ELECTRICAL CONTACT COUPLING

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical contact coupling for an automatic central buffer coupling of a rail vehicle, comprising a coupling housing in which an electrical interface unit with at least one connection contact is housed. The connection contact is accessible via a protective flap pivotably arranged relative to the coupling housing for covering or opening a front access to the connection contacts. For this purpose, an actuating mechanism connected to the protective flap is provided. Furthermore, the invention also relates to a central buffer coupling for rail vehicles with a mechanical contact coupling, in particular a Scharfenberg-type coupling, which also includes such an electrical contact coupling.

[0002] The field of application of the invention extends to rail vehicles that can be assembled from individual carriages to form a train. The coupling provided between the carriages for this purpose is designed as an automatic center buffer coupling. Automatic center buffer couplings are used in particular for train sets to eliminate manual coupling by automatically establishing the mechanical connection between carriages during shunting by driving them together using a spring mechanism or the like. At the same time, air and electrical lines can be coupled if pneumatic or electrical auxiliary power or electrical data transmission is required for train operation. The present invention is dedicated to an electrical contact coupling provided for this purpose, having at least one electrical connection contact. State of the art

[0003] According to the generally known prior art, conventional electrical contact couplings for the automatic central buffer couplings of interest here are generally arranged adjacent to the coupling and comprise a coupling housing in which an electrical interface unit with the electrical connection contacts is housed. Such an electrical contact coupling typically comprises a frontal protective cover, which can be adjusted via an actuating mechanism between a first position, in which the protective cover covers the frontal access, and a second position, in which the protective cover exposes the frontal access.

[0004] DE 10 2019 132 642 A1 discloses an actuating mechanism for a protective flap of an electrical coupling, the closed position of which is ensured by torsion springs arranged coaxially to the pivot axis. For opening, the front surface of the protective flap is provided with an elastomer coating and is geometrically designed such that, when the protective flap collides with an opposing protective flap during coupling, the levers acting around the pivot axis cause a force-locking opening. In other words, the elastomer coating of the protective flap provides increased static friction, which enables the synchronous opening of opposing, self-acting protective flaps of electrical contact couplings upon collision. Documents US 3,438,511 A and US 1,659,551 A also form part of the prior art.

[0005] It is the object of the present invention to further improve an actuating mechanism for a protective flap of an electrical contact coupling of the generic type in such a way that a reliable flap actuation can be realized without surface wear even under unfavorable impact angles of opposing electrical contact couplings, even under extreme environmental conditions, in particular frost. Disclosure of the invention

[0006] The problem is solved based on an electrical contact coupling according to the preamble of claim 1 in conjunction with its characterizing features. The subordinate claim 14 specifies a central buffer coupling for rail vehicles with a mechanical contact coupling, which is equipped with such an electrical contact coupling.

[0007] The invention includes the technical teaching that the actuating mechanism for the protective flap of the electrical contact coupling has an actuating plunger arranged adjacent to the front access and projecting in this respect, which plunger has at least one rear toothed section which, designed as a push rod gear, generates on the one hand a pivoting movement for the protective flap and on the other hand a movement-coordinated feed movement for the coupling housing for electrical contacting of the connection contacts.

[0008] The advantage of the inventive solution lies in the fact that the robust actuating mechanism forces the protective flap to open during coupling under all relevant operating and environmental conditions. Thanks to the implemented feed motion, it enables electrical contact over a relatively long contact pin length, thus virtually eliminating electrical contact failures. The inventive, functionally integrated actuating mechanism is based on a spring-supported pushrod drive. Tests have shown that the inventive solution functions smoothly even with a horizontal deviation of the wagons to be coupled, resulting from a tight curve radius of up to 75 meters, and with a vertical deviation of up to 1.5 degrees.

[0009] According to a preferred embodiment of the actuating mechanism, its actuating plunger for implementing the pivoting movement of the protective flap has a front toothed section in the form of at least one driver tooth, which interacts with a driver wheel rotatably connected to the pivot axis of the protective flap. Thus, instead of impact contact with the protective flap, the pivoting movement is triggered by impact contact with the actuating plunger, which protrudes beyond the protective flap in the unactuated initial state, thus preventing damage to the protective flap. The protective flap is preferably held in the end position by at least one spring element arranged on its axis to prevent unintentional manual opening.Since the inventive solution does not utilize any leverage on the protective flap to open it via contact, the protective flap can also be designed quite compactly compared to the prior art. In principle, it only needs to be dimensioned large enough to cover the preferably rectangular front opening for access to the connection contacts.

