JP7471942B2 - Ball cock operating unit for railroad car piping - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a rotational force transmission mechanism and a ball cock operating unit for railway vehicle piping that is equipped with this rotational force transmission mechanism.

In order to remotely operate equipment from a distant location or to reduce the force required to operate the equipment, a transmission mechanism is used according to the operation required by the equipment. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an operation unit that remotely operates a ball cock installed in a position under the floor of a railway vehicle where direct operation is difficult, from a position that is easy for an operator to operate. Such an operation unit uses a mechanism to transmit the rotational force required to open and close the ball cock from one pulley that rotates by the operator's operation to the other pulley connected to the ball cock.

Patent No. 6689137

Here, the magnitude of the rotational force required by the ball cock operated by the above-mentioned conventional operating unit changes during the operation to switch between the fully open and fully closed states. In other words, a larger rotational force is required at the beginning of rotation when in the fully open or fully closed state, and at the end of rotation approaching the fully open or fully closed state, than in the middle of the rotation, and as a result, the rotational force required to rotate the pulley on the remote control side also becomes heavier. To avoid this, the pulley diameter on the remote control side can be made different from the pulley diameter on the ball cock side, making it possible to operate with a lighter rotational force, but in this case, the rotational angle between the two pulleys is not synchronized, and there is a risk that the remote control side will misjudge the rotational angle required to open and close the ball cock, and the ball cock will not be able to be opened or closed completely.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and its purpose is to change the magnitude of the rotational force transmitted from one pulley to another while synchronizing the rotational angle between the two pulleys.

(Modes of the Invention)
The following aspects of the invention are illustrative of the configuration of the present invention, and are described in terms of items to facilitate understanding of the various configurations of the present invention. Each item does not limit the technical scope of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention may include any embodiment in which some of the components of each item are replaced or deleted, or other components are added, while taking into account the best mode for carrying out the invention.

(1) A rotational force transmission mechanism for transmitting a rotational force from an operating pulley connected via a linear member to a destination pulley, wherein the operating pulley and the destination pulley have the same rotationally symmetric shape in a planar view, with four maximum diameter portions where the distance from the center is greatest and four minimum diameter portions where the distance from the center is smallest, alternately arranged at a phase interval of 45°, and the linear member is connected so as to synchronize the rotational position of the operating pulley and the rotational position of the destination pulley with a phase difference of 45° about the same rotationally symmetric shape .

The rotational force transmission mechanism described in this section transmits rotational force from an operating pulley connected via a linear member to a destination pulley, and the two pulleys have the same rotationally symmetric shape, different from a circle, in a plan view. That is, the same rotationally symmetric shape has four maximum diameter parts that are the greatest distance from the center of each pulley and four minimum diameter parts that are the smallest distance from the center of each pulley, which are alternated at a phase interval of 45°. Therefore, the operating pulley and the destination pulley have two rotational states that alternate every 45° in a plan view: a rotational state in which the outer circumferential position corresponding to the maximum diameter part is located at the 12 o'clock direction, and a rotational state in which the outer circumferential position corresponding to the minimum diameter part is located at the 12 o'clock direction.

The linear member is connected so that the rotational position of the operating pulley and the rotational position of the destination pulley are synchronized with a phase difference of 45° for the same rotationally symmetric shape that they have. In other words, when the operating pulley is in one of the two rotational states described above, the destination pulley is in the other of the two rotational states. As a result, when the outer peripheral position of the operating pulley where the linear member leaves the operating pulley is near the outer peripheral position corresponding to the maximum diameter portion, the outer peripheral position of the destination pulley where the linear member leaves the destination pulley is near the outer peripheral position corresponding to the minimum diameter portion. Therefore, the pulley diameter of the operating pulley is essentially larger than the pulley diameter of the destination pulley, and in this state, a relatively large rotational force is transmitted from the operating pulley to the destination pulley.

In contrast, when the outer peripheral position of the operating pulley where the linear member leaves the operating pulley is near the outer peripheral position corresponding to the minimum diameter portion, the outer peripheral position of the destination pulley where the linear member leaves the destination pulley is near the outer peripheral position corresponding to the maximum diameter portion. Therefore, the pulley diameter of the operating pulley is essentially smaller than the pulley diameter of the destination pulley, and in this state, a relatively small rotational force is transmitted from the operating pulley to the destination pulley. In this way, the relationship between the pulley diameters of the operating pulley and the destination pulley changes in a small phase cycle of 45°, so the magnitude of the rotational force transmitted from the operating pulley to the destination pulley changes in a small cycle. Moreover, since the operating pulley and the destination pulley have the same rotationally symmetrical shape as described above, the rotation angle (rotation amount) is synchronized at least every 45°.

( 2 ) An operation unit for a ball cock incorporated in underfloor piping of a railway vehicle, including the rotational force transmission mechanism of item (1) above, comprising: a stem mounting portion attached to the stem of the ball cock for rotatably driving the stem; and an operation portion for rotatably operating the stem via the stem mounting portion, the stem mounting portion including the destination pulley installed so as to be rotatable integrally with the stem, the operation portion including an operation handle rotatably arranged at a position spaced apart from the stem mounting portion, and the operation pulley installed so as to be rotatable integrally with the operation handle, the linear member being a wire rope having one end connected to the operation pulley and the other end connected to the destination pulley without interfering with any object installed under the floor of the railway vehicle .

