Point machine

Abstract

To provide a technique for a railroad switch by which a conversion time can be shortened corresponding to a turnout that includes a relatively heavy load element like an escape crank without a large-scale change of an accessory facility about a conventional railroad switch structure, and the railroad switch can complete conversion locking without an abnormity even when an adhesion force is extremely strengthened.SOLUTION: The railroad switch is configured such that a locking body and a locked body are maintained in a nearby state until meshing between a final end tooth of a pinion and a final tooth of a rack is released, and motor contact points are switched to be in an off state just before the meshing is released and after that, by rotation power of inertia, the meshing of the final end tooth of the pinion and the final tooth of the rack is released and the locking body and the locked body are in an engaged state and a conversion display output contact points are switched to be in an on-state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a point machine. [Background technology]

[0002] After completing the switch, the point machine inserts the lock piece into the notch in the locking bar, and the circuit controller detects that the insertion is complete and sends a signal to the interlocking device to inform it that the switch lock is complete. A certain amount of time is required from the start of the switch to its completion. If the switch time can be shortened, it would be beneficial in many ways, such as increasing the number of trains per hour.

[0003] For example, in the case of a point machine for a Shinkansen train, as shown in FIG. 13 of Patent Document 2, a switch lock mechanism is used to switch and lock a point through two escape cranks driven by the power of one point machine. The escape crank has a function to switch and lock a point, and the switch lock operation is performed by the switching operation of the point machine. Conventional point machines switch points through a series of unlocking, switching, and locking operations, but when an escape crank is used, the escape crank is switched and locked during the switching period, and the switching time is almost twice as long as when an escape crank is not used. If the motor is powered up to increase the switching force or rotate at a high speed in order to shorten the switching time, the strength of the reduction gear and the housing will need to be changed, and the capacity of the power supply and power cable will need to be changed, which will result in more disadvantages than advantages for the railway operator. Railway operators are requesting to shorten the switching time without changing or making major changes to existing ancillary equipment, and to further reduce the size and weight of point machines and power consumption.

[0004] Technologies for meeting these demands are disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2. These include a point machine technology (Patent Document 1) that aims to shorten switching time by locking the point machine by using the operation of an escape crank without changing the motor power, and a point machine technology that aims to reduce size and weight (Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 01-192901 [Patent Document 2] JP 2004-262371 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In order to meet the needs of the operators, a prototype point machine of Patent Document 2 was manufactured and a test was conducted in which a switch lock was performed on a turnout via two escape cranks using the power of one point machine as shown in FIG. 13 of Patent Document 2. It was found that the load on the locking / unlocking section of the escape crank increases as the adhesion force of the turnout increases, and that if the adhesion force becomes extremely strong, the operating bar may stop before the operating bar locking mechanism locks it. The adhesion force of the turnout is adjusted for the adhesion state between the tongue rail and the base rail of the turnout during the point machine maintenance and inspection, but it fluctuates thereafter depending on the track maintenance of the turnout, the passing of trains, changes in outside temperature, etc. Therefore, in order to solve the problems related to the point machine of Patent Document 2, it is necessary to make it possible for the point machine to complete the switch lock without any problems even if the adhesion force becomes extremely strong.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a point machine technology which can shorten the switching time even when a turnout includes a relatively high-load element such as an escape crank, without requiring major changes to the ancillary equipment of the conventional point machine structure, and which enables the point machine to complete switching and locking without any abnormalities even if the adhesion force becomes extremely strong. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A first invention for solving the above problems is a point machine in which an operating can, a locking can, and a lock piece that locks or unlocks the locking can by being inserted and removed from a notch in the locking can in conjunction with each other based on rotational power obtained by reducing the rotational power of a motor using a reduction mechanism, and the rotational power is generated as a surplus power due to inertia even after the power supply to the motor is stopped, the point machine having a pinion that rotates by the rotational power of the motor, a rack that meshes with the pinion and is provided on the operating can for driving the operating can based on the rotational power of the pinion, a locking body in the shape of an irregular disk having a large diameter part and a small diameter part that rotates integrally with the pinion, and a locked body that moves integrally with the operating can, and the operating can is shifted by the outer circumferential surface of the large diameter part of the locking body engaging with an engagement surface of the locked body. This point machine is equipped with a locking mechanism that restricts movement in the release direction, a motor contact that is switched off to stop the supply of power to drive the motor when the lock piece begins to be inserted into the notch, and a changeover indication output contact that is switched on when the lock piece is completely inserted into the notch, wherein the locking body and the body to be locked maintain a close proximity state until the meshing between the final end tooth of the pinion and the final tooth of the rack is released, and the motor contact is switched off just before the meshing is released, and then, the rotational power due to inertia releases the meshing between the final end tooth of the pinion and the final tooth of the rack, causing the locking body and the body to be locked to enter an engaged state, and the changeover indication output contact is switched on.

