JP2009234571A - Electric coupler - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To cope with the high-speed operation of a train by improving a sealing property while a lid of the electric coupler is closed. <P>SOLUTION: In an electric coupler, an insulating stand in which a plurality of contact pieces are arranged in an opening of a front of a box element 21, and an approximately cylindrical lid 22 retracted above the opening of the front of the box element 21 in coupling, and rotated and lowered around a support shaft in a horizontal direction to close the opening at non-coupling is provided. A gasket 211a attached to the opening is of a shrinkable type expanded and shrunk by inflating or evacuating air. A pressing member 225 brought into close contact with the gasket 211a along the whole circumference is disposed to a rear face, while the gasket 211a is expanded. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical coupler used when connecting and disconnecting an electric circuit in an industrial machine, particularly an electric vehicle such as a railway vehicle.

In an industrial machine, particularly an electric vehicle such as a railway vehicle, an electric coupler is used when an electric circuit is to be connected and disconnected efficiently in one operation. As an example, a train electric connector attached to a mechanical connector for connecting vehicles to each other for automatic connection and automatic release by remote control from a driver's cab will be described with reference to the drawings.
In trains, trains, etc. that are configured by connecting multiple vehicles, various electric cables (including optical cables) for power, control, signal, etc. are passed between the vehicles. However, these must be connected and disconnected simultaneously with the connection and release of the vehicle itself. Conventionally, these wires have been manually connected and disconnected by the worker along with the air piping for the brake, but in order to improve safety and shorten the work time, an electrical connector is attached to the mechanical connector, It has become common to be able to connect and disconnect electric wires simultaneously with connection and release of vehicles.

  As an example, FIG. 8 is a front view showing a state where an electrical coupler is attached to the mechanical coupler described in Patent Document 1, FIG. 9 is a side view, 1 is a close contact mechanical coupler, Electrical coupler, 21 is a box, 22 is a lid that covers the main part of the electrical coupler, 221 is a lid spring that is a tension spring that biases the lid 22 in the closing direction, and 222 is a support shaft that rotatably supports the lid 22 , 223 is a cam roller attached to the side surface of the lid 22, 23 is a push rod, 231 is a return spring which is a compression spring that urges the push rod in the pushing direction, 24 is a contact plate, 3 is a contact piece of an electric circuit, 5 Is the cable connected to this.

  This electrical connector houses an insulating base having a plurality of contact pieces 3 arranged in the opening in front of the box body 21 and retracts above the rear portion of the box body 21 when connected, and pivots down around the support shaft 222 when not connected. And a substantially cylindrical lid 22 for closing the opening. When not connected, that is, when this electric connector is at the head of the train, etc., the front opening is covered with a lid 22 so that the tip of the contact piece 3 is not wetted with water or dust is attached. It protects with.

  When the vehicle approaches the distance just before the connection, the push bar 23 hits against the contact plate 24 of the other vehicle, the cam provided on the push bar 23 pushes the cam roller 223, the lid 22 opens, and the contact piece 3 is exposed. In the state where the mechanical coupler 1 is connected, the electric circuit is connected to the contact piece 3 of the opponent vehicle. Since the number of wirings routed between the vehicles is several to as many as two hundred or more, a large number of these contact pieces 3 are arranged in the box 21 vertically and horizontally at a predetermined interval.

  However, by covering the front opening with the lid 22 in this way, a temporary dustproof and waterproof effect can be achieved, but even when the lid is closed, there are minute gaps between the lid 22 and the box 21. Because it exists, water droplets and dust entering through these gaps are becoming more and more difficult to ignore as the train speeds up. Therefore, in Patent Document 2, contact between the lid 22 and the box body 21 in the released state of the electric coupler with the lid closed is achieved by attaching an elastic sheet or attaching a blocking member or the like to each part of the box body 21 or the lid 22. It is described that the structure eliminates the gap in the portion as much as possible.

No. 7-30449 JP 2002-225705 A

  But any sealed structure is not absolute, and it is relative to the train speed. In particular, when the opening and closing of the lid is a simple rotational movement, there is a limit to the sealing structure. It is an object of the present invention to realize a further sealed structure as compared with the prior art by reviewing the movement of the lid so as to cope with further improvement in train speed.

