1. A non-rail-bound vehicle, comprising:
a longitudinal vehicle axis;
a current collector configured to feed in electrical energy from an overhead line installation having at least one contact wire, said current collector including at least one contact strip configured to make contact with the at least one contact wire, said at least one contact strip having a working range, being oriented horizontally and being adjustable transversely with respect to said longitudinal vehicle axis, a rocker carrying said at least one contact strip, said current collector having two support arms being articulated, rotatable on the vehicle and configured to be swiveled transversely with respect to the longitudinal vehicle axis in a common swivel plane, said support arms being connected in an articulated manner to said rocker;
an actuating device coupled to said current collector for adjusting said at least one contact strip, said actuating device having an actuator and a linearly guided actuator rod coupled to said current collector and configured to be displaced transversely with respect to said longitudinal vehicle axis by said actuator;
a sensor configured to sense a position of the vehicle relative to the at least one contact wire; and
a controller connected to said sensor and to said actuating device and configured to actuate said actuating device as a function of the vehicle position sensed by said sensor to cause said at least one contact strip to maintain contact with the at least one contact wire within said working range.
2. The non-rail-bound vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said actuating device has a measuring device for determining an actuator position, and said controller is connected to said measuring device to actuate said actuating device as a function of a specific actuator position.
3. The non-rail-bound vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said controller is configured to actuate said actuating device to oscillate said at least one contact strip over said working range.
4. The non-rail-bound vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said controller is connected to a driver assistance system for at least one of issuing a steering recommendation to a driver or carrying out an automatic steering intervention as a function of at least one of a specific actuator position or the sensed vehicle position.
5. The non-rail-bound vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said sensor has at least one measuring device for measuring a field strength of a physical field generated by the at least one contact wire.
6. The non-rail-bound vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the physical field is a magnetic field or an electrical field or an alternating electromagnetic field.
7. The non-rail-bound vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the physical field is generated by a power supply to the overhead line installation for traction current supply of the vehicle.
8. The non-rail-bound vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the physical field is generated by voltages or currents additionally impressed into the at least one contact wire.
9. The non-rail-bound vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the physical field is generated by transmitter units on the overhead line installation.
10. The non-rail-bound vehicle according to claim 5, wherein:
said current collector is configured to feed in electrical energy from an overhead line installation having two contact wires disposed at a distance from each other;
said sensor has two measuring devices disposed at a transverse distance from each other for field strength determination; and
said transverse distance is different than the distance between the contact wires.
11. The non-rail-bound vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the non-rail-bound vehicle is a truck or a bus.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An apparatus for viewing media, the apparatus composing:
a frame portion at least partially defining a chamber for containing the media, the frame portion including four lips that cooperate to define a rectangular opening therebetween the;
a panel exhibiting transparence or translucence and further defining the chamber, said panel overlapping at least three of the four lips to separate the chamber from the opening; and
a conduit configured to convey liquid and defining at least one hole through which the liquid can exit the conduit, said at least one hole being sufficiently positioned such that the liquid, after exiting said at least one hole, falls so that the panel is between the falling liquid and the chamber.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising structure defining a reservoir for storing liquid and sufficiently positioned to collect the liquid after exiting said at least one hole; a fluid circuit including a pump in fluid communication with the reservoir and configured to pressurize liquid in the conduit; and structure separating the reservoir and the chamber.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a sensor configured to detect when the amount of liquid in the reservoir is below a predetermined amount, and a control apparatus configured to deactivate the pump when the sensor detects that the amount of liquid in the reservoir is below the predetermined amount.
4. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a controller operatively connected to the pump and configured to control the pump to vary the flow rate of liquid in the conduit.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the panel includes a nonplanar surface, and wherein said at least one hole is sufficiently positioned such that the liquid, after exiting said at least one hole, flows along the nonplanar surface.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a light source configured to illuminate the media in the chamber.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a controller configured to selectively control the light source to vary the brightness or color of the light.
8. An apparatus comprising:
at least one transparent or translucent member having a first side and a second side opposite the first side;
a housing cooperating with the first side of said at least one panel to at least partially define a chamber for containing a viewable object;
a reservoir configured to contain a liquid;
structure separating the reservoir from the chamber;
a pump configured to pressurize the liquid;
a conduit configured to convey pressurized liquid from the pump to an outlet;
wherein the outlet is configured and positioned to direct water to the second side of said at least one panel so that water falls on the second side of said at least one panel.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising: a backing being selectively, releasably mutable with the housing to further define the chamber.
10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a light source mounted with respect to the housing and configured to illuminate the chamber.
11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the housing defines a slot through which the viewable object can be inserted and removed from the chamber.