Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIO~
¦1. FIELD OF rr~lE INVENTION
¦ The present invention relates to coupler mechanisms
for toy and model railway cars, or the like, and more particu- ~'
larly, to couplers utilizing magnetlc means for coupling and
uncoupling. !
2. PRIOR ART
Toy and model railway cars utilizP coupler mechanisms
located at the ends of each car to affect the coupling and
;~ 10 uncoupling of adjacent cars. Ordinary couplers mechanisms have
been characterized by troublesome and unreliable operation giving ~-
rise to a need, especially with regard to the smaller scale model
railroad couplers, for a simple inexpensive coupler which provides
reliable coupling and uncoupling. Examples of conventional
coupler mechanisms include the so-called "Arnold-type" shown in r
Figures 1 and 2, and a coupler mechanism disclosed in United
States Patent No. 3,840,127 to Edwards.
The "Arnold-type" coupler, generally referred to in
Figures 1 and 2 by the reference character 10, includes a "C"-
shaped couplar knuckle 11 secured to an end of a support shat12 and a flange 13 formed at and extending laterally outward of
the other end of the shaft 12. The knuckle 11 includes a
triangular formation 19 at its fo~ard end having upper and
lower inclined ramp surfaces. The 1ange end of the support
shaft 12 is pivotally retained in a pocket 21 ormed in a
support means 15 secured to the end of the car 14 (broken line
.. ¦ illustration). The flange 13 i5 resiliently urged by a helical
coil spring 17, in compression, against a forward waIl 18 of
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the support means 15. The knuckle 11 is mounted so that it may
g~ pivot in a vertical plane between a lo~er position substantially
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~parallel to a trackway 20 and an upper position (FIG. 2) with
the sprin~ 17 resiliently urging the knuckle 11 to the lower
position. In order to couple adjacent cars together, the cars
¦are thrust towards one another causing one of the two knuckles
to ride upwardly on the upper inclined ramp surface of the other ¦
knuckle. In the case shown in FIG. 2, the knuckle 11 is forced
to its upper position by the upper inclined ramp surface of
;~ the knuckle 11'. The upwardly pivoted knuckle 11 then clears
- the horizontal knuckle 11' and is resiliently urged by the
spring 17 to the lower position to engage the knuckle 11'. The
cars may be readily uncoupled by providing a depending pin, 16 ¦
and 16', on each knuckle, 11 and 11l, and an uncoupling means.
22 which may be selectively caused to extend upward from the
trackway 20 to contact one of the depending pins and force the
associated knuckle to its upper position to disengage the
knuckles and thereby uncouple the cars.
- A disadvantage of the above described coupler is that
` the spring 17 can twist and thereby diminish the ability of the
spring to maintain the knuckles 11 and 11' in their normal
, 20 positions. As a result, the coupler operation is less than
reliable. In addition, it has proven extremely difficult to
control the running and stopping of the cars in such a manner
to efect reliable uncoupling.
The coupling mechanism disclosed in the aforementioned
Edwards' patent affixes a permanent magnet to the knuckle of a
; conventional coupler to provide a means for magnetically
uncoupling cars. The permanent magnet is aligned on the
. ¦ knuckle with its polar axis along the vertical and with one
pole facing downward toward a trackway. An uncoupling
, electromagnet is located beneath the trackway with a like pole
on the trackway facing upwardly toward the downwardly facing
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¦pole of the knuckle magnet. The cars are coupled as described
¦above for the "Arnold-type" coupler and may be uncoupled by
¦selectively energiziny the uncoupling electromagnet to cause a
resultant magnetic repulsion between the like poles of the
~¦magnets to ~ivot one of the ~nuckles to its upper position ¦
and thereby e~fect uncoupling. The direction of the lines of
force between the two magnets varies as the coupler pivots
upwardly, as a result, the repulsion force differs depending
upon the relative position of the two magne-ts. This force
variation makes smooth and reliable uncoupling uncertain.
SUMMAR~ OF THE INVENTION
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It is an object of the present invention to provide`a
coupler mechanism for coupling and uncoupling toy and model
railway cars, or the like, which is reliable and operates with
a smooth uniform motion.
It is another object of the present invention to
provide a coupler which utilizes magnetic force to resiliently
urge a coupler knuckler to a lower position substantially
parallel to a trackway.
It is still another object of the present invention
to provide a coupler utilizing magnetic force Eor both
resiliently urging a coupler knuckle to a lower position and
to effect the uncoupling operation.