  The present invention accommodates an insulating base in which a plurality of contact pieces are arranged in an opening on the front side of the box, and retracts above the opening on the front of the box when connected, and pivots down around a horizontal support shaft when not connected. An electrical coupler having a substantially cylindrical lid that closes the opening, wherein the gasket attached to the opening is a contractible one that expands and contracts by taking in and out of air, The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the lid is provided with a pressing member that is in close contact with the gasket at the entire circumference in the expanded state of the gasket attached to the opening, and further, a pair of mechanical couplings. One of the pair of electrical couplers attached to each of the couplers is movable with respect to the mechanical coupler via the movable frame, and is connected so as to be integrated with the other electrical coupler in the coupled state. Which is the electrical connector is intended to be.

  According to the present invention, even when the lid is lowered and not connected, the back surface of the lid closely adheres to the gasket attached to the opening on the entire circumference, so that the contact piece is completely sealed and the vehicle can be operated at high speed. There is no intrusion of water droplets or dust, and an excellent effect is obtained in that deterioration of contact pieces and poor insulation are prevented.

It is a side view which shows the electrical coupler of 1st Example of this invention. It is a top view which shows the electrical coupler of 1st Example of this invention. It is a front view which shows the electrical coupler of 1st Example of this invention. It is a front view which shows the attachment state of the electrical coupler of 1st Example of this invention. It is the fragmentary perspective view seen from the inner side of the lid | cover of the electrical coupler of 1st Example of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view explaining the movement of the principal part of the electrical coupler of 1st Example of this invention. It is a top view which shows a pair of electrical coupler of the 2nd Example of this invention. It is a front view which shows the state which attached the electrical coupler to the mechanical coupler in the prior art. It is a side view which shows the state which similarly attached the electrical coupler to the mechanical coupler in a prior art similarly.

  Conventionally, a gasket is attached so as to surround the front opening of the box body 21, but this is intended to seal the connecting surface by contacting and pressing the same gasket on the other side in the connected state. The lid was attached at a distance so as not to damage it when it was opened and closed. In the present invention, a more complete sealing structure can be realized by making the gasket retractable and contracting it when the lid is opened and closed and expanding when the lid is stopped.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view showing the electrical connector of the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same, FIG. 3 is a front view, and FIG. 4 shows a state in which the electrical connector is attached to both sides of the mechanical connector. In the front view, the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as described so far, 1 is a mechanical connector, 2 is an electrical connector, 21 is a box, 22 is a lid, 23 is a push rod, and 24 is a backing plate. , 211 is a gasket attached so as to surround the front opening of the box body 21, 212 is a mounting bolt of the electric coupler 2, 3 is a contact piece, 4 is a mounting member, and 5 is a cable.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the electrical coupler 2 is attached to the attachment member 4 via attachment bolts 212 on both sides of the mechanical coupler 1. The mounting position is not limited to the both sides, and may be the upper or lower portion of the mechanical coupler 1, but in any case, it is attached so as to be integrated with the mechanical coupler 1, and with the movement of the vehicle in the rail direction, It moves in the same way as the mechanical coupler 1.

When the vehicle approaches the distance just before the connection, the push rod 23 hits against the contact plate 24 of the opponent vehicle, the cam provided on the push rod 23 pushes the cam roller 223, the lid 22 opens, and the contact piece 3 is exposed. In the state where the mechanical coupler 1 is connected, the electrical circuit is connected to the contact piece 3 of the opponent vehicle in the same manner as the conventional ones described so far.
FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of the lid 22 as viewed from the inside. The lid 22 has the same configuration as the conventional one such as a cylindrical front plate 220, a fan-shaped side plate 224, and a support shaft 222 serving as a rotation center, but a pressing frame 225 (pressing member) is provided on the back surface of the front plate 220. Is provided. The shape and dimensions of the pressing frame 225 correspond to the gasket 211. Although this figure shows a frame shape with the inside removed, it may be a simple square plate.

In this embodiment, like the conventional one described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, the lid is only raised and lowered with the support shaft 222 as the center of rotation, and has no horizontal movement mechanism. On the other hand, in this embodiment, a compressible gasket that is expanded and contracted by taking in and out air, such as a tire tube, is used as a gasket attached to the opening.
6A and 6B are partial cross-sectional views showing the vicinity of the gasket of this embodiment. FIG. 6A shows a state where air is blown into the retractable gasket 211a, and FIG. 6B shows a state where air is drawn and contracted. When the cover 22 is opened and closed, if the retractable gasket 211a is contracted, a gap is formed between the cover 22 and the cover 22, so that there is no hindrance to rotation and the gasket is not damaged. At the time of connection and non-connection, the retractable gasket 211a is expanded so that the entire periphery of the gasket 211a and the pressing frame 225 on the back surface of the lid 22 are in close contact with each other to form a sealed structure.