[0010] According to the preferred embodiment of the actuating mechanism according to the invention, the actuating tappet has a rear toothed section in the form of a rack for functionally integrating the feed movement for the clutch housing. This section interacts with a drive wheel to generate a drive torque for the feed movement. Thus, the two movement phases—pivoting the protective flap and feeding the clutch housing—can be initiated with one and the same component, namely the correspondingly profiled actuating tappet. For the feed movement of the clutch housing, the drive wheel, in the subsequent power flow, preferably drives a camshaft extending transversely to the actuating tappet, the at least one drive cam of which interacts with the clutch housing in such a way that the latter can be linearly adjusted in the feed direction and in the opposite direction.

[0011] The prerequisite for this is that the coupling housing is mounted on a support frame, preferably longitudinally displaceable, to carry out the linear feed movement. The support frame, in turn, is preferably fixedly attached to the center buffer coupling. To reduce vibration, the connection can be implemented via a rubber mount or similar.

[0012] In order to minimize play between adjacent components within the cam drive for the feed movement, it is optionally proposed to arrange at least one compression spring between, for example, the support frame or the center buffer coupling and the rear end of the coupling housing in such a way that the latter is subjected to rearward pressure. At the same time, the at least one compression spring also supports the propulsion for the feed movement.

[0013] According to a further measure improving the invention, it is proposed that at least one additional spring, namely a return spring preferably designed as a tension spring, be arranged between the support frame and the proximal end of the actuating plunger, which generates a plunger return force. This ensures that the actuating plunger is completely returned to its original position after decoupling, and that the protective flap is completely closed.

[0014] According to a further measure improving the invention, it is proposed that the drive cam of the camshaft for performing the feed movement has such an asymmetrical curved shape that, during the movement sequence of the tappet movement, a return movement of the coupling housing is initially realized to lift the front access away from the protective flap, in order to subsequently enable the protective flap to be opened via the front toothed section of the actuating tappet. Subsequently, the feed movement of the coupling housing for electrical contact with a mating electrical contact coupling can be carried out. Thanks to the initial return movement of the coupling housing, it lifts slightly away from the covering protective flap.Since an elastomer seal is preferably arranged between the two components to protect the internal electrical connection contacts from external environmental influences, damage to the elastomer seal as a result of the subsequent pivoting movement of the protective flap can be advantageously avoided.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the curved shape of the drive cam is designed such that a rotation angle of between 45 and 65 degrees is performed for the initial return movement, with a return path of 5 to 15 millimeters. This is sufficient to reliably lift the protective flap from an elastomer seal of the coupling housing without the latter being damaged by the subsequent pivoting movement. The pivoting movement is preferably performed over a rotation angle of between 60 and 80 degrees for the subsequent cover opening. During this process, the coupling housing is not moved any further, so that the protective flap can be pivoted via the push rod gear during the standstill time. A subsequent rotation angle of between 80 and 120 degrees then serves for the final feed movement of the coupling housing for the purpose of electrical contact.The feed movement is preferably in a range between 3 and 12 millimeters.

[0016] According to a measure further improving the invention, it is proposed that the protective flap be hinged to the support frame of the electrical contact coupling and driven by a transmission gear arranged thereon. The transmission gear is preferably designed as a spur gear and provides a high-speed transmission so that a slight travel of the toothed section of the actuating plunger is sufficient to fully open the protective flap via the toothed engagement of the gear parts.

[0017] According to a further optional aspect of the invention, it is proposed that the actuating plunger arranged at the front of the support frame be paired with an outwardly curved pressure plate arranged at the front of the support frame opposite the protective flap and designed to actuate a mating electrical contact coupling. This structural arrangement ensures that corresponding electrical contact couplings reliably actuate each other. Furthermore, the outwardly curved pressure plate for actuating the mating electrical contact coupling ensures reliable operation even with horizontal and / or vertical angular deviations.

[0018] In addition, the coupling housing can also have at least one centering pin or similar protruding from the front for precise contact positioning relative to the mating electrical contact coupling. The protruding centering pin only needs to be long enough to positively engage with a correspondingly designed component of the mating electrical contact coupling shortly before the electrical contact is made between the connecting contacts during the advance movement of the coupling housing. Detailed description based on drawing

[0019] Further measures improving the invention are described in more detail below, together with the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the figures. It shows: Fig. 1 a perspective schematic representation of an automatic central buffer coupling with an electrical contact coupling attached thereto, Fig. 2 a schematic perspective representation of the electrical contact coupling from Fig. 1 , Fig. 3 a schematic perspective view of a detailed view of the actuating mechanism of the electrical contact coupling according to Fig. 2 , Fig. 4 a schematic perspective longitudinal section through the electrical contact coupling according to Fig. 2 , and Fig. 5a - 5d a side view of the actuating mechanism of the electrical contact coupling according to Fig. 2 to illustrate a movement sequence.

