Connection for Automatic Battery Recharging on Matl Handling Cart

[rb]

I am looking for a connector or connection "shoe" (or plate) that allows me to automatically connect a battery on a material handling vehicle to a charger at a charging station.

Can anyone give me any pointers?

Thanks!
Ralph

 

[dbaird]

I would look into using "docking connectors" for this application. Check:

http://www.odu.de/463--~en~products...uct_description~round_docking_connectors.html

David Baird
mrbaird@hotmail.com
Sr Controls Engineer
EET degree.
Journeyman Electrician.

 

[itsmoked]

There's always the good old copper bar contoured to match a mating spring supported (other half) that is wired to with a generous amount of braided copper strap (to allow flexing). You can use a magnet or light, etc, with a relay to actually energize the *connected* shoes.

 

[sreid]

Take a look at

http://www.eurocomp.net/e-power-connectors.htm

I call them Forklift Connectors or Golf Cart Connectors. They are also used for the aux starting battery connector on race cars.

 

[rmw]

The connector recommended by sreid is what is used on our electric forklifts for change over from forklift operation to battery charging, and I have seen them used on tow trucks as a quick connect for jumper cables negating the need to raise the hood on the tow truck. They should work fine for your application.

rmw

 

[itsmoked]

Yes but he said *automatic connection*.

 

[sreid]

And what does "Automatic Connection" mean exactly? Releaseing trained mice that plug it in perhaps?

 

[itsmoked]

soy-tant-ly! I'd pay to see that!! (hope they aren't too conductive)

I would assume that *Automatic Connection* ment humans need not apply. Shove, park, or drive some material handling machine into its home parking spot and this event alone, connects it to the charger.

I'm near a Lipton's plant and they have these material handling robots scuttling all over the place unattended. I could imagine having them charge themselves, would be a virtue.


But this is all smoke anyway cuz I think the OP hit and ran us.

 

[rb]

Thanks for the replies so far!

What I mean by "Automatic Connection" is that when the vehicle comes to it's home position it automatically (without operator - or mouse - intervention begins to re-charge itself. I think the Automatic Guded Vehicles (AGVs) you see in large assembly plants use some sort of spring loaded copper plates. I was hoping I could find a standard off-the-shelf component rather that designing our own from scratch.

 

[itsmoked]

Ta DA! He is here.

Honestly, I think you will have to roll your own.. The variations would be so large for different applications and they would be cheap enough to have built that there won't be any one producer and marketing them would be pointless... So just design what you need and get them built.

 

[ScottyUK]

Just a thought -

For some design ideas have a look at the connection spouts used for MV switchgear - the 3.3 / 6 / 11kV class. I'm not suggesting actually using them as they are almost certainly overspec'd for what you need, but the connector design is intended to reliably mate a breaker truck weighing maybe half a tonne to a live switchboard. There will be design elements which could be well suited to your application.


----------------------------------

If we learn from our mistakes,
I'm getting a great education!

 

[RobWard]

I just have a mental image of a dodgem car....

(Sorry!)

"I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go past." Douglas Adams

 

[itsmoked]

RobWard; You mean like "bumper cars"?

 

[RobWard]

Yup.
Of course if there are any attractive ladies operating the material handling carts, then the supervisor would have to jump on the back, lean over them to steer with one hand, whilst the other graps the power pick up pole and try to seduce them.
Judging by all the bumper car operators I've seen anyway.

Not helping the OP much here am I.

Back on topic: is this a "plug" mounted on the cart that you would simply push up and into a socket on the charging station to recharge, or does it need to physically guide the cart in automatically?

"I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go past." Douglas Adams

 

[rb]

The cart is guided to the charging station with tracks in the floor.

 

[rb]

I found what I was looking for...

http://www.vahleinc.com/pdf/CAT1B2001/1B_E_98.PDF

Ralph

 

[itsmoked]

WOW! How did you find this? Did you look at all 300,000 google hits?

 

[rb]

I found it when I was googling for battery chargers.