US 12,074,397 B2
Subsurface contact system
Sven Klausner, Dresden (DE); Tim Vorwerk, Dresden (DE); and Christian Seiler, Dresden (DE)
Assigned to Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e. V., Munich (DE)
Filed by Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V., Munich (DE)
Filed on Sep. 16, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/932,958.
Application 17/932,958 is a continuation of application No. 16/493,604, granted, now 11,502,456, previously published as PCT/EP2018/056911, filed on Mar. 19, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2017 204 608.2 (DE), filed on Mar. 20, 2017; and application No. 10 2017 218 226.1 (DE), filed on Oct. 12, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2023/0008114 A1, Jan. 12, 2023
Int. Cl. H01R 13/631 (2006.01); B60L 50/50 (2019.01); B60L 53/14 (2019.01); B60L 53/16 (2019.01); B60L 53/30 (2019.01); B60L 53/36 (2019.01)
CPC H01R 13/6315 (2013.01) [B60L 50/50 (2019.02); B60L 53/14 (2019.02); B60L 53/16 (2019.02); B60L 53/30 (2019.02); B60L 53/36 (2019.02)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A contact apparatus for charging an energy store of a vehicle using a separate charging station, the contact apparatus comprising:
one or more contact elements; and
one or more contact guide surfaces, corresponding to each of the one or more contact elements;
wherein the contact apparatus is configured to make contact with a charging contact element carrier of a charging contact unit, wherein the one or more contact elements of the contact apparatus are each adapted to form one or more contact pairs with charging contact elements of the charging contact element carrier, wherein the one or more contact elements of the contact apparatus are configured to be arranged such that, when the charging contact unit and contact apparatus are brought together, a defined order of forming the one or more contact pairs is maintained, wherein at least one of the one or more contact elements of the contact apparatus are in pin form or are formed as a contact plate, are mounted in the one or more contact guide surfaces, and are arranged geometrically on the one or more contact guide surfaces to permit the vehicle to approach with a correct polarity to form contact pairs from two movement directions along a first spatial axis with the charging contact unit rotated 180° as viewed from the contact apparatus between the two movement directions, for connection to the energy store.