The operation unit of the ball cock of the piping for railway vehicles described in this section operates the ball cock incorporated in the underfloor piping of the railway vehicle, and includes the rotational force transmission mechanism of the above section (1) , and further includes a stem mounting part and an operation part. The stem mounting part is mounted on the stem of the ball cock to rotate the stem, and a transmission destination pulley of the rotational force transmission mechanism is installed in the stem mounting part so as to be rotatable together with the stem. The operation part rotates the stem via the stem mounting part, and includes an operation handle and an operation pulley of the rotational force transmission mechanism. The operation handle is rotatably arranged at a position separated from the stem mounting part, and the operation pulley is installed so as to be rotatable together with the operation handle. The linear member of the rotational force transmission mechanism is composed of a wire rope that is routed so as not to interfere with objects installed under the floor of the railway vehicle. That is, one end of the wire rope is connected to the operation pulley, and the other end of the wire rope is connected to the transmission destination pulley.

As a result, the rotational motion of the operating pulley is mechanically transmitted to the destination pulley via the wire rope without relying on any power source, and the rotational motion of the operating handle is transmitted to the stem of the ball cock as a rotational motion that opens and closes the ball cock. Moreover, due to the configuration of the rotational force transmission mechanism as described in (1) above, the magnitude of the rotational force transmitted from the operating pulley to the destination pulley, in other words, the magnitude of the rotational force transmitted from the operating handle to the stem of the ball cock, changes with a phase cycle of 45° while synchronizing the rotational angle. Furthermore, by determining the position of the operating part with operability in mind, the opening and closing operation of the ball cock can be performed at a position that is easy for the worker to operate, regardless of the position of the ball cock in the railway vehicle piping.

( 3 ) In the above ( 2 ), the ball cock is switched between a fully open state and a fully closed state by a rotation operation of approximately 90 degrees, the operating pulley has an initial rotation position set so that the wire rope is wound from the vicinity of the outer circumferential position corresponding to the maximum diameter portion when the ball cock is in the fully open state or the fully closed state, and the destination pulley is in an initial rotation position so that the wire rope is paid out from the vicinity of the outer circumferential position corresponding to the minimum diameter portion when the ball cock is in the fully open state or the fully closed state (Claim 1 ).
The operation unit for a ball cock of a railway vehicle piping described in this section operates a ball cock that can be switched between a fully open state and a fully closed state by a rotation operation of about 90°. The operation pulley provided in the operation unit has an initial rotation position set so that the wire rope is wound from the vicinity of the outer circumferential position corresponding to the maximum diameter portion when the ball cock is in the fully open state or the fully closed state. At this time, the transmission destination pulley installed rotatably integrally with the stem of the ball cock has the same rotational symmetric shape as the operation pulley and has a rotation position synchronized with the rotational position of the operation pulley with a phase difference of 45°, so that when the ball cock is in the same fully open state or the fully closed state, the transmission destination pulley is in an initial rotation position such that the wire rope is paid out from the vicinity of the outer circumferential position corresponding to the minimum diameter portion.

Therefore, when the operating pulley and the destination pulley are in such an initial rotational position, and the operating handle is rotated 90 degrees to set the ball cock in the opposite fully open or fully closed state, the relationship in pulley diameter between the operating pulley and the destination pulley changes as follows. That is, at the start of rotation, the operating pulley has a larger pulley diameter than the destination pulley, the relationship in pulley diameter is reversed midway through the rotation, and at the end of the rotation, the operating pulley again has a larger pulley diameter than the destination pulley. For this reason, at the start of the rotation when the ball cock is in a fully open or fully closed state, and at the end of the rotation when the ball cock is approaching a fully open or fully closed state, a large rotational force associated with the relationship in pulley diameter is transmitted from the operating handle to the stem of the ball cock. Also, at the midway point of the rotation where a large rotational force is not required, a relatively small rotational force associated with the relationship in pulley diameter is transmitted from the operating handle to the stem of the ball cock.

As a result, the operating handle can be operated with a relatively light rotational operating force even at the beginning and end of the rotation of the ball cock stem, where a relatively large rotational force is required, and the maximum rotational operating force required to open and close the ball cock is also reduced. Furthermore, the rotation angles (amount of rotation) of the operating pulley, which rotates integrally with the operating handle, and the transmission pulley, which rotates integrally with the ball cock stem, are synchronized when the ball cock goes from a fully open state to a fully closed state, or from a fully closed state to a fully open state. This prevents the worker operating the operating handle from misjudging the rotation angle required to open or close the ball cock, making it less likely that the rotation angle will be too large or too small, and allows the ball cock to be opened and closed more reliably.

( 4 ) In the above ( 3 ), the identical rotationally symmetric shape is such that the shape line from the maximum diameter portion through the adjacent minimum diameter portion to the next maximum diameter portion forms a circular arc that bulges slightly outward (Claim 2).
In the operation unit of the ball cock of the railway vehicle piping described in this section, the shape line of the same rotationally symmetric shape of the operation pulley and the destination pulley from the maximum diameter part through the adjacent minimum diameter part to the next maximum diameter part is a slightly outwardly bulging arc shape. As a result, the pulley diameter changes gradually between the maximum diameter part and the minimum diameter part, so that the magnitude of the rotational force transmitted from the operation pulley to the destination pulley also changes gradually, and abrupt changes in the rotational force are suppressed. Furthermore, the maximum diameter part corresponding to the position where the ends of the arc-shaped shape lines butt against each other also necessarily has a rounded shape, so that the entire same rotationally symmetric shape has a rounded shape. Therefore, the operation pulley and the destination pulley can smoothly wind and unwind the linear member.

