JP7453550B2 - Height adjustment device and railway vehicle - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a height adjustment device, and more particularly to a height adjustment device for an air spring that is provided on a bogie of a railway vehicle and supports the body of the railway vehicle. The present disclosure also relates to a railway vehicle using the height adjustment device.

Generally, a bogie of a railway vehicle is provided with left and right air springs to support the vehicle body and to alleviate vibrations of the vehicle body. The height of the air spring is controlled to be constant by a height adjustment device. That is, the height adjustment device supplies compressed air to the air spring or discharges compressed air from the air spring, depending on the vertical relative displacement between the vehicle body and the truck. Therefore, the height of the air spring remains substantially constant regardless of the applied load. As a result, the air spring becomes a soft spring due to the compressibility of the air in response to dynamic vibrations of the vehicle body, while exhibiting high rigidity against statically acting loading of the vehicle body, preventing the vehicle body from sinking. can do.

The height adjustment device has a height adjustment valve including an air supply valve and an exhaust valve. The height adjustment valve is attached to the vehicle body and connected to the truck via a link mechanism composed of a lever and a connecting rod. When the air spring expands and contracts and the height of the vehicle body relative to the truck changes, the vertically extending connecting rod approaches or separates from the vehicle body, the lever rotates, and the height adjustment valve operates. For example, when the weight of the vehicle body increases due to loading and the air spring is compressed, the lever rotates in one direction to operate the air supply valve and open the air supply path. Thereby, compressed air is supplied to the air spring via the air supply path, and the height of the air spring increases. On the other hand, when the weight of the vehicle body decreases and the air spring expands, the lever rotates in the opposite direction to actuate the exhaust valve and open the exhaust passage. This causes the compressed air within the air spring to be exhausted to the atmosphere via the exhaust path, reducing the height of the air spring.

For example, as described in Patent Document 1, a height adjustment valve that operates an intake valve and an exhaust valve using the rotational movement of a lever has a dead zone in which neither the intake valve nor the exhaust valve operates. exist. In the height adjustment valve of Patent Document 1, even if the actuation arm to which the rotation of the lever is transmitted rotates from the neutral position, the air supply valve and the exhaust valve are not opened immediately. A gap is provided between the actuation arm and the exhaust valve. Patent Document 1 states that this gap can prevent hunting of the air supply valve and the exhaust valve. Patent Document 2 discloses a height adjustment valve that has different flow characteristics on the air supply side and the exhaust side in order to make hunting less likely to occur.

However, the dead zone of the height adjustment valve may cause an imbalance in the load (wheel load) applied to each wheel of the railway vehicle. For example, as described in Non-Patent Document 1, in a railway vehicle that uses a height adjustment valve with a dead zone, the balance of the internal pressure of the air spring is affected by the operating history of the height adjustment valve, so that the balance of the internal pressure of the air spring is It is known that this changes in the front and rear, resulting in an unbalanced wheel load. Non-Patent Document 2 reports that the diagonal unbalance of the wheel load may vary by about 20% due to the influence of the dead zone.

Specifically, at the exit of the transition curve, there is a twist in the track due to a decrease in cant, so in the bogie installed at the front of the railway vehicle, the air spring on the outer track side expands, and the air spring on the inner track side expands. The air spring is compressed. On the other hand, in the rear truck, the air spring on the outer track is compressed, and the air spring on the inner track is expanded. Therefore, in each height adjustment device, a rotational movement of the lever occurs and the height adjustment valve is actuated. In other words, the air springs on the leading outer track side and the air springs on the trailing inner track side are exhausted by height adjustment valves, and the air springs on the leading inner track side and the air springs on the trailing outer track side are exhausted by the height adjusting valves. Air is supplied by

When the lever stops within the dead zone of the height adjustment valve, the supply and exhaust of the air spring is stopped. However, the exact position of the lever within the dead zone is unknown. In the height adjustment devices provided corresponding to the front, rear, left, and right air springs, there is a possibility that the lever positions originally vary. If the position of the lever within the dead zone varies, the ease with which the air supply operation or exhaust operation occurs differs depending on the air spring. Therefore, when a railway vehicle passes through a twisted section of the track, there is a gap between the air spring on the leading outer track side and the air spring on the trailing inner track side, or between the air spring on the leading inner track side and the air spring on the trailing outer track side. An imbalance of internal pressure may occur between the two. Therefore, a diagonal imbalance of wheel loads occurs.

Patent No. 5869366 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-000949

Takatoshi Hondo, 3 others, "Influence of LV rod length adjustment error on air spring internal pressure fluctuation before and after wheel elevation", Proceedings of the 26th Railway Technology Union Symposium (J-RAIL2019), IEEJ Transportation and Electricity Railway Technical Committee, 2019, S8-6, p. 305-308 Hitoshi Iijima, and 2 others, "Development of a method for detecting abnormalities in air spring devices by measuring ground wheel loads," Proceedings of the 23rd Railway Technology Union Symposium (J-RAIL2016), IEEJ Transportation and Electric Railway Technology Committee, 2016, S2-7-4

In railway vehicles, the wheel load is adjusted when the bogie is attached to the car body or during maintenance. When adjusting the wheel load, a liner is inserted or removed between the air spring and the bogie frame or between the axle box and the axle spring. The liner between the air spring and the bogie frame is called the air spring liner, and the liner between the axle box and the axle spring is called the axle spring liner. Further, in order to maintain the height of the air spring at a predetermined mounting height, the height adjustment device is set. That is, the length of the connecting rod connected to the lever is adjusted so that the air supply valve and exhaust valve of the height adjustment valve are not operated by the lever when the air spring has a predetermined installation height. The connecting rod is, for example, a turnbuckle or the like, and is configured so that its length can be adjusted.

