MXPA06008039A - Movable point frog switching assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A lost motion apparatus for adapting a typical in-tie switch machine, designed for use with interconnected switch points, to be used as an in-tie machine for moving the movable V-point of a movable point frog assembly.

Description

ASSEMBLY OF SWITCHING OF MOBILE POINT BIFURCATION CROSS REFERENCE WITH RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is based on the Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60, 629,178, filed on November 17, 2004, and entitled "MOVABLE POINT FROG SWITCHING ASSEMBLY".

DECLARATION REGARDING RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT WITH FEDERAL SPONSORSHIP Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to railroad switching machines, and more particularly, to devices that are used to move the rail end points of movable point mounts or mobile V-points of bifurcation mounts. mobile point.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As shown in Figure 1, railway track switching point assemblies include two track end points having tapered rail profiles, with the ability to deviate to move between two different positions, in order to to facilitate the correct alignment of the track components for the desired path of rolling wagons through the switching point assembly. The point assembly has two movable or deflecting end points A that move in unison with one another between a first and a second alternative positions. The track end points A are often interconnected, as by means of an interconnecting link IL. In a first alternative position, a first of the movable rail end points A can be aligned with a first rail car C fixed to facilitate the passage of rolling wagons directly through the switching point on a first set of fixed rails. In a second alternative position, the second mobile track end point A can be aligned with a second fixed car rail C to facilitate the passage of the rolling wagons on a second set of fixed rails, such as to deflect the rolling wagon to a side. In Figure 1, for example, the right-hand point A is in contact with the right car rail C. The remote ends of the two deflecting rails almost intersect, near the location where the second set of fixed rails deviates from the first set of fixed rails. Typically, a motor unit MU drives the switching machine SM, which moves two connecting rods CR to the right or to the left, in unison to move the end points A of the rail. The motor unit and the switching machine can be installed in a housing H which is adapted to replace the railway junction, referred to as a "junction" installation. At the ends of the rails that can be deflected where they almost intersect, it is necessary to provide a means for the edges of the wheels of the rolling car to cross on the fixed rail C, which is not continuous and passes one of the rails that they can be diverted over the desired group of fixed rails. The bifurcation assemblies are used for this purpose, where the left rail of a group of rails, beyond the fork assembly, and the right rail of the other rail group, beyond the fork assembly, form the "point V "adjacent to the point where the bypass rails intersect. At this point, the rails at the remote ends of the diverting switch point can form "wing rails" on either side of point V. Some of the fork mounts may have a fixed point V, a fixed wing rail, and A deflection wing rail that can be deflected as the wheel edges pass through them, allowing the rolling car to follow the desired set of fixed rails. These are the "fixed point" bifurcation assemblies. Also, other branch mounts may have fixed wing rails and a bypass or mobile point V that can be aligned with any of the wing rails, in accordance with the desired travel of the rolling car. These are usually called "mobile point" bifurcation mounts. The state of the art includes several switching point machines for movements at the dividing point of the railway tracks. For example, EP 1,245,469, Biagiotti discloses such switching point machine. Such mechanisms are normally installed at the switching point, and are typically applied only to move the end points of the split rail of the switching point assembly. For reliability and operational safety, it is common to detect the positions of the end points of the rail, typically with proximity sensors. Known link switching machines can not be installed under the movable point branch assembly and are used to move the mobile point V. Rather, the switching machines for the mobile point bifurcation application are installed on one side of the track, at a certain distance from the point V. As a result, proximity sensors must be placed near the link elements that are far from the point V, which results in less accuracy and less reliability. One difficulty in adapting any known joint switching machine for use in moving the V point of the bifurcation mount of the moving point is that the switching points and the mobile points V are designed for different lengths of travel. That is, the switching points are designed for a path length of 12.06 cm, while point V of the bifurcation assembly of the moving point is designed for a path length of 7.62 cm. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a simple type of linking mechanism, which can be used to adapt a typical switching machine to move the diverting point V of a moving point fork assembly. The use of the same type of switching machine in a joint installation, to move one of the switching points or point V, will simplify the maintenance and operation of the apparatus with a certain change. In addition, the provision of a junction switching machine for mobile point bifurcation applications will allow placement of proximity sensors near the point V, but within the attachment housing of the apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a joining apparatus that can be coupled with a typical switching machine designed to interconnect the switching points to adapt the switching machine to be used to move the point V of the fork bifurcation assembly. mobile. A displacement yoke is mounted on the ends of the connecting rods projecting from the switching machine, to move in unison with the connecting rods. The sliding yoke is connected to one end of a connecting rod that moves longitudinally, in unison with the sliding yoke. The movable point v of the bifurcation assembly is mounted on a displacement plate which is mounted so that it can slide transversely relative to the runway rails. Proximity sensors can be mounted inside the housing and placed near the two alternative positions of point V or near the two end positions of the displacement plate, to detect the actual position of point V. The displacement plate is mounted on rotating shape with one end of a sliding fork. The arrow on the travel fork is slidably mounted in a hole through a fork support block. The fork support block is mounted rigidly with the connecting rod. The shift fork and the fork support block are adapted to shorten the travel of the switching machine to make it suitable for moving the point V of the fork assembly. This is achieved by having the fork arrow slid into the hole in the fork support block. Two fork seals are fixedly mounted on the fork shaft, with the fork seals positioned apart, at the distance required for the fork support block to travel 4.44 cm from one fork retainer to the other retainer of the fork, without moving the sliding fork. The separation between the fork seals provides 4.44 cm of "clearance" or "lost motion" in the coupling of the connecting rod to the shift fork. The novel features of the invention, as well as the invention itself, will be better understood from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the following description, in which similar characters refer to like parts and in which: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a typical installation of a prior art switching machine for interconnected switching points. Figure 2 is a schematic view of the apparatus of the present invention. Figure 3 is a partial sectional view of the apparatus of Figure 1, showing the coupling of the connecting rod to the displacement fork. Figure 4 is an elevated view of the slider yoke for use in the apparatus of Figure 2. Figure 5 is a perspective view of a connecting rod for use in the apparatus of Figure 2. Figure 6, 7 and 8 show the details of the fork support block for use in the apparatus of Figure 2. Figure 9 is a sectional view showing the mounting of the fork detents on the arrow of the shift fork. Figure 10 is a perspective view of a displacement fork for use with the apparatus of Figure 2; and Figure 11 is a perspective view of a displacement plate for mounting the point V.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As shown in Figure 2, the apparatus 10 of the present invention includes an attachment housing H adapted for the replacement of a railway junction, for placing and supporting the rail C of the car and the point V VP and the wing WR rails of a movable point fork assembly. An engine MU unit is adapted to drive a typical SM switching machine designed to operate interconnected switching points. Both the motor unit MU and the switching machine SM can be contained within the housing H. A pair of connection rods CR protrude from the switching machine SM, one from each end. A sliding yoke 12, seen in more detail in Figure 4, is bolted at the ends of the CR connecting rods 26 of the yoke, so that the sliding yoke 12 moves to the left or right as the rods move. CR connection. A connecting rod 14, seen in more detail in Figure 5, is positioned horizontally within the housing H, in substantial alignment with the connecting rods CR. One end of the connecting bar 14 is bolted in a rotatable manner with one end of the yoke 12 sliding by the connecting bolt 42. The connection bolt 42 passes through the hole 44 at the end of the connecting rod 14. The mobile point V VP is mounted on a displacement plate 20, seen in more detail in Figure 11. The point V VP can be mounted in the bolt holes 68 in the displacement plate 20. Two left proximity sensors 70 and two right proximity sensors 72 can be mounted inside the housing H and positioned, as shown to detect when the shift plate 20 is in its left or right position.