  A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the electrical couplers described so far are integrally coupled to the mechanical couplers by bolts or the like. Therefore, when the backlash of the mechanical coupler is large, or when wear or deformation occurs, the connection dimensions between the electrical couplers may be out of order. The electrical coupler of this embodiment solves this problem. In FIG. 7, 2b and 2c are a pair of electrical couplers, but one 2c is fixed directly to the mechanical coupler as before. On the other hand, the other 2b is attached via a movable frame 41 and can be moved relative to the mechanical coupler. Between the box body 21 and the movable frame 41 of the electrical coupler 2b, an extrusion mechanism 26 including a cup 261, a cone 262, and an extrusion spring 263 is provided, and the box body 21 is pushed forward in the rail direction in a free state. ing. Reference numeral 27 denotes a fixing pin which is fixed in this state, and can be moved in and out by a solenoid or the like, and can be fixed or moved as required.

A guide pin 28 is arranged on one side of the connecting surface of the electrical couplers 2b and 2c on both sides, and a guide receiver 29 is symmetrically arranged on the opposite side. In the connected state, the guide pin 28 is inserted into the other side guide receiver 29. Regardless of the wear and deformation of the mechanical coupler, the electrical couplers 2b and 2c on both sides are combined in a desirable state and maintained in that state. The mechanism around the lid is the same as described above.
When this connector portion is not connected, the movable-side electric connector 2b is fixed by the fixing pin 27 at a position where it is pushed out by the pushing spring 263 so as not to be shaken by vibrations of the vehicle or the like. When entering the connecting work, the fixing pin 27 is pulled out so that it can move. If the fixing pin 27 is not completely pulled out and the tapered portion at the tip remains in the hole of the box 21, re-fixing can be ensured. The electrical couplers 2b and 2c approach each other, the guide pin 28 is inserted into the counterpart guide receiver 29, and the movable side electrical coupler 2b is pushed back by the pushed amount to be connected. Thereafter, the movable side electrical coupler 2b is integrated with the fixed side electrical coupler 2c and follows this until it is released. The push-out mechanism 26 keeps the box 21 approximately at the center position of the movable frame 41 when the centers of the cup 261 and the cone 262 coincide with each other in the pushed-out state. Since a gap is generated between them, the box body 21 is not restrained.

As described above, in this embodiment, the state of the connection between the pair of electrical couplers is maintained while the same size is maintained, so that in addition to the sealing around the lid, the electrical circuit in the coupled state is more surely connected. Become.
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described mainly with respect to the characteristic portions, the conventional sealing structure, for example, the elastic sheet, the blocking member, the drainer, etc. described in Patent Document 2 are electrically connected according to the present invention. It is optional to use in combination with the vessel, and is preferable in order to ensure sealing performance. In each of the embodiments, the electrical connector can be attached to the mechanical connector either vertically or horizontally on the mechanical connector.

1 Mechanical connector 2, 2a, 2b, 2c Electrical connector 3 Contact piece 4 Mounting member 5 Cable
21 box
22 lid
23 Push rod
24 Batting plate
26 Extrusion mechanism
27 Fixing pin
28 Guide pin
29 Guide
41 Movable frame
211 Gasket
211a (retractable) gasket
212 Mounting bolt
220 Front plate
221 Lid spring
222 Support shaft
223 Cam Roller
224 side plate
225 Press frame (press member)
261 cups
262 corn
263 Extrusion spring

Claims (3)

An insulating base having a plurality of contact pieces (3) disposed in the opening on the front side of the box (21) is housed, and retracted above the front opening of the box (21) when connected, and a horizontal support shaft (when disconnected) ( 222) In the electrical coupler (2) having a substantially cylindrical lid (22) that pivots and rotates around and closes the opening,
The electrical coupler according to claim 1, wherein the gasket (211a) attached to the opening is a contractible one that expands and contracts when air is taken in and out.   The lid (22) is provided with a pressing member (225) on the back surface, which is in close contact with the gasket (211a) in the expanded state of the gasket (211a) attached to the opening. Electrical coupler as described.   One pair (2b) of the pair of electrical couplers (2b, 2c) attached to the pair of mechanical couplers is movable with respect to the mechanical coupler via the movable frame (41), and is connected. The electrical connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the electrical connector is combined with the other electrical connector (2c) so as to be integrated therewith.

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