Abstract: A vehicle control facility for the automated control of an electrical road vehicle for a route system with an energy-supply system that includes a lane-bound energy supply line, in particular an overhead line system. A position-determining unit determines a geographical position of the electrical road vehicle. A specific-lane-determining unit determines position data for a specific lane assigned to the lane-bound energy supply line. A communication interface transmits current relative positions of infrastructure features with respect to the electrical road vehicle to an external central specific-lane-determining facility and receives position data. A vehicle-control unit controls the electrical road vehicle with respect to the determined specific lane in dependence on the determined relative position of the specific lane.

Abstract: A system for detecting a state of a current collector of an electrically driven vehicle includes a video camera device for digitally recording images of the current collector and an image-evaluating device for the data evaluation of the image recordings. The current collector has optically detectable markings, the position and/or shape and/or surface area and/or color of which can be detected by the image-evaluating device in an automated manner. A system that makes the automatic state detection faster and more reliable is thereby provided.

Abstract: A vehicle has an electric or hybrid-electric traction drive supported by an ungrounded vehicle frame. The vehicle also has a current collector, which can be electrically connected to the traction drive and which can be brought in galvanic contact with a contact line of a grounded contact-line system to supply traction energy. The vehicle contains an electrical protection system for avoiding dangerous contact voltages on the vehicle frame or on a vehicle part connected to the vehicle frame in a conductive manner. The protection system has a first protection stage, a second protection stage, and a switching element, by which the protection system can be switched between the first and the second protection stages. The first protection stage provides greater safety from dangerous contact voltages than the second protection stage. Thus, a protection system can be provided which provides sufficient safety in all operating states of the vehicle.

Abstract: A transportation system with a non-rail-bound, electrically or diesel-electrically driven vehicle, has a two-pole overhead conductor system with contact wires forming supply and return conductors. The vehicle has a current collector for the supply of electrical energy through sliding contact with the contact wires. A video detector on the vehicle determines a position of the contact wires relative to the vehicle. Marking elements mark the position of the contact wires. The video detector is oriented for taking video images of the marking elements, and an evaluation unit recognizes from a recorded video image whether contact wires are present above the vehicle and, when they are present, determines their position relative to the vehicle. Through the improved recognition of the position of the vehicle relative to the overhead conductor the operational safety of the transportation system is improved.

Abstract: A vehicle control facility for the automated control of an electrical road vehicle for a route system with an energy-supply system that includes a lane-bound energy supply line, in particular an overhead line system. A position-determining unit determines a geographical position of the electrical road vehicle. A specific-lane-determining unit determines position data for a specific lane assigned to the lane-bound energy supply line. A communication interface transmits current relative positions of infrastructure features with respect to the electrical road vehicle to an external central specific-lane-determining facility and receives position data. A vehicle-control unit controls the electrical road vehicle with respect to the determined specific lane in dependence on the determined relative position of the specific lane.

Abstract: A non-rail-bound vehicle, in particular a truck, includes a current collector for supplying electric energy from a two-pole overhead conductor. A rocker can be vertically lifted or lowered by a rocking movement of a support extension arm about horizontal tilting axes of lower hinge assemblies and can be laterally displaced by a tilting movement of a support extension arm about vertical pivot axes of the lower hinge assemblies. The lower hinge assemblies are supported on a lifting device which is connected to a vehicle frame of the vehicle and through which the current collector can be vertically moved between a lower parked position and an upper operating position. In this manner, overhead conductors with an extended height range can be contacted without the current collector influencing the entire length of the vehicle.

Abstract: A non-rail bound, electrically or hybrid-electrically driven vehicle has a current collector for feeding electric traction energy from an overhead line system. The current collector has a sliding strip that is brought into sliding contact with a contact wire of the overhead line system above a travel lane. The sliding strip arrangement is pivotable transversely to a direction of travel. The vehicle has a limiter to at least unilaterally limit the transverse pivoting range of the sliding strip arrangement substantially to the width of the vehicle. A driver assistance system assists a driver in adhering to a virtual track within the marked lane. The track width and the pivoting range are dimensioned such that, when the track is adhered to, it is possible to maintain sliding contact between the sliding strip arrangement and the contact wire.

