EP0306666A1 - Claw connection for toy and model railways - Google Patents

Abstract

The claw connection for toy and model railways has pre-uncoupling devices, a claw (7) which can be hooked from the side into a rigid hook of the respective counter-bearing part and can be swivelled in a horizontal plane, a bearing pin (8), which is mounted in a borehole and can be lifted out of its coupling position upwards against the force of gravity into an uncoupling position by means of a coupling lever of an uncoupling siding, said coupling lever engaging on a downwardly projecting uncoupling bolt (20), the design (10) being such that it has an outer arm (7a), which can be hooked into the rigid hook (2), and an inner arm (7b) which is bent at approximately 90 DEG to said outer arm, that the bearing borehole and the bearing pin are arranged in each case on the outer edge of the bearing part or the claw, that the bearing part has a striking mandrel (24) for the inner arm of the claw of the respective counter-coupling part. The design of the bearing is such that, when it is lifted, the claw is swivelled inwards via a forced guide and placed on the counter-bearing part, and the striking mandrel is dimensioned in such a way that it both prevents the respective counter-claw from swivelling outwards into an uncoupling position and, in banking operation, the swivelling-outwards of an inwardly placed claw is impeded, the bearing borehole (8a) for the bearing pin being conically widened towards the bottom, at least on one side, to avoid becoming jammed when rising. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a claw coupling for electric play and model railways with pre-decoupling, with a claw that can be hooked in from the side in a rigid hook of the respective counter bearing part and swivels in a horizontal plane, with a bearing journal that is mounted in a bore and that is supported by a downward protruding coupling pin engaging clutch lifter of a decoupling track against the force of gravity can be lifted up out of its coupling position into a decoupling position, the design being affected in such a way that the claw has an outer arm that can be hooked into the rigid hook and an inner one that is angled by approximately 90 ° Arm has that the bearing and the bearing pin are each arranged on the outer edge of the bearing part or the claw, that the bearing part has a starting mandrel for the inner arm of the claw of the respective counter-coupling part that the bearing formation is affected so that when lifting the claw over a coercion guide pivoted inwards and placed on the counter bearing part, and that the starting mandrel is dimensioned such that it both swivels the respective counter claw outwards into a decoupling position and in Push operation an inwardly placed claw is prevented from pivoting to the outside.

Such a claw coupling described in the earlier patent application P 36 01 951.8 avoids the difficulties of the earlier so-called Fox coupling (DE-OS 20 41 361), in which the claw still had to be clamped into the coupling position by a pivoting return spring, and where the manufacture and assembly of the extremely small components, especially the coil spring, had caused considerable difficulties. Due to the special clutch design of the above-mentioned earlier application, which does not require a return spring, using a starting mandrel, claw couplings can also be manufactured for the smallest sizes of electric play and model railways in such a way that no major problems arise either from the manufacture of the individual parts or from the assembly .

Because of the extremely low weight of the small coupling components, in particular the claw to be lifted, which has to fall back downwards from the raised position solely due to gravity, difficulties can arise under unfavorable conditions, especially with extreme vibration, by the Claw does not drop quickly and completely enough from a raised position by wedging the bearing pin in the associated hole by tilting it.

The invention is therefore based on the object of designing a claw coupling of the type mentioned in such a way that even under the most unfavorable conditions without any appreciably increased production or assembly effort the claw can no longer shake or get caught.

To solve this problem it is provided according to the invention that the bearing for the bearing journal - to avoid wedging itself when climbing - is flared downwards at least on one side.

This downward extension of the bearing bore prevents jamming of the bearing journal in the bearing bore with only a slight inclination with respect to the vertical axis, as was previously the case, such jamming due to the inevitable manufacturing tolerances of the tiny parts of such couplings for N gauge even with normal vertical lifting could never be completely ruled out.

While the extension of the bearing bore according to the invention eliminates the risk that the claw, if it has been intentionally or unintentionally lifted, will no longer fall down, the further development of the invention can reduce the risk of a due to the smallness and lightness of the components Shaking, ie Counteract any unwanted lifting of the claw very simply by providing the rigid hooks and the claws with inclined surfaces lying one on top of the other. The adjoining surfaces of hooks and claws are thus designed such that the inclined contact surface for the claw points downward with the rigid hooks and the corresponding surface on the claw points upward.

• Fig. 1 eine vergrößerte Draufsicht auf zwei Kupp­lungsköpfe während des Einkuppelvorgangs beim Zusammenfahren der Fahrzeuge,
• Fig. 2 eine der Fig. 1 entsprechende Aufsicht in der Kupplungsstellung,
• Fig. 3 einen Schnitt längs der Linie III-III in Fig. 2,
• Fig. 4 einen Schnitt längs der Linie IV-IV in Fig. 2 und
• Fig. 5 einen Teilschnitt längs der Linie V-V in Fig. 2.

Further advantages, features and details of the invention result from the following description an embodiment and with reference to the drawing. Show:

• 1 is an enlarged plan view of two coupling heads during the coupling process when the vehicles are moving together,
• 2 is a top view corresponding to FIG. 1 in the coupling position,
• 3 shows a section along the line III-III in FIG. 2,
• Fig. 4 is a section along the line IV-IV in Fig. 2 and
• 5 shows a partial section along the line VV in FIG. 2nd

Each coupling head comprises a bearing part 1 with a rigid, outwardly pointing hook 2 at the front end and a plug connection section 5 for insertion into standardized receiving shafts, for. B. according to the European model railroad standard NEM 362. On the bearing part 1 is a claw 7, which engages with its outside in the angled area between the hook portion 7a and the inner arm 7b arranged in a bore of the bearing part 1, which comprises a hook head 10 .

