Component for an air line of a rail vehicle brake system

Description

[0001] In railway technology, it is common practice that the braking system of a rail vehicle comprises a main air line (HLL) and a main air reservoir line (HBL). When laying the main air line (HLL), it is often necessary to create a branch or fork in the line to connect another line or branch. However, to ensure the transmission of the brake signal, standards stipulate that the main air line (HLL) may not run at a 90° angle. Therefore, Y-pieces are inserted into the main air line (HLL) at the appropriate locations.

[0002] The Y-pieces are not economically available as purchased parts, but require a comparatively complex manufacturing process, with the Y-piece being joined from two or more sections of comparatively simpler geometry using welds. The welds require considerable post-processing effort for cleaning and smoothing, especially on the inside of the Y-piece.

[0003] Furthermore, drip cups for the main air line HLL are known from practice, which serve to separate liquid from the air conducted in the air lines, i.e. to collect condensate, and air filters for the main air tank line HBL are also known from practice, which, in addition to separating liquid, serve to separate particulate contaminants from the air conducted in the air lines.

[0004] US Pat. No. 6,042,197 A, which represents the closest prior art, discloses a component intended for installation in an air line of a pneumatic brake system of a rail vehicle. It is designed as an air drying system that serves to separate oil and water from the air in the brake system. In addition to the inlet and outlet connections with which the air drying system can be connected to the air line, the air drying system has a further outlet through which water separated from the air can be discharged from the air drying system.

[0005] Also known from US 6 126 724 A is a component intended for placement in an air line of a pneumatic braking system of a rail vehicle and also used to separate water - here in the form of water vapor - and various components from the compressed air of a rail vehicle, namely by means of a permeable membrane in combination with a filter medium.

[0006] US 2015 / 0 251 645 A1 discloses a cleaning controller and a corresponding cleaning control unit for air dryers. A desiccant that has become enriched with moisture is regenerated through a cleaning cycle that involves passing pressurized air through the desiccant in reverse. The controller includes a control output for transmitting a control signal to control the air dryer. The controller is capable of initiating an intensified cleaning cycle for the air dryer based on a regeneration volume value. The regeneration volume value is based on the accumulated air volume that has been supplied to the air dryer either for the first time or since a previous standard cleaning cycle.

[0007] The invention is based on the object of creating an installation element which simplifies and makes the installation of main air lines and main air tank lines in rail vehicles more cost-effective.

[0008] In other words, the invention proposes the use of a multifunctional installation element which, in combination or individually, enables the function of a drip cup, an air filter, a branch or a fork in the air duct system of a rail vehicle. Furthermore, thanks to coaxially opposed connections, the pipes used as air ducts can be laid without offset, which further simplifies the installation of the air duct system. The time savings have an economically advantageous effect, and since the proposed component replaces various individual components such as a drip cup, an air filter, a branch or a fork with a single type of component, a simplification which is also economically advantageous is achieved both in the installation of the air duct system and with regard to the storage of spare parts.

[0009] The invention is based on the following consideration: Typically, practically every rail vehicle is designed to be coupled to another rail vehicle. In many cases, the supply for the braking system of the rail vehicle is provided by the other, coupled rail vehicle. For this reason, drip cups are provided at the coupling points of the main air lines (HLL) and air filters are provided on the main air reservoir lines (HBL) to prevent the possible ingress of water or contaminants from the coupled vehicle into the braking system of the rail vehicle. For example, a drip cup can be arranged in the main air line (HLL) because cross-section-restricting components such as filters are not permitted in the HLL.However, an air filter can be installed in the main air reservoir line HBL so that not only water but also contaminants can be prevented from entering the braking system of the rail vehicle.

[0010] Air filters, such as those used in rail vehicles, are economically available as commercially available parts. The inlet and outlet connections are not on a common axis. For connecting the line sections, this means that the corresponding pipes must be installed offset. Conventional drip cups, on the other hand, have inlet and outlet connections located opposite each other on a common axis on the cup body, allowing the corresponding pipes to be installed without offset.

[0011] The proposed solution combines the functions of the air filter, drip cup, and Y-piece into a multifunctional installation element of the brake system. This multifunctional component features a cup body that can be used as a condensate collector, and a space inside to accommodate an air filter insert, allowing this multifunctional component to also be used as an air filter. A connection assembly of the multifunctional component features multiple connections, two of which are located opposite each other on the same axis, allowing them to be used as inlet and outlet connections for a continuous line whose sections do not need to be offset from one another, making it particularly easy to install.Branches that connect to this continuous axis at an angle other than 90°, for example at an angle of 45°, enable the connection assembly to be used as a branch or fork, thus replacing the previously common Y-piece.