(5) In the above (3) or (4), a ball cock operation unit for railway vehicle piping is provided, the ball cock operation unit having two wire ropes, one end of each of the two wire ropes engaged with rotationally symmetrical positions of the operating pulley, and the other end of each of the two wire ropes engaged with rotationally symmetrical positions of the transmission pulley (Claim 3 ).
The operation unit of the ball cock of the railway vehicle piping described in this section includes two wire ropes as linear members, one end of each of which is engaged with the operation pulley at a rotationally symmetrical position, and the other end of each of the two wire ropes is engaged with the destination pulley at a rotationally symmetrical position. As a result, even if the operation pulley is rotated via the operation handle in either rotation direction for opening or closing the ball cock, the rotational force is more reliably transmitted to the destination pulley via the wire rope of the two wire ropes that is connected to be wound around the operation pulley at that time. Furthermore, the operation handle and the stem of the ball cock are configured to selectively rotate in the same direction or in the opposite directions by intersecting the two wire ropes in the middle of their guide paths and switching the positions of the one ends relative to the operation pulley, or by engaging the two wire ropes so as to switch the positions of the other ends relative to the destination pulley.

(6) In the above items (3) to (5), a ball cock operation unit for railway vehicle piping includes a bracket that holds the wire rope by bending it so as to avoid objects installed under the floor of the railway vehicle, the stem mounting portion includes a stem side housing that houses the destination pulley therein, and the operation portion includes an operation portion side housing that houses the operation pulley therein (Claim 4 ).
In the operation unit for a ball cock of railcar piping described in this section, the bracket that holds the wire rope is used to bend the wire rope to avoid objects installed under the floor of the railcar, so that the route for pulling the wire rope is appropriately set according to the layout of the underfloor equipment of the railcar. Also, since the stem mounting part and the operation part each have a housing, the components of the stem mounting part and the operation part are integrated together by the housing, and one end side or the other end side of the wire rope is guided into each housing. This makes it easy to mount the stem mounting part on the ball cock, and also makes it easy to install the operation part in any position that provides excellent operability for the worker.

Because the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, it is possible to change the magnitude of the transmitted rotational force while synchronizing the rotational angle between the two pulleys.

1 is a plan image diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a rotational force transmission mechanism included in an operation unit of a ball cock of a railway vehicle piping according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A and 2B show how a rotational force is transmitted by the rotational force transmission mechanism of FIG. 1, where (a) is an initial rotational position, and (b) is a rotational position after (a). 2 shows how rotational force is transmitted by the rotational force transmission mechanism of FIG. 1, where (a) is the rotational position after FIG. 2, (b) is the rotational position after (a), and (c) is the rotational position after (b). 1A and 1B show a schematic configuration of an operation unit for a ball cock of a railway vehicle piping according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a perspective view, and FIG. 1B is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 4(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the ball cock operation unit of FIG. 4 installed in underfloor piping of a railway vehicle. FIG.

Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, detailed descriptions of the same or corresponding parts as those in the prior art will be omitted, and the same or corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings.
Fig. 1 shows a schematic structure of a rotational force transmission mechanism 10 included in an operation unit 30 (see Figs. 4 and 5) of a ball cock of a railway vehicle piping according to an embodiment of the present invention. This rotational force transmission mechanism 10 transmits a rotational force from an operation pulley 12 to a destination pulley 14, and the operation pulley 12 and the destination pulley 14 are connected via a linear member 20 that is wound around guide members 22, 24 in the example of Fig. 1. The operation pulley 12 and the destination pulley 14 have the same rotationally symmetric shape 16 in a plan view as shown in Fig. 1.

Each of the same rotationally symmetric shapes 16 has four maximum diameter portions L and four minimum diameter portions S, and each of the maximum diameter portions L has a maximum diameter Lr that is the maximum distance from the center C of the operating pulley 12 and the transmission destination pulley 14, and each of the minimum diameter portions S has a minimum diameter Sr that is the minimum distance from the center C of the operating pulley 12 and the transmission destination pulley 14. Furthermore, the rotationally symmetric shape 16 has the four maximum diameter portions L and the four minimum diameter portions S alternately at a phase interval of 45°. In addition, in the rotationally symmetric shape 16 of this embodiment, the shape line connecting the two maximum diameter portions L located on both sides of the minimum diameter portion S forms an arc shape that bulges slightly outward. Therefore, the rotationally symmetric shape 16 has a shape in which the four corners and four sides of the rectangle are rounded, and the positions corresponding to the four corners are composed of the maximum diameter portions L, and the positions corresponding to the centers of the four sides are composed of the minimum diameter portions S.

The rotational force transmission mechanism 10 is connected by a linear member 20 so that the rotational position of the operating pulley 12 and the rotational position of the destination pulley 14 are synchronized with a phase difference of 45° for the same rotationally symmetric shape 16. That is, in the state of FIG. 1, the operating pulley 12 has four minimum diameter parts S at the rotational positions of 0, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock on the clock face. In contrast, the destination pulley 14 in the state of FIG. 1 has four maximum diameter parts L at the rotational positions of 0, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock on the clock face, and it can be seen that the rotational positions are 45° different compared to the operating pulley 12. This phase relationship is maintained even if the operating pulley 12 and the destination pulley 14 rotate because they are connected by the linear member 20. In addition, including the above explanation, in this specification, explanations of rotational position and direction using time, such as "X o'clock rotational position" and "X o'clock direction", are based on the time position on the clock face, with 0:00 (12:00) at the top, unless otherwise noted.

