Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ASSEMBLY FOR EXTENDABLE RAIL-SUPPORTED VEHICLE COUPLER
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to coupling assemblies for rail-supported
vehicles such as railcars
and road/rail vehicles.
Background of the Invention
to It is known in the art of rail-supported vehicles or rolling stock to
connect multiple units into a
single train to enable transportation of increased amounts of materials or
passengers. This
connection is achieved by means of a coupling mechanism between cars, and
numerous coupling
mechanisms have been developed and standardized over the years. One example of
such a
coupling mechanism is the Janney coupler or knuckle coupler, which was subject
of United
States Patent No. 138,405 and is in wide usage under specifications overseen
by the Association
of American Railroads, or AAR. An example of a prior art coupler is shown in
Figure la, the
coupler I comprising a head 2 and pivot end 4 connected by a shank 3. Railcars
are provided
with both a coupler and a brake pipe, and both are connected to the coupler
and brake pipe of an
adjacent railcar to achieve the desired utility. The couplers are commonly
situated within a rigid
housing that allows for limited side-to-side motion, on the order of 10
degrees rotation off of the
direction of travel, to enable both connection to the adjacent railcar and
necessary connection
flexibility during transport. An example of a prior art coupler within a
housing is shown in
Haire lb, the coupler 8 situated within a housing 5 and retained between
housing walls 6 and 7
to limit side-to-side rotation of the coupler 8 while allowing projection of
the coupler head 9.
While it is common to see such couplers projecting forwardly and/or rearwardly
of railway cars,
it has been found that there are situations where such projection is
undesirable. For example, in
the case of so-called road/rail vehicles which can be driven on either rails
or flat road surfaces
due to the presence of both rail wheels and rubber tires, the projection of an
unused coupler may
result in a total vehicle length that exceeds highway use regulations. Also,
certain maintenance
of way equipment might benefit from a selectively projectable coupler.
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What is needed, therefore, is a means for selectively projecting a coupler in
a rail-supported
vehicle.
Summary of the invention
The present invention therefore seeks to provide a coupler assembly that
allows for the selective
projection and retraction of the coupler and preferably the brake pipe.
According to a broad aspect of the present invention, then, there is provided
a coupler assembly
for use with a rail-supportable vehicle comprising:
a frame for mounting substantially within an exterior surface of the vehicle
adjacent a
first aperture in the exterior surface; and
a coupler received within the frame, the coupler having opposed first and
second ends,
the first end configured for releasable engagement with an adjacent vehicle
coupler and
the second end pivotally mounted on the frame;
wherein the coupler is rotatable between a stored position substantially
within the exterior
surface and an extended position partially without the exterior surface
through the first
aperture for releasable engagement with the adjacent vehicle coupler.
In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the coupler may be fully
contained within
the exterior surface when in the stored position. The exterior surface may
comprise a front
and/or rear bumper, in which case the frame is housed within the bumper, and
the coupler is
therefore within the bumper when in the stored position and partially without
the bumper when
in the extended position, and the coupler is preferably fully contained within
the bumper when in
the stored position.
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The assembly may further comprise a pivot pin in the frame for enabling the
coupler rotation,
wherein the second end of the coupler comprises a hole for receiving the pivot
pin, such that the
coupler is pivotable around the pivot pin between the stored and extended
positions.
The assembly may further comprise locking means on the frame for releasably
securing the
coupler in the. stored position or the extended position. The locking means
preferably comprise a
removable locking pin receivable within the frame in a rotational path of
travel of the coupler
between the stored and extended positions, such that the locking pin
substantially prevents the
coupler from moving between the stored and extended positions when the locking
pin is received
within the frame. As it is commonly desirable to allow certain couplers some
side-to-side
freedom of movement, the locking pin is preferably configured to allow limited
rotational
movement of the coupler when the coupler is in the extended position.
The assembly preferably further comprises a rotatable brake pipe mounting
bracket for a brake
pipe of the vehicle adjacent a second aperture in the exterior surface,
although the first and
second apertures may be a single aperture in the exterior surface or bumper.
