehicle (17) equipped with collector shoes (16, 22), the system comprising a succession of conductive segments (5A, 5B, 5C) that are electrically isolated from one another, and that form a conductive track for the shoes on a road surface. Each segment is provided with individual switching means (11) of the static type, which means are received under the segment in a trough along which a common power supply link (14) and a common return link (13) run. The switching means provide electrical continuity between the segment to which they are assigned and the power return link so long as a connection control signal for connecting a segment to the power supply link is not received from a vehicle either directly by the segment in question (5C) or by either of the immediately adjacent segments (5B, 5D). The vehicles include means for transmitting a connection control signal to a segment of track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Assignee: Alstrom Entrepise SA
    Inventor: Daniel Cornic
  • Patent number: 6216835
    Abstract: A power rail is mounted on the face of storage system support columns. The power from the rail is transmitted to the equipment using a right angle, low clearance power rail trolley. The towing device is mounted to the side of the moving equipment. The device incorporates a new low profile trolley and towing arm attachment to permit mounting inches from the floor surface. The towing device includes a pair of pin engagement guide fingers that provide tolerance for traveling misalignments between the moving equipment and the stationary power rail. When an obstruction is encountered, power to drive the traveling stacker-retriever is cut off. The trolley engagement unit is mounted on a lateral swivel arm, the towing arm. The swivel arm mount has a mechanical overload spring pin detent. If a mechanical overload is detected, the swivel arm disengages from the spring pin detent, causing a limit switch to signal an emergency stop condition to disconnect motive power and to stop the moving equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2001
    Assignee: Woodson Incorporated
    Inventors: Mark F. Livesay, Kenneth P. Juhl, Richard J. Troy, G. Scott Layman
  • Patent number: 6105741
    Abstract: An electric distribution system which includes an elongated generally channel-shaped busway having a top wall and a pair of side walls with bus bars secured to the interior of the side walls. An electrical take-off is slidably secured within the busway with the take-off having a housing, a pair of spaced rotatable electrical contact supports having a circuit selection portion for rotating the contact support. At least one electrical contact passing through a passageway in the support and a spring which surrounds a portion of the support adjacent the passageway, urging the electrical contact in a first direction. The contact support is structured to be rotated to a first position wherein the electrical contact is disposed within the take-off housing and a second position wherein it projects outwardly into contact with a bus bar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2000
    Assignee: Universal Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Steven L. Ross
  • Patent number: 4447680
    Abstract: A power collection apparatus is disclosed for the purpose of power distribution from a central power supply to the propulsion motors of at least one mass transit vehicle operative with a predetermined roadway track, including one or more rail gaps and/or crossover switches, to permit the vehicle to transfer from one section to a second section of that roadway track. The power collection apparatus includes collector support apparatus carried by each vehicle and designed to be operative with a rail support member for three individual phase power rails, a ground rail and a signal rail, permitting high speed vehicle passage through a rail gap and a crossover switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 1978
    Date of Patent: May 8, 1984
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: William R. Segar, Robert A. Larson
  • Patent number: 4254851
    Abstract: Two shiftable bus bar unit point sections are simultaneously shifted to allow one of the sections to align with a stationary bus bar unit point section. A coupler slides on the stationary point section toward the just aligned one of the shiftable point sections to couple the same with the stationary point section. The shifting of the shiftable point sections and the sliding of the coupler are controlled by an operating mechanism which employs a cam. A holding device covers sealingly the electrically dangerous exposed end of the other of the shiftable point sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1979
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1981
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Company, Limited
    Inventors: Takanoru Setoguchi, Yoshiaki Hidaka
  • Patent number: 4245726
    Abstract: A duct section serves as part of a supply system for supplying electric power or a pressure medium to a mobile appliance and especially to a mining machine in a mine working where protection against explosion or fire is necessary. The duct section has a wall with a longitudinal slot therein and pick-up engages in the slot to collect the electric current or pressure medium. The slot is sealed with the aid of thin flexible sealing strips held flat against the inner and outer surfaces of the slotted wall. The pick-up is shaped to progressively deflect the strips away from the slotted wall to permit the passage of the pick-up and maintains the interior sealing with the aid of further seals slidable engaging with the slotted wall over the region where the strips are deflected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1979
    Date of Patent: January 20, 1981
    Assignee: Gewerkschaft Eisenhutte Westfalia
    Inventor: Dieter Kohler
  • Patent number: 4239094
    Abstract: A bus bar mount on which a current collecting equipment rides comprises an electrically insulating elongate body having a longitudinally extending groove and a longitudinally extending lid hinged to the body proper, a current carrying naked cable set in the groove, and latching means for providing latching engagement of the lid with the body proper to sealingly close the groove when the lid is pressed against the body proper. The current collecting equipment comprises a current collecting shoe, a rod connected to a body of the equipment to forcedly open the lid allowing the shoe to be brought into sliding contact with the naked cable when moved in a direction along the bus bar mount, and a press-roller unit connected to the body of the equipment at the position opposite to the rod with respect to the shoe to press the open lid against the body proper of the mount for providing the latching engagement of the lid with the body proper when moved in the one direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 1979
    Date of Patent: December 16, 1980
    Assignees: Nissan Motor Company, Limited, Sumiyomo Electric Industries, Limited
    Inventors: Hiromichi Uchiyama, Eiichi Yaguchi, Akira Nakamura, Yoshio Maeda, Susumu Watabe
  • Patent number: 4129203
    Abstract: Apparatus and a system are provided for a trackless-roadway vehicle having internal and external propulsion energy sources; the external energy being obtained by a collector plow from electric power rails located in a conduit below the roadway. The collector plow, sensors, the plow elevating mechanism, and the plow steering mechanism are mounted on a laterally movable carriage on the underside of the vehicle. By means of servo-systems comprised of sensors, servo-amplifiers, and drive motors with associated gearing, the plow is automatically and continuously translated and orientated to maintain the plow arms in the vertical plane of the slot in the cover of the conduit. The plow consists of two arms, each with a contactor. When the plow is out of the conduit, the contactors lie in a single plane so that they may pass through the slot. After passing through the slot the contactors are brought to bear on the power rails by contra-rotation of the plow arms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1977
    Date of Patent: December 12, 1978
    Inventor: Nelson Berman
  • Patent number: 4083439
    Abstract: A power distribution system for rail vehicles comprising a flexible resilient conduit for protecting a first electrical conductor fixed in a crowned resilient encasing slotted to receive a second electrical conductor which surrounds the flexible conduit and a second electrical conductor having first lubricating and conducting inserts for improving the electrical contact between the first and second conductors and reducing the friction between the two conductors and second non-conductive lubricating inserts for reducing friction between the second conductor and the resilient encasing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 1975
    Date of Patent: April 11, 1978
    Inventor: Leo E. Chandler