Next, referring to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, a state in which a rotational force is transmitted from the operating pulley 12 to the destination pulley 14 by the rotational force transmission mechanism 10 will be described using an example in which the operating pulley 12 is rotated 90° counterclockwise. For convenience of explanation, in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, a black circle is added to one of the maximum diameter parts L common to each of the operating pulley 12 and the destination pulley 14 so that the rotational states of the operating pulley 12 and the destination pulley 14 can be seen. First, the operating pulley 12 and the destination pulley 14 in Fig. 2(a) are in the same rotational state as shown in Fig. 1, and the maximum diameter part L marked with a black circle of the operating pulley 12 is in a rotational position between 9 o'clock and 0 o'clock, and the maximum diameter part L marked with a black circle of the destination pulley 14 is in the rotational position of 9 o'clock.

2(a), one end of the linear member 20 is separated from the operating pulley 12 near the outer circumferential position corresponding to the maximum diameter portion L of the operating pulley 12. Therefore, the operating pulley 12 is in a state where it has a pulley diameter Pr that is substantially equal to the maximum diameter Lr. The other end of the linear member 20 is separated from the destination pulley 14 at a position slightly away from the outer circumferential position corresponding to the minimum diameter portion S of the destination pulley 14. Therefore, the destination pulley 14 is in a state where it has a pulley diameter Pr that is slightly larger than the minimum diameter Sr. Therefore, in the state of FIG. 2(a), the actual pulley diameter Pr of the operating pulley 12 is larger than that of the destination pulley 14. Assume that the operating pulley 12 starts to rotate in the counterclockwise direction from the initial rotation position shown in FIG. 2(a).

2(b) is rotated counterclockwise by about 22.5° compared to FIG. 2(a), and one end of the linear member 20 is wound slightly around the outer periphery of the operating pulley 12. As a result, the other end of the linear member 20 is unwound from the outer periphery of the destination pulley 14, and the destination pulley 14 is also rotated counterclockwise. As a result, one end of the linear member 20 is separated from the operating pulley 12 at a position slightly off the outer periphery position corresponding to the maximum diameter portion L of the operating pulley 12. Therefore, the operating pulley 12 is in a state where it has a pulley diameter Pr that is slightly smaller than the maximum diameter Lr. Also, the other end of the linear member 20 is separated from the destination pulley 14 at a position slightly off the outer periphery position corresponding to the maximum diameter portion L of the destination pulley 14. Therefore, the destination pulley 14 is in a state where it has a pulley diameter Pr that is substantially slightly smaller than the maximum diameter Lr. Therefore, the operating pulley 12 and the destination pulley 14 in FIG. 2(b) have substantially the same pulley diameter Pr.

3(a) is rotated counterclockwise by about 22.5° compared to FIG. 2(b), and the black circled maximum diameter portion L of the operating pulley 12 is at the 9 o'clock rotation position, and accordingly, one end side of the linear member 20 is slightly wound around the outer periphery of the operating pulley 12. As a result, the destination pulley 14 is also rotated counterclockwise so that the other end side of the linear member 20 is unwound from the outer periphery of the destination pulley 14, and the black circled maximum diameter portion L of the destination pulley 14 is at a rotation position between 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock. As a result, one end side of the linear member 20 is separated from the operating pulley 12 at a position slightly off the outer periphery position corresponding to the minimum diameter portion S of the operating pulley 12. Therefore, the operating pulley 12 is in a state where it has a pulley diameter Pr that is slightly larger than the minimum diameter Sr. In addition, the other end of the linear member 20 is separated from the destination pulley 14 near the outer circumferential position corresponding to the maximum diameter portion L of the destination pulley 14. Therefore, the destination pulley 14 has a pulley diameter Pr that is substantially equal to the maximum diameter Lr. Therefore, in the state shown in FIG. 3(a), the destination pulley 14 has a larger effective pulley diameter Pr than the operating pulley 12.

Continuing, the operating pulley 12 in FIG. 3(b) is rotated about 22.5° counterclockwise compared to FIG. 3(a), and one end of the linear member 20 is slightly wound around the outer periphery of the operating pulley 12. As a result, the other end of the linear member 20 is unwound from the outer periphery of the destination pulley 14, and the destination pulley 14 is also rotated counterclockwise. As a result, one end of the linear member 20 is separated from the operating pulley 12 at a position slightly off the outer periphery position corresponding to the maximum diameter portion L of the operating pulley 12. Therefore, the operating pulley 12 is in a state where it has a pulley diameter Pr that is slightly smaller than the maximum diameter Lr. Also, the other end of the linear member 20 is separated from the destination pulley 14 at a position slightly off the outer periphery position corresponding to the maximum diameter portion L of the destination pulley 14. Therefore, the destination pulley 14 is in a state where it has a pulley diameter Pr that is substantially slightly smaller than the maximum diameter Lr. Therefore, the operating pulley 12 and the destination pulley 14 in FIG. 3(b) have substantially the same pulley diameter Pr.

Furthermore, the operating pulley 12 in FIG. 3(c) is rotated about 22.5° counterclockwise compared to FIG. 3(b), and the black circled maximum diameter portion L of the operating pulley 12 is in a rotational position between 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock, and accordingly, one end side of the linear member 20 is slightly wound around the outer periphery of the operating pulley 12. As a result, the destination pulley 14 is also rotated counterclockwise so that the other end side of the linear member 20 is unwound from the outer periphery of the destination pulley 14, and the black circled maximum diameter portion L of the destination pulley 14 is in the rotational position of 6 o'clock. As a result, one end side of the linear member 20 is separated from the operating pulley 12 near the outer periphery position corresponding to the maximum diameter portion L of the operating pulley 12. Therefore, the operating pulley 12 is in a state where it has a pulley diameter Pr that is substantially equal to the maximum diameter Lr. In addition, the other end of the linear member 20 is separated from the destination pulley 14 at a position slightly off the outer circumferential position corresponding to the minimum diameter portion S of the destination pulley 14. Therefore, the destination pulley 14 has a pulley diameter Pr that is slightly larger than the minimum diameter Sr in effect. Therefore, in the state shown in FIG. 3(c), the actual pulley diameter Pr of the operating pulley 12 is larger than that of the destination pulley 14.

