US1244949A - Electric coupling. - Google Patents

Description

T. R. BROWN,

ELECTRIC COUPLING.- 7 APPLICATION FILED APR. 10. I914.

' Patented Oct, 30, 191?.

, 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR T. R. BROWN.

ELECTRIC COUPLING.

\ APPLICATION FILED APR. 10. 19M. 1,244,949. Patented Oct. 30,1917.

, 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

- u l o I IJQJ I l I )I l": I X v F ii INVENTOR THOMAS 3. BROWN, OF SPARKILL,

PENNSYLVANIA.

NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE AIR BRAKE COMPANY, or wrnmnnnnve, PENNSYLVANIA, A

ELECTRIC cont nue.

Specification of Letters Patent.

WESTINGHOUSE CORPORATION OF Patented Oct. 30, 1917.

Application filed April 10, 1914. Serial No. 830,999.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it lmown that I, THOMAS R. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sparkill, in the county of Rockland and State of New York, have invented new. and useful Improvements in Electric Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to coupling devices, and more particularly to a coupling for electrically connecting train, line circuits between the cars of a train.

The present invention has reference more particularly to an electric train line coupling of the type having a plurality of fixed contacts connected to the train line circuits, a movable contact carrier, andvmeans for projecting said carrier to electrically connect the corresponding fixed contacts of counterpart couplings.

According to the construction set forth in my prior application, Serial No. 823,970,1iled March '11, 1.914, the'contact carrier is projected by means of a fluid operated piston and in order to permit the projection of the contact carrier, the contact carrier of the coun terpart coupling is retracted. It will thus be seen that the contact carrier in operating moves in opposite directions from normal position and in order to accommodate this movement, the operating piston normally rests in an intermediate position in the piston cylinder, so that the piston can move in opposite directions.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an operating piston for the contact carrier which is movable only in one direction from the normal position and means for permitting movement of the contact carrier in the opposite direction without moving the piston, so that the piston cylinder need only be of sufiicient length to provide for the projection of the contact carrier.

Various other objects and advantages will appear in the following more detailed description oi the invention:

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a sectional view of a pair of counterpart electric train. line couplings shown in the coupled position and embodying my invention, the coupling section being taken on the line aa of Fig. 6; Fig. 2 a section on the line b-5 of Fig. 6, showing the coupling in normal release position; Fig. 3 a partial transverse section of the coupling on the the casing is a contact carrier 4 having vided in the line 0-0 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 a detail face view of theshutter; Fig. 5 a detail horizontal section of the tion on the line d-d of Fig. 2; and Fig. 7 an inverted plan view of the movable contact carrier.

As shown in the drawings, the electric train line coupling having a cover plate 2, and containing a plurality of horizontally arranged fixed contacts 3 connected to corresponding train line circuits. i

Mounted to reciprocate longitudinally in electrically connected contact bars 5 and 6 adapted upon projection of the contact carrier to connect the fixed contacts 3 of counterpart couplings and thereby close the respective train line circuits between the cars.

The carrier 4 is supported in position by means of guide lugs 7 attached to the c'ar rier and adapted to ride-on guides 8 procasing. The carrier'is also provided at each side near the rear end with an aperturecl lug 9, through which a guide rod 10 extends, and a coil spring 11 is mounted on each rod between the lug and the front end of the casing for resisting the projection of the contact carrier.

In order to project the contact carrier into a counterpart coupling head, a cylinder 12 is arranged at the rear end of the casing 1 and contains a trunk piston 13.-

lVithin the piston 13 is another piston 14 having an outwardly projecting pushrod 15 adapted to engage a downwardly projecting lug 16, forming part of the contact carrier 4i.

The push rod '15 is hollow and is mounted on a projecting stem 17 of the piston 13. A coii spring 18 is mounted within the push rod 15 and the stem 17 and opposes movement of the piston 14 toward the piston 13. Normally, the piston 14: is maintained in the outward position by the spring 18 and is adapted to seat on a gasket 19 carried by an inwardly extending annular flange 20 of the piston 13. A pipe 21 opens into the cylinder 12 at the face of piston 13 and is connected to a suitable cock 34 adapted to supply and release fluid under pressure to and from the piston 13.

