Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
LOCKING DEVICE AND HOPPER CAR
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The application claims the priority of the Chinese patent application
filed on December 25,
2019, with an application number of 201911357557X and a title of "locking
device and hopper car".
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The disclosure relates to the technical field of railway wagons, and in
particular, to a locking
device and a hopper car.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] A hopper car with a bottom door is mainly used to transport bulk cargo
on railway lines.
After the hopper car arrives at a destination, the bulk cargo are unloaded
onto a conveyor belt or into
a pit in a manner of bottom unloading.
[0004] In the existing technique, an unloading door (referred to as bottom
door) at a bottom of the
hopper car is generally opened and closed by an opening and closing mechanism.
The opening and
closing mechanism serves as a key component of the railway hopper car, and its
security and
reliability directly affect the operation safety of the car. During a driving
process of the car,
generally a locking device is provided to prevent a driving shaft of the
opening and closing
mechanism from rotating, so as to prevent the opening and closing mechanism
from self-opening,
which leads to self-unloading of cargo. In this way, the reliability of the
opening and closing
mechanism in a closed state may be improved.
[0005] The applicant finds that at least the following defects in the existing
technique:
[0006] In the existing technique, since the locking device is complex in
structure and high in
assembly precision requirements, the reliability of the opening and closing
mechanism is difficult to
guarantee, meanwhile the production and manufacturing difficulty is increased
and the
manufacturing cost is increased.
[0007] Therefore, the existing techniques need to be improved so as to solve
the technical problem
in the existing technique that the reliability is difficult to guarantee due
to the fact that the locking
device is complex in structure and high in assembly precision requirements.
-1-
Date recue/Date received 2023-03-10
CA 03140932 2021-11-17
G1WH21CA55941-47E1
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] In view of the defects in the existing techniques, the disclosure
provides a locking device and
a hopper car. The locking device and the hopper car are simple and reliable,
and assembly precision
requirements are low. On the premise of ensuring the reliability of the
opening and closing
mechanism in the closed state, the production manufacturing difficulty and
manufacturing cost can
be reduced, so as to solve the technical problem in the existing technique
that the reliability is
difficult to guarantee due to the fact that the locking device is complex in
structure and high in
assembly precision requirements.
[0009] In an aspect of the disclosure, a locking device is provided. The
locking device may comprise:
a driving shaft, being disposed to be rotatable, and a rotation of the driving
shaft drives an opening
and closing mechanism to operate so as to open and close a bottom door; a
driving handle, having a
first end and a second end; the first end of the driving handle is fixedly
sleeved on the driving shaft,
and the second end of the driving handle is arranged away from the driving
shaft; a driving member,
an output end of the driving member can move along a straight line, and a
direction of a straight line
movement is perpendicular to a central axis of the driving shaft; a driving
fork, being fixedly
arranged on the output end of the driving member, and a waist-shaped hole is
formed in the driving
fork; a length direction of the waist-shaped hole is the direction of the
straight line movement, and
the second end of the driving handle is disposed to be rotatable in the waist-
shaped hole; a first guide
plate is provided on a side of a peripheral face of the driving fork facing
away from the driving shaft,
and the first guide plate has a first side and a second side; the first side
is a side of the first guide
plate facing away from a fixed end of the driving member, and the second side
is a side of the first
guide plate facing the fixed end of the driving member; and a locking block,
being arranged on a
side of the driving fork facing away from the driving shaft, and an end of the
locking block is
disposed to be rotatable; a protrusion and a stop are sequentially provided on
a side of a peripheral
face of the locking block facing the driving fork, and the protrusion and the
stop are sequentially
arranged away from the first guide plate; the second end of the driving handle
is operatively located
between the protrusion and the stop, and an end of the protrusion facing the
first guide plate is
connected to the locking block by means of a second guide plate; the second
side of the first guide
plate and the second guide plate are arranged in a sliding manner, and at
least one of the second side
of the first guide plate and the second guide plate is a slope; an other end
of the locking block is
provided with a third guide plate; the first side of the first guide plate and
the third guide plate are
-2-
Date Recue/Date Received 202 1-1 1-17
CA 03140932 2021-11-17
G1WH21CA55941-47E1
arranged in a sliding manner, and at least one of the first side of the first
guide plate and the third
guide plate is a slope.
100101 In some embodiments of the disclosure, both the second guide plate and
the third guide plate
are slopes.