The bearing bore 8a for the bearing pin 8 provided at the lower end with a widened head 8b to prevent it falling out of the bearing bore, as can be seen in particular from FIG. 3, is provided with a quasi-conical extension 8c on the back, which wedges the bearing pin 8 in the bearing bore 8a prevented in the raised state. As a result, the claw 7 cannot remain in the raised position unintentionally, but instead, if it is not, as will be described in more detail below, stored in a pre-uncoupled position in the pivoted position - in any case, safely down again into the coupling position.

A pivot pin 20 is formed on the inner snail 7b of the claw 7 and is provided at the lower end with a thickening 22 forming a run-on slope 21. This pivot pin passes through a recess 23 of the bearing part. The run-up slope 21 is designed such that when the claw 7 is raised via a decoupling track, which, in contrast to previously known Fox couplings, not the bearing journal, but this pivot pin 20 forms the decoupling pin, the run-up slope 21 in connection with the edges of the recess 23 is a forcible Swiveling the claw 7 inwards. After driving over the coupling track, the claw falls down in this inwardly pivoted position and rests on the respective counter-bearing part 1, so that it can only be re-engaged after the carriages have been removed from one another, so that the claw 7 returns to normal lower position can fall down. Gravity alone serves as the vertical restoring force. During the pre-uncoupled pushing, the starting mandrel 24 must press on the shoulder 7b, so that the very claw is pressed inwards and the hook ends 10 therefore remain on the hook 2 of the counter-coupling. This can be achieved, for example, by making the starting mandrels 24 higher than the surface 25 of the coupling parts, that in the sliding position in which the coupling parts are pushed together, the starting mandrels are also raised plane of part 7b of the claw. If the claw were to pivot outwards, the part 7b would immediately hit the raised starting mandrel 24 and thus prevent it from pivoting outwards. It is not only a question of the height of the thrust pins, which must also be present and effective when the claws are in the raised position, but also of the length, ie the amount by which the couplings can be pressed together. In the exemplary embodiment shown, this would be the path a in FIG. 4. In order to enlarge this path, the bearing part in the region 26 could, for example, be provided with a cutout, so that the coupling parts can move even closer to one another and thus even fewer possibilities for the pivoting movement of the Claw are given.

For the operation of the claw coupling according to the invention, the chamfers 27 on the hook heads 10 and the counter chamfers 28 on the rigid hooks are necessary. This is because they ensure that the hook heads 10 are guided safely over the hooks 2 during the coupling process, even if they should first be pivoted somewhat inwards. Only when they are swung open so far and the hook heads have come directly behind the hooks 2, the starting mandrels 24 may come into effect.

Finally, the starting mandrels 24 should also be arranged in such a way that they secure the coupling against shear movements closely adjacent to one another laterally. Such lateral displacements of the couplings against each other would otherwise have to be intercepted by the hook heads 10 of the claws, which could break out in the process.

When two coupling heads are moved together (cf. in particular FIGS. 1 and 2), the inner arm 7b of each claw abuts on a thrust pin 24 of the respective counter-bearing part, which is dimensioned in length in such a way that it is automatic (caused, for example, by vibrations) ) Swiveling back of the claws 7 in the decoupling position prevented. Uncoupling is therefore only possible by lifting the claws 7 relative to the hook 2. The design can be such that the starting mandrels 24 have a low axial resilient displaceability, which can be achieved, for example, by the indicated tip, so that the starting mandrel always rests resiliently on the inner arm 7b of the counter-claw 7 and thus shakes it "the clutch is extremely difficult when jogging.

A still further safeguard against "shaking" of the coupling results from the special design of the abutting surfaces of the rigid hooks 2 and claws 7. These surfaces 29 and 30 are in fact designed so that the obliquely downward contact surface 30 of the rigid hook 2 overlaps the upward sloping surface 29 of the claw 7, so that the claws and the rigid hooks only after a certain longitudinal displacement, or with the application of a force that does not occur during normal shaking, as is achieved without problems via the uncoupling track Intervention.

Claims (2)

1.Claw coupling for play and model railways with pre-decoupling, with a claw that can be hooked from the side in a rigid hook of the respective counter-bearing part and swivels in a horizontal plane, with a bearing journal supported in a bore, which is supported by a protruding downward on one Decoupling pin engaging clutch lifter of a decoupling track against the force of gravity can be lifted up out of its coupling position into a decoupling position, whereby the formation 10 is made such that it has an outer arm which can be hooked into the rigid hook and an inner arm which is angled by approximately 90 ° to it so that the Bearing bore and the bearing pin are each arranged on the outer edge of the bearing part or the claw, that the bearing part has a starting mandrel for the inner arm of the claw of the respective counter-coupling part, that the bearing formation is made such that when lifting the claw via a positive guide pivoted inwards and on the counter-bearing is partially stored, and that the starting mandrel is dimensioned such that it both prevents the respective counter-claw from swiveling outwards into a decoupling position, and also an inward-placed claw in the pushing mode a pivoting to the outside is prevented, characterized in that the bearing bore for the bearing journal - to avoid wedging itself when climbing - is flared downwards at least on one side. 2. Claw coupling according to claim 1, characterized in that the rigid hooks (2) and the claws (7) are provided with, inclined surfaces on top of one another, preventing the latter from rising due to vibrations.

Images