JP6300740B2 - Railway vehicle coupler - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector for connecting a railway vehicle, and more particularly to a connector for a railway vehicle that can be safely and easily connected even on a curved track.

  In general, a railway vehicle is operated by connecting a plurality of vehicles, and adjacent vehicles are connected by a coupler. The coupler is swingable in the vertical and horizontal directions with respect to the vehicle. When the coupled vehicle runs on a curved or undulating track, the coupler swings. Has been adapted. By the way, some coupling devices do not have a shock absorber, but a general coupler has a shock absorber so that an impact received from another vehicle connected via the coupler is buffered. Yes. In a narrow sense, the coupler may not include a shock absorber, but in this specification, when a shock absorber is provided, the whole including the shock absorber is referred to as a coupler.

  There are various types of couplers. In the case of a so-called close contact coupler, a head and a depression are provided at the tip. Similarly, a connector provided in another vehicle is also provided with a head and a depression at the tip thereof. Therefore, the adjacent vehicles are brought close to each other so that the connectors are opposed to each other at the tip, the vehicle is advanced, the head of one connector is in the recess of the other connector, and the head of the other connector is The connector is connected by being inserted into the recess of the connector and coupled by a predetermined coupling mechanism. That is, the vehicles are connected. Incidentally, as described above, the coupler is provided so as to be swingable in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction with respect to the vehicle. However, in a free state where the coupler is not coupled to other couplers, the vertical direction is a predetermined value. It is supported so as to be horizontal by the case receiving mechanism, and is located in the center with respect to the left-right direction. That is, the coupler in the free state is positioned so as to coincide with the vehicle in the axial direction. Therefore, when the track is straight, the tips of the couplers of two adjacent vehicles face each other and can be easily coupled. However, on a curved track, the couplers of two adjacent vehicles are in a state where their respective tips are not opposed to each other at a predetermined angle. Therefore, when connecting vehicles on a curved track, conventionally, one and the other connector are manually swung so that their respective tips face each other. Such work is dangerous because an operator needs to enter between the vehicles. Various patent documents have proposed a connector that can be safely connected even on a curved track.

Japanese Patent Publication No.57-167864 JP 2011-11653 A

  Patent Document 1 describes a coupler that can maintain the coupler in a desired swinging position and can be easily coupled even on a curved track. The coupler described in Patent Literature 1 includes a predetermined swing device. This swinging device is generally constituted by a case receiving plate, a wire, and a pair of winding drums for winding the wire. The body support plate is formed in a frame shape surrounding the body portion of the connector, and is slidably mounted on the body support that supports the connector. The coupler and the case receiving plate slide together in the left-right direction on the case receiver. The pair of winding drums are respectively provided on the pair of support columns that suspend the case support from the vehicle. Then, one end of the wire is fixed to the drum receiving plate, is wound around one winding drum, is further wound around the other winding drum, and the other end is fixed to the drum receiving plate. ing. Accordingly, when one of the winding drums is rotated, the case receiving plate, that is, the coupler is pulled through the wire and swings in a predetermined direction. The winding drum is manually rotated by a predetermined handle or spindle. With this structure, when two vehicles are connected on a curved track, the winding drums are rotated in the connectors provided in the respective vehicles so that the tips of the respective connectors are Implement so as to face each other.

  Patent Document 2 describes a coupler for a so-called new transportation system vehicle. In the new transportation system, the track consists of a paved road surface, and guide rails are provided on the left and right. The vehicle is provided with four traveling wheels made of rubber tires, and is driven by these. Each traveling wheel is provided with a steering mechanism including a predetermined guide arm and a guide wheel. The guide arm is provided on the axle of the traveling wheel, and the direction of the traveling wheel and the guide arm is changed integrally. Such guide wheels are provided at both ends of such a guide arm and are guided by guide rails. When the guide wheel is guided according to the curvature of the track, that is, the curvature of the guide rail, the angle of the guide arm changes, and the direction of the traveling wheel automatically changes accordingly. That is, it is steered. The coupler described in Patent Document 2 is configured to swing in conjunction with such a steering mechanism. Specifically, the coupler provided in the front part of the vehicle is as follows. First, one link arm is connected to the left and right guide arms provided on the left and right traveling wheels of the front wheel. Accordingly, when the directions of the left and right traveling wheels change, the angles of the left and right guide arms change, and the link arm slides to the left and right by a predetermined amount with respect to the vehicle. The rear end portion of the coupler is pivotally supported by the vehicle and can swing freely up and down and right and left around the rear end portion. A predetermined portion in front of the rear end portion is pivotally supported by the link arm. Therefore, when the link arm slides left and right, the coupler swings left and right. Since the coupler swings in this way, the tip of the coupler is always located on the track center line passing through the centers of the left and right guide rails. A connector having the same configuration is provided at the rear of the vehicle, and the tip of the connector is always located on the track center line. Therefore, even on a curved track, it is guaranteed that the front ends of the couplers of two adjacent vehicles face each other and can be easily coupled.