100111 In some embodiments of the disclosure, the first side of the first
guide plate is a slope, and
the second side of the first guide plate is a vertical face.
[0012] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the second side of the first
guide plate and an end of
the first guide plate away from the driving fork are transitioned through a
chamfer.
[0013] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the locking device may further
include a
compression spring; and an end of the compression spring is disposed to be
rotatable, and an other
end of the compression spring is rotatably connected to an other end of the
locking block.
[0014] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the driving member may include
an air cylinder, a
driving support, a driving plate seat and an adjusting nut; the driving plate
seat is connected to the
driving support by means of the adjusting nut; and a fixed end of the air
cylinder is fixedly
connected to the driving support, and an output end of the air cylinder is the
output end of the
driving member.
[0015] In another aspect of the disclosure, a hopper car is provided. The
hopper car may comprise a
bottom door, an opening and closing mechanism controlling the bottom door to
open, and a locking
device mentioned above; and the operation of the opening and closing mechanism
can be controlled
by means of the locking device.
[0016] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the opening and closing
mechanism includes: a first
connecting rod, a second connecting rod, a crank and a pull rod, each of which
has a first end and a
second end; the first end of the first connecting rod is rotatably connected
to the driving shaft, and
the first end of the second connecting rod is rotatably connected to the
second end of the first
connecting rod; the second end of the second connecting rod is rotatably
connected to the first end of
the crank, and the second end of the crank is rotatably connected to a bottom
of a car body; a middle
portion of the crank is rotatably connected to the first end of the pull rod,
and the second end of the
crank and the first end of the first connecting rod are oppositely arranged;
the first end of the crank
and the second end of the crank are both located at a same side of the middle
portion of the crank,
and the second end of the pull rod is rotatably connected to a bottom of a
bottom door; a top of the
bottom door is rotatably connected to the car body, and a joint of the second
end of the pull rod and
the bottom of the bottom door and a joint of the top of the bottom door and
the car body are both
-3-
Date Recue/Date Received 202 1-1 1-17
CA 03140932 2021-11-17
G1WH21CA55941-47E1
located between the first end of the first connecting rod and the second end
of the crank; the joint of
the second end of the pull rod and the bottom of the bottom door is located
below the second end of
the crank; and the opening and closing mechanism further includes a stop
block; the stop block is
fixedly arranged on the car body, and the stop block is located on a lower
side of the crank when the
crank is located at a dead center position.
[0017] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the crank may include two
opposite clamping plates;
first ends of two opposite sides of the two opposite clamping plates are both
provided with a first
rotating shaft, and two first rotating shafts are rotatably connected to two
second ends of the second
connecting rods respectively; second ends of the two opposite sides of the two
opposite clamping
plates are both arranged with a second rotating shaft, and two second rotating
shafts are rotatably
connected to the second connecting seat; and the first end of the pull rod is
located between the two
clamping plates, and the first end of the pull rod is rotatably connected to a
middle portion of the two
clamping plates by means of a third rotating shaft.
[0018] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the pull rod includes a first
rod body and a second
rod body, each of which has a first end and a second end; the first end of the
first rod body is
rotatably connected to the middle portion of the crank; and the second end of
the first rod body is
threadedly connected in the first end of the second rod body, and the second
end of the second rod
body is rotatably connected to the bottom of the bottom door.
[0019] The disclosure at least has the following advantageous effects:
100201 First of all, with the locking device provided by the disclosure, when
the bottom door and the
opening and closing mechanism are in a closed state, the output end of the
driving member is not
started, while the second end of the driving handle may be located between the
stop and the
protrusion of the locking block, and the rotation of the driving handle is
limited by means of the stop.
