Impulse ring for an axle bearing arrangement of a rail vehicle and end cap arrangement for an axle bearing arrangement with an impulse ring

Abstract

A pulse ring (1) for an axle bearing arrangement of a rail vehicle is provided, wherein the pulse ring (1) is designed to be detachably attachable to an end cap (12) of an axle bearing and comprises a profile pattern (2) which is designed to cooperate with a sensor to determine a rotational speed of the end cap (12) and / or to count the number of revolutions of the end cap (12).

Description

Technical Field of the InventionThe present invention relates to a impulse ring for an axle bearing arrangement of a rail vehicle and to an end cap arrangement for an axle bearing arrangement having such an impulse ring.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONAxle bearings are known to be mounted on railway vehicles such as trains, in particular locomotives, passenger cars and freight cars. Generally, a rail vehicle comprises a plurality of bogies. Each bogie consists of a frame, two (or more) wheelsets and four (or more) axle bearings. Each wheelset consists of an axle which carries two wheels. The axle bearing is the connecting element between the rotating wheelset and the quasi-static frame of the bogie. The axle bearing comprises holders for a housing for offset helical springs and a housing for receiving a bearing unit.To determine the speed of a wheel, one of the rotating components, typically an end cap, which axially fixes the bearing to a journal is machined so that the outer surface of the end cap is provided with a tooth structure which acts as a pulse wheel or impulse ring. A distance between two teeth may be detected by a sensor to determine the rotational speed of the wheel and / or to count the number of revolutions.Because the pulse wheel and end cap are made in one piece, the fabrication of the end cap is quite expensive. In addition, it is necessary to adapt the toothing to each end cap type.It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a versatile and cost-effective impulse ring for an axle bearing arrangement of a rail vehicle.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThis object is achieved by a impulse ring for a rail vehicle axle bearing assembly according to claim 1 and an end cap assembly for a rail vehicle axle bearing assembly according to claim 7.Subsequently, a impulse ring for an axle bearing arrangement of a rail vehicle is provided, wherein the impulse ring is configured to be detachably attachable to an end cap of an axle bearing and has a profile pattern configured to cooperate with a sensor to determine a rotational speed of the end cap and / or to count the number of revolutions of the end cap. Preferably, the impulse ring is made of metal. In particular, the impulse ring can be made of a ferritic metal.The impulse ring makes it possible to produce and process the impulse ring separately from the end cap. In addition, it is possible to form the impulse ring from a cost-effective material and / or by a cost-effective production method. Furthermore, the impulse ring can be connected to the end cap by pressing in, screwing in, welding, pressing, adhesive bonding or the like.Preferably, the impulse ring is tubular in shape and a portion of an inner surface of the impulse ring is configured to be attached to the end cap. The impulse ring can be manufactured directly from a tube, for example. In particular, a portion of the inner surface of the tube may be machined such that the impulse ring may be secured to the end cap.Alternatively, the impulse ring may also be made of a band material, wherein a first end of the band is attached to a second end of the band to form a tubular shape. For example, the first end may be welded, bolted, riveted, etc. to the second end.According to a further embodiment, the profile pattern is formed by a plurality of openings. In particular, the number of openings can be defined by the sensor used. By using apertures or windows, the construction of the impulse wheel can be simplified compared to a tooth profile.The openings are preferably formed as through-openings. The openings may have, for example, a rectangular, round and / or oval shape. The openings may be formed, for example, by laser cutting, stamping, and / or any other suitable method. This enables a more cost-effective production of the impulse ring.According to another aspect, there is provided an end cap assembly for an axle bearing assembly of a railway vehicle, the end cap assembly comprising an end cap of an axle bearing and an aforementioned impulse ring, the impulse ring being releasably secured to the end cap.To provide a versatile and low cost impulse ring end cap for a railway vehicle axle bearing assembly, the impulse ring is provided separately from the end cap and is releasably secured to the end cap. This also makes it possible to determine a speed of a wheel and / or to count the number of revolutions of the wheel in a substantially more cost-effective manner, since the complicated production and / or machining of the end cap can be dispensed with.In particular, the construction of the impulse ring is simpler compared to an end cap which is produced together with the toothing of the impulse ring. In addition, the end cap can be made smaller and / or with less material and thus more cost-effectively. In addition, it is possible to use the end cap alone and / or in other applications with the same or similar dimensions of the stud.Preferably, the end cap has a cylindrical outer surface, a portion of the cylindrical outer surface being machined to form a seat for the impulse ring. This makes it possible to process only a part of the outer surface. For example, a portion of the cylindrical outer surface may be provided with a step which is formed as a seat for the impulse ring.Further preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims as well as in the description and in the figures. Here, elements described or illustrated in combination with other elements may be present alone or in combination with other elements without departing from the scope thereof.Brief Description of the DrawingsPreferred embodiments of the invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, wherein the drawings are only exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of protection. The scope of protection is defined solely by the appended claims.The numbers show: FIG. 1 : shows a pulse ring according to a first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the impulse ring of FIG. 1 in greater detail; and FIG. 3 : shows an end cap arrangement for an axle bearing arrangement according to a second embodiment.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONIn the following, identical or similar functional elements are denoted by the same reference numerals.FIGS. 1 and 2 show a pulse ring 1 for an axle bearing arrangement of a rail vehicle. The impulse ring 1 is configured to be detachably attachable to an end cap 12 (FIG. 3 ) of an axle bearing and comprises a profile pattern 2 configured to cooperate with a sensor (not shown) to determine a rotational speed of the end cap 12 and / or to count the number of revolutions of the end cap 12.The impulse ring 2 has a tubular shape. As can be seen from FIG. 1, a portion 4 of an inner surface of impulse ring 1 is designed for attachment to end cap 12. In particular, the part 4 can be machined such that the impulse ring can be fastened to the end cap 12. For example, the part 4 can be designed such that the impulse ring 1 can be pressed onto the end cap 12. Alternatively, the impulse ring 1 can also be fastened to the end cap 12 by screwing, welding, pressing, adhesive bonding or the like.The profile pattern 2 is formed by a plurality of openings 6, wherein the number of openings 6 can be determined by the sensor used. In the first embodiment, the openings 6 are formed as through-holes having a rectangular shape. Alternatively, the openings 6 can also extend only partially through the impulse ring 1. The openings 6 can also have a different shape than the rectangle shown. For example, the openings 6 can have a round and / or oval shape. The openings 6 may be formed by laser cutting, stamping, and / or any other suitable method.FIG. 3 shows an end cap assembly 10 for a rail vehicle axle bearing assembly. The end cap assembly 10 includes an end cap 12 of an axle bearing and a tone ring 1, the tone ring 1 being releasably secured to the end cap 12.The end cap 12 has a cylindrical outer surface 14, with a portion 16 of the cylindrical outer surface 14 being machined to form a seat for the impulse ring 1. More specifically, the outer surface 14 includes a step 18 which serves as a stop for the impulse ring 1 when the impulse ring is secured to the end cap 12. For example, a part of the cylindrical outer surface can be provided with a step which is designed as a seat for the impulse ring.In summary, the impulse ring 1 is provided separately from the end cap 12 and is detachably fastened to the end cap 12. This has the advantage that a versatile and cost-effective end cap 12 and a pulse ring 1 can be provided for an axle bearing arrangement of a rail vehicle. This also enables a substantially more cost-effective determination of a speed of a wheel, since the complicated production and / or machining of the end cap 12 can be omitted. In particular, the construction of the impulse ring 1 is simpler compared to an end cap 12 which is produced together with the toothing of the impulse ring. In addition, the end cap can be made smaller and / or with less material and thus more cost-effectively. In addition, it is possible to use the end cap alone and / or in other applications with the same or similar dimensions of the stud.Reference numbers1 Impulse ring 2 Profile pattern 4 Part 6 Aperture 10 End cap assembly 12 End cap 14 Outer surface 16 percent 18 Step

