US1286475A

US1286475A - Automatic car-coupling.

Info

Publication number: US1286475A
Application number: US19255017A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harry F Woernley
Original assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Co
Current assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Co
Priority date: 1917-09-21
Filing date: 1917-09-21
Publication date: 1918-12-03
Anticipated expiration: 1935-12-03

Description

Patented Dec. 3

INVENTOR imnaymwvonnnnnv, or; PITTSBURGH, rnnlvsvnvnn n, Assistance THE WESTING- 1 iHOU-SE .AI-R isnn-Kncoivmmvv, orwrnmnnniive, nnnivsvtvaniaya conroanrio v 0F RENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC CAR-#GOUPLING.

1 Specification 01 Letters Patent. Patented Dec, 3;,fll 918.

Application filed. Septemher 21, 19,17. seriainoriaansc,

To'allwiwm z'tmdy concern: a

'Be t known that l, HARRY F. WOERNLEY,

a vcitizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in 'the county of Allegheny and State oft Pennsylvania,"haveinvented new and useful lmprovemen'ts 1n Automatlc Car- "Couplings, of which the following is; a specification,

This invention relates to couplers, and more particularly to*tha:t type having means for locking the coupler heads in tightengagement.

inxtheaboivetypeof coupler, a locking device 15, provided and a hand operated leveris employetl to shift the locking device to ilts unlocked position when it is desired to.un couple the cars.

After-the cars are separated, orbefore the cars are again coupled: up, the locking device should be'shifted to its normal locking or coupling position, as otherwise the coupling headwill not be locked withthe counterplu't head; whcn 'the cars are brought together.

It sometimes happens that the operator fails'to shift theioehing device to 1 its normal coupling position before coupling up and as aconsequenceithe coupler heads will. notice properly lockedltogether. t

'llhe prinipalohjectofmy invention is to provide :improved means for automatically insuring that the locking device will be in itscouplingposition when'the cars are coupled up.

In the accompanying drawing; Figure I is a horizon'tal sectional view oia coupler head embodying my invention, and showing the parts in the normal coupling position; Fig. 2a vertical section ofthecoupler head; Fig. 3 a horizontal section of the coupler head, showing the nose portionoia counter-I part head in coupled position and the lock Above and belowlthis plane surface are j formed transverse PIOJQCtlOIIs or hooked p013 tions '5 havinginclined surfaces adapted to I t engage and interlock Wltl lh correspondlng portions on a counterpart coupler head, each head being provided with a pivoted latr h or loikingleverthaving a cam surface for engaging correspondingcurved surface on the jprojecting portiont2 of the counterpart coupler head, and a spring Tacting through the medium of a rod 8, pivoted to the lever 6, to force thelever intoiits locking position.

Secured to thegrod t'i is afiorked cross head 9 having a central recess oted rollerltl. u

Adjacent (to the roller 7 10 is l a double cam containing alpiv 11, mounted on the jsguared lportion otan operating shaft12 andahantlle l8, mounts/(i l u Thedouble cam 11 consists ottwo diverg a eratingthe shaft 12.

hing projec tingfportions with an intermediate 'recessand when the roller 10 restsjin the ,recess, thespring'Z acts on the rod 8 to shift the locking lever 6 to its locking position. Upon shifting thehandle 13 in either direc- Iso f tion,theroller10 is v-iorced outwardlydoy engagement with the surface of one ofthe pron :jecting portions of thedoubleucam 11 and i the lockin g lever A 6 tlien shitted to its un lockedposition. j u j f 1 f According to the present invention, there is provided a toggle leveridevice comprising pin of rod 8 a lever 1 ,6 ,pivoted lever '14 at one endandworkingion 1a fixed pivot pin fl'i at the opposite end. The lever] 16 carries a trip projecltiohlS adapted to he thrown intoithe pathoftheprojectionlfl oii i I the counterpart oupler head when the lockinglever is moved to the uncoupling position.

In operation, the coupler heads are locked together in the usual way, the projection 2 of one head engaging in the recess 3 of the other head and when the heads are in the coupled position, the locking levers 6, which were pushed aside as the coupler heads moved intoengagement,are thrown back to locking position, so as to tightly lock the coupler heads together. u a u If it is desired to uncouple the heads, the handle 13 is shifted to the uncoupling position, so that the locking lever 6of1 each head is moved out of engagement with the prey jection 2 of the other head and this permits the coupler heads to separate when the cars are pulled apart. The uncoupling movement of the locking lever 6 also shifts the toggle levers l4 and 16 so that they assume substantial alinement, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, and in this position of the levers, the rod 8 is locked against return movement.

The tripping projection 18, however, is brought by this movement into the path of the projection 2 of the counterpart coupler head, so that as the coupler heads are pulled apart, the projection 2 will engage the memout any action on the part of the operator.

It should also be noted that if, for any reason, the handle is turned to the uncoupling position while thecar is separated, the parts of the coupler will be automatically returned to the coupling position when the counterpart couplersare brought together, since the projection 18 will be shifted by the movement of the projection 2 into the corresponding-recess 3 of the counterpart coupler, as in the case of uncoupling.

Having now described my invention,

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An automatic coupler comprising a member having a projecting hooked portion adapted to engage a similar portion of a counterpart coupler, a locking lever for clamping said members together, a spring tending to move said lever to ts looking position, a pair of pivotally connected arms fulcrumed at one free end and pivotally connected to the lever at the other free end.

movement of the lever to uncoupling position being adapted to move said arms. so that the connecting joint is brought into alinement with the fulcrum point and the pivotal connection, thereby formin a lock to prevent the return movement of the lever. An automatic coupler comprising a member having a projecting hooked portion adapted to engage a similar portion of a counterpart coupler, a locking lever for clamping said members together, a spring tending to move said lever to its locking position, a pair of pivotally connected arms fulcrumed at one free end and pivotally connected to the lever at the other free end, movement of the lever to uncoupling position being adapted to more said arms, so that the connecting joint is brought into alinement with the fulcrum point and the pivotal connection, thereby forming a lock to prevent the return movement of the lever,

and a tripping member carried by said toggle lever device and operated upon scpara tion of the coupler heads for tripping the toggle lever device to permit movement of the locking lever to the normal coupiiir position.

3. An automatic coupler comprising a member having a projecting hooked portion adapted. to engage a sin'iilar portion of a counterpart coupler, a locking lever for clamping said members together, a spring tending to move said lever to its locking position, a toggle lever device comprising pivotally connected levers adapted to be moved to substantial alinement by the uncoupling movement of the locking lever, to thereby hold the locking lever in its uncoupling position, and a projection carried by one of the toggle levers and operated by the separation of the coupler heads for throwing the toggle levers out of alinement, so as to permit movement of the locking lever to its coupling position.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

HARRY F. W'OERNLEX Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, 1 Washington, D. C.