[0012] In one embodiment, the connection module can have several branches, for example to the right and to the left, so that it can be mounted universally and no specially designed right and left branches have to be manufactured and provided.

[0013] The connection assembly can be designed as a separate housing head, manufactured, for example, as a cast or milled component. In this way, a connection assembly can be provided as a component with a complex geometry, cost-effectively and with comparatively little post-processing effort. This component, referred to, for example, as a housing head, has the various line sections and also the various inlet and outlet connections, or at least has a connection geometry to create the respective inlets and outlets on this cast or milled component with the help of appropriate fittings (screw-in fittings), to which the pipes of the air duct system can be connected.

[0014] In one embodiment, the space provided for the drip function, which is accommodated, for example, in the aforementioned housing head, can be designed to accommodate a filter insert, thus enabling the installation element to be configured as an air filter. In this case, a closure element adjoins the space provided for the drip function, which can be selectively opened or closed to allow access to the space when the closure element is open, for example, to install, disassemble, or remove the air filter insert for maintenance purposes.For example, the installation element can be used exclusively as an air filter, so that the space otherwise intended for the drip function and now contains an air filter insert can be closed off with a cover plate where a cup would otherwise be connected to the space and serve to collect the condensate. Alternatively, the installation element can also be used as both an air filter and a condensate collector, so that the space containing an air filter insert is also used for the drip function and is positioned above the aforementioned cup, allowing the condensate to flow into the cup by gravity and be collected there.

[0015] The multifunctional installation element according to the invention offers additional functions at certain locations where it can be used. For example, if only a line branch is to be created, the proposed component offers the possibility of being used as a branch, while simultaneously also functioning as a drip tray and possibly even an air filter at this location. Providing these additional functions not only improves the braking system of the rail vehicle in terms of retaining moisture and dirt to a particularly high degree, which can have an economically advantageous effect through reduced repair costs, but can also lead to a longer service life or useful life of the braking system, thus also having an economically advantageous effect.Rather, the proposed component already offers an economic advantage through the use of identical parts even without such an additional benefit, since the manufacturing costs of individual components can be reduced and the internal logistics costs for the rail vehicle operator can also be reduced, for example by simplifying the management and storage of spare parts, since their number can be reduced as proposed.

[0016] The fittings (screw-in fittings) are designed identically at the inlet and outlet connections to utilize a common parts principle, which is also economically advantageous in this respect. If the connections are created using fittings (screw-in fittings), the areas used for mounting the fittings (screw-in fittings) are also designed identically where the connections are provided in the multifunctional installation element.

[0017] In addition, this identical design of the connections offers additional options for installing the component: So far, it has been described purely as an example that only one of the connections serves as an inlet connection to guide air into the installation element, while at least one or more outlet connections serve to guide air out of this component. As an exception to this, however, it can be provided that air is led into the component via two connections, for example at the middle of three outlet connections and at one of the two other, lateral outlet connections, and that the air is led out of the installation element again through the inlet connection. The designation inlet or outlet is therefore chosen purely as an example and ultimately depends on how the installation element is integrated into the route of the various air lines in a rail vehicle's braking system.

[0018] An embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below using purely schematic representations. Fig. 1 a perspective view of a multifunctional installation element of the braking system of a rail vehicle, wherein the component is shown partially transparent, Fig. 2 a plan view of the component of Fig. 1 , and Fig. 3 a side view of the component of Fig. 1 , with an associated air filter insert shown separately.

[0019] In Fig. 1 A component 1 is shown, which is designed as a multifunctional installation element for the braking system of a rail vehicle. It has a transparent housing head 2, from which a condensate collector 3 extends downwards. This collector serves to collect fluid separated from the air in the braking system. At its lower end, the condensate collector 3 is provided with a hexagonal key surface 4, which is used for assembly or disassembly, allowing the condensate collector 3 to be screwed to the housing head 2 or unscrewed from the housing head 2. In contrast to the illustrated embodiment, the condensate collector can also be designed as a flanged component on the housing head. A drain screw 5 extends through the key surface 4, through which the condensate collector 3 can be selectively opened or closed, and the fluid collected in the condensate collector 3 can be drained accordingly, if necessary.