For the purpose of mechanically locking the contact carrier 4 in the projected position a trigger device may be provided which may comprise a casing 1' is pivotally mounted within the casing 1 and comprises a pawl lever 22 and an operating finger 23. v

The pawl lever 22- is arranged to swing so that'the outer end engages back of a lug 24 on the contact carrier 4 when said carrier 1 is in'jits projected position.

The operating finger upward and valve27 which is adapted to seat on the piston 26 and controls a port through said p ston, the valve tending to normally seat through the action of a coil spring '28. Fluid for actuating the piston 26 is supplied to the chamber 29 at the face of the piston through a passage 30 communicating with pipe leading to cook 34, and in order to actuate both pistons when either one of the adjacent controller cocks is operated, said passage leads to a tappet 31 at the meeting end of the coupling.

Said tappet is adapted to reciprocate in a chamber 32 and is positioned so that the outer end will engage a corresponding tappet of a counterpart coupling'when the couplings meet, the tappet having an aperture 33 adapted to register with acorresponding aperture of the counterpart coupling the contact carrier 1s normally in the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, when not coupled, and ifit'is desired to couple with a counterpart coupling, brought together so that the heads In operation,

faces of the counterpart coupling meet. The valve 36 of either one of the controlling coclrs 34 on the adjacent ends of the cars is then turned so that cavity 37 connects a fluid pressure supply pipe 38 with pipe 21. Fluid under pressure is thereupon supplied to the face of piston 13 of one of the counterpart couplings, and said piston is shifted outwardly, carrying with it the piston 14, sincefiuid equalizes into the in termediate chamber 39 through ports 40 and serves with the spring 18 to maintain pis-' tom 13 and 14 in the initial relative position.

The push rod 15 consequently acts onthe lug 16 of the contact carrier 4 and operates to project terpart coupling, so that the connected contact bars 5 and 6 of the carrier electrically connect the fixed'contaots 3 of the counterpart couplings "and thus close the corresponding train line circuits.

The contact carrier of the counterpart coliplin is retracted by the movement of the; pro ected carrier,- as shown in Fig 1 of the drawings,v and tlie'projeoted carrier 1s 23 extends vertically thereupon admitted to the contact carrier into the counlocked in the projected position by the en gagement of the trigger lever 22 with the lug 24 of the contact carrier.

After coupling, the controlling valve 36 is turned back to normal position, in which ports 41 and 42 connect the pipe 21 with an exhaust port 43, so that the cylinder 12 is vented to the atmosphere.

Upon retraction of one contact carrier by the projection of the other carrier, the push rod 15 is moved rearwardly with piston 14,

compressing the spring 18, while the piston 13 remains stationary in its normal position.

If it is desired to release the couplings, the cook or valve 36 is turned to the position in which cavity 37 connects supply pipe 38 with pipe 35. Fluid under pressure is piston 26, and since passage 30 communicates through the engaging tappets 31 with passage 30 of the counterpart coupling, fluid is admitted to the piston 26 of each of the connected couplings, and on the coupling which has the contact carrier projected, the movement of piston 26 operates the finger 23 to trip the lever 22 and thereby permit the contact carrier 4 to return to normal position, through the action of the side springs 11 on the coupling having the projected carrier and the spring 18 on the coupling having the retracted carrier.

