MXPA99011246A - Hydraulic parking brake lever arrangement for a railroad vehicle braking system - Google Patents

Abstract

A hydraulic parking brake assembly for a railroad vehicle braking system comprising a hydraulic actuator capable of being mounted on or engagable with the braking system and a lever arrangement connected to the hydraulic actuator which moves in accordance with activation of the hydraulic actuator and initiates a braking sequence. The lever arrangement is associated with the force transfer lever of the air cylinder such that upon movement of the lever arrangement, a force is applied to this force transfer lever causing this force transfer lever to rotate in a counterclockwise direction to apply the appropriate forces to the push rod within the brake cylinder and to a force transmitting member within the braking system to effect activation of the parking brake assembly

Description

ARRANGEMENT OF HYDRAULIC PARKING BRAKE LEVER FOR A RAIL VEHICLE BRAKING SYSTEM FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates, in general, to a parking brake arrangement for a braking system of the railway vehicle type and, more particularly, this invention relates to a parking brake lever arrangement of hydraulic type for a railway vehicle braking system, especially the brake assemblies mounted on a wagon.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As is generally known in the railway industry, when cars or rail cars are removed from a train and parked in a siding or beach or sorting station, the handbrake or parking brake on the less some of those cars or cars is applied as a precaution against the undesirable or unexpected movement of the cars. A typical rail car hand brake system, usually consists of an apparatus for manually applying and deflecting one or more brake pads against the part of the rim in contact with the track of one or more wheels of the rail car, making turn either of a steering wheel or by pumping a ratchet crank on a handbrake mechanism attached to the rail car. As illustrated in Figure 2, in braking systems mounted on a wagon, the handbrake mechanism is usually a cast or stamped metal gearbox, usually attached to an outer end wall of the rail car, and that It has a rotating chain drum on it, which can be rotated by turning the steering wheel to wind a brake chain on the chain drum. The other end of the brake chain, normally extends through the bottom of the gearbox and is interconnected with a cable or other articulated mechanism, such as a handbrake lever, to the brake arm, which supports the brake shoes, so that the winding of the brake chain on the chain drum will apply tension to the brake chain and the articulated mechanisms, as necessary to pull the brake shoes interconnected against the surfaces of the rim in contact with the road of adjacent rail car wheels and, consequently, apply the handbrake as intended.

A disadvantage of this hand brake arrangement of the prior art type is that the operation of the steering wheel requires exerting a considerable amount of physical force from an uncomfortable position. This, in turn, makes the hand brake difficult to apply, and could present a possible danger of injury.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a hydraulic parking brake lever arrangement for a railway vehicle braking system, which is an ergonomic alternative to manually activated hand brake assemblies currently used. . The hydraulic parking brake lever arrangement of the present invention is particularly applicable to braking systems mounted on a wagon, and can be used to replace manually operated hand-wheel type brakes currently used. A further object of the present invention is to provide a hydraulic parking lever brake arrangement, which is easy to apply and provides a reduced likelihood of injury to the operator applying this brake.

Briefly, and in accordance with the foregoing objects, the invention comprises a hydraulic actuator, which is mounted on the braking assembly. The hydraulic actuator includes a piston, which moves outwardly from the hydraulic actuator after actuation of the actuator. The piston includes connection means, such as in the form of a jaw, which is connected at its opposite end from the hydraulic actuator. These connection means are attached to a lever arrangement, and the lever arrangement is associated with the force transfer lever of the air cylinder. Activation of the hydraulic actuator causes the lever arrangement to apply a force to the force transfer lever, causing this force transfer lever to rotate in the counterclockwise direction to apply the appropriate forces to the push rod. inside the brake cylinder and the slack adjuster assembly to effect activation of the parking brake assembly. The hydraulic actuator of the invention can be mounted in a variety of locations and in a variety of directions within the braking assembly. Depending on the location of the mounting and the direction of the hydraulic actuator, various different lever arrangements may be used to achieve counterclockwise rotation of the force transfer lever of the air cylinder assembly, for apply the appropriate forces to the push rod and the slack adjuster, so that the actuation of the parking brake assembly can be achieved. Although numerous objects and advantages of the present invention have been described in some detail above, several additional objects and advantages of the hydraulic parking brake lever arrangement of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art, from the more detailed description of the invention, particularly, when such a detailed description of the invention is taken in conjunction with the figures of the accompanying drawings and with the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a plan view, which shows a brake assembly mounted on a car including a conventional hand brake lever as described above, and is accordingly marked as the "Prior Art" " Figure IA is an amplified view of the brake cylinder illustrated in Figure 1, which is currently used and is accordingly marked as the "Prior Art". Figure 2 is a plan view, which shows a brake assembly mounted on a car having a steering wheel handbrake or parking brake of the prior art, as described above, and accordingly, is marked as the "Previous Technique". Figure 3 is a partial plan view illustrating an end portion of the brake assembly mounted on a wagon of Figure 1 having the hydraulic parking brake lever arrangement according to a first embodiment of the present invention, mounted on she. Figure 4 is a partial plan view illustrating an end portion of the brake assembly mounted on a wagon of Figure 1 having the hydraulic parking brake lever arrangement according to a second embodiment of the present invention, mounted on she. Figure 5 is a partial plan view illustrating an end portion of the brake assembly mounted on a wagon of Figure 1 having the hydraulic parking brake lever arrangement according to a third embodiment of the present invention, mounted on she.