Therefore, the objective of controlling the operation of the opening and
closing mechanism may be
achieved, and further the reliability of the opening and closing mechanism in
a closed state may be
improved. When the bottom door needs to be opened, the locking device needs to
be controlled to be
unlocked. Under such working conditions, the output end of the driving member
extends out. Since
the waist-shaped hole is provided on the driving fork and the length direction
of the waist-shaped
hole is the extension direction of the output end of the driving member, the
second end of the driving
member can be disposed to be rotatable in the waist-shaped hole. Therefore,
the output end of the
driving member drives the driving fork to move for an idle stroke. During the
idle stroke, the second
side of the first guide plate on the peripheral face of the driving fork is in
sliding fit with the second
-4-
Date Recue/Date Received 202 1-1 1-17
CA 03140932 2021-11-17
G1WH21CA55941-47E1
guide plate on the locking block, pushing the locking block to rotate around
an end of the locking
block. Thus, the limitation of the stop of the locking block on the driving
handle is eliminated, and
enabling the opening and closing mechanism to operate normally. When the
bottom door needs to be
switched from the open state to the closed state, the output end of the
driving member is retracted,
and the bottom door returns along a path opposite to the opening. The first
side of the first guide
plate of the driving fork is in sliding fit with the third guide plate on the
locking block, and the
locking block reversely rotates around an end of the locking block under the
action of gravity, so that
the driving fork may be retracted along the same path. When the bottom door is
in the closed state,
under the action of gravity, the stop of the peripheral face of the locking
block locks the second end
of the driving handle, thereby the driving handle is hindered, so that the
reliability of the opening
and closing mechanism in the closed state is improved. Therefore, the locking
device provided by
the disclosure is simple and reliable in structure, and low in assembly
precision requirements. On the
premise of ensuring the reliability of the opening and closing mechanism in
the closed state, the
production manufacturing difficulty and manufacturing cost can be reduced, so
as to solve the
technical problem in the existing technique that the reliability is difficult
to guarantee due to the fact
that the locking device is complex in structure and high in assembly precision
requirements.
[0021] Secondly, the hopper car provided by the disclosure includes a bottom
door, an opening and
closing mechanism controlling the bottom door to open and the locking device.
The locking device
is simple and reliable in structure, and low in assembly precision
requirements. The operation of the
opening and closing mechanism may be controlled by means of the locking
device, so that the
objective of controlling the operation of the opening and closing mechanism is
achieved. Therefore,
the reliability of the opening and closing mechanism in the closed state is
improved. Furthermore, on
the premise of ensuring the reliability of the opening and closing mechanism
in the closed state, the
production manufacturing difficulty and manufacturing cost can be reduced.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] In order to illustrate technical solutions in the embodiments of the
disclosure more clearly, a
brief description is made below to the drawings used in the description of the
embodiments.
Apparently, the drawings to be described below are merely some embodiments of
the disclosure.
Those of ordinary skill in the art may further obtain other drawings according
to these drawings
without creative effort.
[0023] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an arrangement of an opening and
closing mechanism on a
car body according to the embodiments of the disclosure;
-5-
Date Recue/Date Received 202 1-1 1-17
CA 03140932 2021-11-17
G1WH21CA55941-47E1
[0024] FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a state when the bottom door is
closed;
[0025] FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a state when the bottom door is
opened;
[0026] FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of a transmission of the bottom door from
a closed state to an
open state according to the embodiments of the disclosure;
[0027] FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of a transmission of the bottom door from
an open state to a
closed state according to the embodiments of the disclosure;
[0028] FIG. 6 shows a structural schematic view of the crank in FIG. 1;
[0029] FIG. 7 shows a structural schematic view of the pull rod in FIG. 1;
[0030] FIG. 8 shows a structural schematic view of the bottom door in FIG. 1;
[0031] FIG. 9 shows a structural schematic view of the hopper car with the
locking device according
to the embodiments of the disclosure;
[0032] FIG. 10 shows a schematic view of a cooperation of the locking device
and the opening and
closing mechanism in FIG. 9;
[0033] FIG. 11 shows a structural schematic view of the locking device in FIG.
9; and
[0034] FIG. 12 shows a schematic view of an installation of the driving member
in FIG. 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0035] Technical solutions in the embodiments of the disclosure will be
clearly and completely
described in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the
disclosure. Obviously, the
embodiments to be described are only a portion of rather than all of the
embodiments of the
disclosure. Based on the embodiments of the disclosure, all other embodiments
obtained by those of
ordinary skill in the art without creative effort belong to the scope of the
disclosure.
[0036] The embodiments of the disclosure provide a hopper car. The hopper car
includes a car body
and a bottom door, wherein the bottom door is disposed at a bottom of the car
body in an openable
and closable manner by means of an opening and closing mechanism, so as to
realize opening and
closing actions of the bottom door.
[0037] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an arrangement of the opening and closing
mechanism on the
car body according to the embodiments of the disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic
view of a state when
the bottom door is closed. FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a state when the
bottom door is open. With
reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the opening and closing mechanism of the
embodiments of the
disclosure may include a stop block 10, and a first connecting rod 2, a second
connecting rod 3, a
rank 5 and a pull rod 6, each of which has a first end and a second end.