In order to suppress the occurrence of wheel load imbalance, it is necessary to adjust the length of the connecting rod as accurately as possible. However, since the length of the connecting rods is almost manually adjusted, it is difficult to adjust the lengths of the connecting rods in one vehicle so that they are substantially the same. For example, as described in Non-Patent Document 1, even if the height of the front, rear, left and right air springs is a predetermined value, the length of the connecting rod will vary within the dead zone of the height adjustment valve. I can have it. According to Non-Patent Document 1, the diagonal error in the length of the connecting rod within one vehicle affects the amount of variation in the internal pressure of the air spring, that is, the amount of variation in wheel load when the railroad vehicle passes through a transition curve. affect

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a height adjustment device for an air spring provided on a bogie of a railway vehicle, which can accurately adjust the length of a connecting rod.

A height adjustment device according to the present disclosure is a height adjustment device for an air spring that is provided on a bogie of a railway vehicle and supports a car body of the railway vehicle. The height adjustment device includes a height adjustment valve and a link mechanism. The height adjustment valve is installed in an air supply path for supplying air to the air spring, an air supply valve provided in the air supply path, an exhaust path for discharging air from the air spring, and an air supply path provided in the exhaust path. and an exhaust valve. The link mechanism includes a lever and a connecting rod. The lever is rotatably connected to the height adjustment valve. The lever is configured to open the air supply valve when rotated in one direction about the connection with the height adjustment valve, and to open the exhaust valve when rotated in the opposite direction. A connecting rod is attached to the lever. The connecting rod rotates the lever in response to vertical relative displacement between the car body and the truck caused by expansion or compression of the air spring. The link mechanism is configured to be able to selectively switch between a first attachment state and a second attachment state as the attachment state of the connecting rod to the lever. In the first mounting state, the lever is neutral with respect to the air supply valve and the exhaust valve when the air spring has a predetermined mounting height. In the second installation state, the lever is neutral with respect to the intake and exhaust valves when the air spring is compressed flat and has a minimum height.

According to the height adjustment device according to the present disclosure, the length of the connecting rod can be adjusted accurately.

FIG. 1 is a partial side view showing a schematic configuration of a railway vehicle according to each embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the railway vehicle shown in FIG. 1 taken along the vertical and horizontal directions. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the height adjustment valve provided in the railway vehicle shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the height adjustment device having the height adjustment valve shown in FIG. 3. FIG. FIG. 4B is another schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the height adjustment device having the height adjustment valve shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 4C is yet another schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the height adjustment device having the height adjustment valve shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the height adjustment device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is another schematic diagram for explaining the height adjustment device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining a height adjustment device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 8 is another schematic diagram for explaining the height adjustment device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining a height adjustment device according to a third embodiment. FIG. 10 is another schematic diagram for explaining the height adjustment device according to the third embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining a height adjustment device according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 12 is another schematic diagram for explaining the height adjustment device according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining a modification of the height adjustment device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram for explaining a modification of the height adjustment device according to the third embodiment.

The height adjustment device according to the embodiment is a height adjustment device for an air spring that is provided on a bogie of a railway vehicle and supports the body of the railway vehicle. The height adjustment device includes a height adjustment valve and a link mechanism. The height adjustment valve is installed in an air supply path for supplying air to the air spring, an air supply valve provided in the air supply path, an exhaust path for discharging air from the air spring, and an air supply path provided in the exhaust path. and an exhaust valve. The link mechanism includes a lever and a connecting rod. The lever is rotatably connected to the height adjustment valve. The lever is configured to open the air supply valve when rotated in one direction about the connection with the height adjustment valve, and to open the exhaust valve when rotated in the opposite direction. A connecting rod is attached to the lever. The connecting rod rotates the lever in response to vertical relative displacement between the car body and the truck caused by expansion or compression of the air spring. The link mechanism is configured to be able to selectively switch between a first attachment state and a second attachment state as the attachment state of the connecting rod to the lever. In the first mounting state, the lever is neutral with respect to the air supply valve and the exhaust valve when the air spring has a predetermined mounting height. In the second installation state, the lever is neutral with respect to the intake and exhaust valves when the air spring is compressed flat and has a minimum height.

When installing the height adjustment device on a railway vehicle, the length of the connecting rod is adjusted so that air supply and exhaust do not occur when the air spring has a predetermined installation height. The length of the connecting rod is adjusted, for example, with the air spring raised to the installation height. However, in this case, the spring constant of the air spring is small and the vehicle body oscillates, making the air supply and exhaust operations of the height adjustment valve unstable. That is, the supply/exhaust operation of the height adjustment valve occurs due to factors other than the length of the connecting rod, such as vibration of the vehicle body. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately grasp the timing of the air supply or exhaust operation of the height adjustment valve, which occurs due only to the length of the connecting rod. Moreover, once the supply/exhaust operation of the height adjustment valve occurs, it is necessary to wait until the supply/exhaust operation stops before adjusting the length of the connecting rod. Therefore, when the height adjustment valve frequently performs air supply and exhaust operations, there is also the problem that it takes a long time to adjust the length of the connecting rod.