Detailed Description Of The Invention Before proceeding in more detail with the description of the present invention, a description of a braking system mounted on a wagon and its operation will prove useful in understanding the present invention. Also, it should be noted that in order to be clear, the identical components having identical functions have been identified with identical reference numbers through the different views illustrated in the figures of the accompanying drawings. Referring to Figure 1, there is shown a brake assembly mounted on a wagon, generally designated 10, for a rail car (not shown) including a conventional hand brake lever 50. This mounting Brake 10 comprises brake rocker arms, generally designated 2 and 3, which are substantially identical, each of which comprises a compression member 4, a tension member 6, and a fixing member 8. The opposite ends of the compression member 4 and the tension member can be permanently connected together, preferably, by welding along an outer segment 4a-6a, 4b-6b at the opposite ends of the compression member 4 and the tension member 6. At an intermediate point between their opposite ends, the compression member 4 and the tension member 6 of the respective rockers 2 and 3, are sufficiently spaced apart to allow the connection of the fixing member. 8 among them. Mounted on the respective outer end segments 4a-6a and 4b-6b of the brake rocker arms 2 and 3, are the brake shoe holders 12. A pair of force transfer levers 14 and 16 are rotatably connected by means of bolts 18 to the fixing member 8 of the respective brake rocker arms 2 and 3. Each end 24 and 26 of the respective force transfer levers 14 and 16 is interconnected via the force transmitting member 28, which may be in the form of an automatic slack adjustment device. The opposite end 36 of the force transfer lever 16 is connected to the pressure head 19 of the brake cylinder assembly 20, via a force transmitting member or a return push rod assembly 32. Referring to FIG. an enlarged view of the brake cylinder of Figure 1, a piston rod 37 of the brake cylinder assembly 20 is connected to the end of a push rod 38 which, in turn, is connected to the lever that transfers force 14. The mounting of the brake cylinder 20 is connected to the fixing member 8 adjacent to one side thereof and to a compression member 4 in a space between the compression member 4. and the tension member 5. The weight of the brake cylinder device and the force transmitting members is thus supported by the brake rockers 2 and 3, which are, in turn, supported by the lateral frame of the brake. wagon (not shown). When applying the brake, the pressurization of the brake cylinder assembly results in the actuation of the piston rod of the brake cylinder 38 located in the brake cylinder assembly 20. This actuation of the piston rod 38 makes that a spring 39, also located in the brake cylinder assembly, is compressed, resulting in the movement of the push rod 38 in a direction to effect rotation in the counterclockwise direction of the transfer lever of force 14. The force transfer lever 14, in turn, drives the slack adjuster assembly 28 to effect rotation in the counterclockwise direction of the force transfer lever 16 and the consequent actuation of the assembly return push rod assembly 32. The levers that transfer force 14 and 16, together with the slack adjuster assembly 28, the thrust rod assembly lathe 32, and the brake cylinder assembly 20, comprise an articulated mechanism that drives the brake beam that interconnects the brake rockers 2 and 3 via the rotary bolts 18 and thus, the required brake actuation forces effectively act along these bolts 18. The resultant of those forces is shown in X. Since the length of the slack adjuster assembly 28 is increased by the actuation of the piston rod of the brake cylinder 37, it follows that the rocker arms of the Brakes 2 and 3 are moved apart by the articulated mechanism of the brake rocker arms, until the brake shoe coupling occurs with the rim surface of the vehicle wheels. During a parking situation when rail cars are removed from the train and parked in a siding or beach or sorting station, the pneumatic braking system, as described above, may no longer be used. In this way, to apply the brake as a precaution against the undesirable or unexpected movement of the trolleys, a handbrake mechanism can be used, which is mounted on each trolley. Referring to Figure 2, there is shown a hand brake mechanism currently used, generally designated 40, on a brake assembly mounted on a car. The brake mechanism 40 has a housing, generally designated 42, which comprises a rear plate or wall 44, mountable on a rail car, and a lid or cover 46. The lid or cover 46 is secured to the wall rear 44. A chain 48, for the application or release of the brakes, is connected, as is conventional, to the brake linkage via a hand brake lever 50, chain 48 which is attached to, and wound onto a drum winding 52. The hand brake lever 50 is, in turn, connected to a transfer lever of the air cylinder or force transfer lever 14. To apply the brakes, a steering wheel 54 is rotated in the direction of the clockwise to wind the chain 48 around the winding drum 52 and cause the hand