JP2580083B2 - Railroad model vehicle coupling device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connecting device for connecting vehicles in a model railway.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a coupling device used for a model railway vehicle, a base end of a coupler can be fixed to a bogie or a body of a vehicle to be connected, or a base end of a coupler can be swung to a bogie or a body. There is known a structure attached to a vehicle.

[0003] Incidentally, in the case of a model railway vehicle, it is desired to realize a structure in which each part of a real railway vehicle has the same scale (a structure in accordance with the scaling rule) in order to bring out a sense of reality.

However, on the other hand, a curved railway line on which a model railway vehicle travels generally has a considerably larger curvature than a real railway line due to restrictions on the installation place and the like. is there. In this case, if a model railway vehicle reduced in scale in accordance with the scaling rule is run on the curved track, the couplers to be connected will be extremely bent more than the actual one. As a result, the corners of the front and rear vehicle ends come into contact with each other, and there is a risk that the model railway vehicle will derail without being able to turn on a curved track.

Therefore, conventionally, in order to prevent such derailment due to contact between corners of a vehicle end, it is necessary to pass a curved railway line on which a model railway vehicle travels without derailing without having a maximum curvature. Used couplers longer than those scaled according to the scaling rule.

[0006]

In this way, the distance between the vehicles is increased, so that the corners of the front and rear vehicle ends are prevented from coming into contact with each other at the time of traveling on a curved track, and the vehicle can be prevented from derailing. When running on a straight track, the connected couplers will be aligned in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, so the distance between vehicles will be extremely widened when running on a straight track, and it will be far from the real image. There was a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and it is intended to prevent derailment on a curved track and to connect a model railway vehicle capable of obtaining a real image when traveling on a straight track. It is intended to provide a device.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A coupler for connecting vehicles in a railway model, and a coupling device for a model railway vehicle comprising a coupler carrier fixed to the vehicle body and supporting the coupler, the couplers are provided at symmetrical positions on both sides of the rear end of the coupler. A guide pin is respectively provided, and on the other hand, on the coupler carrier, a swing allowance position for allowing the coupler to swing around one of the guide pins at two symmetrical positions separated in the width direction of the vehicle body. A guide capable of shifting the coupler by an applied load to a neutral position for engaging with both of the guide pins at a position symmetrical in the width direction of the vehicle body and preventing the coupler from swinging; In the state, the projecting amount of the coupler from the end of the vehicle body is set to be smaller than in the swinging state.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connecting device for a model railway vehicle, comprising: a coupler for connecting vehicles in a railway model; and a coupler carrier fixed to a vehicle body and supporting the coupler. Guide pins are respectively provided at symmetrical positions separated in the width direction of the coupler carrier, while the coupler has a swing allowance position that allows the coupler to swing around one of the guide pins, A guide capable of shifting the coupler by an applied load is formed in a neutral position in which the guide pin is engaged with both of the guide pins at the symmetric position in the width direction of the vehicle body to prevent the coupler from swinging, and a neutral state is provided. In this case, the amount of protrusion of the coupler from the end of the vehicle body is set smaller than in the swinging state.

[0010]

According to such a coupling device, the amount of protrusion of the coupler from the end of the vehicle body when traveling on a straight line is small, while the amount of protrusion of the coupler from the end of the vehicle body is large when traveling on a curved line. Become. Therefore, when traveling on a straight line, the same vehicle spacing as that of the vehicle scaled according to the scaling rule can be maintained, and when traveling on a curved line, the depth of the vehicle can be increased, and contact between corners of the vehicle end can be avoided, and scaling can be performed. A curved line having a larger curvature than that according to the rule can be easily bent.

This will be described more specifically with reference to the conceptual diagrams of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 as follows.

The coupling device shown in FIG. 1 is a close coupling type coupling device in which guide pins 2 are respectively provided at symmetrical positions on both sides of the rear end of the coupler 1, and both of the guide pins 2 are provided on the coupler carrier 3. The coupler 1 is engaged with the guide 4 having a symmetrical shape, and the coupler 1 is in a neutral state. This state is a state in which the vehicle is traveling on a straight track, and the connected couplers 1 extend in a straight line in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 5. In the vehicle 5 of the present invention, the length of the coupler 1 is set such that the amount of protrusion of the coupler 1 from the end of the vehicle body in this state is substantially the same as that reduced according to the scaling rule.

FIG. 2 shows a running state of the vehicle 5 on a curved track. In this state, as shown in FIG. 3, the coupler 1 swings around one guide pin 2 as a center. In this state, as shown in FIG. 3, when traveling on a straight track (FIG. 1)
The amount of protrusion of the coupler 1 from the end 5 of the vehicle body is larger than in the case of. As a result, the depth of the vehicle is deepened, and contact between the corners at the ends of the vehicle 5 can be avoided.

FIG. 4 shows a state when the vehicle travels on an S-shaped curved line. In this state, as shown in FIG. 5, the amount of protrusion of the coupler 1 from the vehicle 5 is further increased, and in this case, contact between corners of the end of the vehicle 5 can be avoided.