-6-
Date Recue/Date Received 202 1-1 1-17
CA 03140932 2021-11-17
G1WH21CA55941-47E1
[0038] With reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, in some embodiments of the
disclosure, the first end of
the first connecting rod 2 is rotatably connected to a bottom of a car body 8;
the first end of the
second connecting rod 3 is rotatably connected to the second end of the first
connecting rod 2; the
second end of the second connecting rod 3 is rotatably connected to the first
end of the crank 5; the
second end of the crank 5 is rotatably connected to the bottom of the car body
8; a middle portion of
the crank 5 is rotatably connected to the first end of the pull rod 6; the
second end of the crank 5 is
disposed opposite to the first end of the first connecting rod 2; the first
end of the crank 5 and the
second end of the crank 5 are both located at a same side of the middle
portion of the crank 5, i.e.,
the crank 5 can be in a U-shape as a whole. The second end of the pull rod 6
is rotatably connected
to the bottom of a bottom door 4; a top of the bottom door 4 is rotatably
connected to the car body 8;
a joint of the second end of the pull rod 6 and the bottom of the bottom door
4 and a joint of the top
of the bottom door 4 and the car body 8 are both located between the first end
of the first connecting
rod 2 and the second end of the crank 5; the joint of the second end of the
pull rod 6 and the bottom
of the bottom door 4 is located below the second end of the crank 5; and the
stop block 10 may be
fixedly disposed on the car body 8, and the stop block 10 may be located on a
lower side of the crank
when the crank 5 is located at a dead center position.
[0039] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the car body 8, the first
connecting rod 2, the second
connecting rod 3 and the crank 5 may form a four-bar linkage mechanism, while
the car body 8, the
crank 5, the pull rod 6 and the bottom door 4 may form another four-bar
linkage mechanism. The
opening and closing mechanism provided by the disclosure utilizes two four-bar
linkage mechanisms
to realize the opening and closing of the bottom door, with characteristics of
a simple structure and
low manufacturing and maintenance costs.
[0040] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a transmission of the bottom door from a
closed state to an
open state according to the embodiments of the disclosure. With reference to
FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, in
some embodiments of the disclosure, the first connecting rod 2 is controlled
to rotate clockwise, so
that the crank 5 can be driven to rotate counterclockwise by means of the
second connecting rod 3;
the counterclockwise rotation of the crank 5 may cause the middle portion of
the crank 5 to be raised,
and then the bottom door 4 can be driven to rotate clockwise by means of the
pull rod 6, so that an
opening action of the bottom door 4 can be realized. When the opening and
closing mechanism
crosses the dotted line position (i.e., the "dead center" position of the
opening and closing
mechanism) in FIG. 4, the bottom door 4 will quickly be opened due to the dead
weight of the
-7-
Date Recue/Date Received 202 1-1 1-17
CA 03140932 2021-11-17
G1WH21CA55941-47E1
bottom door 4 and the pressure of cargo on the bottom door 4, so as to realize
the fast unloading of
cargo.
[0041] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a transmission of the bottom door from an
open state to a
closed state according to the embodiments of the disclosure. With reference to
FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, the
first connecting rod 2 is controlled to rotate counterclockwise, so that the
crank 5 is driven to rotate
clockwise by means of the second connecting rod 3; the clockwise rotation of
the crank 5 may cause
the middle portion of the crank 5 to be lowered, and then the bottom door 4
can be driven to rotate
counterlockwise by means of the pull rod 6, so that a closing action of the
bottom door 4 can be
realized. When the opening and closing mechanism crosses the dotted line
position (i.e., the "dead
center" position of the opening and closing mechanism) in FIG. 5, the crank 5
will continue to rotate
clockwise due to the dead weight of the bottom door 4 and the continuous
counterclockwise rotation
of the first connecting rod 2. In order to ensure that the bottom door is in a
closed state, a clockwise
rotation trend of the crank 5 can be prevented by the stop block 10, so as to
ensure that the bottom
door 4 is always kept in the closed state; due to the fact that the opening
and closing mechanism
crosses the "dead center", the crank 5 can only produce a clockwise rotation
trend rather than a
clockwise rotation, thus ensuring the reliability of the closed state of the
bottom door. In addition,
when the crank 5 rotates to the dead center position, even if the crank is
driven by an external force,
the crank 5 is prevented from rotating due to a limitation of the stop block
10, thereby preventing the
car from self-unloading due to a self-opening of the bottom door during a
driving process. As such,
the reliability of the car can be improved in order to ensure safe
transportation of cargo and the safe
operation of the car.