[0009] A second invention is the point machine of the first invention, wherein the locking body has a shape in which the outer circumferential surface of the large diameter portion and the outer circumferential surface of the small diameter portion are continuously connected by a connecting curved surface, the pinion is a partial pinion missing a part of the tooth row, and the connecting curved surface starts at a position between the final end tooth of the pinion and the tooth just before the final end tooth, as viewed from the direction of the rotation axis of the pinion.

[0010] A third invention is the point machine of the second invention, wherein the object to be locked has a curved end surface at an end of the engagement surface.

[0011] A fourth invention is the point machine of the third invention, wherein the engagement surface is a concave curved surface corresponding to the curvature of the outer circumferential surface of the large diameter portion, and the end curved surface is a convex curved surface.

[0012] A fifth invention is a point machine according to the third or fourth invention, in which there is a gap between the connecting curved surface of the locking body and the end curved surface of the locked body until the meshing between the final end tooth of the pinion and the final tooth of the rack is released, and when the meshing between the final end tooth of the pinion and the final tooth of the rack is released, the outer circumferential surface of the large diameter portion of the locking body and the engaging surface of the locked body are in contact with each other, resulting in the engaged state. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the point machine of the first invention, even if the adhesion force of the switch becomes extremely strong, the switch machine rotates by the power of the motor at least until the meshing between the last tooth of the pinion and the last tooth of the rack is released. If the switch machine is used as a switch machine that operates a switch via an escape crank, the escape crank is already in a locked state just before the meshing is released, and the rotation of the pinion is in the direction in which the teeth are removed, so a force of inertia is sufficient, and the locked state of the escape crank can be further secured by slightly pushing out the operating rod. When the meshing between the last tooth of the pinion and the last tooth of the rack is released, the locking body and the locked body are engaged, and the insertion of the lock piece is completed, the switching indication output contact turns on, and a signal that the switching and locking of the switch machine is completed can be transmitted to the interlocking device.

[0014] Therefore, it is possible to realize a point machine that can shorten the switching time even when used with a turnout that includes a relatively high-load element, such as an escape crank, without making any major changes to the ancillary equipment of the conventional point machine structure, and that can complete switching locking without any abnormalities even if the adhesion force becomes extremely strong.

[0015] According to the second invention, the connecting curved surface starts at a position between the final end tooth of the pinion and the tooth immediately preceding the final end tooth when viewed from the direction of the rotation axis of the pinion. In other words, focusing on the end face of the locking body, in Patent Document 2, the end face (straight line portion 28 in Figures 3 to 7 of Patent Document 2) is at the pinion center (the center of the final end tooth of the meshing portion 22 in Figures 3 to 7 of Patent Document 2), but in the second invention, the end face is on the tip side of the pinion center (the side of the tooth immediately preceding the final end tooth).

[0016] According to the third invention, if the end face of the locking body is located on the tip side of the pinion center (the side of the tooth before the final end tooth) as in the second invention, the locking body and the locked body will come into strong contact when they start to engage, which will hinder smooth engagement. However, by providing a curved end surface at the end of the engagement surface of the locked body, smooth engagement is possible.

[0017] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the connection from the end curved surface to the engaging surface becomes smooth, and the contact resistance from the start of engagement between the locking body and the body to be locked can be reduced.