  The connector described in Patent Document 1 or the connector described in Patent Document 2 is excellent because it can be easily connected even on a curved track, but there are also problems to be solved. First, the coupler described in Patent Literature 1 cannot be automatically coupled because it is necessary to manually operate the spindle to swing the coupler. Also, since the spindle operation must be performed on the take-up drum, the operator must approach the coupler. Compared to the conventional method of manually swinging the coupler, the danger to the worker is less, but it is not completely safe. Furthermore, since the swing device includes a wire and the wire is exposed, there is a possibility that an obstacle such as dust adheres and breaks down. The coupler described in Patent Document 2 has a problem that it can be used only for a vehicle of a new traffic system in which traveling wheels are automatically steered, and cannot be used as a coupler for a railway vehicle. Furthermore, since the structure is complicated, there is a problem that it is easy to break down.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a railway vehicle coupler that solves the above-described problems. Specifically, the present invention has a simple structure that is difficult to break down, is safe on a curved track, and An object of the present invention is to provide a railway vehicle connector that can easily connect vehicles.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, the present invention is directed to a railway vehicle coupler that is swingably provided in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction with respect to a vehicle and is received by a case receiving mechanism. . In the present invention, the coupler includes an engagement member made of a sphere or a cylinder provided on the vehicle side, and a plurality of parallel grooves are formed in the tail end portion of the coupler. The engaging member is pressed against the tail end portion by a spring bias so that when the coupler is swung left and right, the engaging member crosses the plurality of grooves. The coupler is stable at the swing position where the engaging member engages with any of the grooves.

Thus, in order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a coupler for a railway vehicle that is swingably provided in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction with respect to the vehicle and supported by the trunk receiving mechanism. And the said connector is provided with the engaging member which consists of a spherical body or a cylindrical body provided in the said vehicle side, and several parallel groove | channels are formed in the tail end part of the said connector. The engaging member is pressed against the tail end by a spring bias, and when the coupler is swung left and right, the engaging member crosses the plurality of grooves, The connector is configured as a connector for a railway vehicle , wherein the engaging member is stabilized at a swing position where the engaging member is engaged with any one of the grooves .
The invention according to claim 2 is the coupler for a railway vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the groove has a plurality of grooves, and the coupler swings at a right and left swing angle of approximately every 8 degrees. It is comprised as follows. It is comprised as a coupler for rail vehicles characterized by the above.
The invention according to claim 3 is the coupler for a railway vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the coupler has a predetermined portion and a predetermined portion on the vehicle side connected by an actuator, When the actuator is operated, it is swung to an arbitrary position in the left-right direction, and is configured as a coupler for a railway vehicle.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coupling for a railway vehicle according to the third aspect , wherein the actuator is configured to operate with a fluid. Is done.