When the vehicle 5 is not connected, the restoring spring 6
(FIG. 1) is activated and the coupler 1 is held in place.
In FIG. 1, two sub guide pins 7 are provided inside the two guide pins 2, and the sub guide pins 7 facilitate the swinging of the coupler 1 about the guide pins 2.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 6 is an external view of a model railway vehicle 10 to which the connecting device of the embodiment is applied, and FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of an end portion of the vehicle 10 and the connecting device.

At the end of the vehicle 10, a connecting device for connecting the vehicles is mounted. This coupling device is configured as a close coupling type coupling device, and roughly includes a coupler 20 and a coupler carrier 30 for attaching the coupler 20 to an end of the vehicle 10.

Referring to the coupler 20, the tip of the shank 21 of the coupler 20 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. One of the yokes 22 functions as a connector 22a, and the other functions as an elastic locking piece 22a. In the coupler 20, the connector 22
After the fixing frame 23 is attached to the outside of the elastic locking piece 22b and the connector 20a, the couplers 20a are forcibly fitted between the coupling 22a and the elastic locking piece 22b, so that the couplers 20 are connected to each other. It is to be connected. Also,
By fixing the fixed frames 23 to each other, the coupler 20
They can be tied to each other.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, one guide pin 24 is provided at each symmetrical position on both sides of the lower surface of the rear end of the coupler 20.
4, two arc-shaped guide pieces 25 centered on each guide pin 24 are provided (see FIG. 10). The guide pin 24 and the arc-shaped guide piece 25 are
It engages with a guide 33 formed inside a coupler guide 31 constituting the coupler carrier 30 together with the coupler cover 32 shown in FIG.

As for the guide 33, the guide 33 is defined and formed by a wall of a concave portion opening upward and toward the end of the vehicle 10, and has a left-right symmetric shape. As shown in FIG. 10, the guide 33 includes a main guide 33a and a sub guide 33b that complements the function of the main guide 33a. The main guide 33a is formed at a symmetrical position separated in the width direction of the vehicle 10, and
It is divided by the wall of the concave portion that has an inverted U shape when viewed from the end side.
Is formed. This main guide 33
The guide pin 24 of the coupler 20 is engaged with a.
The sub-guide 33b is defined by a wall of a concave portion located at the center of the vehicle 10 in the width direction and connected to the inverted U-shaped concave portion and two arc-shaped guide pieces 34 existing inside the concave wall.
It is formed. This sub-guide 33b has a coupler 20
Are engaged with each other.

As shown in FIGS. 7, 9 and 10, a boss 26 is erected at the center in the width direction on the upper surface of the rear end of the coupler 20. Is hung. That is, the base is hung on the boss 35 erected on the coupler guide 31 and
A part of the arm of the hairpin-shaped restoring spring 40 straddling the letter-shaped member 36 is hung on the boss 26. This restoring spring 40
Has a function of smoothly moving the coupler 20 from the swing permissible position to the neutral position when transitioning from the curved line traveling state to the straight line traveling state. Also, the boss 26 of the coupler 20 faces an opening 30a formed in the coupler cover 32, thereby preventing the coupler 20 from falling off. However, this opening 3
Reference numeral 0a denotes a structure which does not hinder the swing / transfer of the coupler 20 in the running state of the vehicle.

Next, the mounting structure of the coupler 20 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the lower part of the vehicle is held in a state of being held between a coupler cover 32 and a coupler guide 31 constituting a coupler carrier 30. It is movably mounted on the side. That is, the coupler cover 32 of the coupler carrier 30 and the coupler guide 31 are engaged with the engagement holes 32a of the coupler cover 32 and the claws 31a of the coupler guide 31 in a state where the coupler 20 is movably sandwiched. The coupler carrier 30 formed by this integration is attached to the lower end of the vehicle 10 by engaging the engagement hole 31b of the coupler guide 31 with the boss 12a of the chassis 12. The claws 32c of the coupler cover 32 are engaged with the engaging holes 11a of the vehicle body 11.
Is configured to be able to be engaged.

Next, the operation of the connecting device of the above embodiment will be described.

FIG. 10 shows a state in which the vehicle is running on a straight track, and the connected couplers 20 extend in a straight line in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 10. In this state, the coupler 20 is in a position where both the guide pins 24 are locked by the inverted U-shaped concave wall due to the tensile load, that is, a neutral position where the coupler 20 is prevented from swinging. When the coupler 20 is in the neutral position, the boss 26 of the coupler 20 is sandwiched between the arms of the restoring spring 40, so that the neutral position of the coupler 20 can be easily maintained.

FIG. 11 shows a process of transition from running on a straight line to running on a curved line or a state during running on a gentle curved line. At this time, the coupler 20 is in an intermediate state between the neutral position and the swing allowable position, but slightly
Since 0 is inclined, the amount of protrusion of the coupler 20 from the end of the vehicle body 11 is slightly increased, as compared with the neutral position. In this state, the restoring force of the restoring spring 40 acts on the boss 26 of the coupler 20 although it is slight. In addition,
The increase in the protrusion amount in this state does not make much sense. This is because there is no danger of contact between the vehicles 10.