Abstract: A vehicle has an electric or hybrid-electric traction drive supported by an ungrounded vehicle frame. The vehicle also has a current collector, which can be electrically connected to the traction drive and which can be brought in galvanic contact with a contact line of a grounded contact-line system to supply traction energy. The vehicle contains an electrical protection system for avoiding dangerous contact voltages on the vehicle frame or on a vehicle part connected to the vehicle frame in a conductive manner. The protection system has a first protection stage, a second protection stage, and a switching element, by which the protection system can be switched between the first and the second protection stages. The first protection stage provides greater safety from dangerous contact voltages than the second protection stage. Thus, a protection system can be provided which provides sufficient safety in all operating states of the vehicle.

Abstract: A non-track-bound vehicle operates on a route electrified by an overhead contact system. The vehicle has a current collector for energy transfer between the vehicle and an overhead cable. It has a lowering mechanism for the transfer of the current collector from an upright operational position in which the current collector is in sliding contact with the contact wires into a lowered neutral position in which the current collector is arranged within a vehicle clearance profile. An actuating element is provided for the simultaneous activation of the lowering mechanism and an additional vehicle device. The activation of the actuating element is intended in a driving situation requiring the lowering of the current collector. The operation of non-track-bound vehicles is safer even in critical driving situations, such as for example, maneuvers to avoid or overtake other vehicles at high speed.

Abstract: A system for detecting a state of a current collector of an electrically driven vehicle includes a video camera device for digitally recording images of the current collector and an image-evaluating device for the data evaluation of the image recordings. The current collector has optically detectable markings, the position and/or shape and/or surface area and/or color of which can be detected by the image-evaluating device in an automated manner. A system that makes the automatic state detection faster and more reliable is thereby provided.

Abstract: A non-rail bound vehicle, in particular a commercial vehicle or a bus, has a current collector for feeding electrical energy from a two-pole overhead line. The contact wires of the overhead line are configured as forward and return conductors, and each can be contacted by at least one contact strip of the current collector. Due to the fact that the current collector is provided with two support extension arms, which are tiltably and rotatably hinged to both the vehicle and a rocker bearing the contact strips such that the rocker can be both raised and lowered and also can be moved transversely to the direction of travel, the current collector can be safely coupled to and decoupled from the contact wires, even at higher driving speeds of the vehicle. Furthermore, lateral inaccuracies with respect to a lane while steering the vehicle can be permanently compensated for by the current collector.

Abstract: A transportation system with a non-rail-bound, electrically or diesel-electrically driven vehicle, has a two-pole overhead conductor system with contact wires forming supply and return conductors. The vehicle has a current collector for the supply of electrical energy through sliding contact with the contact wires. A video detector on the vehicle determines a position of the contact wires relative to the vehicle. Marking elements mark the position of the contact wires. The video detector is oriented for taking video images of the marking elements, and an evaluation unit recognizes from a recorded video image whether contact wires are present above the vehicle and, when they are present, determines their position relative to the vehicle. Through the improved recognition of the position of the vehicle relative to the overhead conductor the operational safety of the transportation system is improved.

Abstract: A non-rail-bound, electrically driven vehicle contains a vehicle body having a vehicle width and a current collector for feeding traction energy from an overhead line. The current collector has two support brackets, an apex member connected to overhead-contact-line-side ends of the support brackets and lying transversely to a longitudinal axis, and two rockers mounted so as to rotate about an apex member axis. The support brackets are articulated at their vehicle-side ends to the vehicle body such that the rockers can be adjusted in height between a lowered idle position and a raised contact position and can be transversely moved between two lateral deflected positions. Accordingly, the rockers can be moved transversely independently of one another, wherein it is possible to adjust a current collector width so that it is less than the vehicle width. Therefore the vehicle can also be licensed for operation outside electrified routes.

