Research on Motion Control System of Intelligent Pantograph for Electrified Highways

To address a research gap in China on motion control of vehicle-mounted pantographs for electrified highways, this paper presents an in-depth study in this field and proposes a pantograph lifting/lowering control strategy and a lateral follow-up control strategy. The paper first describes the pantograph motion control system solution and then presents a kinematics analysis that identifies various pantograph motion states. Subsequent design based on analysis results establishes the two strategies. The effectiveness and feasibility of the devised system were verified through simulations and bench experiments. Results show that this system enables the functions of pantograph lifting/lowering and emergency pantograph lowering in case of clearance intrusion, with lateral follow-up deviations controlled within 0.3 m, demonstrating its good control performance. The research results of this paper provide reference for further research in related fields, and support technological development and industrial applications on China's electrified highways.