In contrast, in the height adjustment device according to the embodiment, the attachment state of the connecting rod to the lever can be selectively switched. Specifically, when the air spring has a predetermined installation height, the height adjustment valve is not only in the first installation state in which the lever is neutral with respect to the intake valve and the exhaust valve, but also in the first installation state when the air spring is in a punctured state. The connecting rod can be attached to the lever in a second attachment state in which the lever can be neutral when compressed and has a minimum height. When adjusting the length of the connecting rod, it is sufficient to attach the connecting rod to the lever in the second attachment state, evacuate the air spring in advance, and set the air spring in a punctured state so that its height is the minimum height. As a result, the air spring becomes stable and no height fluctuation occurs, so that it is possible to suppress the occurrence of supply/exhaust operations of the height adjustment valve due to vibration of the vehicle body or the like. Therefore, it is possible to easily grasp the timing of the air supply operation or exhaust operation of the height adjustment valve, which occurs due only to the length of the connecting rod. Therefore, the connecting rod can be accurately adjusted to a length that does not cause the air supply operation of the height adjustment valve. Furthermore, since the time spent waiting for the height adjustment valve to stop supplying and discharging operations is reduced, the length of the connecting rod can be adjusted in a relatively short time.

The lever may have a first attached portion and a second attached portion. A connecting rod is attached to the first attached part in a first attached state. The connecting rod is attached to the second attached part in a second attached state. The second attached part may be disposed with a position shifted from the first attached part in the longitudinal direction of the lever.

The connecting rod may have an attachment portion that is selectively attached to the first attached portion or the second attached portion of the lever. In this case, the second attached part is arranged above the first attached part with the lever extending horizontally. The second attached part may be arranged between the connection part with the height adjustment valve and the first attached part in the longitudinal direction of the lever. Alternatively, the second attached portion may be located further away from the connection portion than the first attached portion in the longitudinal direction of the lever.

The second attached part can have a through hole that penetrates the lever in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The second attached part may have a notch that is opened at the peripheral edge of the lever.

The connecting rod may have a first attachment portion that is attached to the lever in a first attachment state, and a second attachment portion that is attached to the lever in a second attachment state. The second attachment portion is, for example, positioned offset from the first attachment portion in the longitudinal direction of the connecting rod.

The second attachment part can have a through hole that penetrates the connecting rod in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The second attachment portion may have a notch that is open to the peripheral edge of the connecting rod.

A railway vehicle according to an embodiment includes a car body, a bogie, and the height adjustment device. The truck includes air springs that support the vehicle body. A height adjustment device adjusts the height of this air spring.

The truck may further include an auxiliary air chamber communicating with the interior of the air spring. The auxiliary air chamber preferably has an exhaust port (exhaust cock) that can be opened and closed.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each figure, the same or equivalent components are designated by the same reference numerals, and the same description will not be repeated.

<First embodiment>
[overall structure]
FIG. 1 is a partial side view showing a schematic configuration of a railway vehicle 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the railway vehicle 100 shown in FIG. 1 taken along the vertical and horizontal directions. In this embodiment, the left-right direction refers to the left-right direction toward the traveling direction of the railway vehicle 100. Further, the front-rear direction in the running direction of the railway vehicle 100 is simply referred to as the front-rear direction.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the railway vehicle 100 includes a car body 10 and a bogie 20. Although not shown, the trolleys 20 are provided at the front and rear portions of the vehicle body 10, respectively, and support the vehicle body 10. In the example of this embodiment, the truck 20 is a bolsterless truck. However, the truck 20 may be a truck with a bolster. The truck 20 includes front and rear wheel axles 21, a truck frame 22, and left and right air springs 23.

Each wheel set 21 has an axle 211 and left and right wheels 212. Axle 211 extends in the left-right direction. The left and right wheels 212 are fixed to an axle 211. Each end of the axle 211 is rotatably supported by a bearing (not shown) provided in the axle box 24.

The truck frame 22 supports the front and rear wheel axles 21. The bogie frame 22 includes a pair of left and right side beams 221 and a cross beam 222. Each of the side beams 221 extends in the front-rear direction. An axle box 24 is attached to each of the side beams 221 via a spring cap 25. The spring cap 25 accommodates an axial spring (not shown). The cross beam 222 extends in the left-right direction between the two side beams 221 and connects the side beams 221 to each other.

Referring to FIG. 2, in this embodiment, left and right air springs 23 are arranged on a bogie frame 22. When the truck 20 is a truck with a bolster, the left and right air springs 23 are arranged on the bolster. Each air spring 23 is filled with compressed air so as to have a predetermined mounting height (reference value±tolerance). Each air spring 23 supports the vehicle body 10 between the vehicle body 10 and the bogie frame 22, and alleviates vibrations of the vehicle body 10.

The trolley 20 is provided with two auxiliary air chambers 26 corresponding to the left and right air springs 23. Each auxiliary air chamber 26 communicates with the interior of the corresponding air spring 23. Further, the two auxiliary air chambers 26 are connected to each other by a pipe 28 provided with a differential pressure valve 27. When a height difference occurs between the left and right air springs 23 and the internal pressure difference becomes large, the differential pressure valve 27 opens and the two auxiliary air chambers 26 communicate with each other via the piping 28. As a result, air flows between the left and right air springs 23, and the internal pressure and height of the left and right air springs 23 are equalized.

Each of the auxiliary air chambers 26 is formed within the bogie frame 22 or within the bolster, for example. Each auxiliary air chamber 26 has an exhaust port (exhaust cock) 261. The exhaust cock 261 is formed, for example, in the truck frame 22 or the bolster, and is an opening that communicates the auxiliary air chamber 26 with the outside. This exhaust cock 261 is configured to be openable and closable. For example, the exhaust cock 261 is detachably attached to the truck frame 22 or the bolster.

Railroad vehicle 100 further includes a height adjustment device 30. The height adjustment devices 30 are arranged on the left and right sides of the truck 20, corresponding to the left and right air springs 23, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 1, height adjustment device 30 includes a height adjustment valve 31 and a link mechanism 32. The height adjustment valve 31 is typically attached to the vehicle body 10. A link mechanism 32 connects this height adjustment valve 31 and the truck 20. The link mechanism 32 includes a lever 321 and a connecting rod 322.