2(a) to 3(c), the operation pulley 12 is rotated 90° counterclockwise, and the rotational force is transmitted to the destination pulley 14 as a force in the pulling direction of the linear member 20, and the destination pulley 14 is also rotated 90° counterclockwise. During this time, it can be seen that the relationship in the effective pulley diameter Pr between the operation pulley 12 and the destination pulley 14 changes. Thereafter, the operation pulley 12 may continue to rotate counterclockwise to continue transmitting the rotational force to the destination pulley 14. Alternatively, the roles of the operation pulley 12 and the destination pulley 14 may be swapped, and the destination pulley 14 may be rotated clockwise to transmit a rotational force to the operation pulley 12 that also rotates clockwise.

Furthermore , the rotational force transmission mechanism 10 may be connected by two linear members 20 that are wound around the outer peripheries of the operation pulley 12 and the destination pulley 14 from opposite directions so as to transmit rotational forces in both counterclockwise and clockwise directions from the operation pulley 12 to the destination pulley 14. Alternatively, an endless linear member 20 that engages with the outer peripheries of the operation pulley 12 and the destination pulley 14 may be wound around the outer peripheries of the operation pulley 12 and the destination pulley 14. Furthermore, as long as the rotational force transmission mechanism 10 has four maximum diameter portions L and four minimum diameter portions S alternately arranged at phase intervals of 45°, the same rotationally symmetric shape 16 of the operation pulley 12 and the destination pulley 14 may be different from that shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

Next, a description will be given of a ball cock operation unit 30 for railway vehicle piping according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is provided with the above -mentioned torque transmission mechanism 10, with reference to FIGS.
First, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the operation unit 30 of a ball cock for railway vehicle piping includes, in addition to the torque transmission mechanism 10 as shown in Figure 1, a stem mounting part 32 that is mounted on a stem 82 of a ball cock 80 and rotates the stem 82, and an operation part 46 that rotates the stem 82 via the stem mounting part 32. Note that the ball cock 80 in this embodiment is installed so as to open and close between two straight pipes 84 connected via the ball cock 80, and can be switched between a fully open state and a fully closed state by rotating it by approximately 90 degrees.

The stem mounting part 32 includes the destination pulley 14 of the torque transmission mechanism 10, which is rotatably installed together with the stem 82, and a stem-side housing 36 that houses the destination pulley 14. The central axes of the stem 82 and the destination pulley 14 are aligned, and the drums 34 at the other ends of the two wire ropes 20A and 20B, which are linear members 20 of the torque transmission mechanism 10, are engaged with the destination pulley 14 at rotationally symmetric positions. More specifically, the drums 34 at the other ends of the wire ropes 20A and 20B are engaged with the two minimum diameter portions S at rotationally symmetric positions of the rotationally symmetric shape 16 of the destination pulley 14. The wire ropes 20A and 20B are each looped around the outer circumference of the destination pulley 14 and a pair of block-shaped guide members 24, which are arranged adjacent to the destination pulley 14 in the illustrated example, and are guided to the outside of the stem-side housing 36.

The stem side housing 36 of the stem mounting part 32 is provided with a cover 38, and the components housed therein, such as the destination pulley 14 and the guide member 24, are covered and concealed by the cover 38. The stem side housing 36 is fixed to the body of the ball cock 80, etc., by an appropriate stay (not shown). Furthermore, the stem mounting part 32 in the illustrated example is provided with a stem side handle 40 that is attached rotatably together with the stem 82 and exposed to the outside of the stem side housing 36. If the length of the stem 82 is insufficient to attach the destination pulley 14 or the stem side handle 40, the length of the stem 82 can be extended by using an appropriate structure.

The operating unit 46 includes an operating handle 50 rotatably arranged at a position separated from the stem mounting portion 32, an operating pulley 12 of the rotational force transmission mechanism 10 rotatably installed together with the operating handle 50, and an operating unit side housing 52 that houses the operating pulley 12. The rotation axis of the operating handle 50 and the central axis of the operating pulley 12 coincide with each other, and the drums 48 at one end of the two wire ropes 20A and 20B are engaged with the rotationally symmetrical positions of the operating pulley 12. More specifically, the drums 48 at one end of the wire ropes 20A and 20B are engaged with the vicinity of the two maximum diameter portions L at the rotationally symmetrical positions of the rotationally symmetrical shape 16 of the operating pulley 12. The wire ropes 20A and 20B are each wrapped around the outer periphery of the operating pulley 12 and a pair of block-shaped guide members 22 arranged adjacent to the operating pulley 12, in the illustrated example, and are guided to the outside of the operating unit side housing 52. The operating unit housing 52 also has a cover 54, and the components housed therein, such as the operating pulley 12 and the guide member 22, are covered and hidden by the cover 54. As shown in FIG. 6, the operating unit housing 52 is fixed to a dedicated support member 72 made of steel or to an appropriate underfloor installation object by stays 68 and 70.

The wire ropes 20A and 20B are curved to avoid objects installed under the floor of the railcar. One end of the wire ropes 20A and 20B is guided into the inside of the operating unit housing 52 and connected to the operating pulley 12, and is connected to the operating handle 50 via the operating pulley 12. The other end of the wire ropes 20A and 20B is guided into the inside of the stem side housing 36 and connected to the transmission destination pulley 14, and is connected to the stem 82 via the transmission destination pulley 14. These wire ropes 20A and 20B are covered with a protective tube 60 made of a synthetic resin material, a metal mesh, or the like, and both ends of the protective tube 60 are provided with attachments 62 that are detachably attached to the corresponding through holes of the wire ropes 20A and 20B in the stem side housing 36 and the operating unit side housing 52.