As in my application Serial No. 823970, filed March 11,1914, means may be provided for releasing the car coupler look upon movement of the contact carrier to normal position, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. For this purpose, a pipe 44 is connected to chamber 45 at the spring side of piston 26 andleads to the release piston 46, which controls the release movement of the coupler locks 47 During the limited movement of the piston, 26, under the action of the fluid pressure, the valve, 27, remains seated by the force of the spring, 28, but the valve, 27, is adapted to have a further movement independently of the piston. Upon movement of the contact carrier to normal position, a hump 48 on the lever 22 engages lug 24 on the contact carrier, thereby depressing 23 is rocked seat. Fluid under to lift the valve 27 from its pressure is then admitthe lever 22 so that the finger ted to chamber 45 and flows through pipe 44 I transversely mounted in" the casing so as to bear against the low erface of the carrier erably of rubber, is applied. Springs 52 act a on the under side of the shutter 49 and tend to press the same into engagement with the contact carrier.

The projections 50 are adapted to ride on the under face of the contact carrier so as to prevent contact between the carrier and the rubber insert when the carrier is operated, but when the contact carrier is in normal uncoupled position, said projections drop into recesses 53 in the contact carrier, thus permitting the rubber insert 51 to bear against the carrier and thereby prevent dirt and moisture from entering the coupling.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an electric train line coupling, the combination with a contact carrier movable in opposite directions from an intermediate normal position, of fluid pressure operated means for moving the carrier in one direction from said position, said means having a yielding connection adapted to permit movement of the carrier in the opposite direction from said intermediate position.

2. In an electric train line coupling, the combination with a contact carrier movable in opposite directions from an intermediate normal position, of a piston for moving said carrier in one direction from said position, said piston having a collapsible connection with the carrier for permitting movement of the contact carrier in the opposite direction from said intermediate position.

3. In an electric train line coupling, the combination with a contact carrier movable in opposite directions from an intermediate normal position, of a piston operated by fluid under pressure for moving the contact carrier in one direction from said position, said piston having a collapsible connection with the carrier to permit movement of the contact carrier in the opposite direction from said intermediate position, and a spring for opposing said movement.

4. In an electric train line coupling, the combination with a casing containing a plurality of fixed contacts connected to train line circuits, a contact carrier movable in opposite directions from an intermediate normal position and having contacts to electrically connect the corresponding fixed contacts of counterpart couplings, of a piston operated by fluid pressure for projecting said carrieragainst the carrier of the counterpart coupler, said piston having a yielding connection with the carrier. I

5. In an electric train line coupling, the

combination with a contact carrier movable in opposite directions from a normal posi tion, of a piston operated by fluid under pressure for moving the carrier in one direction and a second piston interposed between the operating piston and the carrier and movable with the operating piston in one direction and having a movement relative to the operating piston in the opposite direction.

6. In an electric train line coupling, the combination with a contact carrier movable in opposite directions from a normal position, of a main piston having a piston chamber and operated by fluid pressure for moving the contact carrier in one direction, a second piston contained in said piston chamber for operatively connecting the main piston with the contact carrier, and a spring interposed between said pistons.

7. In an electric train line coupling, the combination with a casing having an opening and-a movable contact carrier adapted to be projected through said opening, of a vertically sliding shutter adapted to engage said carrier for protecting said opening when the carrier is withdrawn, and projections for holdingthe edge of the shutter out of contact with the carrier during its movement.

8. In an electric train line coupling the combination with a casing having an opening and a movable contact carrier adapted to be projected through said opening, of a vertically sliding shutter for protecting the said opening when the carrier is withdrawn, yielding means for maintaining contact between the carrier and the shutter, and means for holding the edge of the shutter out of contact with the carrier during its movement.

9. In an electric train line coupling, the

combination with a casing having an opening and a movable contact carrier adapted to be projected through said opening, of a transverse roller mounted in a cavity in the casing and bearing on one face of the contact carrier, for protecting said opening when the carrier is withdrawn.

10. In an electric train line coupling, the combination with a casing having an opening and a movable contact carrier adapted to be projected through said opening, of a roller adapted to bear on one face of the contact carrier, and a vertically sliding shutter for engaging the opposite face of the contact carrier for protecting said opening against entrance of dirt and moisture when the carrier is withdrawn. p

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

THOMAS R. BROWN. In presence of- 1 S. W. R, BARBARA Hunnnr.

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