Patent Publication Number: US-8536451-B2

Title: High-voltage connection and electric rail vehicle having a high-voltage connection

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     A high-voltage connection which runs between two supporting insulators which can move relative to one another is known from a publication “Elektronische Ausrüstung and Bordnetz” [Electronic equipment and on-board power supply system], which can be found at the Internet address http://ice-fansite.com/joomla/index.php?option=content&amp;task=view&amp;id=261. In this case, the supporting insulators are located in the transitional area between respectively adjacent wagons of an electrical rail vehicle. A double line at high-voltage potential runs between the supporting insulators which can move relative to one another. This double line must hang down when the rail vehicle is in the rest state, in order to absorb the relative movement between the two supporting insulators when in motion. This in turn means that a relatively large amount of space must be made available in order to comply with the isolating air gaps in the area of the double line, and this is at the expense of the electrical rail vehicle having good aerodynamics. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is based on a high-voltage connection between two supporting insulators which can move relative to one another, and is based on the object of designing a high-voltage connection between two such supporting insulators such that relatively short isolating air gaps are sufficient. 
     In order to achieve this object, the high-voltage connection according to the invention has a power line rod which is surrounded by an insulating body and is fitted, such that the distance can be adapted, at one of its ends to one supporting insulator and is held at its other end on the other supporting insulator; an outgoing power line is electrically connected to one end of the power line rod, and another outgoing power line is electrically connected to the other end of the power line rod. 
     One major advantage of the high-voltage connection according to the invention is that the air gaps which are required for isolation can be kept relatively short by means of the power line rod with the compact form of an insulating body surrounding it, preferably an insulator with ribs, because the power line rod together with its insulating body changes its position only in a relatively short spatial profile, even in the event of relatively large movements of the supporting insulators with respect to one another, in such a way that parts which are located in the area of the high-voltage connection and are at ground potential, for example metal walls, can surround the high-voltage connection relatively closely and can run relatively closely along it. 
     With regard to the outgoing power lines, the high-voltage connection according to the invention may be designed differently; for simple assembly reasons, it is considered to be advantageous for the outgoing power lines to be in the form of power line cables, and for each to be firmly connected to the power line rod. Since these power line cables lead to electrical connections which are fitted adjacent to the supporting insulators, they can be made relatively short; there is then no interference at all between them and the required spatial profile of the high-voltage connection ensuring, in a simple manner, that the power line rod can move freely with its insulating body when the two supporting insulators move relative to one another. 
     In another advantageous embodiment of the high-voltage connection according to the invention, the outgoing power lines are in the form of a power line cables, and are connected to the power line rod by means of sliding contacts. 
     This has the advantageous feature that the outgoing power lines can be made particularly short, thus reliably avoiding isolation problems. 
     In order to avoid excessively severe loading the supporting insulators, as well as the power line rod, when relatively large movements take place between the two supporting insulators, it is considered to be advantageous for the power line rod to be mounted on the supporting insulators such that it can move spherically or in a universally jointed manner. 
     Another advantageous possible way to absorb the position changes between the two supporting insulators is to design at least one bearing point of the power line rod on the supporting insulators such that it can move in the direction of the power line rod. 
     It is considered to be particularly advantageous if for the power line rod to have a power line movement or sliding piece, which is held such that it can move longitudinally, at at least one end. This is because a power line rod designed in this way makes it possible to ensure in a relatively simple design manner that the position changes between the two supporting insulators are absorbed. 
     In order to ensure that the high-voltage connection according to the invention can be made relatively flat between the two supporting insulators which can move relative to one another, it is advantageous if one end of a power line arm is held at at least one end of the power line rod such that it can rotate horizontally and such that it is electrically connected to the power line rod, if one end of a further power line arm is held on the supporting insulator which is adjacent to this end of the power line rod, such that it can rotate horizontally, and is electrically connected to the outgoing power line, and if the respective other ends of the two power line arms are mounted on a common axis such that they can rotate horizontally with respect to one another, and are electrically connected to one another. 
     The invention furthermore relates to an electrical rail vehicle having at least two wagons, each having a high-voltage line which is routed in their roof, and each having a supporting insulator on the roof in the area of the respective mutually facing ends of the wagons, and therefore to an electrical rail vehicle as is described in the publication cited initially. 