This provides an independent indication of the actual position of point V. Alternatively, proximity sensors can be mounted near the actual end positions of point V itself, or near the end positions of any other sture that can be mounted fixed at point V. The displacement plate 20 may be supported by one or more support plates 22, as required to allow the displacement plate and point V VP to move left and right. A hole 66 at the other end of the displacement plate 20 is bolted in a rotatable manner with a shift fork 18, seen in more detail in Figure 10. That is, the displacement plate 20 fits within a groove 62 of the head 60 of the fork of the shift fork 18. An orifice 64 is provided through the head 60 for receiving a fork bolt 38, best shown in Figure 3, to secure the displacement plate 20 with the shift fork 18. A fork support block 16, seen in more detail in Figures 6 and 7, is assembled with the connecting rod 14. The fork support block 16 slidably connects the threaded shaft 19 of the displacement fork 18 with the connecting rod 14. As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the fork support block 16 nevertheless mounts in a notch 46 in the connecting rod 14. A mounting post 50 in the fork support block 16 is retained in a hole 48 of the bolt through the connecting rod 14, in the notch 46, by a lock nut 28 of the block. The connecting rod 14 can be slidably supported within the housing H by two or more brackets 24. As shown in Figure 3, the left and right fork detents 30, 32 are mounted fixed with the threaded arrow 19 of the fork. the shift fork 18 when being screwed in with it, and held in place longitudinally by nuts 36, 34 left and right of fastening, which are screwed with the arrow 19. As an alternative to the arrow 19 of the fork 18, other means may be provided such as bolts for fixedly engaging the fork detents 30, 32 with the arrow 19. As shown in Figure 8, the body 52 of the fork support block 16 has a through hole 54 for the passage of the arrow 19 of the shift fork 18. Figure 8 also shows that the orifice 54 has concave essentially spherical edges 56. These concave surfaces essentially receive the substantially spherical concave surfaces 58, 59 at the fork seals 30, 32. The distance between the spherical surfaces 58, 59 is adjusted by moving the fork detents 30, 32 towards or away from each other, and fixing them in place with the fastening nuts 36, 34. This distance is selected so that the fork support block 16 moves a distance of 4.44 cm from one fork retainer to the other. Both fork detents 30, 32 can be moved left or right, to properly align point V VP with wing rails WR at the ends of the travel. The switching machine SM is shown at the right end of its travel, and the point V VP is in contact with the right wing WR rail. It can be seen that when the motor unit MU drives the switching SM machine through its full 12.06 cm travel to the left, the first 4.44 cm of the movement of the connecting rod will be "lost" as the block 16 of The fork bracket will move 4.44 cm from the detent 32 of the right fork to the left fork retainer 30 before the shift fork 18 begins to move. After this, the last 7.62 cm of the movement of the connecting bar 14 will move the point V VP by 7.62 cm, from the contact with the right wing WR rail to the contact with the left wing rail WR. As point V VP moves to the left or to the right, actually it will follow a larger diameter arc, since the far end of the V point is basically fixed. This causes the displacement plate 20 to rotate slightly in the horizontal plane, as it moves longitudinally. This will cause the bolt hole 66 in the displacement plate 20 to follow an arc, which causes the head 60 of the shift fork 18 to also move transverse to the axis of the displacement fork, as it moves in shape. longitudinal. To prevent this from causing mechanism jamming, the orifice 54 of the arrow of the fork support block 16 is formed sufficiently large, elliptical and concave, spherical edges 56 to allow the arrow 19 of the shift fork 18 to rotate inside the arrow hole 54 without sticking.