[0020] By means of two retaining screws 6, the housing head 2 and thus the component 1 as a whole can be mounted on a corresponding bracket. Fig. 1 A total of three connections can be seen in the housing head 2, which are designated as outlet connections 7. While the housing head 2 is manufactured as a cast or milled component, the outlet connections 7 of the housing head 2 are designed as separate fitting elements in the form of screw-in fittings that are mounted in the cast component and protrude from the cast or milled component. Furthermore, a closure element 8 in the form of a screw plug, accessible from above, is arranged in the housing head 2.

[0021] Fig. 2 shows the multifunctional installation element 1 from above. Since the housing head 2 is shown transparent, the condensate collector 3 is also vaguely visible. In particular, it can be seen that the middle of the outlet connections 7 is opposite an inlet connection 9 in a straight line, which, as can be seen in particular from Fig. 3 as can be seen, is also arranged at the same height, so that these two inlet and outlet connections 7 and 9 are located opposite each other with the same axis.

[0022] Fig. 2 further shows that the two lateral outlet connections 7 connect at an angle of 45° to the continuous line section that runs in the housing head 2 between the inlet connection 9 and the central outlet connection 7. If a pipe is initially connected to the inlet connection 9, this pipe can either be continued at a 135° angle to the right or left, or it can be continued in a straight line and without offset if only a single pipe is connected to each of the three outlet connections 7. In addition, the component 1 allows the pipe to be branched in the manner of a fork by connecting two pipes to two of the three outlet connections 7. If necessary, a double branch can even be achieved by connecting one pipe to each of the three outlet connections 7.

[0023] Out of Fig. 3 It is evident from the transparent representation of the housing head 2 that the condensate collector 3 protrudes into the housing head 2 and is accommodated therein. Furthermore, above the condensate collector 3 in the housing head 2, a space 10 is visible, which enables the drip function and is accordingly designed as a moisture separator. After opening the closure element 8, this space 10 is accessible, so that a Fig. 3 A separately shown air filter insert 11 can be arranged in the chamber 10 or removed from this chamber 10. In this way, the component 1 can be used either as a condensate collector or as an air filter. The drip-off function is always available due to the design.

[0024] In addition to, or independently of, removing moisture or contaminants from the air, component 1 can be used as a branch or fork for the routing of a main air line or a main air receiver line. For this purpose, condensate collector 3 can be replaced with a blanking plate, so that housing head 2 serves purely as a branch element.

[0025] The fitting elements on the inlet connection 9 and on the outlet connections 7 are designed as screw-in fittings and are identical, and accordingly, the areas in the housing head 2 which serve for the assembly of these connections 7 and 9 are also designed identically. Purely by way of example, in the illustrated embodiment, only one of the connections serves as the inlet connection 9 to guide air into the component 1, while at least one or more outlet connections 7 serve to guide air out of the component 1. As an alternative to this, it can be provided that air is guided into the component 1 via two connections, for example at the middle outlet connection 7 and at one of the two other outlet connections 7, and that the air is guided out of the component 1 again through the inlet connection 9. The designation as inlet or outlet for the connections marked 7 and new in the drawings is therefore purely exemplary. Reference symbol:

[0026] 1 Component 2 Housing head 3 Condensate collector 4 Wrench flat 5 Drain screw 6 Retaining screw 7 Outlet connection 8 Closure element 9 Inlet connection 10 Chamber 11 Air filter insert

Claims

1. Structural element (1) which is intended to be incorporated into an air line of a brake system of a rail vehicle, having a condensate collector (3), an inlet connection (9) which is intended to be connected to the air line, and an outlet connection (7) which is intended to be connected to the air line, wherein the inlet connection (9) and the outlet connection (7) are situated coaxially opposite one another, wherein the structural element (1) has a space (10) which is intended for receiving an air-filter insert (11), characterized in that the structural element (1) has at least one further outlet connection (7), which is likewise intended to be connected to the air line and is oriented at an angle different from 90° in relation to the axis on which the inlet connection (9) and the outlet connection (7) lie, in such a way that a multifunctional structural element which, in combination or individually, makes possible the function of a drip cup, an air filter, a branch or a junction in the air-line system of a rail vehicle is provided.

2. Structural element (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the structural element (1) has two further outlet connections (7) which are oriented in different directions in relation to the axis on which the inlet connection (9) and the outlet connection (7) lie.

3. Structural element (1) according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the structural element (1) has a housing head (2) which has the inlet connection (9) and the outlet connections (7) and also the space (10).