     The high-voltage connection according to the invention is used in order to allow a rail vehicle such as this to be designed to be aerodynamically advantageous in the transitional area from one wagon to the adjacent other wagon. This requires relatively little space for isolation, thus allowing this high-voltage connection to be fitted such that roof claddings can be arranged in the external contour of the roof, in the transitional area from one wagon to the other. 
     In the case of the rail vehicle according to the invention, the isolator for the power line rod extends at least over the entire area between the ends of the wagons. 
     It is considered to be particularly advantageous for the supporting insulators each to be arranged above the rotation point of a mechanical coupling which connects the wagons, because an arrangement such as this makes it possible to minimize the longitudinal movements between the adjacent supporting insulators. 
     In order to explain the invention further: 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
         FIG. 1  shows a side view of one exemplary embodiment of a high-voltage connection according to the invention installed in an electrical rail vehicle, 
         FIG. 2  shows a state of the same exemplary embodiment, in which the adjacent wagons have a relatively large height offset with respect to one another, because of the configuration of the track, and 
         FIG. 3  shows a plan view of another exemplary embodiment, with the roof of the rail vehicle removed. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a detail of an electrical rail vehicle  1 , which has a wagon  2  and, adjacent to it, a wagon  3 . The wagons  2  and  3  have respective roofs  4  and  5 . Each respective roof  4  and  5  has a gap bridge  6  and  7 , underneath which a high-voltage connection  8  is arranged. 
     The high-voltage connection  8  has a power line rod  9 , which is fitted to a supporting insulator  11  at one of its ends  10 , preferably mounted in a universally jointed manner or spherically. The power line rod  9  is provided in the area of its other end  12  with a power line movement piece  13 , which can move longitudinally in the power line rod  9 . The power line rod  9  is also held at its other end  12  on a further supporting insulator  14 , by means of the power line movement piece  13 , spherically or in a universally jointed manner. 
     If a height offset occurs between the two wagons  2  and  3 , to be precise their supporting insulators  11  and  14 , while the illustrated electrical rail vehicle is in motion, then the length of the power line rod  9  is increased by extending the power movement piece  13 ; the power line rod  9  is then inclined with respect to the horizontal, as can be seen in  FIG. 2 . A compact insulating body  15  with ribs in the form of an isolator on the power line rod  9  nevertheless ensures that the air gap required for isolation from the metal parts of the wagons  2  and  3  is provided, in such a way that, even in this position of the high-voltage connection, there is an adequate separation between the gap bridge  7  on the further wagon  3  and the power line rod  9 . 
     A power line  16 , which originates from one end  10  of the power line rod  9 , to a connecting piece  17  is in this case in the form of a power line cable, and is connected over a relatively short distance to the connecting piece  17 , to be precise to a high-voltage line which is not illustrated but continues further, on the wagon  2 . A corresponding situation applies to the other end  12  of the power line rod  9 , in that the other end  12  of the power line rod  9  is connected there via another outgoing power line  19 , likewise in the form of a power line cable, to a further connecting piece  20  of a high-voltage line, which is not illustrated but continues further, on the other wagon  3 . Since the outgoing power lines  16  and  19  can be made relatively short, they do not increase the space requirement for the overall high-voltage connection in order to maintain flashover-resistant air gaps. 
     The plan view of the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 3  corresponds essentially to the exemplary embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , as a result of which corresponding reference symbols are used for the same parts, but this differs from the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  by the connection of the power line rod  9  to the outgoing power line  19 . Therefore, in this case, one end  21  of a power line arm  22  is connected to the power line rod  9 , to be precise such that this arm  22  can rotate horizontally, that is to say it runs flat under the roof, which is not shown here, of the other wagon  3 . The electrical connection between the power line rod  9  and the power line arm  22  is made via a connecting cable  23 . A further power line arm  24  is mounted at one of its ends  25  with a connecting plate  26 , which is held on the other supporting insulator  14 , such that it can rotate horizontally, and is connected via a further connecting cable  27  to the other connecting piece  20 . The respective other ends  28  and  29  of the two power line arms  22  and  24  are connected to one another at a bearing point  30  such that they can rotate horizontally, and this bearing point  30  is electrically bridged by a third connecting cable  31 . The two power line arms  22  and  24  open like the blades of shears depending on how far the power movement piece  13  has been pulled out of the power line rod  9 , in order to compensate for the distance changes between the two wagons  2  and  3 , and their supporting insulators  11  and  14 .