[0018] According to the fifth invention, by configuring so that a gap is provided between the outer circumferential surface of the large diameter part of the locking body and the engagement surface of the locked body until the meshing between the final end tooth of the pinion and the final tooth of the rack is released, it is possible to eliminate the sliding resistance and sliding wear of the locking mechanism until the meshing between the pinion and the rack is released. Then, when the meshing between the final end tooth of the pinion and the final tooth of the rack is released, the outer circumferential surface of the large diameter part of the locking body and the engagement surface of the locked body come into contact and engage, so that the operating can can be stopped at the conversion completion position, and a locked state can be achieved in which the operating can cannot move even if an external force is applied to the operating can in the direction of the locking body. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] Top view of the internal structure of a point machine. [Diagram 2] A view of the point machine viewed in the positive direction of the Y axis in Figure 1. [Diagram 3] An enlarged top view of the rotation axis and its surroundings. [Figure 4]Diagram to explain the operation of a point machine (part 1). [Diagram 5] Diagram (part 2) to explain the operation of a point machine. [Figure 6] Diagram (part 3) to explain the operation of a point machine. [Figure 7] Diagram (part 4) to explain the operation of a point machine. [Figure 8] Diagram (part 5) to explain the operation of a point machine. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Hereinafter, examples of embodiments of the present invention will be described, but it goes without saying that the forms to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the following embodiments.

[0021] Fig. 1 is a top view of the internal structure of the point machine of this embodiment, focusing on the main parts of the structure around the operating rod that are related to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a view of the point machine as seen from the positive direction of the Y axis in Fig. 1. However, to facilitate understanding, some elements are omitted from the illustration. Fig. 1, Fig. 2, and each of the other figures show three orthogonal axes that indicate common directions.

[0022] The point machine 3 supports the operating rod 4 and the locking rods 8 (normal position locking rod 8t, inverted position locking rod 8h) in a horizontal or approximately horizontal position. One end of the operating rod 4 (the right end in Figs. 1 and 2) always protrudes from the case 6 and is connected to the tongue rail of the turnout. The locking rods 8 are arranged to intersect above the operating rod 4. Note that in this embodiment, the support structure and guide structure of the operating rod 4 are not shown.

[0023] In the point machine 3, the rotational power of a motor 90 (e.g., an induction motor) is reduced in speed by a reduction mechanism 92 and transmitted to the rotating shaft 10, and the rotating shaft 10 rotates in either the forward or reverse direction, whereby a switching operation to a normal position or an opposite position is performed by the operating rod 4. Then, when the switching is completed, the locking body 20, which rotates together with the rotation of the rotating shaft 10, engages with the locked body 40 of the operating rod 4, thereby locking the operating rod 4.

[0024] A locking body 20 and a pinion 30 are rotatably fixed integrally to the rotating shaft 10 in the order from above (as viewed from the positive direction of the Z axis to the negative direction). The pinion 30 is a partial pinion lacking a portion of the tooth row, and is composed of a toothed portion 31 and a toothless portion 33.

[0025] The locking body 20 is a flat plate-shaped part that fits along the rotational surface of the rotating shaft 10, and rotates at the same height as the lockable body 40 attached to the upper surface of the operating rod 4, and together with the lockable body 40 forms the locking mechanism part 9.

[0026] 3 is an enlarged top view of the rotating shaft 10 and its surroundings. The locking body 20 is an irregular disk shape, roughly half-moon shaped when viewed from above, which is formed by combining a large diameter portion 22 and a small diameter portion 24. Focusing on the connection of the outer peripheral surfaces, the locking body 20 has a shape in which the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 22 and the outer peripheral surface of the small diameter portion 24 are continuously connected by a connecting curved surface 26.

[0027] The boundary between the outer circumferential surface of small diameter portion 24 and the outer circumferential surface of large diameter portion 22 expands in diameter all at once from the small diameter portion 24 side along the radius, and is smoothly connected to the outer circumferential surface of large diameter portion 22 via connecting curved surface 26, which is an outwardly convex curved surface. Regarding the difference with Patent Document 2, the boundary in Patent Document 2 (straight line portion 28 in Figures 3 to 7 of Patent Document 2) is at the pinion center (the center of the final end tooth of meshing portion 22 in Figures 3 to 7 of Patent Document 2), but in this embodiment, it is on the tip side of the pinion center (the side of the tooth just before the final end tooth).

[0028] The connecting curved surface 26 is configured, based on the dimensions and positional relationship of each part of the rack 12, pinion 30, locking body 20, and locked body 40 in this embodiment, so as to start from a position between the terminal tooth (final end tooth) of the tooth row of the pinion 30 and the tooth just before the terminal part, when viewed from the direction of the rotation axis of the pinion 30.