In the state of Fig. 4, the ball cock 80 is in a fully closed state, and at this time, the operating pulley 12, as can be seen in Fig. 5, is in a rotational position in which the wire rope 20B is wound from near the outer circumferential position corresponding to the maximum diameter portion L. Then, the operating pulley 12 is rotated 90° clockwise from this state via the operating handle 50, and the destination pulley 14 is rotated 90° clockwise mainly by the force in the pulling direction of the wire rope 20B, and the ball cock 80 is brought into a fully open state. In other words, the operating pulley 12 in Fig. 5 is in a state equivalent to the operating pulley 12 in Fig. 3(c) after being rotated 90° counterclockwise. Furthermore, when changing the ball cock 80 from a fully open state to a fully closed state, the operating pulley 12, which is in the state shown in FIG. 2(a), is rotated 90° counterclockwise via the operating handle 50, and the destination pulley 14 is rotated 90° counterclockwise mainly by the force in the pulling direction of the wire rope 20A (corresponding to the linear member 20 in FIGS. 2 and 3).

As shown in Fig. 6, the ball cock operation unit 30 includes a bracket 64 that holds the wire rope 20 curved to avoid objects installed under the floor of the railway vehicle. This bracket 64 extends along the route of the wire rope 20 and is arranged closer to the end of the railway vehicle (closer to the front of the paper in Fig. 6) with respect to the wire rope 20. In the illustrated example, two brackets 64A and 64B made of appropriately curved plate material are used, and these brackets 64A and 64B are appropriately fixed to the underfloor structure 86 of the railway vehicle (part of which is shown in Fig. 6). Then, an appropriate position of the middle part of the wire rope 20 is fixed to the brackets 64A and 64B by a plurality of appropriate mounting brackets (not shown) attached to the brackets 64A and 64B. A plurality of openings 66 for mounting the mounting brackets are formed in the brackets 64A and 64B, and the position of the mounting brackets can be adjusted as appropriate. Additionally, bracket 64B is fixed to support member 72, and stay 70 is fixed to bracket 64B.

The shapes of the illustrated components, such as the stem side housing 36, the operating unit side housing 52, the bracket 64, the support member 72, and the like, are merely examples, and the shapes are appropriately determined for each vehicle in which the ball cock operating unit 30 is installed. In addition, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the operating handle 50 and the stem side handle 40 are configured to rotate in the same direction as the wire ropes 20A and 20B and the operating pulley 12 and the transmission destination pulley 14. However, in consideration of operability, it is also possible to configure the operating handle 50 and the stem side handle 40 to rotate in the opposite directions. In this case, the wire ropes 20A and 20B may be crossed midway along their guide paths to switch the position of the drum 48 relative to the operating pulley 12, or to engage so as to switch the position of the drum 34 at the other end relative to the transmission destination pulley 14.

According to the embodiment of the present invention having the above-mentioned configuration, the following effects can be obtained. That is, the rotational force transmission mechanism 10 included in the operation unit 30 of the ball cock of the piping for a railway vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention transmits a rotational force from the operation pulley 12 connected via the linear member 20 to the destination pulley 14 as shown in Fig. 1, and the two pulleys 12, 14 have the same rotationally symmetric shape 16 different from a circle in a plan view. That is, the same rotationally symmetric shape 16 has four maximum diameter parts L that are the maximum distance from the center C of each pulley 12, 14 and four minimum diameter parts S that are the minimum distance from the center C of each pulley 12, 14, which are alternately arranged at a phase interval of 45°. Therefore, the operation pulley 12 and the destination pulley 14 are substantially in two rotational states alternately appearing every 45° in a plan view, for example, a rotational state in which the outer circumferential position corresponding to the maximum diameter part L is located in the 12 o'clock direction and a rotational state in which the outer circumferential position corresponding to the minimum diameter part S is located in the 12 o'clock direction.

The linear member 20 is connected so as to synchronize the rotational position of the operation pulley 12 and the rotational position of the destination pulley 14 with a phase difference of 45° for the same rotationally symmetrical shape 16 that they have. That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, when the outer peripheral position corresponding to the minimum diameter part S of the operation pulley 12 is located in the 12 o'clock direction, the outer peripheral position corresponding to the maximum diameter part L of the destination pulley 14 is located in the 12 o'clock direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2(a) and FIG. 3(c), when the outer peripheral position of the operation pulley 12 where the linear member 20 leaves the operation pulley 12 is near the outer peripheral position corresponding to the maximum diameter part L, the outer peripheral position of the destination pulley 14 where the linear member 20 leaves the destination pulley 14 is near the outer peripheral position corresponding to the minimum diameter part S. Therefore, the pulley diameter Pr of the operation pulley 12 is substantially larger than the pulley diameter Pr of the destination pulley 14, and in this state, a relatively large rotational force is transmitted from the operation pulley 12 to the destination pulley 14.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3(a), when the outer peripheral position of the operating pulley 12 where the linear member 20 leaves the operating pulley 12 is near the outer peripheral position corresponding to the minimum diameter portion S, the outer peripheral position of the destination pulley 14 where the linear member 20 leaves the destination pulley 14 is near the outer peripheral position corresponding to the maximum diameter portion L. Therefore, the pulley diameter Pr of the operating pulley 12 is substantially smaller than the pulley diameter Pr of the destination pulley 14, and in this state, a relatively small rotational force is transmitted from the operating pulley 12 to the destination pulley 14. In this way, the magnitude relationship of the pulley diameters Pr of the operating pulley 12 and the destination pulley 14 can be changed in a small phase cycle of 45°, so that the magnitude of the rotational force transmitted from the operating pulley 12 to the destination pulley 14 can also be changed in a small cycle. Moreover, since the operating pulley 12 and the destination pulley 14 have the same rotationally symmetric shape 16 as described above, the rotation angle (rotation amount) can be synchronized at least every 45°.