The lever 321 is connected to the height adjustment valve 31. The lever 321 is rotatable around a connecting portion 3211 with the height adjustment valve 31. More specifically, the lever 321 mainly rotates up and down about the connecting portion 3211. In the example of this embodiment, the lever 321 substantially extends in the front-rear direction. However, the lever 321 may extend in the left-right direction.

The connecting rod 322 connects the height adjustment valve 31 and the truck 20 via the lever 321. Connecting rod 322 extends substantially vertically. The upper end of the connecting rod 322 is attached to the lever 321. The connecting rod 322 is attached to the lever 321 in a flexible manner using, for example, a ball joint. The lower end of the connecting rod 322 is connected to the truck frame 22 using, for example, a ball joint. The connecting rod 322 is an elongated member configured to be expandable and contractible, and is typically a turnbuckle.

When the air spring 23 expands or compresses and the height of the air spring 23 changes, a relative displacement occurs between the vehicle body 10 and the truck 20 in the vertical direction. That is, when the air spring 23 is expanded, the vehicle body 10 rises relative to the bogie 20, and when the air spring 23 is compressed, the vehicle body 10 descends relative to the bogie 20. The connecting rod 322 rotates the lever 321 in response to relative vertical displacement between the vehicle body 10 and the truck 20. The lever 321 operates the height adjustment valve 31 by its rotational movement.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the height adjustment valve 31. The height adjustment valve 31 in this embodiment has a similar structure to a height adjustment valve with a dead zone commonly used in railway vehicles.

As shown in FIG. 3, the height adjustment valve 31 includes an air supply path 311, an exhaust path 312, an air supply valve 313, and an exhaust valve 314.

The air supply path 311 is a flow path for supplying air (compressed air) to the air spring 23. The air supply path 311 extends into the casing 315 of the height adjustment valve 31 from an air supply source, such as an air tank or compressor. One end of the air supply path 311 is connected to the air spring 23 via an air path 316.

The exhaust path 312 is a flow path for exhausting air from the air spring 23. Inside the casing 315, one end of the exhaust passage 312 is arranged to face one end of the air supply passage 311. One end of the exhaust path 312 is connected to the air spring 23 via an air path 316 shared with the air supply path 311 . The other end of the exhaust path 312 is open to the outside of the casing 315 (atmosphere).

An air supply valve 313 is provided in the air supply path 311 . The exhaust passage 312 is provided with an exhaust valve 314 . An operating shaft 325 connected to the lever 321 is disposed in a gap between the valve body 3131 of the air supply valve 313 and the valve body 3141 of the exhaust valve 314. When the lever 321 rotates around the connecting portion 3211 with the height adjustment valve 31, the operating shaft 325 contacts and moves the valve body 3131 of the air supply valve 313 or the valve body 3141 of the exhaust valve 314. When the operating shaft 325 moves the valve body 3131 of the air supply valve 313, the air supply passage 311 is opened, and when the operating shaft 325 moves the valve body 3141 of the exhaust valve 314, the exhaust passage 312 is opened. The range in which the operating shaft 325 does not contact the valve bodies 3131 and 3141, that is, the range of the gap between the valve bodies 3131 and 3141, is a dead zone of the height adjustment valve 31.

Here, the operation of the height adjustment device 30 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4B in addition to FIG. 3.

First, referring to FIG. 4A, when the air spring 23 is maintained at a predetermined mounting height (reference value±tolerance), the lever 321 is in a substantially horizontal state. In this case, the actuating shaft 325 connected to the lever 321 is located near the middle of the valve bodies 3131 and 3141, so the air supply valve 313 and the exhaust valve 314 do not operate (FIG. 3). That is, the lever 321 is neutral with respect to the air supply valve 313 and the exhaust valve 314. The position of the lever 321 that is neutral with respect to the air supply valve 313 and the exhaust valve 314 is referred to as a neutral position.

Next, referring to FIG. 4B, for example, when the load borne by air spring 23 increases, air spring 23 is compressed, and vehicle body 10 is displaced downward with respect to truck 20. At this time, the upper end of the connecting rod 322 approaches the vehicle body 10, and the lever 321 rotates in one direction (upward) about the connecting portion 3211 with the height adjustment valve 31. As the lever 321 rotates, the operating shaft 325 shown in FIG. 3 comes into contact with the valve body 3131 of the air supply valve 313 and moves the valve body 3131. As a result, the air supply path 311 is opened, and compressed air is supplied from the air supply source to the air spring 23 via the air supply path 311 and the air path 316.

Next, referring to FIG. 4C, for example, when the load borne by the air spring 23 decreases, the air spring 23 expands and the vehicle body 10 is displaced upward with respect to the truck 20. At this time, the upper end of the connecting rod 322 separates from the vehicle body 10, and the lever 321 rotates in the opposite direction (downward) about the connecting portion 3211 with the height adjustment valve 31. As the lever 321 rotates, the operating shaft 325 shown in FIG. 3 comes into contact with the valve body 3141 of the exhaust valve 314 and moves the valve body 3141. As a result, the exhaust passage 312 is opened, and air is discharged from the air spring 23 to the atmosphere through the air passage 316 and the exhaust passage 312.

[Connection rod installation status]
In the height adjustment device 30 according to the present embodiment, the link mechanism 32 is configured to be able to selectively change the attachment state of the connecting rod 322 to the lever 321. Hereinafter, two types of attachment states of the connecting rod 322 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. 5 and 6, for convenience of explanation, the height adjustment device 30 provided in the railway vehicle 100 in each of the above figures and the height adjustment device 30 in a reversed state are shown.

