Method for centering a deflectable coupling head of a rail vehicle, and a support device for carrying out the method.

Abstract

In one method, the aim is to center a deflectable coupling head (35) of a rail vehicle, in which a connecting element (22) between the draw and buffer gear and the coupling head (35) rests centrally on a support surface of a support device (10). This support surface is adjusted from its operating center position to an approximately horizontal orientation. Consequently, the connecting element (22) can be pivoted horizontally in one direction or the other on the support surface and then returned to its center-centered position. This support device (10) is provided with a housing that can be attached to the rail vehicle and a support unit (15) projecting from its upper surface, which includes the support surface. This allows the connecting element (22) to be easily pivoted laterally by manual operation during coupling and uncoupling.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for centering or deflecting preferably a coupling head of a rail vehicle, in which a connecting member between the pulling and pushing device and preferably the coupling head rests center-centered on a support surface of a support device; as well as a support device according to the preamble of claim 3.

[0002] When coupling or uncoupling two rail vehicles on a straight line, the center-centered connecting links can be coupled or uncoupled with the respective coupling head due to their axially co-ordinated alignment without pivoting in the center-centered position of these connecting links. However, when this coupling or uncoupling occurs, especially in exceptional cases (emergency situations) on a curve where these center-centered connecting links are at an angle to each other, coupling can only be performed if these connecting links can be deflected laterally in order to bring the coupling heads into a position approximately co-axial with each other.

[0003] A known device according to document EP 3 792 137 A1 comprises a box-shaped spacer element as a distance bridge, which is connected at the front to a support element articulatedly supporting a drawbar and can be fastened at the rear in a vehicle recess of the rail vehicle. To hold the drawbar in a plane and return it to an initial position centered relative to the vehicle, a connecting arm is provided which is aligned parallel to the drawbar and has a guide rod and a compression spring coaxially surrounding it. The guide rod is attached at one end to a projecting part on the drawbar and at the other end is mounted in a laterally projecting hub in the support element for axial displacement and pivoting.The compression spring is supported on both sides in such a way that it acts on the support element at this hub on the one hand, and on the guide rod at this part on the other, generating a supporting compressive force. This means that deflection of the drawbar is only possible with considerable force. The invention is based on the object of creating a method and a support device for centering or deflecting, preferably a coupling head of the type mentioned above, in which the connecting member can be pivoted laterally during coupling or uncoupling in a simple manner by manual actuation.

[0004] This object is achieved according to the invention by the features of claim 1 and the features of claim 3.

[0005] With this inventive solution, which converts the support surface of the support device from the centering position set in the operating state to an approximately horizontal orientation and consequently pivots the connecting link horizontally in one direction or the other on the support surface, coupling and uncoupling can be carried out very easily and without great effort at any angle of the rail vehicles to one another when they are on a curve in the track, which can occur especially in exceptional cases. The support surface of the support device can then be adjusted back to the orientation that centers the connecting link after coupling or uncoupling.

[0006] Very advantageously, a manually operable lifting device is provided in the support device for switching from the centering to the approximately horizontal alignment of the support surface.

[0007] The support device according to the invention is provided with a housing which can be fastened to the rail vehicle and with a support unit which projects from its upper side and has a support surface, wherein this support surface is determined in its centre as a centring support of the connecting member and can be changed into this approximately horizontal orientation.

[0008] The housing expediently has a base part which can be fastened to the vehicle and a pocket with the support unit which is adjustable in height relative to the base part, wherein a spring arrangement is integrated in the interior of the housing, by means of which the pocket is resiliently supported on the base part and enables a resilient support of the connecting member on the support unit.

[0009] The invention and further advantages thereof are explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawing. It shows: Fig. 1 is a perspective side view of a device for holding a pulling and pushing device of a coupling with a support device according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective side view of the support device according to Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the support device according to Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a perspective side view of a variant of a support device according to the invention for a device according to Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the support device according to Fig. 4.

[0010] Fig. 1 shows a device 20 with a pulling and pushing device of a coupling with a coupling head 35, in particular of a rail vehicle (not shown in detail). Such a device 20 is particularly suitable for freight wagons in which vehicle recesses are provided in a vehicle body, into which the device with the pulling and pushing device can be mounted.

[0011] This device 20 consists of a housing structure 25 provided as a distance bridge, a pull rod mounted in this by an indicated support element 24, spring elements 23 arranged one after the other on this, a coupling or connecting head 26 connected at the front and a wedge arrangement 27 at the rear for clamping the device 20 in a frame 21 of the vehicle body.