brake lever 50 to be pulled in an outward direction away from the brake linkage 10. This makes the force transfer lever is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, resulting in the push rod of the piston being pulled in an outward direction and the required force applied to the slack adjuster assembly 28. This force is similar to the force is applied by the piston rod of the brake cylinder, not shown, of the air cylinder assembly 20 when it is pressurized. The present invention would replace this manually operated hand wheel / chain / hand brake system with a hydraulic parking brake lever arrangement. Figure 3 shows the hydraulic parking brake lever arrangement, according to a first embodiment of the present invention, mounted to an end portion of a brake assembly mounted on a car, generally designated as 55. In this embodiment , a hydraulic actuator 56 is mounted along the air cylinder 20. This hydraulic actuator 56 includes a piston 58 for outward movement of the hydraulic actuator 56, after activation of such hydraulic actuator 56. Any liquid can be used. well known for activating this hydraulic actuator, such as water, oil and the like. The piston 58 includes connection means 62, such as a jaw or clamp, for connecting the piston 58 to a central portion at a midpoint 65 of the lever 64. The lever 64 is rotatably connected at its outer end 63 to a fixed clamp 67. This clamp 67 is attached to the compression member 4 of the brake assembly. The lever 64 is also bolted at its outer location 66 to the push rod of the air system, element 38 as shown in Figure IA, as well as, to the force transfer lever 14. The force transfer lever 14 is connected to a slack adjuster assembly 24, as illustrated in Figure 1. After activation of such hydraulic actuator 56, a force is applied to the piston 58, which causes the lever 64 to be forced out of the braking, as shown by the arrow B. This outward movement of the lever 64 causes the force transfer lever 14 to rotate in the counterclockwise direction, causing the push rod of the air cylinder 38 to move in an outward direction and apply force inward to the slack adjuster assembly 28, thereby causing a chain reaction, similar to what occurs during a braking situation activated by the cylinder of air, to activate the parking brake assembly. Figure 4 shows the hydraulic parking brake lever arrangement according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the hydraulic actuator 56 is mounted opposite the air cylinder 20 and oriented towards the carriage reinforcement (not shown). This embodiment of the parking brake lever arrangement includes two lever members 68 and 69 rotatably connected at 70. The piston of the actuator 56 is connected to a first member 68 of the lever arrangement, substantially at its mid-point 71. Actuation of the hydraulic actuator 56 causes the piston 58 to apply a force to cause the first and second lever members 68 and 69, of the lever arrangement, to move inward towards the brake assembly, as shown by arrow C. The outer end 72 of the second lever member 69, of the lever arrangement, is linked to an extension lever 73 of the slack adjuster end 74 of the force transfer lever 14. In this way, the inward movement of the first and second second lever members 68 and 69 of the lever arrangement, causes the extension lever 73 to apply a force, as described by arrow D, which causes the force transfer lever 14 turn counterclockwise and activate the parking brake assembly in a manner similar to that of the mode in Figure 3. Figure 5 shows a third mode of the hydraulic parking brake assembly, according to to the present invention, in which the hydraulic actuator 56 is mounted opposite the air cylinder 20 and oriented towards the shaft (not shown). The piston of the hydraulic actuator 56 is connected via connection means 62 to the outer end 77 of a 2: 3 ratio lever 76. The opposite end 78 of this 2: 3 ratio lever 76 is bolted at 79 to the slack adjuster end 74 of the force transfer lever 14. The 2: 3 ratio lever 76 is also rotatably connected at 83 to a clamp member fixed 82. Activation of the hydraulic actuator 56 causes the 2: 3 ratio lever 76 to move outward from the brake assembly, as described by the arrow E, and because the 2: 3 ratio lever 76 is connected. rotatingly to the fixed clamp member 82, the 2: 3 ratio lever 76 rotates in the clockwise direction and as a result, causes the force transfer lever 14 to rotate with a rotation counter to the direction of the hands of the clock. This counter-clockwise rotation applies a force to the push rod of the air cylinder 38 and the slack adjuster assembly 28, which causes the parking brake assembly to be activated. In this way, the present invention has been described in complete, clear, concise and exact terms to allow any person skilled in the art to which it belongs, to make and use it. It should be understood that variations, modifications, equivalents and substitutions of the components of the embodiments of the invention may be made, specifically described by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known by the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is the conventional one for the manufacture of the objects to which it relates.