As shown in FIG. 5, the lever 321 has a first attached part 3212 and a second attached part 3213 for attaching the connecting rod 322. The second attached portion 3213 is located above the connection portion 3211 with the height adjustment valve 31 and the first attached portion 3212 with the lever 321 extending horizontally. The state in which the lever 321 extends horizontally means that the connecting portion 3211 and the first attached portion 3212 are substantially aligned horizontally. That is, when the lever 321 is in a horizontal position, the position of the first attached part 3212 is substantially equal to the position of the connecting part 3211 in the vertical direction.

The second attached part 3213 may be arranged at a position shifted from the first attached part 3212 in the longitudinal direction of the lever 321. In the example of this embodiment, the second attached portion 3213 is disposed between the connecting portion 3211 and the first attached portion 3212 in the longitudinal direction of the lever 321. The second attached portion 3213 is preferably located closer to the first attached portion 3212 than the casing 315 of the height adjustment valve 31 . The first attached part 3212 and the second attached part 3213 each have through holes 3212a and 3213a that penetrate the lever 321 in a direction substantially perpendicular to its longitudinal direction. The through holes 3212a and 3213a penetrate the lever 321 in the left-right direction of the railway vehicle 100 (FIG. 1), for example. The through holes 3212a and 3213a are formed in the lever 321 by machining, for example.

The connecting rod 322 has a support portion 3221 at its lower end that is supported by the truck frame 22 or the like (FIG. 1). The connecting rod 322 has a mounting portion 3222 attached to the lever 321 at its upper end. The attachment portion 3222 can be selectively attached to the first attachment portion 3212 or the second attachment portion 3213 of the lever 321. A through hole 3222a is formed in the attachment portion 3222 of the connecting rod 322 by machining or the like. For example, by overlapping the through hole 3212a or 3213a of the lever 321 with the through hole 3222a of the connecting rod 322 and inserting the shaft portion of the ball joint into these, the connecting rod 322 can be bent relative to the lever 321. Can be installed. However, the method of attaching the connecting rod 322 to the lever 321 is not particularly limited.

In the example shown in FIG. 5 , the attachment portion 3222 of the connecting rod 322 is attached to the first attached portion 3212 of the lever 321 . This state is the first attached state. In the first mounting state, when the air spring 23 has a predetermined mounting height (FIG. 4A), the lever 321 is neutral with respect to the air supply valve 313 and the exhaust valve 314 (FIG. 3). When the connecting rod 322 is attached to the lever 321 in the first attachment state, if the height of the air spring 23 is a predetermined attachment height, the lever 321 is in a substantially horizontal position. Typically, the connecting rod 322 is attached to the lever 321 in a first attached state.

In the example shown in FIG. 6 , the attachment portion 3222 of the connecting rod 322 is attached to the second attached portion 3213 of the lever 321 . This state is the second attached state. In the second installed state, the lever 321 is neutral with respect to the air intake valve 313 and the exhaust valve 314 (FIG. 3) when the air spring 23 is compressed to the flat state and has a minimum height (FIG. 4B). When the height of the air spring 23 becomes the minimum height from the predetermined installation height, the height adjustment valve 31 is lowered by the difference d between the installation height and the minimum height.

In the lever 321, the second attached part 3213 used in the second attached state is arranged closer to the height adjustment valve 31 than the first attached part 3212 used in the first attached state. Therefore, when the attachment portion 3222 of the connecting rod 322 is attached to the second attached portion 3213, the connecting rod 322 assumes a posture slightly inclined toward the height adjustment valve 31 side. For example, the connecting rod 322 is inclined toward the height adjustment valve 31 by an angle θ around the support portion 3221 on the lower end side.

Further, in the lever 321, the second attached portion 3213 is arranged above the first attached portion 3212 by an amount equivalent to the difference d in air spring height. Since the rising height of the air spring is usually 30 mm to 40 mm, the height difference between the first attached part 3212 and the second attached part 3213 can be set in the range of 25 mm to 35 mm, for example. As a result, when the attachment part 3222 of the connecting rod 322 is attached to the second attached part 3213 of the lever 321, if the connecting rod 322 has an appropriate length, the lever 321 will be in the neutral position when the air spring 23 is in a punctured state. becomes.

When adjusting the wheel load, the second attachment state is selected as the attachment state of the connecting rod 322 to the lever 321. Specifically, after inserting or removing the air spring liner or shaft spring liner, the height adjustment valve 31 is attached to the vehicle body 10, and the air spring 23 is evacuated, so that the air spring 23 is in a punctured state in advance. (Figure 4B). Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the attachment part 3222 of the connecting rod 322 is attached to the second attached part 3213 of the lever 321, and the connecting rod 322, which is a turnbuckle, for example, is rotated around the axis to extend the length of the connecting rod 322. Adjust the brightness. The length of the connecting rod 322 is adjusted so that the lever 321 is at a neutral position and no air supply/exhaust operation by the height adjustment valve 31 occurs. While adjusting the length of the connecting rod 322, it is preferable to keep the exhaust cock 261 (FIG. 2) of the auxiliary air chamber 26 open.

After the length of the connecting rod 322 has been adjusted, the mounting portion 3222 of the connecting rod 322 is removed from the second mounting portion 3213 of the lever 321 and attached to the first mounting portion 3212. That is, the mounting state of the connecting rod 322 relative to the lever 321 is changed from the second mounting state shown in FIG. 6 to the first mounting state shown in FIG. 5. As a result, when the air spring 23 rises to a predetermined mounting height (FIG. 4A), the lever 321 is in a neutral position relative to the height adjustment valve 31. The connecting rod 322 in the first mounting state is substantially in a vertical position.