[0012] A connecting link 22 is pivotally mounted about a vertical axis on a pin 29 of the coupling or connecting head 26, to which the coupling head 35 is attached at the front. This connecting link 22 rests centered on a support surface 16 of a support device 10. In principle, this connecting link could be equipped with an extension arm, a fastening element for a coupling, or the like instead of the coupling head 35. This connecting link could also be a pull rod.

[0013] The coupling head 35 shown is not explained in detail. Reference is made to document EP-A-1 894 808, in which such a coupling head is described in detail. It comprises a housing 36 with a front wall 37 forming an abutting surface for flatly supporting a similar abutting surface of a coupling head to be coupled on another rail vehicle. A connecting flange is arranged on the rear of the housing 36, which can be fixed to the connecting link 22, or a one-piece housing is provided, which can be fastened directly to the connecting link. A known locking and unlocking mechanism is integrated into the housing 36, which, among other things, illustrates a protruding, adjustable tie rod 38 for locking and unlocking. This tie rod protrudes through a flange 39 at the abutting surface and has a projection 39' of the flange 39 attached to the side as a centering aid.In addition, a round recess 49 is provided next to this flange, which is intended to accommodate a flange of the coupling head to be coupled, from which such a pull rod 38 can be inserted into this recess 49 for locking. Furthermore, line connections 51, levers 52 for manual uncoupling, and a guide element 53 for pre-centering with the coupling head to be connected are provided.

[0014] The coupling or connecting head 26 and the housing structure 25 are formed with corresponding sliding guides 54, 55, through which the coupling or connecting head 26 and with it the pull rod are guided longitudinally in the housing structure 25.

[0015] To clamp the device 20 in the frame 21 of the vehicle body, this wedge arrangement 27 is provided on the rear side of the housing structure 25. This wedge arrangement comprises two wedges 46, each of which is in contact with a wedge surface on an end web 48 of the housing structure 25. The wedges 46 can be adjusted in height, preferably by means of a screw or the like. In the assembled state, the rear sides of the wedges 46 are wedged to a corresponding wall of the frame 21 of the vehicle body. The housing structure 25 is permanently clamped between these wedges 46 and clamping jaws (not shown in detail), which engage the front ends 25' of the housing structure 25.

[0016] As can also be seen from Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the support device 10 is provided with a multi-part housing 11 which can be fastened to the front of the frame 21 of the vehicle and a support unit 15 protruding from its upper side and having a support surface 16. This support surface 16 is formed by partial surfaces 16' which rise outwards on both sides from the center 15' of the two-part support unit 15 by a few degrees α, for example 3 to 20°. The connecting member 22, which has a round or similar cross-section, rests on the underside against the support surface 16 and, due to gravity, is always centered in the center of the support surface, as indicated in Fig. 3.

[0017] This multi-part housing 11 has a base part 18 that can be attached to the frame 21 of the vehicle, a pocket 19 that is height-adjustable relative to the base part 18 and contains the support unit 15, and a spring arrangement with two compression springs 28 therein. The pocket 19 surrounds the base part 18 and is optionally guided longitudinally thereon by guide cams 31, each with an air gap or slight play. Furthermore, the pocket 19 is adjustable upwards at stops 33 on its wall 34 by stop bolts 32 on the base part 18 and downwards to a limited extent at the lower wall 11'. The base part 18 is provided with fastening wings 18' projecting on both sides and attached to the front of the frame 21. At least one fastening wing 18' is fastened to this front side 21' in such a way that there is a free space next to it for an opening 56 for the passage of at least one line guide (not shown in detail), for example a brake line.

[0018] The pocket 19 is resiliently supported on the base part 18 by these compression springs 28 arranged parallel to one another. At least one screw bolt 58, which is fastened to the pocket 19 and has a nut 59 engaging below the wall 11' of the base part 18, extends through each of the compression springs 28 for adjusting the height of the support unit 15 and thus of the connecting link 22. The nut 59 is secured in the assembled state by a lock nut or in a self-locking manner to prevent rotation. This height adjustment can, of course, be implemented by means other than those shown. The housing could also contain only one compression spring or only one screw bolt 58, or more than two of them.

[0019] This creates a resilient support of the connecting link 22 on the centering support unit 15. As a result, the connecting link 22, which is generally in contact with the support unit 15, is also pivoted horizontally around the vertical axis at the pin 29 when the coupled rail vehicles travel in a curve, thereby pressing the support unit 15 and, with it, the pocket 19 downward against the compression springs 28. When they then travel straight ahead again, the connecting link 22 returns to the centered position.