As described above, the present invention is a railway vehicle coupler that is swingably provided in the vertical and horizontal directions with respect to the vehicle and supported by the trunk receiving mechanism. It has an engaging member made of a sphere or a cylinder, and a plurality of parallel grooves are formed in the tail end of the coupler, and the engaging member is pressed against the tail end by spring biasing. When the coupler is swung from side to side, the engaging member crosses the plurality of grooves, and the coupler engages with any of the grooves. It is designed to stabilize at the swing position. Therefore, the coupler can be brought to the desired swing position with the accuracy required for the coupling operation. More specifically, since the coupler is connected even if there is a slight angle shift, it is necessary to place the coupler in a predetermined swing position with an accuracy sufficient to absorb the shift. According to the present invention, the swinging position is stabilized when any of the engaging member and a plurality of grooves formed in the tail end portion is engaged, so the stable swinging position is discontinuous. It can be said that the swing position can be determined with the accuracy required for connection. Thus, the desired swing position can be obtained even if the driving force of the actuator is relatively small. In other words, when the driving force of the actuator is small, it is difficult to accurately control the swing position of the coupler due to the weight of the coupler and the friction in the swing mechanism, but the present invention facilitates the coupler with the required accuracy. Can be swung to a desired swing position. According to another aspect of the invention, according to yet another aspect of the invention, the plurality of grooves are formed so that the coupler is stabilized at a horizontal swing angle of about 8 degrees. If the pair of couplers facing each other is displaced by an angle of approximately 8 degrees or less, the angle deviation is absorbed and coupled, so that the present invention can connect the coupler with the required accuracy. Guaranteed to swing. According to another aspect of the invention, the coupler is configured such that a predetermined portion and a predetermined portion on the vehicle side are connected by an actuator, and when the actuator is operated, the connector is swung to an arbitrary position in the left-right direction. . Therefore, when connecting vehicles on a curved track, the actuator can be swung to a desired position simply by operating the actuator, and the tip of the connector of the adjacent vehicle can be made to face each other. Can do. And the operator does not need to manually swing the connector directly, and does not need to work near the connector, which is safe. Furthermore, the coupler of the present invention is simple because it only requires an actuator relative to the conventional coupler, and therefore is less prone to failure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows the coupler for railway vehicles which concerns on embodiment of this invention, The (a) is a top view of a coupler, The (a) and (c) are side views which respectively show a part of coupler. It is a top view. It is front sectional drawing of the air cylinder which drives the coupler for rail vehicles which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows a part of coupler for rail vehicles which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described. The railway vehicle coupler 1 according to the present embodiment is also shown in FIG. 1A when the coupler 1 is viewed from above. 2 and a mounting portion 3 fixed to the vehicle T. The connector body 2 includes a connecting portion 5 at the tip connected to another connector, a shock absorber 6 connected to the connecting portion 5, and a tail end portion 7 connected to the mounting portion 3. It consists of. The connector 1 according to the present embodiment is a so-called close contact type connector, and a head portion 9 and a recess 10 are formed at the tip of the connecting portion 5, and a predetermined coupling mechanism is provided although not shown in the drawing. It has been. Therefore, when the head 9 is accommodated in the depression of the coupling portion of the other coupler and the head of the coupling portion of the other coupler is accommodated in the depression 10 and coupled by the coupling mechanism, the coupler 1 and the other coupling are Will be linked. The shock absorber 6 can be constituted by a conventionally known shock absorber, and therefore will not be described in detail. For example, the shock absorber 6 may be constituted by a plastic shock absorber that absorbs an impact by plastic deformation of metal, or elastic deformation of a rubber body. It is also possible to configure from a rubber shock absorber that absorbs the shock by the above, or from a viscous shock absorber that absorbs the shock by the flow resistance of the viscous fluid.

  The tail end portion 7 of the coupler 1 according to the present embodiment has a structure peculiar to the present invention, and the structure will be described in detail later. However, the connection to the mounting portion 3 is the same as that of a conventionally known coupler. It is connected to the. That is, as shown in FIG. 1 (a), when the tail end portion 7 and the attachment portion 3 of the coupler 1 are viewed from the side, the attachment portion 3 is spaced apart by a predetermined distance. The bifurcated portions 12 and 12 are provided, the tail end portion 7 is inserted between the bifurcated portions 12 and 12, and the bifurcated portions 12 and 12 and the tail end portion 7 are connected by the vertical pin 13. A so-called spherical bearing 15 is provided between the tail end 7 and the vertical pin 13. Accordingly, the connector main body 2 is coupled to be swingable in the left-right direction by the vertical pin 13 and in the vertical direction by the spherical bearing 15. Although not shown in the drawing, the connector 1 according to the present embodiment is also configured such that a predetermined portion of the connector main body 2 is supported by the trunk receiving device on the vehicle T side, and the connector main body 2 is not connected. When it is in a free state, it does not fall downward.

  The coupler 1 according to the present embodiment has two features. The first feature is that an actuator that can swing the coupler 1 to a desired position in the left-right direction is provided. There are various types of actuators, and any of them can be adopted. However, a fluid-actuated actuator that includes a cylinder and can be operated by supplying and discharging fluid into the cylinder is preferable. An air cylinder 17 that uses air as a fluid is employed. As shown in FIG. 2, the air cylinder 17 includes a cylinder 18, a piston 19 placed in the cylinder 18, and a piston rod 21. Air is supplied and discharged from the supply and discharge ports 20 and 20. Then, the piston 19 can be driven to an arbitrary position. When a predetermined valve (not shown) is opened to open the supply / discharge ports 20 and 20 to the atmosphere, the piston 19 is slid in the cylinder 18 substantially without resistance. As shown in FIG. 1A, such an air cylinder 17 is pivotally supported by the cylinder main body 2 so that the cylinder 18 is pivotable, and the end of the piston rod 21 is pivoted on the vehicle T. It is supported. Therefore, when the air cylinder 17 is driven, the coupler 1, that is, the coupler body 2 is swung to a predetermined position in the left-right direction. When the connector 1 is connected to a connector of another vehicle, the air cylinder 17 opens the supply / discharge ports 20 and 20 to the atmosphere, and the connector 1 is swung left and right. The air cylinder 17 does not hinder swinging.