[0042] With reference to FIG. 1, in some embodiments of the disclosure, the
bottom of the car body
8 may be provided with a beam body 11. A middle portion of the beam body 11
may be provided
with a slotted hole 12 along a length direction of the beam body 11, and a
main shaft support and a
crank support 13 may be respectively provided at a bottom of the beam body 11.
The main shaft
support and the crank support 13 may be respectively arranged on two sides of
a length direction of
the slotted hole 12. The first end of the first connecting rod 2 is rotatably
connected to the main shaft
support. The second connecting rod 3 may pass by means of the slotted hole 12.
The second end of
the crank 5 is rotatably connected to the crank support 13. In some
embodiments of the disclosure,
with a design of the slotted hole 12, mounting space may be provided for the
opening and closing
mechanism.
-8-
Date Recue/Date Received 202 1-1 1-17
CA 03140932 2021-11-17
G1WH21CA55941-47E1
[0043] As shown in FIG. 1, in some embodiments of the disclosure, a driving
shaft 9 may be
disposed to be rotatable on the main shaft support, and the first end of the
first connecting rod 2 may
be fixedly connected to the driving shaft 9. By driving the driving shaft 9 to
rotate, the first
connecting rod 2 may be driven to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise.
[0044] In some embodiments of the disclosure, an axial direction of the
driving shaft 9 can be a
width direction of the car body 8. In some embodiments of the disclosure, the
bottom door may be
opened along the width direction of the car body 8.
[0045] In some embodiments of the disclosure, when the bottom door is opened
along the width
direction of the car body 8, the slotted hole 12 may be arranged on a middle
beam 1 at the bottom of
the car body 8, and the main shaft support and the crank support 13 may also
be arranged on the
middle beam.
[0046] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the axial direction of the
driving shaft 9 may also be
a length direction of the car body 8. In some embodiments of the disclosure,
proper deformation may
be made under working conditions shown in FIG. 1, so that the bottom door may
be opened along
the length direction of the car body 8, and the disclosure is not limited
thereto.
[0047] As shown in FIG. 1, in some embodiments of the disclosure, two ends of
the driving shaft 9
may be both provided with a driving block 1. The driving block 1 is used to
connect with a
component that drives the driving shaft 9 to rotate, such as a rotating motor
fixed on the car body, or
a wrench tool capable of realizing manual operation and the like, and the
disclosure is not limited
thereto.
[0048] In some embodiments of the disclosure, a cross section of the driving
block 1 may be a
regular polygon, which may be matched with a wrench tool to facilitate manual
operation.
[0049] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the second connecting rod 3 may
be a split structure
to facilitate the installation of the opening and closing mechanism. During
installation, remaining
components of the opening and closing mechanism are firstly installed, the
second connecting rod 3
is finally installed, and the second connecting rod 3 of the split structure
is fixedly connected into a
whole by means of bolts or rivets.
[0050] FIG. 6 is a structural schematic view of the crank in FIG. 1. With
reference to FIG. 1 and
FIG. 6, in some embodiments of the disclosure, the crank 5 may include two
opposite clamping
plates 5.1. First ends of two opposite sides of the two opposite clamping
plates 5.1 may be both
provided with a first rotating shaft 5.2. Two first rotating shafts 5.2 may be
rotatably connected to
two second ends of the second connecting rods 3 respectively. In some
embodiments of the
-9-
Date Recue/Date Received 202 1-1 1-17
CA 03140932 2021-11-17
G1WH21CA55941-47E1
disclosure, the first connecting rod 2 may be disposed to be rotatable between
two third connecting
rods 3, and the crank 5 is driven to rotate by means of one first connecting
rod 2 and two third
connecting rods 3.
[0051] With reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 6, in some embodiments of the
disclosure, second ends of
the two opposite sides of the two opposite clamping plates 5.1 may be both
provided with a second
rotating shaft 5.3. Two second rotating shafts 5.3 are rotatably connected to
the second connecting
seat 13 to realize the rotatable connection of the crank 5 and the second
connecting seat 13.