[0020] According to Fig. 1An automatic central buffer coupling 1 of a rail vehicle (not shown in detail) consists of a known mechanical contact coupling of the Scharfenberg type, which is equipped with an additional electrical contact coupling 2 for the electrical power and / or signal supply of coupled rail vehicles. The electrical contact coupling is arranged above a mechanical coupling head 3 of the central buffer coupling 1 in terms of its installation position.

[0021] According to Fig. 2The electrical contact coupling 2 comprises a coupling housing 4 with a protective flap 5 arranged pivotably relative thereto for covering or opening a front access 6 to an electrical control unit (not shown in detail here). The protective flap 5 is connected to an actuating mechanism comprising an actuating plunger 7 arranged adjacent to the front access 6 and protruding relative thereto. The actuating plunger 7 is guided along its actuating path by a support frame 8. The protective flap 5 is also hinged to the support frame 8. The actuating plunger 7, arranged at the front of the support frame 8 and guided thereby, is paired with an outwardly curved pressure plate 9 arranged opposite the protective flap 5 on the front of the support frame for actuating a counter electrical contact coupling (not shown in detail).

[0022] A camshaft 10 extends transversely to the actuating plunger 7, the drive cam 11 of which is provided for linear adjustment of the clutch housing 4 relative to the stationary support frame 8. Two compression springs 12a and 12b apply a feed force to the rear of the linearly adjustable clutch housing 4, minimizing the play of the cam drive. Two return springs 13, arranged between the support frame 8 and the proximal end of the actuating plunger 7 and acting as tension springs, serve to generate a plunger return force.

[0023] The coupling housing 4 is also equipped with a centering pin 14 protruding from the front, which runs parallel to the axis of the actuating plunger 7 and is not longitudinally adjustable. The centering pin serves to ensure precise contact positioning relative to the mating electrical contact coupling. The support frame 8 is detachably attached to the central buffer coupling (not shown here) via several rubber bearings 15 (exemplary).

[0024] According to Fig. 3 the actuating plunger 7 has two rear toothed sections 16 and 17, which are part of a push rod gear, in order to generate, on the one hand, a pivoting movement for the protective flap 5 and, on the other hand, a movement-coordinated feed movement for the coupling housing 4 for the purpose of electrical contact.

[0025] The front toothing section 16 is designed in the form of a drive tooth, which interacts with a drive wheel 19 that is rotatably connected to a pivot axis 18 of the protective flap 5. The protective flap 5, which is hinged to the support frame 8, is not actuated directly via the drive wheel 19, but rather via an intermediate transmission gear 20, which is designed as a spur gear.

[0026] The rear toothed section 17 of the actuating tappet 7, which is designed in the form of a rack, is used to carry out the feed movement. The rear toothed section 17 of the actuating tappet 7 meshes with the drive gear 21 of the camshaft 10.

[0027] According to Fig. 4An elastomer seal 22 is arranged between the protective flap 5 and the front access 6 to the coupling housing 4 for the sealed protection of internal electrical connection contacts 23 (as an example). The electrical connection contacts 23 are part of the electrical interface unit 24 mentioned above.

[0028] The functioning of the above-described actuating mechanism according to the invention is explained below using a complete movement sequence based on the Fig. 5a to 5d described: The Fig. 5a shows the initial state of the actuating mechanism, in which the protective flap 5 is completely closed and the actuating plunger 7 is fully extended.

[0029] Regarding Fig. 5bAfter contact with a counter-electrical contact coupling, the actuating tappet 7 is retracted, which initially causes a return movement of the coupling housing 4 to lift the front access - not further visible here - from the protective flap 5. This takes place here via a rotation angle of approximately 57 degrees by meshing the rear toothed section 17 with the drive gear 21 of the camshaft 10.

[0030] After Fig. 5c The protective flap 5 is then opened via the front toothed section 16 of the actuating plunger 7, with its front driving tooth engaging the driving wheel 19. This creates a rotation angle of approximately 36 degrees. The drive cam of the cam gear is shaped such that the clutch housing 4 remains essentially stationary during this time.

[0031] Finally, according to Fig. 5dthe feed movement of the clutch housing 4 for electrical contacting is carried out by the rear toothed section 17 of the actuating plunger 7 in engagement with the drive gear 21 of the cam gear executing a rotary movement of approximately 45 degrees in order to finally feed the clutch housing 4 so that the electrical contact is fully established.