  The second feature of the coupler 1 according to the present embodiment is that the coupler 1 is stabilized at a plurality of stable positions when the coupler 1 is swung left and right. The connector 1 is configured as follows so as to exhibit such an action. First, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1C, a coil case 22 is provided in the attachment portion 3, and a coil spring 23 is accommodated in the coil case 22. The coil spring 23 is provided with a spring retainer 25, and a spherical engagement member 27 is rotatably supported by the spring retainer 25. Such an engaging member 27 is spring-biased via the spring retainer 25 and is in contact with the tail end portion 7 of the connector main body 2 with a predetermined contact force. As shown in detail in FIG. 3, a plurality of grooves 28, 28,... Are formed in parallel and perpendicularly on the end face of the tail end portion 7 with which the engaging member 27 is in contact. The grooves 28, 28,... Are made of, for example, a small-diameter cylindrical surface having the same curvature as that of the engaging member 27, and the adjacent grooves 28, 28 are connected by a smooth curve. In the present embodiment, any two adjacent grooves 28, 28,... Are arranged so as to form an angle 29 of approximately 8 degrees from the center of the vertical pin 13. Since the coupler 1 is configured in this way, when the coupler main body 2 swings in the left-right direction, the engaging member 27 smoothly crosses the plurality of grooves 28, 28,. become. When the engaging member 27 is engaged with any of the grooves 28, 28,..., The connector main body 2 is stabilized at the swing position. In the present embodiment, such a horizontal swing is stabilized at every rotation angle of 8 degrees. That is, the coupler main body 2 is stabilized at the center in the left-right direction and at rotation angles of ± 8 degrees, ± 16 degrees, and ± 24 degrees.

  A method of connecting two vehicles provided with the coupler 1 according to the present embodiment on a curved track will be described. In each vehicle, the air cylinder 17 of the coupler 1 is driven to swing the coupler main body 2 in the left-right direction. Incidentally, the air cylinder 17 uses air as a working fluid, and the air has compressibility. Further, the connector main body 2 is heavy and there is friction in the vertical pin 13 and the spherical bearing 15. Then, it is difficult to drive the air cylinder 17 and accurately stop the coupler main body 2 at the desired swinging position. However, in the present embodiment, the connector main body 2 is stabilized at every rotation angle of 8 degrees when swung in the left-right direction. It is possible to easily swing the connector main body 2 to a desired stable position among these stable positions. Therefore, the connectors 1 and 1 of each vehicle swing to a stable position where the connecting portions 5 are generally opposed to each other. When one vehicle is slightly advanced in this state, the connecting portion 5 is connected. The coupler 1 can be connected without any problem because the deviation is automatically corrected at the time of connection if the angle is within 8 degrees. This is the reason why, in the present embodiment, the swinging position in the left-right direction of the coupler main body 2 is configured to be stable at every rotation angle of 8 degrees.

  The coupler 1 according to the present embodiment can be variously modified. For example, in the present embodiment, the engaging member 27 has been described as being configured from a sphere, but may be configured from a cylindrical body. In the case of a cylindrical body, it is necessary to provide the cylindrical body so as to be parallel to the grooves 28 and 28 and to provide the spring retainer 25 so as to be rotatable in the axial direction. The grooves 28 and 28 can be modified. For example, the interval can be modified, and the interval between the grooves 28, 28,... Can be narrowed so that the horizontal swing position of the coupler main body 2 is stabilized at every rotation angle, for example, 5 degrees. Good. In other words, the swing position only needs to be stable for each rotation angle of 8 degrees or less. The shape of the grooves 28 and 28 can also be modified, and can be formed from a conical surface instead of a cylindrical surface, or from another curved surface.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector 2 Connector main-body part 3 Attachment part 5 Connection part 6 Shock absorber 7 Tail end part 9 Head part 10 Depression 12 Forked part 13 Vertical pin 15 Spherical bearing 17 Air cylinder 18 Cylinder 19 Piston 20 Supply / exhaust port 22 Coil case 23 Coil spring 25 Spring retainer 27 Engaging member 28 Groove T Vehicle

Claims (4)

A coupler for a railway vehicle that is swingably provided in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction with respect to a vehicle and supported by a trunk receiving mechanism, wherein the coupler is a sphere provided on the vehicle side or A plurality of parallel grooves are formed in the tail end portion of the coupler, with an engaging member made of a cylindrical body,
The engaging member is pressed against the tail end by a spring bias, and when the coupler is swung left and right, the engaging member crosses the plurality of grooves,
The coupler is a railway vehicle coupler characterized in that the coupler is stable at a swing position where the engaging member engages with any one of the grooves. 2. The railway vehicle coupler according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of grooves are formed in such a manner that the coupler is stabilized so that the swinging angle of the left and right is approximately every 8 degrees. A coupler for railway vehicles. 3. The railway vehicle coupler according to claim 1, wherein the coupler has a predetermined portion and a predetermined portion on the vehicle side connected by an actuator, and when the actuator is operated, an arbitrary left-right direction is provided. A railway vehicle coupler characterized by being swung to a position. 4. The railway vehicle connector according to claim 3 , wherein the actuator is operated by a fluid.

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