[0052] With reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 6, in some embodiments of the
disclosure, the first end of
the pull rod 6 may be located between the two clamping plates 5.1. The first
end of the pull rod 6
may be rotatably connected with a middle portion of the two clamping plates
5.1 by means of a third
rotating shaft 14, so as to realize the a rotatable connection of the first
end of the pull rod 6 and the
crank 5.
[0053] In some embodiments of the disclosure, parts between the first end and
the second end of the
two clamping plates 5.1 may be both provided with a notch. The notch enables
the pull rod to be
mounted in the crank 5 in an embedded form.
[0054] In some embodiments of the disclosure, a length of the pull rod 6 is
adjustable. Through the
length-adjustable pull rod 6, an opening degree of the bottom door 4 can be
adjusted to facilitate the
maintenance of the opening and closing mechanism.
[0055] FIG. 7 is a structural schematic view of the pull rod in FIG. 1. With
reference to FIG. 7, in
some embodiments of the disclosure, the pull rod 6 may include a first rod
body 6.1 and a second
rod body 6.2, each of which having a first end and a second end. The first end
of the first rod body
6.1 is rotatably connected to a middle portion of a rocking handle 5. The
second end of the first rod
body 6.1 may be threadedly connected in the first end of the second rod body
6.2. The second end of
the second rod body 6.2 is rotatably connected to the bottom of the bottom
door 4. Through a
threaded connection of the first rod body 6.1 and the second rod body 6.2, the
length of the pull rod
6 may be adjusted conveniently.
[0056] With reference to FIG. 7, in some embodiments of the disclosure, the
first end of the first rod
body 6.1 may be provided with a first connecting ring 6.3, the first
connecting ring 6.3 may be
rotatably connected to the two clamping plates 5.1 by means of a third
rotating shaft. The second end
of the second rod body 6.2 may be provided with a second connecting ring 6.4,
the second
connecting ring 6.4 is rotatably connected to the bottom of the bottom door 4
by means of a fourth
rotating shaft 7.
-10-
Date Recue/Date Received 202 1-1 1-17
CA 03140932 2021-11-17
G1WH21CA55941-47E1
[0057] FIG. 8 is a structural schematic view of the bottom door in FIG. 1. As
shown in FIG. 8, in
some embodiments of the disclosure, the bottom door 4 may include a door plate
4.1, a hinge 4.2, a
pull rod support 4.3 and a connecting beam 4.4. In some embodiments, two the
door plates 4.1 may
be arranged opposite to each other and may be connected in to a whole by means
of the connecting
beam 4.4. An avoidance space may be arranged between the two door plates 4.1
so as to avoid the
middle beam. The two door plates 4.1 may be respectively provided with a
plurality of hinges 4.2, so
as to be rotatably connected to the car body 8. The pull rod support 4.3 may
be fixedly arranged on
the connecting beam 4.4 between the two door plates 4.1 so as to be connected
to the pull rod 6.
[0058] In some embodiments of the disclosure, to prevent the opening and
closing mechanism from
being self-opening and occurrence of cargo self-unloading, a locking device
can be generally
provided to prevent the driving shaft 9 of the opening and closing mechanism
from rotating, so as to
improve the reliability of the opening and closing mechanism in a closed
state.
[0059] FIG. 9 is a structural schematic view of the hopper car with the
locking device. FIG. 10 is a
schematic view of a cooperation of the locking device and the opening and
closing mechanism in
FIG. 9. FIG. 11 is a structural schematic view of the locking device in FIG.
9. With reference to FIG.
9 to FIG. 11, in some embodiments of the disclosure, the locking device may
include a driving shaft
9, a driving handle 15, a driving member 16, a driving fork 17 and a locking
block 18. in some
embodiments, the driving shaft 9 can be disposed to be rotatable, and a
rotation of the driving shaft 9
may drive the opening and closing mechanism to operate so as to open and close
the bottom door.
[0060] With reference to FIG. 9 to FIG. 11, in some embodiments of the
disclosure, the driving
handle 15 may have a first end and a second end. The first end of the driving
handle 15 may be
fixedly sleeved on the driving shaft 9, and the second end of the driving
handle 15 may be arranged
away from the driving shaft 9. By controlling a rotation of the driving handle
15, the driving shaft 9
may be driven to rotate, and thereby further controlling the operation of the
opening and closing
mechanism.
