Patent SE-513278-C2 (SE)
Title: Automatic coupling system for transferring energy, gas or liquid to vehicle
Inventor: ALHOMSI ABDULLAH
IPC: H01R/
Filed: 1997-09-12
Abstract: The system includes a mobile unit comprising four integrated parts. The first part is a cable (dk) with rigid and elastic sections, which is connected to one or more energy, gas or liquid supply lines. A coupling tool (id) is provided at one end of the cable, the opposite end being secured to the second part of the unit. Two or more regions (iz, uz) attached to or housed inside the cable are used to register when the cable is fully unwound or wound-up. These regions are formed by sections of the cable that have different physical properties, e.g. colour, diameter, or magnetic or electrical properties. The region closest to the coupling tool end of the cable is used to register a wound-up cable, whilst the region at the opposite end is used to register an unwound cable. The second part is the cable housing, protruding beyond the cable and including a cable winch consisting of two rolls with different diameters (iv, yv). Cable is stored in the region between the two rolls, being dispensed or wound up when the winch is rotated using an electric motor (m), which forces the rigid and elastic sections of the cable out of the housing, through the gap (lg) between the housing and the third part, and then into this third part. A control system comprising at least two control points is provided in the housing along the route of the cable, at least one point (up) being used to detect an unwound cable and at least one point (ip) being used to detect a wound-up cable, by means of e.g. a weight, photocell, relay arrangement (r1, r3) or current detector. The third part is a tapered channel or tube (e.g. a funnel), or a bent tapered channel or tube (e.g. a helical funnel) that receives the end of the cable being unwound and allows it to be stretched, forced or bent through a first cross-section of the third part and then through subsequent cross-sections, at least one of the latter being tapered, elongated or twisted (or a combination of these) with respect to the cross-section(s) before it. The fourth part is a codable coupling tool comprising an "in" tool (a) and an "out" tool (bu) for the transfer of energy, liquid or gas. A special binary coding device (a1) provided on the inside or outside of the "in" tool consists of certain number of electrically insulating and conducting elements, corresponding to 0-code and 1-code elements respectively, which can be combined in a specific order to form a binary code key associated with the "in" tool and a binary code lock associated with the "out" tool. The coding elements come into contact with a code verification device (bv) on the inside or outside of the "out" tool, consisting of a pair of electrical contact points. These two points consist of an "in" point and an "out" point which come into contact with coding elements when the "in" tool is fully inserted into the "out" tool. An electric current is supplied via the "in" point to the coding element with which it is in contact, whilst the "out" point becomes conducting or non-conducting depending on whether the coding element in contact with the "in" point is a 0 or 1-code element. The binary code lock comprises a number of electrical contacts equal to the number of coding elements, namely 0-out points when current is absent in the out points and 1-out points when current is present. The absence or presence of current in these out points is used to control at least one circuit breaker or switch, e.g. a relay-controlled contact for directly conducting current or indirectly activating a mechanism for directly conducting current to an electromagnetic device, e.g. an electromagnet (b5) or electric motor (m). The electromagnet or motor serves as an actuator for a mechanical or electromechanical locking and/or coupling mechanism (b6) for locking the "in" tool (in)to the "out" tool and/or coupling a mechanism for supplying gas, liquid or electricity from the "in" tool to the "out" tool (or vice versa) or from either of these tools to a connection inside or outside the coupling tool. Uncoupling is achieved by indirectly distu