Claims

Impulse ring (1) for an axle bearing arrangement of a rail vehicle, wherein the impulse ring (1) is configured to be detachably attachable to an end cap (12) of an axle bearing and comprises a profile pattern (2) configured to cooperate with a sensor to determine a rotational speed of the end cap (12) and / or to count the number of revolutions of the end cap (12).Impulse ring (1) according to claim 1, wherein the impulse ring (1) has a tubular shape and wherein a part (4) of an inner surface of the impulse ring (1) is configured to be attachable to the end cap (12).Impulse ring (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the profile pattern (2) is formed by a plurality of openings (6).Impulse ring (1) according to claim 3, wherein the openings (6) are formed as through openings.Impulse ring (1) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the openings (6) have a rectangular, round and / or oval shape.Impulse ring (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the impulse ring (1) is made of a band, wherein a first end of the band is fixed to a second end of the band to form a tubular shape.An end cap assembly (10) for a railway vehicle axle bearing assembly comprising an axle bearing end cap (12) and a impulse ring (1) according to any preceding claim, wherein the impulse ring (1) is releasably secured to the end cap (12).The end cap assembly (10) of claim 7, wherein the end cap (12) has a cylindrical outer surface (14), a portion (16) of the cylindrical outer surface (14) being machined to form a seat for the impulse ring (1).The end cap assembly (10) of claim 8, wherein the portion (16) of the cylindrical outer surface (14) is provided with a step (18) configured to seat the impulse ring (1).The end cap assembly (10) of any of claims 7 to 9, wherein the impulse ring (1) is crimped, welded, bonded, crimped and / or attached to the end cap (12) with fasteners.

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