[0020] It may happen that one vehicle is fully loaded while the other vehicle coupled to it is empty. This results in the coupling 35 of the fully loaded vehicle being lower than the other, and thus its connecting link 22 being lower than the other, thus compressing the compression springs 28, while the connecting link of the empty vehicle is lifted from the support unit 15.

[0021] According to the method according to the invention, this support surface 16 of the support device 10 can be adjusted from the centering of the connecting link 22, which is set in the normal operating state, to an approximately horizontal orientation, and consequently, the connecting link 22 can be pivoted horizontally in one direction or the other on the support surface 17. This formed horizontal support surface 17 can then be adjusted back to the orientation centering the connecting link 22.

[0022] This manipulation can thus be carried out in a very simple manner, in which the connecting link 22 and, with it, the coupling head 35 are easily pivoted by hand from the center in one or the other horizontal direction, so that coupling can be carried out easily, particularly when the two coupling heads 35 to be coupled are not coaxial, but are at an angle to each other due to the position of the vehicles in a curve. Normally, the rail vehicles can be easily coupled in stations or during shunting on straight tracks, but as mentioned, it can happen that the vehicles have to be coupled or uncoupled in a curve in exceptional cases on the track, and this can be done with the method according to the invention in a few simple steps and with little effort.

[0023] Within the scope of the invention, a manually height-adjustable lifting member 12 is arranged in the housing 11 in such a way that it can be lifted with its above support surface 17 into a position projecting from the support surface 16 of the support unit 15 and in the process its support surface 17 is converted, at least in the central region, from this V-shape into the approximately horizontal orientation, in which it takes over the support of the connecting member 22 during lifting and enables this pivotable deflection of the connecting member approximately in the horizontal direction.

[0024] Associated with this lifting member 12 extending through the housing 11 is an actuatable adjusting member 14 and a sliding shoe 13 arranged above the pocket 19 in a recess 13' in the center 15' of the support unit 15. The latter can be lifted into this projecting position by the adjusting member 14, which may be configured, for example, as a screw with a hexagon 14' or the like, in which position this sliding shoe 13 supports the connecting member 22 on its horizontal support surface 17, while being sunk into this recess 13' upon lowering, until the connecting member rests again on the support unit 15.

[0025] Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 show a support device 40 which is essentially identical to that shown in Fig. 3. Therefore, only the differences are explained below, and the same reference numerals are used for the same components as in the support device 10. In particular, a variant of a lifting member 42 is formed by a rotatable longitudinal element 44 which runs horizontally parallel above the pocket 19 and has a support surface 47 and at least one adjusting member 43 which can be actuated by the latter. The longitudinal element 44 extends horizontally through a central recess 45 in the support unit 15 in such a way that, in the normal operating state shown, it forms a depression 44' on the upper side within the central recess 45.

[0026] Thus, the connecting link 22 rests centered on the underside of this support surface 16 and, due to gravity, is always located in the center of the support surface, which is designed in the same way as for the support device 10. In this position, the adjusting elements 43, which are attached to both ends of the longitudinal element 44, are arranged outside the housing 11, hanging approximately vertically downwards. They are preferably designed as pivoting levers with handles and are positioned so that they are easily accessible for the operating personnel to manipulate. The angle of rotation of such a pivoting lever can be approximately 180° upwards, whereby after coupling and pivoting upwards, it automatically pivots back down into the illustrated position due to gravity. It is also possible to provide only one pivoting lever on one side.

[0027] According to the invention, the longitudinal element 44 can be rotated from the shown starting position by one of the adjusting members 43 by approximately 90° or up to approximately 180°, and in doing so, the support surface 47 of the longitudinal element 44 moves into a protruding position in the recess 45, causing the connecting member 22 to be lifted and supported on this horizontal support surface 47 of the longitudinal element 44. This enables easy manual pivoting of the connecting member 22 and, with it, the coupling head.

[0028] From this position, the longitudinal element 44 can then be rotated back downwards by actuating one of the adjusting members 43, and in the process, this flattening 44' on the longitudinal element 44 moves upwards into the recess 45 of the support unit 15, so that the connecting member 22 rests again on the support unit 15.

[0029] The invention has been sufficiently demonstrated by the above embodiments. However, it could be further explained by further variants. For example, the pocket and the base part of the housing could be formed as one piece, with only the support unit being guided longitudinally at the top of the housing and held in position for upward or downward adjustment by at least one spring element.

[0030] Likewise, the support device could be designed in other variants, for example by using only a pivotable disc with a flat cutout instead of the longitudinal element.