Claims (10)

1. A joining apparatus for moving a mobile point V of a railway switching point apparatus, the joining apparatus is characterized in that it comprises: a housing with the dimensions and measures for replacing a railway junction; a switching machine within the housing; at least one connecting rod protruding in sliding form from the switching machine; a motor unit within the housing, the motor unit is adapted to drive the switching machine to move the at least one connecting rod longitudinally through a first movement interval having a first length; and a lost movement mechanism connected between the at least one connecting rod and the mobile point V, the lost movement mechanism is adapted to move the mobile point V through a second range of movement in response to the movement of the rod of connection through the first range of movement, the second range of movement of the mobile point V has a second length that is smaller than the first length of the first range of movement of the connecting rod. The joining apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the lost movement mechanism comprises: a sliding connector adapted to allow relative sliding movement between the at least one connecting rod and the mobile point V; and two movement detents adapted to limit the relative sliding movement between the connecting rod and the moving point V at a lost movement distance equal to the difference between the first length and the second length. The joining apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that: the lost movement mechanism also comprises an arrow connected to move essentially longitudinally with one selected from the connecting rod or the mobile point V; a sliding connector comprising an arrow support block mounted on the other of the connecting rod or mobile point V, the support block is adapted to slidably receive the arrow; and the movement detents comprise two arrow detents mounted on the arrow, the arrow detents are adapted to limit the relative sliding movement between the support block and the arrow at a lost movement distance. The joining apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the movement detents can be selectively positioned along the arrow to locate the moving range of the mobile point V to cause the mobile point V to make contact with the fixed wing rails at each end of the movement range of the mobile point V. The joining apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that: the support block is adapted to allow the rotary movement of the arrow relative to the support block as the arrow slides relative to the support block; and the arrow is adapted to rotate relative to the selected one of the connecting rod or the mobile point V. 6. The joining apparatus in accordance with the claim 5, characterized in that the lost motion mechanism also comprises: a connecting rod connected to the at least one connecting rod for longitudinal movement with the at least one connecting rod; and a displacement plate connected to the mobile point V for the translation movement with the mobile point V; wherein the arrow is rotatably connected to a selected one of the connecting bar or the displacement plate; wherein the support block is mounted on the other of the connecting rod or the displacement plate. 7. The joining apparatus in accordance with the claim 6, characterized in that: the arrow is connected in rotation with the displacement plate and the support block is mounted on the connection rod. 8. A lost motion mechanism for use in adapting a joint switching point displacement apparatus for moving a mobile point V of a railway moving point bifurcation apparatus, the lost motion apparatus comprises: a connecting rod connected with at least one connecting rod of a switching machine for longitudinal movement with the at least one connecting rod through a first range of movement having a first length; and a displacement plate connected to the moving point V for the translation movement with the moving point V through a second movement interval having a second length less than the first length; a displacement fork connected to the displacement plate; a support block of the displacement fork mounted with the connecting rod, the support block is adapted to slidably receive the displacement fork; two offset fork seals mounted on the travel fork, the travel fork retainers are adapted to limit the relative sliding movement between the support block and the travel fork at a movement distance equal to the difference between the first length and the second length.9. The lost movement mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that the displacement fork seals can be selectively positioned along the displacement fork to locate the moving range of the moving point V to cause the point V Do not touch the fixed wing rails at each end of the moving point V range. The lost movement mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: the support block is adapted to allow the rotary movement of the displacement fork relative to the support block as the sliding fork slides relative to the block of support; and the shift fork is adapted to rotate relative to the displacement plate.