The rotatable brake
pipe mounting bracket may be configured to allow rotation of the brake pipe
from a first position
within the exterior surface or bumper to a second position partially without
the exterior surface
or bumper through the second aperture for engagement with an adjacent vehicle
brake pipe. In
this way, the brake pipe can be retracted where desirable, for example when
required by highway
use regulations. and. it can be configured for mounting on the inside of the
exterior surface
adjacent the second aperture. 'The rotatable brake pipe mounting bracket
preferably comprises
first and second securing means, the first securing means configured to
releasably secure the
brake pipe in the first position and the second securing means configured to
releasably secure the
brake pipe in the second position.
A detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is
given in the
following. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not to be
construed as being
limited to this embodiment.
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Brief Description of the Drawings
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the
present
invention:
- Figures la and lb show a prior art coupler alone and in a housing.;
Figure 2a is top perspective view of a coupler assembly according to the
present
invention with the coupler in the extended position;
Figure 2b is a top plan view of the coupler assembly of Figure 2a in the
extended
position;
Figure 2c is a side perspective view of the coupler assembly of Figure 2a in
the extended
position:
Figure 2d is a side perspective view of the coupler assembly of Figure 2a in
the stored
position;
Figure 2e is a front elevation view of a mad/rail vehicle bumper with an
assembly
according to the present invention installed therein;
Figure 2f is a front perspective view of a road/rail vehicle bumper with an
assembly
according to the present invention installed therein;
Figure 3a is a bottom perspective view of a brake pipe according to the
present invention
in the extended position;
Figure 3b is a bottom perspective view of the brake pipe of Figure 3a in the
stored
position;
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Figure 4a is a detailed front perspective view of a brake pipe mounting
bracket according
to the present invention in the extended position;
Figure 4b is a top plan view of the brake pipe mounting bracket of Figure 4a
in the
extended position;
Figure 4c is a side elevation view of the brake pipe mounting bracket of
Figure 4a in the
extended position; and
Figure 4d is a side elevation view of the brake pipe mounting bracket of
Figure 4a in the
stored position.
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will now be described with
reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Detailed Description of Exemplary Embodiment
In the following description, specific materials and dimensions are not
addressed as such may
vary by situation and will be determined at least in part by regulations, all
of which would be
known to those skilled in the art. In addition, the means for attaching the
assembly to a
particular rail-supportable vehicle will depend in part on the vehicle support
structure and will
accordingly not be canvassed herein.
Turning to Figures 2a through 2f, an exemplary coupler assembly according to
the present
invention is illustrated and identified by reference numeral 10. The assembly
10 comprises a
frame 12 which is configured for attachment to the internal structure of a
rail-supported vehicle
(not shown) in a manner which will be situation-specific but within the
knowledge of those
skilled in the art. The assembly 10 also includes a coupler 14, which coupler
14 comprises a
shank 32 with a first end 16 provided with a standard coupling interface
(which in the illustrated
example is an AAR coupler) and a second end 18 pivotally mounted on the frame
12. The
second end 18 is mounted on the frame 12 by means of a vertical pivot pin 20
which is housed in
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an appropriately configured set of holes 22 in the second end 18 and the frame
12. As can be
seen with reference to the prior art embodiment of Figure 1 a, the shank 32 of
the illustrated
embodiment of the present invention can be much shorter in appropriate
circumstances.
The coupler 14 is accordingly capable of rotation in a generally horizontal
plane. At rest or
during rotational motion, the coupler 14 sits on top of a supporting platform
34 which is
integrated into the frame 12. The supporting platform 34 helps to provide
structural strength and
ensure properly aligned movement of the coupler 14.
