Patent Application
20140263146
The present disclosure relates to coupling assemblies for rail-supported vehicles such as railcars and road/rail vehicles.
It is known in the art of rail-supported vehicles or rolling stock to connect multiple units into a single train to enable transportation of increased amounts of materials or passengers. This connection is achieved by means of a coupling mechanism between cars, and numerous coupling mechanisms have been developed and standardized over the years. One example of such a coupling mechanism is the Janney coupler or knuckle coupler, which was subject of U.S. Pat. No. 138,405 and is in wide usage under specifications overseen by the Association of American Railroads, or AAR. An example of a prior art coupler is shown in
While it is common to see such couplers projecting forwardly and/or rearwardly of railway cars, it has been found that there are situations where such projection is undesirable. For example, in the case of so-called road/rail vehicles which can be driven on either rails or flat road surfaces due to the presence of both rail wheels and rubber tires, the projection of an unused coupler may result in a total vehicle length that exceeds highway use regulations. Also, certain maintenance of way equipment might benefit from a selectively projectable coupler.
What is needed, therefore, is a means for selectively projecting a coupler in a rail-supported vehicle.
The present assemblies and methods therefore seek to provide a coupler assembly that allows for the selective projection and retraction of the coupler and preferably the brake pipe.
According to a broad aspect of the present disclosure, then, there is provided a coupler assembly for use with a rail-supportable vehicle comprising:
a frame for mounting substantially within an exterior surface of the vehicle adjacent a first aperture in the exterior surface; and
a coupler received within the frame, the coupler having opposed first and second ends, the first end configured for releasable engagement with an adjacent vehicle coupler and the second end pivotally mounted on the frame;
wherein the coupler is rotatable between a stored position substantially within the exterior surface and an extended position partially without the exterior surface through the first aperture for releasable engagement with the adjacent vehicle coupler.
In exemplary embodiments, the coupler may be fully contained within the exterior surface when in the stored position. The exterior surface may comprise a front and/or rear bumper, in which case the frame is housed within the bumper, and the coupler is therefore within the bumper when in the stored position and partially without the bumper when in the extended position, and the coupler is preferably fully contained within the bumper when in the stored position.
The assembly may further comprise a pivot pin in the frame for enabling the coupler rotation, wherein the second end of the coupler comprises a hole for receiving the pivot pin, such that the coupler is pivotable around the pivot pin between the stored and extended positions.
The assembly may further comprise locking means on the frame for releasably securing the coupler in the stored position or the extended position. The locking means preferably comprise a removable locking pin receivable within the frame in a rotational path of travel of the coupler between the stored and extended positions, such that the locking pin substantially prevents the coupler from moving between the stored and extended positions when the locking pin is received within the frame. As it is commonly desirable to allow certain couplers some side-to-side freedom of movement, the locking pin is preferably configured to allow limited rotational movement of the coupler when the coupler is in the extended position.
The assembly preferably further comprises a rotatable brake pipe mounting bracket for a brake pipe of the vehicle adjacent a second aperture in the exterior surface, although the first and second apertures may be a single aperture in the exterior surface or bumper. The rotatable brake pipe mounting bracket may be configured to allow rotation of the brake pipe from a first position within the exterior surface or bumper to a second position partially without the exterior surface or bumper through the second aperture for engagement with an adjacent vehicle brake pipe. In this way, the brake pipe can be retracted where desirable, for example when required by highway use regulations, and it can be configured for mounting on the inside of the exterior surface adjacent the second aperture. The rotatable brake pipe mounting bracket preferably comprises first and second securing means, the first securing means configured to releasably secure the brake pipe in the first position and the second securing means configured to releasably secure the brake pipe in the second position.
A detailed description of an exemplary embodiment is given in the following. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not to be construed as being limited to this embodiment.
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an exemplary embodiment:
a and 1b show a prior art coupler alone and in a housing;
a is top perspective view of a coupler assembly according to the present disclosure with the coupler in the extended position;
b is a top plan view of the coupler assembly of
c is a side perspective view of the coupler assembly of
d is a side perspective view of the coupler assembly of
e is a front elevation view of a road/rail vehicle bumper with an assembly according to the present disclosure installed therein;
f is a front perspective view of a road/rail vehicle bumper with an assembly according to the present disclosure installed therein;
a is a bottom perspective view of a brake pipe according to the present disclosure in the extended position;
b is a bottom perspective view of the brake pipe of
a is a detailed front perspective view of a brake pipe mounting bracket according to the present disclosure in the extended position;
b is a top plan view of the brake pipe mounting bracket of
c is a side elevation view of the brake pipe mounting bracket of
d is a side elevation view of the brake pipe mounting bracket of
An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the following description, specific materials and dimensions are not addressed as such may vary by situation and will be determined at least in part by regulations, all of which would be known to those skilled in the art. In addition, the means for attaching the assembly to a particular rail-supportable vehicle will depend in part on the vehicle support structure and will accordingly not be canvassed herein.
Turning to
The coupler 14 is accordingly capable of rotation in a generally horizontal plane. At rest or during rotational motion, the coupler 14 sits on top of a supporting platform 34 which is integrated into the frame 12. The supporting platform 34 helps to provide structural strength and ensure properly aligned movement of the coupler 14.
As indicated above, the coupler 14 is intended to be rotatable from an extended position (as illustrated in
The exemplary embodiment has been described thus far by reference to the frame 12 without surrounding context, but it is the intention that advantageous functionality can be achieved by housing the frame 12 within the external surface or skin of the vehicle, including where such comprises a forward or rearward bumper as in the case of a road/rail vehicle. Turning now to
Turning now to
The bracket 36 comprises a securing plate 42 attached to the vehicle and a rotatable mount 40 mounted thereon. The rotatable mount 40 is connected to the securing plate 42 by means of a pivot bar 54, such that the mount 40 can rotate between upward and downward positions, as will be described further below. The rotatable mount 40 is configured to retain a connector 56 for the brake pipe 38.
The securing plate 42 has two spaced apart receiving holes 44, 46 therein for alternative receipt respectively of bolts 48, 50. As can best be seen in
As will be obvious to those skilled in the art, the present invention as illustrated by way of the exemplary embodiment provides numerous advantages over the prior art. For example, in the case of road/rail vehicles, the ability to retract both the coupler and brake pipe maximizes the useful vehicle length as protruding unused components would otherwise impact vehicle length under highway use regulations for such vehicles.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. The scope of the claims should not be limited by the exemplary embodiment set forth in the foregoing, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the specification as a whole.