[effect]
According to the height adjustment device 30 according to the present embodiment, the attachment state of the connecting rod 322 to the lever 321 can be selectively switched between the first attachment state and the second attachment state. The first mounting state is a normal mounting state, and the second mounting state is a mounting state selected when adjusting the length of the connecting rod 322. When the connecting rod 322 is attached to the lever 321 in the second attached state, the lever 321 can become neutral with respect to the air supply valve 323 and the exhaust valve 324 of the height adjustment valve 31 when the air spring 23 is in a punctured state. . Therefore, by attaching the connecting rod 322 to the lever in the second attachment state, the length of the connecting rod 322 can be adjusted while keeping the air spring 23 in the punctured state. When the air spring 23 is in a punctured state, the air spring 23 is stable and the height does not easily fluctuate, so that the operation of the height adjustment valve 31 caused by the rocking of the vehicle body 10 or the like can be suppressed. Therefore, if the height adjustment valve 31 operates while adjusting the length of the connecting rod 322, it can be clearly understood that this operation is caused by the length of the connecting rod 322. Furthermore, since the height adjustment valve 31 is less likely to operate due to factors other than the length of the connection rod 322, the time spent waiting for the height adjustment valve 31 to stop while adjusting the length of the connection rod 322 is reduced. As a result, the length of the connecting rod 322 can be adjusted accurately in a short time.

In this embodiment, the auxiliary air chamber 26 that communicates with the inside of the air spring 23 is provided with an exhaust cock 261 that can be opened and closed. It is preferable to leave the exhaust cock 261 open while the length of the connecting rod 322 is being adjusted. As a result, even if the height adjustment valve 31 is activated during adjustment of the connecting rod 322 and air is supplied to the air spring 23, the air spring 23 is supplied via the exhaust cock 261 of the auxiliary air chamber 26. Exhaust can be performed. Therefore, the air spring 23 can be stabilized at all times, and the length of the connecting rod 322 can be adjusted more accurately and in a shorter time. Note that by opening the exhaust cock 261 of the auxiliary air chamber 26, the interior of the corresponding air spring 23 is brought to an atmospheric pressure state.

In this embodiment, the lever 321 is provided with a first attached part 3212 used in the first attached state and a second attached part 3213 used in the second attached state. The second attached part 3213 is disposed above the first attached part 3212 and the connection part 3211 with the height adjustment valve 31, and the connection part with the first attached part 3212 in the longitudinal direction of the lever 321. 3211. A through hole 3213a used for attaching the connecting rod 322, for example, is formed in the second attached portion 3213. Such a through hole 3213a can be formed in the lever 321 with high precision, for example, by machining. Therefore, the influence of assembly errors between the lever 321 and the connecting rod 322 on adjustment of the length of the connecting rod 322 can be reduced.

<Second embodiment>
7 and 8 are schematic diagrams for explaining a height adjustment device 30A according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 shows a normal attachment state of the connecting rod 322 to the lever 321A, that is, a first attachment state. FIG. 8 shows an attached state when adjusting the length of the connecting rod 322, that is, a second attached state. The height adjustment device 30A differs from the height adjustment device 30 according to the first embodiment in the configuration of the lever 321A.

In the first embodiment, in the longitudinal direction of the lever 321, the second attached part 3213 for the second attachment state is connected to the connection part 3211 with the height adjustment valve 31, and the first attached part for the first attachment state. 3212. On the other hand, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the second attached part 3213 is arranged farther from the connecting part 3211 than the first attached part 3212 in the longitudinal direction of the lever 321A. has been done. Further, the second attached portion 3213 is located above the connecting portion 3211 and the first attached portion 3212 with the lever 321A extending horizontally.

As shown in FIG. 7, the attachment portion 3222 of the connecting rod 322 is normally attached to the first attached portion 3212 of the lever 321A (first attachment state). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, when adjusting the length of the connecting rod 322, the attachment portion 3222 of the connecting rod 322 is attached to the second attached portion 3213 of the lever 321A (second attachment state). In the lever 321A, since the second attached part 3213 is farther from the height adjustment valve 31 than the first attached part 3212, the connecting rod 322 in the second attached state is slightly on the opposite side from the height adjustment valve 31. The posture will be leaning towards. The connecting rod 322 is inclined at an angle θ toward the side opposite to the height adjustment valve 31 around the support portion 3221 provided by the truck 20 (FIG. 1). The second attached portion 3213 of the lever 321A is located above the first attached portion 3212 by an amount equivalent to the difference d between the air spring height in the raised state and the air spring height in the punctured state. The height difference between the first attached part 3212 and the second attached part 3213 can be set, for example, in the range of 25 mm to 35 mm, as in the first embodiment.

Similar to the first embodiment, when the connecting rod 322 is attached to the lever 321A in the second attachment state, when the air spring 23 is in a punctured state (FIG. 4B), the lever 321A is attached to the height adjustment valve 31. can be neutral. Therefore, if the second attachment state is selected as the attachment state of the connecting rod 322 to the lever 321A, the connecting rod will be moved so that the lever 321A is neutral with respect to the height adjustment valve 31 while the air spring 23 remains in the punctured state. The length of 322 can be adjusted.

In this embodiment, the second attached part 3213 is arranged further away from the connection part 3211 with the height adjustment valve 31 than the first attached part 3212 in the longitudinal direction of the lever 321A. Therefore, when the connecting rod 322 is attached to the second attached part 3213, the rotation angle of the lever 321A due to the expansion and contraction of the connecting rod 322 (connection part 3211) can be made smaller. This allows delicate adjustment of the position of the lever 321A with respect to the height adjustment valve 31. Therefore, the dead zone of the height adjustment valve 31 can be made small, and the influence of the dead zone on wheel load imbalance in one vehicle can be reduced.