[0029] The outer peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 22 is an outwardly convex surface, and when switched between the normal position and reverse position, the concave and convex surfaces fit together to engage with the engagement surface 46 (normal position engagement surface 46t, reverse position engagement surface 46h), which is a concave surface provided at the corner of the body to be locked 40. Therefore, the curve radius R1 of the outer peripheral convex surface of the large diameter portion 22 is set to match the curve radius R2 of the concave surface of the engagement surface 46 of the body to be locked 40. Specifically, the curve radius R1 is set to be slightly smaller than the curve radius R2.

[0030] The lockable body 40 is a plate-shaped part installed on the upper surface of the operating rod 4, specifically, on the upper surface above the rack 12. The engagement surface 46 is a curved surface provided at each of the two corners of the lockable body 40 on the rotating shaft 10 side, and is a concave curved surface recessed toward the center of the lockable body 40 in a plan view along the Z-axis direction. The portions of the engagement surface 46 that connect with the front and rear side surfaces of the lockable body 40 (the positive and negative side surfaces in the X-axis direction) form an outwardly convex end curved surface 44 with a curvature higher than the curve radius R2 of the engagement surface 46.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 1, the point machine 3 has two lock pieces 50 (normal position lock piece 50t, reverse position lock piece 50h) provided on the upper part of the operating rod 4, and operating levers 60 (normal position operating lever 60t, reverse position operating lever 60h) corresponding to each of the two lock pieces 50.

[0032] The lock piece 50 is supported on the upper surface of the operating can 4 so as to be slidable on the operating can 4 and movable parallel to the operating direction of the operating can 4.

[0033] 1 and 2, the lock piece 50 has a protrusion 51 on its upper surface facing the locking can 8. The protrusion 51 fits into a notch 82 of the locking can 8 to lock the locking can 8. That is, the fixed lock piece 50t is a lock piece that corresponds to the fixed locking can 8t and locks the fixed locking can 8t. The counter lock piece 50h is a lock piece that corresponds to the counter locking can 8h and locks the counter locking can 8h.

[0034] The lock piece 50 has a roller groove 53 perpendicular to the operating direction on the upper surface on the side of the rotating shaft 10. A swing roller 66 of the corresponding operating lever 60 is fitted into the roller groove 53.

[0035] The operating lever 60 has a lever body 62 that can swing along a horizontal plane on a vertical swing axis, a cam roller 64 provided at one end of the lever body 62, a swing roller 66 provided at the other end of the lever body 62, and a biasing portion 68 that applies a rotational force to the lever body 62 so as to bias the cam roller 64 against the side of the operating can 4.

[0036] The cam roller 64 of the fixed position actuation lever 60t is biased so as to be pressed against the side surface of the operation rod 4. The fixed position locking cam surface 16t is recessed into the side surface. When the operation rod 4 moves with conversion, the relative positional relationship between the fixed position actuation lever 60t and the fixed position locking cam surface 16t changes, and the cam roller 64 rolls on the fixed position locking cam surface 16t, picking up the cam profile of the fixed position locking cam surface 16t, and the fixed position actuation lever 60t is swung according to the cam profile.

[0037] The lever body 62 is disposed so that the trajectory of the swing on the other end side where the swing roller 66 is located swings in the operating direction of the fixed position lock piece 50t. Therefore, when the fixed position actuation lever 60t swings according to the cam profile of the fixed position locking cam surface 16t, the fixed position lock piece 50t moves via the swing roller 66 engaged with the roller groove 53.

[0038] The relationship between the reverse lock piece 50h and the reverse actuating lever 60h is similar to this. The cam roller 64 of the reverse actuating lever 60h is biased so as to be pressed against the side surface of the operating rod 4. The side surface is recessed with a reverse locking cam surface 16h. When the operating rod 4 operates, the relative positional relationship between the reverse actuating lever 60h and the reverse locking cam surface 16h changes, the cam roller 64 rolls on the reverse locking cam surface 16h and picks up the cam profile, and the reverse actuating lever 60h is swung according to the cam profile of the reverse locking cam surface 16h. When the cam roller 64 of the reverse actuating lever 60h is swung according to the cam profile of the reverse locking cam surface 16h, the reverse lock piece 50h moves via the swing roller 66 engaged with the roller groove 53.