1 to 3 , the rotational force transmission mechanism 10 has a shape line of the same rotational symmetric shape 16 of the operation pulley 12 and the destination pulley 14, from the maximum diameter part L through the adjacent minimum diameter part S to the next maximum diameter part L, which is a slightly outwardly bulging arc shape. As a result, the pulley diameter Pr changes gradually between the maximum diameter part L and the minimum diameter part S, so that the magnitude of the rotational force transmitted from the operation pulley 12 to the destination pulley 14 also changes gradually, and abrupt changes in the rotational force can be suppressed. Furthermore, the maximum diameter part L, which corresponds to the position where the ends of the arc-shaped shape lines butt against each other, also necessarily has a rounded shape, so that the entire same rotational symmetric shape 16 has a rounded shape. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly wind and unwind the linear member 20 by the operation pulley 12 and the destination pulley 14.

On the other hand, the operation unit 30 of the ball cock of the railway vehicle piping according to the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, operates the ball cock 80 installed in the underfloor piping of the railway vehicle, and includes the rotational force transmission mechanism 10 as described above, and further includes a stem mounting part 32 and an operation part 46. The stem mounting part 32 is mounted on the stem 82 of the ball cock 80 and drives the stem 82 to rotate, and the transmission destination pulley 14 of the rotational force transmission mechanism 10 is installed in the stem mounting part 32 so as to be rotatable together with the stem 82. The operation part 46 rotates the stem 82 via the stem mounting part 32, and includes an operation handle 50 and an operation pulley 12 of the rotational force transmission mechanism 10. The operation handle 50 is rotatably arranged at a position separated from the stem mounting part 32, and the operation pulley 12 is installed so as to be rotatable together with the operation handle 50. The linear member 20 of the torque transmission mechanism 10 is composed of a wire rope 20 that is routed so as not to interfere with objects installed under the floor of the railway vehicle. That is, one end of the wire rope 20 is connected to the operating pulley 12, and the other end of the wire rope 20 is connected to the destination pulley 14.

As a result, the rotational motion of the operating pulley 12 is mechanically transmitted to the destination pulley 14 via the wire rope 20 without relying on any power source, so that the rotational motion of the operating handle 50 can be transmitted to the stem 82 of the ball cock 80 as a rotational motion for opening and closing the ball cock 80. Moreover, the configuration of the rotational force transmission mechanism 10 as shown in Figures 1 to 3 makes it possible to change the magnitude of the rotational force transmitted from the operating pulley 12 to the destination pulley 14, in other words, the magnitude of the rotational force transmitted from the operating handle 50 to the stem 82 of the ball cock 80, while synchronizing the rotational angle with a phase cycle of 45°. Furthermore, by determining the position of the operating unit 46 in consideration of operability, it becomes possible to open and close the ball cock 80 at a position that is easy for the worker to operate, regardless of the position of the ball cock 80 in the railway vehicle piping.

Furthermore, the ball cock operation unit 30 for railway vehicle piping according to the embodiment of the present invention operates a general ball cock 80 that can be switched between a fully open state and a fully closed state by a rotation operation of about 90°. As shown in FIG. 2(a) and FIG. 5, for example, the operation pulley 12 provided in the operation unit 46 has an initial rotation position set so that the wire rope 20 (20B) is wound from the vicinity of the outer circumferential position corresponding to the maximum diameter portion L when the ball cock 80 is in the fully open state or the fully closed state. At this time, the transmission destination pulley 14, which is installed so as to be rotatable integrally with the stem 82 of the ball cock 80, is in an initial rotation position such that the wire rope 20 (20B) is unwound from the vicinity of the outer circumferential position corresponding to the minimum diameter portion S when the ball cock 80 is in the same fully open state or the fully closed state, since the rotation positions of the transmission destination pulley 14 are synchronized with the operation pulley 12 with a phase difference of 45° about the same rotationally symmetric shape 16.

Therefore, when the operating pulley 12 and the destination pulley 14 are in such an initial rotational position, and the operating handle 50 is rotated 90 degrees to set the ball cock 80 in the opposite fully open or fully closed state, the relationship in size between the pulley diameters Pr of the operating pulley 12 and the destination pulley 14 changes as follows. That is, at the start of rotation as shown in FIG. 2(a), the pulley diameter Pr of the operating pulley 12 is larger than that of the destination pulley 14, and the relationship in size between the pulley diameters Pr is reversed in the middle of rotation as shown in FIG. 3(a), and at the end of rotation as shown in FIG. 3(c), the pulley diameter Pr of the operating pulley 12 becomes larger than that of the destination pulley 14 again. Therefore, at the start of rotation where the ball cock 80 is in a fully open or fully closed state, or at the end of rotation where the ball cock 80 is approaching a fully open or fully closed state, a large rotational force according to the relationship in size between the pulley diameters Pr can be transmitted from the operating handle 50 to the stem 82 of the ball cock 80. Also, in the midway point where a large rotational force is not required, a relatively small rotational force according to the magnitude relationship of the pulley diameter Pr is transmitted from the operating handle 50 to the stem 82 of the ball cock 80.