Abstract: A vehicle has a cab for a driver. An electronically controlled vehicle device, in particular a current collector, can be operated by the driver. An operating device has an input to receive from the driver an operating command and an output for outputting a status indication to the driver. A control device outside the cab produces a control signal for the vehicle device from the operating command and a status indication from a status signal of the vehicle device. The control device is connected to the vehicle device and the operating device by way of a network for data transmission. The operating device is portable and can be fixed in a retaining device, which has a network interface and is arranged in the cab, for operation during travel. It can be detached from the retaining device in order to be carried by the driver.

Abstract: A non-rail-bound vehicle, in particular a truck, includes a current collector for supplying electric energy from a two-pole overhead conductor. A rocker can be vertically lifted or lowered by a rocking movement of a support extension arm about horizontal tilting axes of lower hinge assemblies and can be laterally displaced by a tilting movement of a support extension arm about vertical pivot axes of the lower hinge assemblies. The lower hinge assemblies are supported on a lifting device which is connected to a vehicle frame of the vehicle and through which the current collector can be vertically moved between a lower parked position and an upper operating position. In this manner, overhead conductors with an extended height range can be contacted without the current collector influencing the entire length of the vehicle.

Abstract: A non-rail bound vehicle, in particular a commercial vehicle or a bus, has a current collector for feeding electrical energy from a two-pole overhead line. The contact wires of the overhead line are configured as forward and return conductors, and each can be contacted by at least one contact strip of the current collector. Due to the fact that the current collector is provided with two support extension arms, which are tiltably and rotatably hinged to both the vehicle and a rocker bearing the contact strips such that the rocker can be both raised and lowered and also can be moved transversely to the direction of travel, the current collector can be safely coupled to and decoupled from the contact wires, even at higher driving speeds of the vehicle. Furthermore, lateral inaccuracies with respect to a lane while steering the vehicle can be permanently compensated for by the current collector.

Abstract: A method for monitoring a system, in which a plurality of acoustic images are recorded and compared at defined intervals of time over a period of time extending several weeks. A large system can be monitored reliably and with little complexity if the acoustic images each contain a plurality of acoustic image areas which are arranged in a spatially different manner, and, between respective recordings of the image areas of an acoustic image, an acoustic sensor is aligned with an image area, which is to be recorded, of a next image area by being moved.

Abstract: A method for monitoring a system, in which a plurality of acoustic images are recorded and compared at defined intervals of time over a period of time extending several weeks. A large system can be monitored reliably and with little complexity if the acoustic images each contain a plurality of acoustic image areas which are arranged in a spatially different manner, and, between respective recordings of the image areas of an acoustic image, an acoustic sensor is aligned with an image area, which is to be recorded, of a next image area by being moved.

Abstract: A method is provided for weighing a series of mail pieces such as letters, flats or a mixture thereof, that are being conveyed through a weighing module. Each mail piece has a length which falls within a range bounded by a maximum length and a minimum length. The mail pieces are conveyed through the weighing module at a substantially constant speed while maintaining a minimum gap between successive mail pieces as the mail pieces pass through the weighing module. The weight of each mail piece is measured during a measurement time when that mail piece is the only mail piece moving on the scale. The scale is sized so that measurement times for mail pieces between the maximum and minimum lengths will vary.

Abstract: A method is provided for weighing a series of mail pieces such as letters, flats or a mixture thereof, that are being conveyed through a weighing module. Each mail piece has a length which falls within a range bounded by a maximum length and a minimum length. The mail pieces are conveyed through the weighing module at a substantially constant speed while maintaining a minimum gap between successive mail pieces as the mail pieces pass through the weighing module. The weight of each mail piece is measured during a measurement time when that mail piece is the only mail piece moving on the scale. The scale is sized so that measurement times for mail pieces between the maximum and minimum lengths will vary.