[0061] With reference to FIG. 9 to FIG. 11, in some embodiments of the
disclosure, an output end of
the driving member 16 may move along a straight line, a the direction of a
straight line movement
may be perpendicular to a central axis of the driving shaft 9. The driving
fork 17 may be fixedly
arranged on the output end of the driving member 16. A waist-shaped hole 24
may be formed in the
driving fork 17. A length direction of the waist-shaped hole 24 may be the
direction of the straight
line movement. The second end of the driving handle 15 is disposed to be
rotatable in the waist-
shaped hole 24. A first guide plate 19 may be provided on a side of a
peripheral face of the driving
-11 -
Date Recue/Date Received 202 1-1 1-17
CA 03140932 2021-11-17
G1WH21CA55941-47E1
fork 17 facing away from the driving shaft 9, and the first guide plate 19 may
have a first side and a
second side. The first side may be a side of the first guide plate 19 facing
away from a fixed end of
the driving member 16, and the second side may be a side of the first guide
plate 19 facing the fixed
end of the driving member 16.
100621 With reference to FIG. 9 to FIG. 11, in some embodiments of the
disclosure, the locking
block 18 may be arranged on a side of the driving fork 17 facing away from the
driving shaft 9. An
end of the locking block 18 may be disposed to be rotatable, and a protrusion
20 and a stop 21 may
be sequentially provided on a side of the peripheral face of the locking block
18 facing the driving
fork 17. The protrusion 20 and the stop 21 may be sequentially arranged away
from the first guide
plate 19. An other end of the driving handle 15 may be operatively located
between the protrusion 20
and the stop 21. An end of the protrusion 20 facing the first guide plate 19
may be connected to the
locking block 18 by means of a second guide plate 22. The second side of the
first guide plate 19 and
the second guide plate 22 are operatively arranged in a sliding manner. At
least one of the second
side of the first guide plate 19 and the second guide plate 22 may be a slope.
An other end of the
locking block 18 may be provided with a third guide plate 23, and the first
side of the first guide
plate 19 and the third guide plate 23 are operatively arranged in a sliding
manner. At least one of the
first side of the first guide plate 19 and the third guide plate 23 may be a
slope.
100631 In some embodiments of the disclosure, the locking device may be used
to control the
operation of the opening and closing mechanism. The working principles are as
below:
100641 When the bottom door 4 and the opening and closing mechanism are in a
closed state, the
output end of the driving member 16 is not started; the second end of the
driving handle 15 may be
located between the stop 21 and the protrusion 20 of the locking block 18. By
means of the stop 21,
a rotation of the driving handle 15 may be limited, so that an objective of
controlling the operation of
the opening and closing mechanism may be achieved, and further the reliability
of the opening and
closing mechanism in a closed state may be improved.
100651 When the bottom door 4 needs to be opened, the locking device needs to
be controlled to be
unlocked. Under such working conditions, the output end of the driving member
16 may extend out.
Since the waist-shaped hole 24 is provided on the driving fork 17, the length
direction of the waist-
shaped hole 24 may be an extension direction of the output end of the driving
member 16. The
second end of the driving member 16 is disposed to be rotatable in the waist-
shaped hole 24, so that
the output end of the driving member 16 drives the driving fork 17 to move for
an idle stroke.
During the idle stroke, the second side of the first guide plate 19 on the
peripheral face of the driving
-12-
Date Recue/Date Received 202 1-1 1-17
CA 03140932 2021-11-17
G1WH21CA55941-47E1
fork 17 is in sliding fit with the second guide plate 22 on the locking block
18, pushing the locking
block 18 to rotate around an end of the locking block 18. Thus, the limitation
of the stop 21 of the
locking block 18 on the driving handle 15 is eliminated, and enabling the
opening and closing
mechanism to operate nonnally.
[0066] When the bottom door 4 needs to be switched from the open state to the
closed state, the
output end of the driving member 16 is retracted, and the bottom door 4
returns along a path
opposite to an opening. The first side of the first guide plate 19 of the
driving fork 17 is in sliding fit
with the third guide plate 23 on the locking block 18, and the locking block
18 may rotate reversely
around an end of the locking block 18 under an action of gravity, so that the
driving fork 17 may be
retracted along a same path. When the bottom door 4 is in the closed state,
under the action of
gravity, the stop 21 of the peripheral face of the locking block 18 locks the
second end of the driving
handle 15, thereby obstructing the driving handle 15 to improve the
reliability of the opening and
closing mechanism in the closed state.
