Lower lock lifting of railway vehicle couplers

Abstract

This item is a lower lock for a railway vehicle coupler. The coupler is fixed to the front and rear ends of each vehicle to connect the vehicles. Referring to the "Reference Side View Showing the Use State," the coupler's main elements are a coupler body forming an outer shell, a knuckle rotatably mounted at the tip of the coupler body, a lock (not shown) housed in a lock chamber within the coupler body, and a lower lock that extends vertically and protrudes from the coupler body at its lower end. The coupler can be in a state in which the knuckle is restrained by the lock (locked state), or a state in which the knuckle is released by the lock being raised (lock-retained state). Referring to the "Reference Perspective View," the lower lock has protrusions on the left and right sides of its upper end, lifting stops on the front and rear surfaces below its upper end, and an operating hole at its lower end. The protrusions on the lower lock engage with grooves formed in the lock. A lever is inserted into the operating hole of the lower lock, and by operating the lever, the lower lock rises and the lock rises, changing the coupler from the locked state to the locked state. The lower lock has a symmetrical shape in the front-to-back direction and also in the left-to-right direction, and can be assembled by flipping it over front to back relative to the coupler body.

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