FIG. 12 shows a state in which the vehicle travels on a curved line having a large curvature. The swing angle of the coupler 20 about the guide pin 2 is further increased as compared with the case of FIG.
At this time, the amount of protrusion of the coupler 20 from the end of the vehicle body 11 is larger than in the case of FIG. As a result, the depth of the vehicle 10 becomes deeper, and contact between corners of the end of the vehicle 10 can be avoided. In this state, the restoring force of the restoring spring 40 does not act on the boss 26 of the coupler 20.

FIG. 13 shows a state in which the vehicle travels on an S-shaped curved line, and the swing angle of the coupler 20 about the guide pin 2 is further increased as compared with the case of FIG. At this time, the amount of protrusion of the coupler 20 from the end of the vehicle body 11 is further increased as compared with the case of FIG. by this,
The contact between the corners at the end of the vehicle 10 can be avoided. Even in this state, the restoring force of the restoring spring 40 does not act on the boss 26 of the coupler 20.

According to the connecting device of the embodiment configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

According to the connecting device of the embodiment, the amount of protrusion of the coupler 20 from the end of the vehicle body 11 is small when traveling on a straight line, while the vehicle 1 is traveling when traveling on a curved line.
The amount of protrusion of the coupler 20 from one end increases. Therefore, as long as the same vehicle spacing as that scaled according to the scaling rule is maintained in a straight line running state,
A real image can be obtained, and a curved track having a larger curvature than that in accordance with the scaling rule during running on a curved track does not derail.

In the above embodiment, the guide pin 24 is provided on the coupler 20 side, and the guide 33 is provided on the coupler carrier 30 side. On the contrary, the guide is provided on the coupler 20 side and on the coupler carrier 30 side. Guide pins may be provided.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.
It goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claims.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the connection device of the close connection type is shown, but the invention can be applied to other connection devices.

Further, when the coupler 20 swings, the coupler 2
The horizontal movement of 0 may be considered. This is because the amount of protrusion of the coupler 20 from the end of the vehicle body 11 can be substantially increased by the lateral movement of the coupler 20.

[0035]

According to the connecting device of the present invention, the amount of protrusion of the coupler from the end of the vehicle body when traveling on a straight line is reduced, while the amount of protrusion of the coupler from the end of the vehicle body when traveling on a curved line. Becomes larger. Therefore, when traveling on a straight line, the same vehicle spacing as that reduced in scale in accordance with the scaling rule can be maintained, an image close to the actual one can be obtained, and when traveling on a curved line, contact between corners of the vehicle body ends can be avoided. As a result, the interest of the railway model is further increased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual plan view illustrating a connecting device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual plan view showing a running state of a vehicle to which the connecting device of FIG. 1 is applied on a curved track.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual plan view showing a state of the coupling device in the state of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a conceptual plan view showing an S-shaped curved road traveling state of a vehicle to which the coupling device of FIG. 1 is applied.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual plan view showing a state of the connecting device in the state of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of a model railway vehicle to which the connecting device of the embodiment is applied.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle end and the coupling device of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged plan view showing a state where the couplers of FIG. 6 are connected to each other.

FIG. 9 is a side longitudinal sectional view of the connecting device of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the connecting device of FIG. 6 in a running state on a straight line.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a transition state of the connecting device of FIG. 6 on a curved road;

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a traveling state of the connecting device of FIG. 6 on a curved track;

13 is a plan view showing an S-curve track traveling state of the connecting device of FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Coupler 2 Guide pin 3 Coupler carrier 4 Guide 5 Vehicle

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A coupling device for a model railway vehicle, comprising: a coupler for coupling vehicles in a railway model; and a coupler carrier fixed to a vehicle body and supporting the coupler, wherein a rear end portion of the coupler is provided. Guide pins are respectively provided at symmetrical positions on both sides, while the coupler carrier is provided on the coupler carrier at two symmetrical positions separated in the width direction of the vehicle body with the corresponding one of the guide pins as a center. The coupler is shifted by an applied load between a swing allowing position that allows swing of the coupler and a neutral position where both the guide pins are locked at the symmetric position in the width direction of the vehicle body to prevent the coupler from swinging. A guide capable of projecting the coupler from the end of the vehicle body is set to be smaller in a neutral state than in a swinging state. A coupling device for a model railway vehicle. 2. A coupling device for a model railway vehicle, comprising: a coupler for coupling vehicles in a railway model; and a coupler carrier fixed to a vehicle body and supporting the coupler, wherein a width of the coupler carrier is provided. Guide pins are respectively provided at symmetrical positions separated from each other in the direction, while the coupler has a swing allowance position allowing swinging of the coupler about one of the guide pins, and a widthwise symmetry of the vehicle body. A guide capable of shifting the coupler by an applied load is formed at a neutral position where the guide pin is engaged with both of the guide pins at the position to prevent the coupler from swinging. A coupling device for a model railway vehicle, wherein an amount of protrusion of the coupler from the end of the vehicle body is set to be smaller than in the case of (1).