[0039] The point machine 3 has an electric point machine circuit controller 70. The electric point machine circuit controller 70 has a motor contact 76 and a changeover indication output contact 75 that are switched in response to the normal position / reverse position accompanying the movement of the lock piece 50. For example, the motor contact 76 and the changeover indication output contact 75 are switched by engaging with the rocker piece 72 that is rocked accompanying the movement of the lock piece 50. Specifically, the motor contact 76 is switched OFF during insertion when the lock piece 50 starts to be inserted into the notch 82. The changeover indication output contact 75 is switched ON when the lock piece 50 has been completely inserted into the notch 82, that is, when the lock piece 50 has moved to the changeover completion position.

[0040] 4 to 8 show the operation of the point machine 3, with the states changing from the normal position to the reverse position just before the completion of locking, in the order of the numbers in the figures. Note that, to facilitate understanding, only the main parts of the point machine 3 are selected and shown in simplified form, and are shown in perspective to clarify the positional relationship of each part. Also, within the circular frames in Figs. 4 to 8, the states of the locking body 20 and the locked body 40 are shown enlarged.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 4, the point machine 3 drives the motor 90 in a predetermined reverse reversing operation direction (the direction in which the rotating shaft 10 rotates counterclockwise). The cam roller 64 of the reverse operating lever 60h has not entered the recess of the reverse locking cam surface 16h, and the reverse lock piece 50h has not yet moved and is not inserted into the reverse locking can 8h. The reversing indication output is off, and it is indicated to the outside that the operating can 4 is being reversed.

[0042] In the state shown in Fig. 4, the terminal tooth (final end tooth) of the tooth row of the pinion 30 is engaged with the last tooth groove of the rack 12, driving the operating rod 4 in the direction of the reverse rotation (the positive direction of the X-axis). Meanwhile, the locking body 20 and the locked body 40 have not yet come into contact with each other, and are in a non-contacting adjacent state.

[0043] As the conversion progresses, the state transition occurs as shown in FIG. The connecting curved surface 26 of the locking body 20 and the end curved surface 44 on the side of the reverse engagement surface 46h of the locked body 40 are maintained in a non-contacting close state. Meanwhile, as the operating rod 4 moves in the reverse switching operation direction, immediately after the locking body 20 and the locked body 40 start to engage with each other, the cam roller 64 of the reverse operating lever 60h starts to enter the recess of the reverse locking cam surface 16h, and the reverse operating lever 60h swings, moving the reverse lock piece 50h in the reverse switching operation direction. At this time, as the switch progresses in switching, the notch 82 of the reverse locking rod 8h has moved to the front of the reverse switching operation direction of the reverse lock piece 50h, and the protrusion 51 of the reverse lock piece 50h starts to insert into the notch 82 of the reverse locking rod 8h.

[0044] As the conversion progresses further, the state will soon transition to that shown in FIG. The pinion 30 and the rack 12 continue to mesh. The connecting curved surface 26 of the locking body 20 and the end curved surface 44 on the opposite engagement surface 46h side of the locked body 40 are maintained in a non-contacting adjacent state. The protrusion 51 of the opposite lock piece 50h is being inserted into the notch 82 of the opposite locking pin 8h.

[0045] Before the projection 51 of the reverse lock piece 50h is completely inserted into the notch 82 of the reverse locking rod 8h, the motor contact 76 on the reverse side is switched off, stopping the power supply to the motor 90. For a while from this point on, the motor 90 continues to rotate with the remaining torque (inertia), and the drive of the operating rod 4 in the reverse switching operation direction continues.

[0046] As the conversion progresses further, a transition occurs to the state shown in FIG. The connecting curved surface 26 of the locking body 20 and the end curved surface 44 on the side of the reverse engagement surface 46h of the locked body 40 are maintained in a non-contacting adjacent state. The cam roller 64 of the reverse operating lever 60h reaches the bottom of the reverse locking cam surface 16h, and the reverse operating lever 60h swings all the way and stops. With the swing of the reverse operating lever 60h stopping, the projection 51 of the reverse lock piece 50h is completely inserted into the notch 82 of the reverse locking bar 8h. Then, the reverse side changeover indication output contact 75 is switched on, and the point 3 indicates the completion of changeover to the outside.

[0047] The motor 90 continues to rotate with the little remaining torque, and the drive of the moving rod 4 in the reverse rotation direction continues, transitioning to a state in which the moving rod 4 reaches the reverse rotation completion position shown in Fig. 8 and eventually stops. Depending on the torque reserve, the pinion 30 may rotate further than the state shown in Fig. 8.

