Apparatus, systems, and methods for operating and maintaining electrically-powered material-transport vehicles
There is provided an electrically-powered material-transport vehicle having a vehicle-charging contact on one side of the vehicle, and a second vehicle-charging contact on the opposite side of the vehicle. The vehicle has a load-bearing cap that covers the top of the vehicle, and a cap elevator for raising and lowering the cap. The cap can be raised and lowered to a transit position, a payload-engagement position, a charging position, and a maintenance position. In the transit position and payload-engagement position, the cap covers the vehicle-charging contacts so that they are not exposed. In the charging position, the cap is raised so that the vehicle-charging contacts are exposed. The vehicle can enter a charging-dock with the cap in the charging position in order to recharge the vehicle's battery.
1. An electrically-powered vehicle for transporting a payload, comprising:
a base having a first vehicle-charging contact on a first side of the base;
a cap elevator attached to the base and extendible from a first position upwards from the base to a second position; and
a cap having a first side cover corresponding to the first vehicle-charging contact, the cap being attached to the cap elevator such that, when the cap elevator is in the first position, the first vehicle-charging contact is covered by the first side cover, and when the cap elevator is in the second position, the first vehicle-charging contact is not covered by the first side cover, wherein the cap is a load bearing platform for transporting the payload.
2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the cap is sized to cover the top of the base.
3. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a battery and a first switch connected to the battery and the first vehicle-charging contact for electrically connecting and electrically disconnecting the battery and the first vehicle-charging contact.
4. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a first vehicle-signal contact on the base for sending a signal to a corresponding charger-signal contact on a charging dock.
5. The vehicle of claim 4 , wherein the first vehicle-signal contact comprises a rail that extends along at least part of a length of the first side of the base.
6. The vehicle of claim 4 , wherein the first vehicle-signal contact is parallel to the first vehicle-charging contact.
7. The vehicle of claim 4 , wherein the first vehicle-signal contact is colinear with the first vehicle-charging contact.
8. The vehicle of claim 4 , further comprising a second vehicle-signal contact on the base for receiving a signal from another corresponding charger-signal contact on the charging dock.
9. The vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the first vehicle-signal contact is located on the first side of the base and the second vehicle-signal contact is located on the second side of the base.
10. The vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the second vehicle-signal contact comprises a rail that extends along at least part of a length of the second side of the base.
11. An electrically-powered vehicle for transporting a payload, comprising:
a base having a first vehicle-charging contact on a first side of the base;
a cap elevator attached to the base and extendible from a first position upwards from the base to a second position;
a cap having a first side cover corresponding to the first vehicle-charging contact, the cap being attached to the cap elevator such that, when the cap elevator is in the first position, the first vehicle-charging contact is covered by the first side cover, and when the cap elevator is in the second position, the first vehicle-charging contact is not covered by the first side cover;
a second vehicle-charging contact on a second side of the base; and
a second side cover corresponding to the second vehicle-charging contact such that, when the cap elevator is in the first position, the second vehicle-charging contact is covered by the second side cover, and when the cap elevator is in the second position the second vehicle-charging contact is not covered by the second side cover.
12. The vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the cap is sized to cover the top of the base.
13. The vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the second vehicle-charging contact comprises a rail that extends along at least part of a length of the second side of the base.
14. The vehicle of claim 11 , further comprising a battery and a first switch connected to the battery and the first vehicle-charging contact for electrically connecting and electrically disconnecting the battery and the first vehicle-charging contact.
15. The vehicle of claim 14 , further comprising:
a second switch connected to the battery and the second vehicle-charging contact for electrically connecting and electrically disconnecting the battery and the second vehicle-charging contact.
16. The vehicle of claim 11 , further comprising a first vehicle-signal contact on the base for sending a signal to a corresponding charger-signal contact on a charging dock.
17. An electrically-powered vehicle for transporting a payload, comprising:
a base having a first vehicle-charging contact on a first side of the base;
a cap elevator attached to the base and extendible from a first position upwards from the base to a second position; and
a cap having a first side cover corresponding to the first vehicle-charging contact, the cap being attached to the cap elevator such that, when the cap elevator is in the first position, the first vehicle-charging contact is covered by the first side cover, and when the cap elevator is in the second position, the first vehicle-charging contact is not covered by the first side cover, wherein the first vehicle-charging contact comprises a rail that extends along at least part of a length of the first side of the base.
18. The vehicle of claim 17 , wherein the cap is sized to cover the top of the base.
19. The vehicle of claim 17 , further comprising a battery and a first switch connected to the battery and the first vehicle-charging contact for electrically connecting and electrically disconnecting the battery and the first vehicle-charging contact.
20. The vehicle of claim 17 , further comprising a first vehicle-signal contact on the base for sending a signal to a corresponding charger-signal contact on a charging dock.