Toward the fulfillment of these ob~ects, and others, ~-
the present invention provides a coupler for connecting adjacent
toy or model railway cars including a coupler knuckle having a
first permanent magnet secured to an end thereof with a pole of
i ¦ the magnet facing outwardly of the knuckle. A support means is
¦ provided at the end of a car upon which the knuckle is mounted
I to permit the knuckle to pivot between a lower position sub-
stantially parallel to a trackway and an upper position. A
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¦¦second magnet is mo~nted on a stationary structure relative
the first magnet with an unlike pole o~ the second magnet
jfacing to~ard the outwardly facing pole of the first magnet with
the resultant magnetic at-traction bet~Jeen the unlike poles
resiliently urging the knuckle to ~he lower position.
Cars may be selectively uncoupled by mounting the
pole of an uncoupling magnet, such as an electromagnet, on the
trackway with the uncoupliny magnet pole unlike that of the
outwardly facing pole of the first magnet. The t~o poles attract
one another to create a torque to pivot the knuckle to the upper
position and thereby uncouple the cars.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
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The above description as well as the obiects, features,
and advantages, o~ the present invention will be more fullY
aPPreciated bY reference to the followinq detailed description
of presentl~ preferred but nonetheless illustrated embodiments
~ in accordance with the Present invention, when taken in con- ¦
- junction with the accompanying drawings wherein~
Figure 1 is a plan view, in partial cross section, of
a conventional coupler mechanism;
Figure 2 is a side elevation view of the coupler
shown i~ Figure 1 with a coupler knuckle shown in an upward ! :
position and selected portions shown in broken line
illustration;
Figure 3 is a side elevation view of a model railway
car having a coupler embodyiny the present invention secured
thereto with the coupler knuckle shown in an upward position;
¦ Figure 4a is a plan view, in partial cross section~
of the coupler shown in Figure 3;
- B n l Figure 4b is a perspective view of the coupler shown
¦ in Figure 4a with selected portions shown in broken line
¦ illustration;
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Figure 4c is a perspective view of another coupler
embodyin~ the present lnvention, shown with the coupler knuckle
in an upward position;
I Figure 5 is a plan view, in par-tial cross section, of
a variation of the coupler shown in Figure 4a; and
Figure 6 is a plan view, in partial cross section, of , r
another variation of the coupler shown in Figure 4a.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIL~ENTS , ~ -
Referring to Figures 3, 4a, and 4b, the re~erence
character 36 refers in general to a coupler of the present
invention mounted at the end portion 31 of a model railway car
30~ The coupler 36 is formed generally along a longitudinal
axis 29 and includes a conventional coupler knuckle 32 secured
to one end o~ a support shaft 33. The knuckle 32, which is
adapted to engage a complimentary knuckle 32' on an adjacent
car (not shown~ includes a triangular formation 42 having
inclined uppex and lower ramp surfaces, 27 and 28, intersectin~
along a line 26. A flange 34 is formed at and extends later-
ally outward of the other end of the support shaft 33. The
flange end of the coupler 36 is pivotally retained in a pocket
38 (FIG. 4al of a support s-tructure 25 having open front and
upper portions and having spaced apart vertical walls 37-and
37~' The coupler 36 is pivotally supported for movement
between a lower position substantially parallel to a tràckway
40 and an upper position (FIG. 3).
A permanent magnet 35, preferably in the form of a bar
magnet having a rectangular or circular cross section, is
¦secured to the flange end of the support shaft 33 with its ' r
polar axis preferably coincident with the longitudinal axis
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¦,29 of the couplex 36 and with one of its poles 49 facing
jloutwardly of the coupler along the longitudinal axis 29. 1 _
A second permanent magnet 39, preferably having the
same general shape as the magnet 35, is secured to the support
¦structure 25 with one o~ its poles .51 facing towards the
outwardly Eacin~ pole 49 of the magnet 35. The magnet 39 is
preferably located on the support structure 25 such that its ,
polar axis is substantially coincident with the longitudinal
axis 29 of the coupler 36 when the coupler 36 is in its lower
position. I
The magnets 35 and 39 are so oriented that unlike I r
poles face toward one another. In the case of the preferred
~; embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4a, the south pole of the
magnet 35 faces the north pole of the magnet 39. As can '
be read;ly appreciated, a reverse polar arrangement is equally
satisfactory. The magnetic attraction that results between
the unlike poles of the magnets 35 and 39 causes the flange
end of the shaft 33 to be resiliently urged against the ends
of the walls 37 and 37' and thereby cause the knuckle 32 to be ~ ;
resiliently urged to its lower pos.ition.