This allows the operating handle 50 to be operated with a relatively light rotational operating force even at the beginning and end of the rotation of the stem 82 of the ball cock 80, where a relatively large rotational force is required, and at the same time, the maximum rotational operating force required to open and close the ball cock 80 can be suppressed. Furthermore, the rotation angle (amount of rotation) of the operating pulley 12, which rotates integrally with the operating handle 50, and the transmission pulley 14, which rotates integrally with the stem 82 of the ball cock 80, are synchronized when the ball cock 80 goes from a fully open state to a fully closed state, or from a fully closed state to a fully open state. This prevents the operator operating the operating handle 50 from misjudging the rotation angle required to open and close the ball cock 80, making it less likely that the rotation angle will be too large or too small, making it possible to open and close the ball cock 80 more reliably.

As shown in Fig. 5, the ball cock operation unit 30 for railway vehicle piping according to the embodiment of the present invention includes two wire ropes 20A and 20B as the linear member 20, and one end of each of the two wire ropes 20A and 20B is engaged with the operating pulley 12 at a rotationally symmetrical position, and the other end of each of the two wire ropes 20A and 20B is engaged with the destination pulley 14 at a rotationally symmetrical position. As a result, even if the operating pulley 12 is rotated via the operating handle 50 in either rotation direction that opens or closes the ball cock 80, the rotational force can be more reliably transmitted to the destination pulley 14 via the wire rope 20A or 20B that is connected to be wound around the operating pulley 12 at that time. Furthermore, by intersecting the two wire ropes 20A, 20B midway along their guide paths and swapping the positions of their respective ends relative to the operating pulley 12, or by engaging them to swap the positions of their respective other ends relative to the destination pulley 14, it is possible to configure the operating handle 50 and the stem 82 of the ball cock 80 to selectively rotate in the same direction or in opposite directions.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 6, the ball cock operation unit 30 for railroad vehicle piping according to the embodiment of the present invention can be curved by the bracket 64 that holds the wire rope 20 to avoid objects installed under the floor of the railroad vehicle, so that the route of the wire rope 20 can be appropriately set according to the layout of the underfloor equipment of the railroad vehicle. In addition, since the stem mounting part 32 and the operation part 46 each have a housing 36, 52, the components of the stem mounting part 32 and the operation part 46 can be integrated by the housing 36, 52, and one end side or the other end side of the wire rope 20 is guided into each housing 36, 52. This allows the stem mounting part 32 to be easily attached to the ball cock 80, and the operation part 46 can be easily installed in any position that provides excellent operability for the worker.

10: Rotational force transmission mechanism, 12: Operation pulley, 14: Destination pulley, 16: Same rotationally symmetric shape, 20: Linear member, 20A, 20B: Wire rope, 30: Ball cock operation unit for railroad vehicle piping, 32: Stem mounting part, 36: Stem side housing, 46: Operation part, 50: Operation handle, 52: Operation part side housing, 64 (64A, 64B): Bracket, 80: Ball cock, 82: Stem, C: Center of pulley, L: Maximum diameter part, S: Minimum diameter part

Claims (4)

A ball cock operation unit incorporated in underfloor piping of a railway vehicle, the ball cock operation unit including a rotational force transmission mechanism for transmitting a rotational force from an operation pulley connected via a linear member to a transmission destination pulley,
a stem mounting portion that is mounted on the stem of the ball cock and rotates the stem, and an operating portion that rotates the stem via the stem mounting portion,
the operating pulley and the transmission destination pulley have the same rotationally symmetric shape in a plan view, and each of the four maximum diameter portions, which are the maximum distance from the center, and the four minimum diameter portions, which are the minimum distance from the center, are alternately arranged at phase intervals of 45°,
the linear member is connected so as to synchronize a rotational position of the operation pulley and a rotational position of the transmission destination pulley with a phase difference of 45° with respect to the same rotationally symmetric shape ,
the stem mounting portion includes the transmission pulley that is rotatably mounted together with the stem,
the operation unit includes an operation handle rotatably disposed at a position separated from the stem mounting unit, and the operation pulley rotatably disposed integrally with the operation handle,
the linear member is a wire rope having one end connected to the operation pulley and the other end connected to the transmission destination pulley without interfering with any object installed under the floor of the railway vehicle,
The ball cock is switched between a fully open state and a fully closed state by rotating it about 90 degrees.
an initial rotational position of the operation pulley is set so that the wire rope is wound from the vicinity of an outer circumferential position corresponding to the maximum diameter portion when the ball cock is in a fully open state or a fully closed state;
A ball cock operating unit for railway vehicle piping, characterized in that the transmission pulley is in an initial rotational position such that the wire rope is paid out from near the outer circumferential position corresponding to the minimum diameter portion when the ball cock is in a fully open or fully closed state . The ball cock operating unit for railway vehicle piping as described in claim 1, characterized in that the identical rotationally symmetric shape has a shape line from the maximum diameter portion through the adjacent minimum diameter portion to the next maximum diameter portion that forms a slightly outwardly bulging arc. 3. A ball cock operating unit for railway vehicle piping as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises two wire ropes, one end of each of the two wire ropes is engaged with a rotationally symmetrical position of the operating pulley, and the other end of each of the two wire ropes is engaged with a rotationally symmetrical position of the transmission pulley. a bracket for holding the wire rope while bending it so as to avoid objects installed under the floor of a railway vehicle;
A ball cock operating unit for railway vehicle piping as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the stem mounting portion has a stem side housing that houses the transmission pulley therein, and the operating portion has an operating portion side housing that houses the operating pulley therein .

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