[0048] When the operating can 4 reaches the reverse conversion completion position, the meshing between the pinion 30 and the rack 12 is released, and the drive of the operating can 4 stops. In the transition from the state of Fig. 7 to the state of Fig. 8, the non-contacting close proximity state between the connecting curved surface 26 and the end curved surface 44 between the locking body 20 and the locked body 40 is released, and the outer circumferential surface of the large diameter portion 22 and the reverse engagement surface 46h face each other. Then, the outer circumferential surface of the large diameter portion 22 of the locking body 20 and the engagement surface 46 of the locked body 40 engage and come into contact with each other, completing the locking by the locking mechanism 9, and thereafter, the movement of the operating can 4 in the conversion release direction is restricted.

[0049] If the point machine 3 is arranged and connected so that the switch and lock are switched through two escape cranks by the power of one point machine as shown in FIG. 13 of Patent Document 2, the relationship between the operation of the point machine 3 and the operation of the escape crank is as follows. That is, at the stage of FIG. 5, the roller of the driving crank of the escape crank is at the position of the locking surface of the driven crank. Even if the adhesion force of the switch becomes extremely strong, the point machine 3 rotates by the power of the motor 90 at least to the position of FIG. 6, and when it stops at this position, the escape crank is already in the locked state, and the rotation of the pinion 30 is in the direction of removing the teeth, so that the force is only the force of inertia, and the escape crank can be further secured by pushing out the operating rod 4 slightly. If the switching indication output contact 75 is turned on at the time when the insertion of the lock piece 50 is completed (see FIG. 7), the completion of switching and locking of the point machine 3 can be transmitted as a signal to the interlocking device.

[0050] Furthermore, the contact between the locking body 20 and the body to be locked 40 is between the curved surfaces of the connecting curved surface 26 and the end curved surface 44, and the contact starts smoothly and remains in a small area. Therefore, compared to a case where the connecting curved surface 26 and the end curved surface 44 are not provided, even when the locking body 20 and the body to be locked 40 start to contact each other, wear due to collision at the start of contact, an increase in contact resistance, and wear during contact can be suppressed.

[0051] Although the conversion from normal to anti-normal has been explained in Fig. 4 to Fig. 8, the conversion from anti-normal to normal is similar. In other words, if the relationship between "anti-normal" and "normal" in the explanation of Fig. 4 to Fig. 8 is read in reverse, it becomes an explanation of the conversion from anti-normal to normal.

[0052] In one example of the current point machine 3, the following numerical relationship can be shown as one preferred value. That is, when the operating rod 4 is at a position 20 mm before the switching completion position, the lock piece 50 is not driven, and when it is 8 mm before, it is inserted into the notch 82 of the locking rod 8. When it is 2 mm before, the motor contact 76 is turned off, and when it reaches the switching completion position, the switching indication output contact 75 is turned on.

[0053] The effects of the point machine 3 can be summarized as follows: According to the point machine 3, even if the contact force of the switch becomes extremely strong, the point machine 3 rotates by the power of the motor 90 at least until just before the meshing between the last end tooth of the pinion 30 and the last tooth of the rack 12 is released. Even if the point machine 3 operates the switch via an escape crank, when the power is stopped just before this meshing is released, the escape crank is already in the locked state, and the rotation of the pinion 30 is in the direction in which the teeth are removed, so a force of inertia is sufficient, and the locked state of the escape crank can be further secured by slightly pushing out the operating rod. When the meshing between the last end tooth of the pinion 30 and the last tooth of the rack is released, an engaged state is established in which the engagement between the locking body 20 and the locked body 40 begins, and when the insertion of the lock piece 50 is completed, the switching indication output contact is turned on, and a signal that the switching and locking of the point machine 3 is completed can be transmitted to the interlocking device. In other words, even if the adhesion force becomes extremely strong, the point machine can be operated by the rotational force of the motor 90 until just before the meshing between the final end tooth of the pinion 30 and the final tooth of the rack 12 is released, so that switching and locking can be completed without any problems.