Claims (21)

CLAIMS Having described the invention as above, the content of the following claims is claimed as property:

1. A hydraulic parking brake assembly for a rail vehicle braking system, the rail vehicle braking system includes an air cylinder, an air cylinder transfer lever, and at least one member that transmits force, the assembly of hydraulic parking brake characterized in that it comprises: (a) a hydraulic actuator coupled to the braking system, the hydraulic actuator includes a hydraulic piston member positioned to move in an outward direction of the hydraulic actuator after activation of the hydraulic actuator; (b) connection means having a first end and a second end, the first end is placed on the hydraulic piston at a location remote from the hydraulic actuator; and (c) a lever arrangement attached to the second end of the connection means, so that at least a portion of the lever arrangement moves according to the movement of the hydraulic piston, the lever arrangement is associated with the transfer lever of the air cylinder, so that after activation of the hydraulic actuator, the lever arrangement causes the transfer lever of the air cylinder to rotate and apply a force to the vehicle's braking system to achieve activation of the brake assembly of parking.

2. The hydraulic parking brake assembly for a railway vehicle braking system, according to claim 1, characterized in that the air cylinder includes a push rod and where the force applied by the rotation of the transfer lever of the Air cylinder is applied to the push rod and to at least one member that transmits force of the vehicle braking system, to achieve activation of the parking brake assembly.

3. The hydraulic parking brake assembly for a railway vehicle braking system, according to claim 2, characterized in that at least one member transmitting force comprises a slack adjuster assembly.

4. The hydraulic parking brake assembly for a railway vehicle braking system, according to claim 1, characterized in that the hydraulic actuator is capable of being mounted along the air cylinder, so that the actuation of the actuator Hydraulic causes at least a portion of the lever arrangement to move in an outward direction with respect to the vehicle's braking system.

5. The hydraulic parking brake assembly for a railway vehicle braking system, in accordance with claim 4, characterized in that the lever arrangement includes: a clamp member fixedly attached to the vehicle braking system; and a lever member, the lever member has an exterior location, an interior location, and a location at a midpoint, the exterior location is rotatably connected to the clamp member, the interior location is rotatably connected to the The transfer lever of the air cylinder and the location of the middle point is connected to the hydraulic piston via the connection means.