Two cars utilizing the structure described above
may be coupled together by thrusting the cars toward one
another as shown in Figure 3. As sho~n therein, the knuckle
32 is driven upward on the upper inclined ramp 27' of the
other knuckle 32' to its upper position and then resiliently
urged by the magnetic force between the magnets 35 and 39
to its lower position to thereby couple the cars. I
The cars may be uncoupled by means of an uncoupling 'I ~ -
magnet 41 (Figure 3), either a permanent magnet or a selectively ~ -
actuable electromagnet, mounted beneath the trackway 40. ¦ I
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The uncoupling magne~ 41 ls so mounted that one of its poles
24 is located on -the tr~ck~ay 40 facing upwardly to~ard the
¦outwardly faciny pole 49 of the magnet 35. The uncoupliny
ma~net 41 is so oriented that the pole 24 is unli~e the out-
wardly facing pole 49 of the magnet 35 and produces a sub-
stantially stronger magnetic force, that is, a substantially
greater magnetic flux, th~n the magnet 39. In the preferred
e~bodiment shown in Fig. 3, the pole 24 is a north pole.
When it is desired to uncouple cars, they are rolled over
the magnet 41 which is then energized by conventional electrical
circuity (not shown). As a result, the north pole 24 attracts , ,
the outwardly facing south pole 49 and repels the north pole of
the magnet 35 to generate an attraction/repulsion force couple
at the flange end of the coupler 36 which torques the coupler
36 upw~rd to its upper position as shown in Fig. 3 to thereby
uncouple the carsn
An alternate structure for supporting the coupler
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knuckle 32 is shown in Fig. 4c and includes a box-like recepticle
43 formed at the end of the support shaft 33 and into which the
ma~net 35 is inserted. Shafts 44 extend laterally outward from
each side of the recepticle 43 along a lateral axis 50 and are
received in boxes 46 formed in the sidewalls of a support 45.
The bores 46 are preEerably enlarged to permit limitèd pivoting
of the knuckle 32 in a plane passing through the lateral axis
~; 50. When the coupler 36 is in its lo~er position, an upper wall
47 of the recepticle 43 contacts a ceiling 48 of the support 45
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,~ to limit the downward pivoting of the coupler 36 and thereby
define le lower position of the co~pler 36. This alternate
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j embodiment permits the coupler 36 to pivot between its lower
and up~er positions .in a smooth uniform manner when compared
i to the embodiment utilizing the aforementioned pivoting ~lange
structure.
I In ~he embodiments described above~ both poles of the
;~ ¦ magnet 35 are located on one side of the pivoting axis of the
- j coupler 36. During the uncoupling operation, the outwardly
¦ facing south pole 49 of the magnet 35 is attracted to the
north pole 24 of the uncoupling magnet 41 to provide a torque
to pivot the coupler to its upper position, and the north
pole of the magnet is repelled by the north pole 24 to provide ¦
a counter-torque to pivot the coupler downward to its lower ¦
position. Since the north pole of the magnet 35 is closer
¦ to the pivoting axis, the counter-torque produced by the
, I repulsion force is small and can be considered negligible. ¦ .
It is readily possible to increase the attraction/repul-
¦ sion force couple acting on the coupler 36 by having one pole of
,~ the magnet 35 on one side of the pivoting axis and the other
pole on the other side of the pivoting axis. In Figure 5 the
a o support shaft 33 is formed as a magnetic member wi-th one pole,
i the south pole, facing outwardly toward the magnet 39 and the
other pole, the north pole, at the other end of the support
I shaft 33, contiguous with the knuckle 32. This embodiment
t~ I may be fabricated by forming the support shaft 33 from a ferro~
¦ magnetic material or affixing a bar magnet to a support shaft
j 33 fabricated from a non-magnetic material. The embodiment
shown in Fig. 6 is similar to that shown in Fig. 5, except
. I that the north pole is located at the end of the knuckle 32.
jj T~is elbodiment may be fabricated by forming the knucklc ¦
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~32 and the suppo~t shaft 33 as a unitary structure from a
1I ferro-mac~netic mater:ial. As can be appreciated, the attraction~
¦, repulsion ~orce couple that results when the poles are on
opposite sides of the pivotiny axis is greater than tha-t of
the embodiments of Figs. 4a, 4b, and 4c.
¦ The present invention provides a coupler for toy
land model railway cars which is smooth and reliable in I :
¦operation and which utilizes magnetic means to resiliently .
! urge the coupler knuckle to the lower position and to uncouple
¦cars in contrast to the prior art couplers. The present
. ¦ invention, while disclosed in a model railway cars context,
is equally applicable to any kind of vertically pivotablé
coupling-uncoupling type coupler.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the ar~,
various changes and modifications may be made to the couplers
.. of the present lnvention without departing from the spirit
and scope of the present invention às recited in the appended .
claims and their legal equivalent. .
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