<Third embodiment>
9 and 10 are schematic diagrams for explaining a height adjustment device 30B according to the third embodiment. FIG. 9 shows a normal attachment state of the connecting rod 322B to the lever 321B, that is, a first attachment state. FIG. 10 shows an attached state when adjusting the length of the connecting rod 322B, that is, a second attached state. The height adjustment device 30B differs from the height adjustment devices 30 and 30A according to the above embodiments in the configuration of the lever 321B and the connecting rod 322B.

In the height adjustment devices 30 and 30A according to the first and second embodiments, the attachment portion 3222 of the connecting rod 322 is selectively attached to the first attachment portion 3212 or the second attachment portion 3213 of the lever 321, 321A. Configured to be installed. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the connecting rod 322B has a mounting portion 3223 in addition to the mounting portion 3222. That is, the connecting rod 322B has a first attachment part 3222 corresponding to the first attachment part 3212 and a second attachment part 3223 corresponding to the second attachment part 3213.

In the longitudinal direction of the lever 321B, the second attached portion 3213 is arranged between the connection portion 3211 with the height adjustment valve 31 and the first attached portion 3212. However, the second attached part 3213 is arranged slightly below the connecting part 3211 and the first attached part 3212.

In the connecting rod 322B, the second attachment part 3223 is arranged to be shifted in position from the first attachment part 3222 in the longitudinal direction. The second attachment part 3223 is arranged below the first attachment part 3222. The first attachment part 3222 and the second attachment part 3223 each have through holes 3222a and 3223a that penetrate the connecting rod 322B in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction thereof. The through holes 3222a and 3223a penetrate the connecting rod 322B in the left-right direction of the railway vehicle 100 (FIG. 1), for example. The through holes 3222a and 3223a are formed in the connecting rod 322B by machining, for example.

As shown in FIG. 9, in a normal state, the first attachment part 3222 of the connecting rod 322B is attached to the first attached part 3212 of the lever 321B (first attachment state). For example, by overlapping the through hole 3212a of the first attached part 3212 with the through hole 3222a of the first attachment part 3222 and inserting the shaft part of the ball joint into these, the connecting rod 322B is attached to the lever 321B in a bendable manner. .

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, when adjusting the length of the connecting rod 322B, the second attachment part 3223 of the connecting rod 322B is attached to the second attached part 3213 of the lever 321B (second attachment state). For example, by overlapping the through hole 3213a of the second attached part 3213 with the through hole 3223a of the second attachment part 3223 and inserting the shaft part of the ball joint into these, the connecting rod 322B is bendably attached to the lever 321B. . Since the second attached part 3213 of the lever 321B is arranged closer to the height adjustment valve 31 than the first attached part 3212, the connecting rod 322B in the second attached state is slightly moved toward the height adjustment valve 31 side. It becomes a tilted posture. The connecting rod 322B in the second attached state is inclined toward the height adjustment valve 31 by an angle θ around the support portion 3221 on the lower end side.

The second attachment portion 3223 of the connecting rod 322B is located below the first attachment portion 3222 by an amount corresponding to the difference d between the air spring height in the upright state and the air spring height in the punctured state. Since the rising height of the air spring is usually 30 mm to 40 mm, the height difference between the first attached part 3222 and the second attached part 3223 can be set in the range of 25 mm to 35 mm, for example.

Also in this embodiment, when the connecting rod 322B is attached to the lever 321B in the second attachment state, the lever 321B is neutral with respect to the height adjustment valve 31 when the air spring 23 is in a punctured state (FIG. 4B). It can be. Therefore, if the second attachment state is selected as the attachment state of the connecting rod 322B to the lever 321B, the connecting rod will be moved so that the lever 321B is neutral with respect to the height adjustment valve 31 while the air spring 23 remains in the punctured state. The length of 322B can be adjusted.

<Fourth embodiment>
FIGS. 11 and 12 are schematic diagrams for explaining a height adjustment device 30C according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 11 shows a normal attachment state, that is, a first attachment state, of the connecting rod 322C to the lever 321C. FIG. 12 shows an attached state when adjusting the length of the connecting rod 322C, that is, a second attached state.

The height adjustment device 30C according to this embodiment has almost the same configuration as the height adjustment device 30B according to the third embodiment. However, in the height adjustment device 30C, unlike the height adjustment device 30B, the lever 321C has the first attached portion 3212 but does not have the second attached portion 3213.

The first attachment part 3222 and the second attachment part 3223 of the connecting rod 322C share the attached part 3212 of the lever 321C. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, in a normal state, the first attachment part 3222 of the connecting rod 322C is attached to the attached part 3212 of the lever 321C (first attachment state). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12, when adjusting the length of the connecting rod 322C, the second attachment part 3223 of the connecting rod 322C is attached to the attached part 3212 of the lever 321C (second attachment state). The second attachment portion 3223 is located below the first attachment portion 3222 by the difference d in air spring height between the upright state and the punctured state. In this embodiment, the connecting rod 322C has a substantially vertical posture in both the first attached state and the second attached state.

Also in this embodiment, when the connecting rod 322C is attached to the lever 321C in the second attachment state, the lever 321C is neutral with respect to the height adjustment valve 31 when the air spring 23 is in a punctured state (FIG. 4B). It can be. Therefore, if the second attachment state is selected as the attachment state of the connecting rod 322C to the lever 321C, the connecting rod can be adjusted so that the lever 321C is neutral with respect to the height adjustment valve 31 while the air spring 23 remains in the punctured state. The length of 322C can be adjusted.

Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes can be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

For example, in each of the above embodiments, in the second mounting state where the levers 321, 321A, 321B, 321C are neutral when the air spring 23 is in a puncture state, the connecting rod 322, 322B and 322C can be attached. This second attachment state of the connecting rods 322, 322B, and 322C can also be applied to the support portion 3221 on the truck 20 side. That is, when the air spring 23 has a predetermined mounting height, the levers 321, 321A, 321B, and 321C are in a neutral state, and when the air spring 23 is in a punctured state, the levers 321, 321A, 321B, and 321C are in a neutral state. The support portion 3221 on the trolley 20 side may be configured so as to be able to selectively switch between the two states.

In the height adjusting device 30A according to the second embodiment, the second attached portion 3213 of the lever 321A has a through hole 3213a formed by machining. However, as shown in FIG. 13, the second attached portion 3213 of the lever 321A may have a notch 3213b opened at the peripheral edge of the lever 321A instead of the through hole 3213a. Similarly, in the height adjustment device 30 according to the first embodiment and the height adjustment device 30B according to the third embodiment, the second attached portion 3213 of the levers 321, 321B is replaced with the through hole 3213a. It can have a notch 3213b.

In the height adjustment device 30B according to the third embodiment, the second attachment portion 3223 of the connecting rod 322B has a through hole 3223a formed by machining. However, as shown in FIG. 14, the second attachment portion 3223 of the connecting rod 322B may have a notch 3223b opened at the peripheral edge of the connecting rod 322B instead of the through hole 3223a. Similarly, in the height adjustment device 30C according to the fourth embodiment, the second attachment portion 3223 of the connecting rod 322C can have a cutout 3223b instead of the through hole 3223a.

100: Railway vehicle 10: Car body 20: Bogie 23: Air spring 26: Auxiliary air chamber 261: Exhaust port (exhaust cock)
30, 30A, 30B, 30C: Height adjustment device 31: Height adjustment valve 311: Air supply path 312: Exhaust path 313: Air supply valve 314: Exhaust valve 32: Link mechanism 321, 321A, 321B, 321C: Lever 3211 : Connection part 3212, 3213: Attached part 322, 322B, 322C: Connecting rod 3222, 3223: Attachment part

Claims (11)

A height adjustment device for an air spring provided on a bogie of a railway vehicle and supporting the body of the railway vehicle, the device comprising:
an air supply path for supplying air to the air spring; an air supply valve provided in the air supply path; an exhaust path for discharging air from the air spring; and an exhaust gas provided in the exhaust path. a height adjustment valve including a valve;
It is rotatably connected to the height adjustment valve, and when rotated in one direction about the connection part with the height adjustment valve, opens the air supply valve, and when rotated in the opposite direction, the exhaust valve is opened. a lever configured to open; and a connecting rod that is attached to the lever and rotates the lever in response to vertical relative displacement between the vehicle body and the truck caused by expansion or compression of the air spring. a link mechanism including;
Equipped with
The link mechanism is configured such that the connecting rod is attached to the lever,
a first mounting state in which the lever is neutral with respect to the air supply valve and the exhaust valve when the air spring has a predetermined mounting height;
a second mounting state in which the lever is neutral with respect to the air intake valve and the exhaust valve when the air spring is compressed to a flat state and has a minimum height;
A height adjustment device that can be selectively switched. The height adjustment device according to claim 1,
The lever is
a first attached part to which the connecting rod is attached in the first attached state;
a second attached part that is arranged to be shifted in the longitudinal direction of the lever with respect to the first attached part, and to which the connecting rod is attached in the second attached state;
height adjustment device. The height adjustment device according to claim 2,
The connecting rod has an attachment part that is selectively attached to the first attached part or the second attached part,
The second attached part is disposed between the connecting part and the first attached part in the longitudinal direction of the lever, and the second attached part is disposed between the connecting part and the first attached part in the longitudinal direction of the lever. A height adjustment device located above the The height adjustment device according to claim 2,
The connecting rod has an attachment part that is selectively attached to the first attached part or the second attached part,
The second attached part is disposed further away from the connecting part than the first attached part in the longitudinal direction of the lever, and the second attached part is disposed further away from the connecting part than the first attached part in the longitudinal direction of the lever, and the second attached part is disposed further away from the connecting part than the first attached part is in the longitudinal direction of the lever. A height adjustment device located above the The height adjustment device according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
The second attached part is a height adjustment device, wherein the second attached part has a through hole passing through the lever in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The height adjustment device according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
The second attached part is a height adjustment device, wherein the second attached part has a notch that is opened at a peripheral edge of the lever. The height adjustment device according to claim 1 or 2,
The connecting rod is
a first attachment part attached to the lever in the first attachment state;
a second attachment part that is disposed offset from the first attachment part in the longitudinal direction of the connecting rod and is attached to the lever in the second attachment state;
height adjustment device. The height adjustment device according to claim 7,
The second mounting portion is a height adjustment device, wherein the second mounting portion has a through hole that penetrates the connecting rod in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The height adjustment device according to claim 7,
The second mounting portion is a height adjustment device, wherein the second mounting portion has a notch that is opened at a peripheral edge of the connecting rod. A railway vehicle,
The car body and
a truck including an air spring that supports the vehicle body;
The height adjustment device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, which adjusts the height of the air spring.
A railway vehicle equipped with. The railway vehicle according to claim 10,
The said trolley is
an auxiliary air chamber that communicates with the inside of the air spring and has an openable and closable exhaust port;
Railway vehicles, further including.

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