Claims

1. Method for centering or deflecting preferably a coupling head of a rail vehicle, in which a connecting member (22) between the pulling and pushing device and preferably the coupling head (35) rests center-centered on a support surface (16) of a support device (10, 40), characterized in that this support surface (16) of the support device (10, 40) can be changed from the centering set in the operating state to an approximately horizontal orientation and consequently the connecting member (22) can be pivoted horizontally in one direction or the other on the support surface (17, 47), and that this support surface (17, 47) of the support device (10, 40) can be adjusted back into the orientation centering the connecting member (22).

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the support surface (17, 47) can be changed from the centering to the approximately horizontal orientation by a preferably manually operable lifting member (12, 42) in the support device (22) and the deflection of the connecting member (22) for coupling the coupling head (35) to a rail vehicle to be coupled is carried out manually, in particular when two rail vehicles to be coupled and thus their coupling heads (35) are not coaxial but at an angle to one another.

3. Support device for carrying out the method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is provided with a housing (11) which can be fastened to the rail vehicle and a support unit (15) projecting on its upper side and having a support surface (16), said support surface (16) being defined in its center as a centering support for the connecting member (22) and being adjustable in an approximately horizontal orientation, so that the connecting member (22) resting on the support surface (17, 47) can be deflected approximately in a horizontal direction.

4. Support device according to claim 3, characterized in that the support surface (16) of the support unit (15) is formed by partial surfaces (16') which rise on both sides from their center outwards from the horizontal by angular degrees, so that this connecting member (22) which is round or similar in cross section rests on the underside of the support surface (16) and is always centered in the center of the support surface (16).

5. Support device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that a preferably manually height-adjustable lifting member (12) is arranged in the housing (11) in such a way that it can be lifted with its above support surface (17) into a position projecting towards the support surface (16) of the support unit (15) and in the process changes its support surface (17, 47) at least in the central region into an approximately horizontal orientation in which it takes over the support of the connecting member (22) when lifted and enables this pivotable deflection of the connecting member approximately in the horizontal direction.

6. Support device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the housing (11) has a base part (18) which can be fastened to the vehicle and a pocket (19) which is adjustable in height relative to the base part and which has the support unit (15), wherein a spring arrangement is integrated in the interior of the housing (11), by means of which the pocket (19) is resiliently supported on the base part (18) and enables resilient support of the connecting member (22) on the centering support unit (15).

7. Support device according to one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that this lifting member (12) extending through the housing (11) is provided with an actuatable adjusting member (14) and a sliding shoe (13) arranged above the pocket (19) in a central recess (13') of the support unit (15) with the support surface (17), wherein this sliding shoe (13) can be lifted by the adjusting member (14) into this projecting position and in the process lifts and supports the connecting member (22) on its horizontal support surface (17), while being guided between the support unit (15) during lowering, until the connecting member (22) rests back on the support unit (15).

8. Support device according to one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that the lifting member (42) is formed by a horizontally extending rotatable longitudinal element (44) with the support surface (47) and at least one adjusting member (43) operable by this, wherein the longitudinal element (44) extends through a central recess (45) of the support unit (15) in such a way that the support surface (47) of the longitudinal element (44) either reaches this projecting position in the recess (45) and the connecting member (22) is supported on this horizontal support surface (47), or that a recess (44') in the longitudinal element (44) is positioned by rotating the longitudinal element in the recess (45) of the support unit (15), so that the connecting member (22) rests again on the support unit (15).

9. Support device according to claim 8, characterized in that the horizontally extending rotatable longitudinal element of the lifting member (42) is arranged above the pocket (19) of the housing (11) in the support unit (15).

10. Support device according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that an adjusting member (43) is articulated as a pivoting lever, preferably on both sides, at each end of the rotatable longitudinal element (44), wherein the adjusting member (43) is pivotable from a downwardly directed starting position, in which the connecting member (22) rests on the support unit (15), through an angle of, for example, 90° or approximately 180°, so that the connecting member rests on the horizontal support surface (47) of the longitudinal element (44).

11. Support device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that a height adjustment of the support unit (15) and thus of the connecting member (22) is integrated in the housing (11) which can be fastened to the vehicle.

12. Support device according to claim 11, characterized in that at least one screw bolt (58) fastened to the pocket (19) with a nut (59) engaging below the wall (11') of the base part (18) for the height adjustment of the support unit (15) and thus of the connecting member (22) protrudes through the spring arrangement equipped as at least one compression spring (28) in the interior of the housing (11).

13. Support device according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that at least one fastening wing (18') projecting from the base part (18) of the housing (11) can be fixed to the front of the vehicle body in such a way that there is a free space next to it for at least one opening (56) for the passage of at least one line guide, for example a brake line.