[0032] The invention is not limited to the preferred embodiment described above. Rather, modifications thereof are also conceivable, which are also encompassed by the scope of the following claims. Thus, the pushrod transmission can also be equipped with other transmission means on the output side to carry out the described movement cycle. For example, a cam drive for moving the clutch housing is not mandatory and can also be replaced by a lever mechanism or the like. LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0033] 1 Center buffer coupling 2 Electrical contact coupling 3 Coupling head 4 Coupling housing 5 Protective flap 6 Front access 7 Actuating tappet 8 Support frame 9 Pressure plate 10 Camshaft 11 Drive cam 12 Pressure spring 13 Return spring 14 Centering bolt 16 Front gear section 17 Rear gear section 18 Swivel axle 19 Driving wheel 20 Transmission gear 21 Drive gear 22 Elastomer seal 23 Connection contact 24 Electrical interface unit

Claims

1. Electrical contact coupling (2) for an automatic center buffer coupling of a rail vehicle, having a coupling housing (4) in which an electrical interface unit (24) with at least one connection contact (23) is accommodated, which are accessible via a protective flap (5), arranged so as to be pivotable with respect to the coupling housing (4) for covering or opening a front-side access (6) to the at least one connection contact (23), for which purpose an actuating mechanism connected to the protective flap (5) is provided, wherein the actuating mechanism comprises an actuating tappet (7) arranged adjacent to the front access (6) and projecting with respect thereto and has at least one rear toothed section (16, 17), characterized in that the actuating mechanism is configured as a push rod mechanism and produces on the one hand a pivoting movement for the protective flap (5) and on the other hand a feed movement with coordinated movement therewith for the coupling housing (4) for making electrical contact with the at least one connection contact (23).

2. Electrical contact coupling according to claim 1, characterized in that the actuating tappet (7) for performing the pivoting movement for the protective flap (5) has a front toothed section (16) in form of at least one driver tooth, which interacts with a driver wheel (19) that is rotatably connected to the pivot axis (18) of the protective flap (5).

3. Electrical contact coupling according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the actuating tappet (7) for performing the feed movement for the coupling housing (4) has a rear toothed section (17) in the form of a rack, which interacts with a drive gear (21) for generating a drive torque for the feed movement.

4. Electrical contact coupling according to claim 3, characterized in that the drive gear (21) drives a camshaft (10) which extends transversely to the actuating tappet (7), the drive cam (11) of which interacts with the coupling housing (4) such that the latter can be adjusted linearly in feed direction and in opposite direction.

5. Electrical contact coupling according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the coupling housing (4) is arranged on a support frame (8) so as to be longitudinally displaceable in order to execute the linear feed movement.

6. Electrical contact coupling according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one compression spring (12a, 12b) is provided which acts on the rear of the coupling housing (4) to generate an additional feed force that eliminates play.

7. Electrical contact coupling according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one return spring (13a, 13b) for generating a tappet return force is arranged between the support frame (8) and the proximal end of the actuating tappet (7).

8. Electrical contact coupling according to claim 4, characterized in that the drive cam (11) has such an asymmetrical curved shape, which, in the sequence of movements of the tappet actuation, firstly performs a return movement of the coupling housing (4) for lifting the front-side access (6) from the protective flap (5) in order to then enable the protective flap (5) to be opened via the front toothed section (16) of the actuating tappet, so that lastly the feed movement of the coupling housing (4) can be performed for the electrical contact with an opposite electrical contact coupling.

9. Electrical contact coupling according to claim 8, characterized in that the curved shape of the drive cam (11) is configured such that a rotational angle of between 45°and 65° is provided for the initial return movement by 5 to 15 mm, a subsequent rotational angle of between 60° and 80° is provided for the subsequent cover opening and a rotational angle of between 80° and 120° is provided for the final feed movement by 3 to 12 mm.

10. Electrical contact coupling according to claim 1, characterized in that an elastomer seal (22) is arranged between the protective flap (5) and the front access (6) to the coupling housing (4) for the sealed protection of the at least one internal electrical connection contact (23).

11. Electrical contact coupling according to claim 1, characterized in that the protective flap (5) is hinged onto the support frame (8) and is driven via a transmission gear (20) arranged thereon.

12. Electrical contact coupling according to claim 1, characterized in that the actuating tappet (7) arranged on the front side of the support frame (8) is paired with a pressure plate (9), which is arranged opposite it with respect to the protective flap (5) on the front side of the support frame (8) and is curved outwards for the activation of an opposite electrical contact coupling.

13. Electrical contact coupling according to claim 1, characterized in that the coupling housing (4) comprises at least one front-side protruding centering bolt (14) for precise contact positioning relative to the opposite electrical contact coupling.

14. Center buffer coupling (1) for rail vehicles, comprising a mechanical contact coupling, in particular a Scharfenberg coupling, for mechanically coupling adjacent rail vehicles, which is equipped with an additional electrical contact coupling (2) according to any one of the preceding claims for the electrical power and / or signal supply of the coupled rail vehicles.

15. Center buffer coupling () according to claim 14, characterized in that the electrical contact coupling (2) is arranged above a mechanical coupling head (3) with respect to the installation position relative to the track base.