US 11,938,829 B2
Third rail paddle system
Travis McMahan, Honea Path, SC (US); Ryan Miller, Greenville, SC (US); and Steven J. Knox, II, Greenville, SC (US)
Assigned to TRANSTECH OF SOUTH CAROLINA, INC., Greenville, SC (US)
Filed by TransTech of South Carolina, Inc., Greenville, SC (US)
Filed on Oct. 21, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/506,916.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/190,998, filed on May 20, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0371447 A1, Nov. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. B60L 5/02 (2006.01); B60L 5/39 (2006.01)
CPC B60L 5/02 (2013.01) [B60L 5/39 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system, comprising:
a support assembly configured for attachment to a vehicle;
a pivot connection attached to the support assembly, the pivot connection defining a range of movement;
a paddle assembly having an arm unit and a paddle, the paddle attached to a first end of the arm unit and the paddle assembly attached to the pivot connection via a second end of the arm unit, a bottom side of the paddle configured to contact a top surface of a third rail and pivot in a vertical direction relative to the support assembly while the support assembly is attached to the vehicle and while the vehicle moves along a route,
the pivot connection comprising a flexible torsion element with the arm unit of the paddle assembly attached to the torsion element for movement of the paddle assembly, wherein the torsion element is configured to torsionally flex for the paddle assembly to move laterally upon application of a side force to the paddle assembly and to spring back to a center position responsive to removal of the force; and
a stop element operably coupled with one of the pivot connection, the paddle assembly, or the support assembly, the stop element configured to limit the range of the movement and prevent the paddle assembly from moving downwards to a bottom of the range of movement.