6. The hydraulic parking brake assembly for a railway vehicle braking system, according to claim 1, characterized in that the hydraulic actuator is capable of being mounted opposite the air cylinder, so that the actuation of the hydraulic actuator makes that at least a portion of the lever arrangement moves in an inward direction with respect to the vehicle braking system. The hydraulic parking brake assembly for a railway vehicle braking system, according to claim 6, characterized in that the lever arrangement includes an extension member and a lever member, the extension member has a first location and a second location, the first location of the extension member is rotatably connected to the transfer lever of the air cylinder and the second location of the extension member is rotatably connected to the member of lever. 8. The hydraulic parking brake assembly for a railway vehicle braking system, according to claim 7, characterized in that the lever member includes a first part and a second part, the first part of the lever member has; an inner end for rotatingly connecting the first part with the second part; an outer end for rotatably connecting the first part with the vehicle braking system; and a location at a mid-point to be joined with the connecting means of the hydraulic piston; and the second part of the lever member is attached to the extension member at a location away from the rotary connection of the second part with the first part. 9. The hydraulic parking brake assembly for a railway vehicle braking system, according to claim 1, characterized in that the hydraulic actuator is capable of being mounted opposite the air cylinder, so that the actuation of the hydraulic actuator makes that at least a portion of the lever arrangement moves in an outward direction with respect to the vehicle braking system. The hydraulic parking brake assembly for a rail vehicle braking system, according to claim 9, characterized in that the lever arrangement includes a clamp member and a lever, the clamp member has a first and a second clamp member. locations, the first location of the clamp member is fixedly attached to the braking system and the second location of the clamp member is rotatably connected to the lever. 11. The hydraulic parking brake assembly for a railway vehicle braking system, according to claim 10, characterized in that the lever is a 2: 3 ratio lever, and includes an interior location, an exterior location, and a location at a midpoint and where the interior location is attached to the transfer lever of the air cylinder, the exterior location is attached to the hydraulic piston of the hydraulic cylinder and the location of the midpoint is rotatably attached to the clamp member. 12. A hydraulic parking brake assembly for a rail vehicle braking system, the vehicle braking system mounted on a wagon, the vehicle braking system mounted on a wagon includes an air cylinder, a push rod of the Air cylinder, an air cylinder transfer lever, and a slack adjuster assembly, the hydraulic parking brake assembly is characterized in that it comprises: (a) a hydraulic actuator engageable with the vehicle braking system mounted on a wagon , the hydraulic actuator includes a hydraulic piston member positioned to move in an outward direction of the hydraulic actuator after activation of the hydraulic actuator; (b) connection means having a first end and a second end, the first end is positioned on the hydraulic piston at a location remote from the hydraulic actuator; and (c) a lever arrangement attached to the second end of the connection means, so that at least a portion of the lever arrangement moves in accordance with the movement of the hydraulic piston, the lever arrangement is associated with the lever of the lever. transfer of the air cylinder on the braking system of the vehicle mounted on a wagon, so that after the activation of the hydraulic actuator, the lever arrangement causes the transfer lever of the air cylinder to rotate and apply force to the push rod of the air cylinder and the slack adjuster assembly of the vehicle braking system mounted on a car, to achieve activation of the parking brake assembly. 13. The hydraulic parking brake assembly for a vehicle braking system mounted on a wagon, according to claim 12, characterized in that the hydraulic actuator is capable of being mounted along the air cylinder, so that the Actuation of the hydraulic actuator causes at least a portion of the lever arrangement to move in an outward direction with respect to the vehicle braking system mounted on a wagon. 14. The hydraulic parking brake assembly for a vehicle braking system mounted on a wagon, according to claim 13, characterized in that the lever arrangement includes: a clamp member fixedly attached to a compression member of the braking of the vehicle mounted on a wagon; and a lever member, the lever member has an exterior location, an interior location, and a location at a midpoint, the exterior location is rotatably connected to the clamp member, the interior location is rotatably connected to the The transfer lever of the air cylinder and the location of the middle point is connected to the hydraulic piston, via the connection means. 15. The hydraulic parking brake assembly for a vehicle braking system mounted on a wagon, according to claim 12, characterized in that the hydraulic actuator is capable of being mounted opposite the air cylinder, so that the actuation of the The hydraulic actuator causes at least a portion of the lever arrangement to move in an inward direction with respect to the vehicle braking system mounted on a car. 16. The hydraulic parking brake assembly for a vehicle braking system mounted on a wagon, according to claim 15, characterized in that the lever arrangement includes an extension member and a lever member, the extension member has a first location, and a second location, the first location of the extension member is rotatably connected to the transfer lever of the air cylinder, and the second location of the extension member is rotatably positioned to the lever member. 1

7. The hydraulic parking brake assembly for a vehicle braking system mounted on a wagon, according to claim 16, characterized in that the lever member includes a first part and a second part, the first part of the lever member has; an inner end for rotatingly connecting the first part with the second part; an outer end for rotatably connecting the first part with the vehicle braking system; and a location at a mid-point to be joined with the connecting means of the hydraulic piston; and the second part of the lever member is attached to the extension member away from the rotary connection of the second part with the first part. 1

8. The hydraulic parking brake assembly for a vehicle braking system mounted on a wagon, according to claim 12, characterized in that the hydraulic actuator is capable of being mounted opposite the air cylinder, so that the drive of the hydraulic actuator causes at least a portion of the lever arrangement to move in an outward direction, with respect to the vehicle braking system mounted on a wagon. 1

9. The hydraulic parking brake assembly for a vehicle braking system mounted on a wagon, according to claim 18, characterized in that the lever arrangement includes a clamp member and a lever, the clamp member has a first and second locations, the first location of the clamp member is fixedly attached to the vehicle braking system mounted to a car, and the second location of the clamp member is rotatably connected to the lever. 20. The hydraulic parking brake assembly for a vehicle braking system mounted on a wagon, according to claim 19, characterized in that the lever is a 2: 3 ratio lever and includes an interior location, an exterior location and a location at a mid-point and, where the exterior location is attached to the transfer lever of the air cylinder, the exterior location is attached to the hydraulic piston of the hydraulic cylinder and the location of the middle point is rotatably attached to the member of the hydraulic cylinder. clamp. 21. The hydraulic parking brake assembly for a railway vehicle braking system, characterized in that it comprises a hydraulic actuator mounted on the braking system and a lever arrangement connected to the hydraulic actuator, the lever arrangement is able to move according to with the activation of the hydraulic actuator to initiate a braking sequence to achieve the application of a parking brake to a railway vehicle.