[0067] With reference to FIG. 11, in some embodiments of the disclosure, the
second guide plate 22
and the third guide plate 23 may both be slopes, and extension lines of ends
of the second guide plate
22 and the third guide plate 23 facing the protrusion can be arranged to
intersect with each other.
The first side of the first guide plate 19 may be a slope, and the second side
of the first guide plate 19
may be a vertical face.
[0068] With reference to FIG. 11, in some embodiments of the disclosure, the
second side of the
first guide plate 19 and an end of the first guide plate 19 away from the
driving fork 16 are
transitioned through a chamfer. In this way, the sliding between the second
side of the first guide
plate 19 and the second guide plate 22 may be more linear and smooth.
[0069] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the second guide plate 22 and
the third guide plate
23 may both be vertical faces, and the first side and the second side of the
first guide plate 19 may
both be both slopes, or the second guide plate 22, the third guide plate 23
and the first side and the
second side of the first guide plate 19 are all slopes, and the disclosure is
not limited thereto.
[0070] With reference to FIG. 9 to FIG. 11, in some embodiments of the
disclosure, the locking
device may further include a compression spring 25. An end of the compression
spring 25 may be
fixedly arranged, and an other end of the compression spring 25 may be
rotatably connected to an
other end of the locking block 18. Thus, controlling a rotation of the locking
block 18 needs to
overcome a preload pressure of the compression spring 25, so as to further
improve the reliability of
the bottom door in the closed state.
-13-
Date Recue/Date Received 202 1-1 1-17
CA 03140932 2021-11-17
G1WH21CA55941-47E1
[0071] As shown in FIG. 11, in some embodiments of the disclosure, the locking
device may further
include a connecting plate 26. The connecting plate 26 may include two side
plates connected in an
L shape. An side plate of the connecting plate 26 may be fixedly connected to
the output end of the
driving member 16, and the other side plate of the connecting plate 26 and the
output end of the
driving member 16 may be arranged in parallel. An end of the compression
spring 25 may be fixedly
connected to the other side plate of the connecting plate 26. The two side
plates may be connected to
the connecting block 27 by means of bolts. An end of the locking block 18 may
be connected to the
connecting block 27 by means of a pin shaft, so as to realize a rotatable
arrangement of the locking
block 18.
[0072] In some embodiments of the disclosure, an end of the compression spring
25 and an end of
the locking block 18 may also be connected to the car body, and the disclosure
is not limited thereto.
[0073] FIG. 12 is schematic view of an installation of the driving member in
FIG. 9. As shown in
FIG. 12, in some embodiments of the disclosure, the driving member 16 may
include an air cylinder
16.1, a driving support 16.2, a driving plate seat 16.3 and an adjusting nut
16.4. In some
embodiments, the driving support 16.2 may be fixedly arranged at the bottom of
the car body, and
the driving plate seat 16.3 may be connected to the driving support 16.2 by
means of the adjusting
nut 16.4. A fixed end of the air cylinder 16.1 may be fixedly connected to the
driving support 16.3,
and an output end of the air cylinder 16.1 may be the output end of the
driving member 16.
[0074] In some embodiments of the disclosure, since the driving plate seat
16.3 may be connected to
the driving support 16.2 by means of the adjusting nut 16.4, when installing
the air cylinder 16.1, a
position of the fixed end of the air cylinder may be adjusted by means of the
adjusting nut 16.4 In
some embodiments of the disclosure, since an air cylinder may be selected as a
driving member, it
may have corresponding rapid characteristics. In some embodiments of the
disclosure, the air
cylinder 16.1 may also be replaced with an oil cylinder or a motor, and the
disclosure is not limited
thereto.
100751 The locking device provided by the disclosure is simple and reliable in
structure, and low in
assembling precision requirements. The manufacturing difficulty and
manufacturing cost can be
reduced on the premise of ensuring the reliability of the opening and closing
mechanism in the
closed state.
[0076] The embodiments described above are preferred embodiments of the
disclosure, which are
used merely to facilitate the description of the disclosure, rather than
limiting the disclosure in any
way. Any equivalent embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art
by modifying or
-14-
Date Recue/Date Received 202 1-1 1-17
CA 03140932 2021-11-17
G1WH21CA55941-47E1
varying the embodiments partially based on the content disclosed in the
disclosure without departing
from the technical features of the disclosure are still within the scope of
the disclosure.
-15-
Date Recue/Date Received 202 1-1 1-17