As indicated above, the coupler 14 according to the present invention is
intended to be rotatable
from an extended position (as illustrated in Figures 2a through 2c) to a
stored position (as
illustrated in Figure 2d) and vice versa. The second end 18 of the coupler 14
is held in place by
the pivot pin 20, such that the first end 16 of the coupler 14 can rotate
between the two positions
across the supporting platform 34. Rotation of the first end 16 of the coupler
14 is restricted by
locking means, which in the illustrated embodiment is a locking pin 24
removably positioned in
a set of holes 26 in the frame 12. When the coupler 14 is in the extended
position, the locking
pin 24 blocks the coupler 14 from rotating to the stored position, although
the location of the
holes 26 for the locking pin 24 is preferably determined such that the coupler
14 has some lateral
play as would be known to those skilled in the art as desirable in certain
situations. The
illustrated embodiment also includes a securing chain 28 on the frame 12 and a
corresponding
loop 30 on the coupler 14, which can be connected for added security of the
engagement. When
locked in this manner, the first end 16 of the coupler 14 can be allowed to
engage a
corresponding coupler of an adjacent rail-supported vehicle. When it is
desired to disable such
functionality, the first end 16 of the coupler 14 can be moved to the stored
position by removing
the locking pin 24 from the holes 26 and then manually rotating the coupler 14
to the stored
position. Once the coupler 14 has been rotated to the stored position, the
locking pin 24 can then
be reinserted into the holes 26, thereby blocking the coupler 14 from rotating
toward the
extended position. Although other types of locking means are possible and
intended to be
included within the scope of the present invention, including separate locking
mechanisms for
each of the stored and extended coupler positions, there are obvious
advantages to having a
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single locking pin accomplishing all necessary locking functions. Also,
partially or fully
automated locking mechanisms would be possible within the scope of the present
invention.
The exemplary embodiment has been described thus far by reference to the frame
12 without
surrounding context, hut it is the intention that advantageous functionality
can be achieved by
housing the frame 12 within the external surface or skin of the vehicle,
including where such
comprises a forward or rearward bumper as in the case of a road/rail vehicle.
Turning now to
Figures 2e and 2f. the assembly 10 is shown housed within a bumper 58 of a
rail-supported
vehicle. The bumper 58 is provided with two apertures, a first aperture 60 and
a second aperture
62, for extension of assembly components. Specifically, the first aperture 60
is located and
configured to allow the passage therethrough of the first end 16 of the
coupler 14 when the
coupler 14 is in the extended position, and the second aperture 62 is located
and configured to
allow the passage therethrough of part of the rotatable brake pipe mounting
bracket 36, discussed
below. Although the two apertures 60, 62 are shown as discrete, it would be
obvious to combine
them in a single aperture. When retracted back through the apertures. 60, 62,
the assembly
components do not add to the external length of the vehicle.
Turning now to Figures 3a through 4th another aspect of the present invention
is illustrated in
detail, namely the rotatable brake pipe mounting bracket 36. The bracket 36 is
configured to
receive an end of the brake pipe 38 and enable connection to the brake pipe of
an adjacent
vehicle. The present invention allows for retraction of the coupler 14, but
also the brake pipe 38
itself which could otherwise extend forwardly or rearwardly of the vehicle
exterior surface.
The bracket 36 comprises a securing plate 42 attached to the vehicle and a
rotatable mount 40
mounted thereon. The rotatable mount 40 is connected to the securing plate 42
by means of a
pivot bar 54, such that the mount 40 can rotate between upward and downward
positions, as will
be described further below. The rotatable mount 40 is configured to retain a
connector 56 for the
brake pipe 38.
The securing plate 42 has two spaced apart receiving holes 44, 46 therein for
alternative receipt
respectively of bolts 48. 50. As can best be seen in Figures 4e (extended
position) and 4d (stored
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position), the mount 40 is rotatable between an extended position wherein the
brake pipe 38
projects outwardly and the bolt 48 is received in the corresponding hole 44 in
the plate 42, and a
stored position wherein the brake pipe 38 is retracted within the vehicle and
the bolt 50 is
received in the corresponding hole 46 in the plate 42. Retention means such as
nut or pin 52 can
be employed to ensure the mount 40 is held in the desired position.
As will be obvious to those skilled in the art, the present invention as
illustrated by way of the
exemplary embodiment provides numerous advantages over the prior art. For
example, in the
case of road/rail vehicles, the ability to retract both the coupler and brake
pipe maximizes the
3.0 useful vehicle length as protruding unused components would otherwise
impact vehicle length
under highway use regulations for such vehicles.
The forming is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the
invention. The scope of
the claims should not be limited by the exemplary embodiment set forth in the
foregoing, but
should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the specification
as a whole.
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