[0054] Also, according to the point machine 3, the starting position of the end face (connecting curved surface 26) of the locking body 20 is located between the final end tooth of the pinion 30 and the tooth immediately preceding the final end tooth when viewed from the direction of the rotation axis 10 of the pinion 30. In other words, focusing on the end face of the locking body 20, in Patent Document 2, the end face (straight line portion 28 in Figures 3 to 7 of Patent Document 2) is at the pinion center (the center of the final end tooth of the meshing portion 22 in Figures 3 to 7 of Patent Document 2), but in the point machine 3, the end face is located on the tip side of the pinion center (the side of the tooth immediately preceding the final end tooth).

[0055] In addition, according to the point machine 3, if the connecting curved surface 26 is located toward the tip side from the pinion center, the locking body 20 and the locked body 40 will come into strong contact when they start to engage, which will hinder smooth engagement. However, by providing the end curved surface 44 at the end of the engaging surface 46 of the locked body 40, smooth engagement can be achieved.

[0056] In addition, according to the point machine 3, the connection from the end curved surface 44 to the engaging surface is smooth, and the contact resistance from the start of engagement between the locking body 20 and the locked body 40 can be reduced.

[0057] Furthermore, according to the point machine 3, by configuring it so that a small gap is left between the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 22 of the locking body 20 and the engagement surface 46 of the locked body 40 until the meshing between the pinion and the rack is released, it is possible to eliminate the sliding resistance and sliding wear of the locking mechanism until the meshing between the pinion and the rack is released. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 3. Switch machine 9...Lock mechanism section 10...Rotation axis 12. Rack 16h…Reverse lock cam surface 16t…Cam surface for fixed position locking 20...Lock body 22…Large diameter section 24…Small diameter part 26...Connecting surface 30…Pinion 31...Toothed part 33…Toothless part 40…Locked body 44…End curved surface 46…Engagement surface 46h…Opposite engagement surface 46t...Stereotaxic engagement surface 50…Rock Piece 50h…Reverse lock piece 50t…positioning lock piece 53...Roller groove 60…Operating lever 60h…Reverse action lever 60t…Positioning lever 64…Cam roller 70...Circuit controller for electric point machine 75...Conversion display output contact 76…Motor contact 90…Motor

Claims

1. A point machine in which an operating can, a locking can, and a lock piece that locks or unlocks the locking can by being inserted into or removed from a notch in the locking can are operated in conjunction with each other based on rotational power obtained by slowing down the rotational force of a motor by a speed reducing mechanism, and the rotational power is generated as surplus power by inertia even after the supply of power to the motor is stopped, a pinion that rotates by the torque of the motor; a rack provided on the operating can for engaging with the pinion and driving the operating can based on a rotational force of the pinion; a locking mechanism section including a deformed disk-shaped locking body having a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion that rotates integrally with the pinion, and a locked body that moves integrally with the operating can, the locking mechanism section restricting the movement of the operating can in the conversion release direction by engaging an outer peripheral surface of the large diameter portion of the locking body with an engagement surface of the locked body; a motor contact that is switched off to stop the supply of power to drive the motor when the lock piece starts to be inserted into the notch; A changeover indication output contact that is switched on when the lock piece is completely inserted into the notch; Equipped with The locking body and the locked body are maintained in close proximity to each other until the meshing between the final end tooth of the pinion and the final tooth of the rack is released, and the motor contact is switched off just before the meshing is released. Thereafter, the meshing between the final end tooth of the pinion and the final tooth of the rack is released by the rotational power due to the inertia, the locking body and the locked body are engaged, and the conversion indication output contact is switched on. Switch machine.

2. The locking body has a shape in which an outer circumferential surface of the large diameter portion and an outer circumferential surface of the small diameter portion are continuously connected by a connecting curved surface, The pinion is a partial pinion lacking a part of a tooth row, The connecting curved surface starts at a position between a final end tooth of the pinion and a tooth immediately before the final end tooth when viewed in a direction of a rotation axis of the pinion. The point machine according to claim 1.

3. The object to be locked has a curved end surface at the end of the engagement surface. The point machine according to claim 2.

4. the engagement surface is a concave curved surface that corresponds to the curvature of the outer circumferential surface of the large diameter portion, The end curved surface is a convex curved surface. The point machine according to claim 3.

5. A state in which there is a gap between the connecting curved surface of the locking body and the end curved surface of the locked body until the meshing between the final end tooth of the pinion and the final tooth of the rack is released, When the meshing between the final end tooth of the pinion and the final tooth of the rack is released, the outer circumferential surface of the large diameter portion of the locking body and the engaging surface of the locked body come into contact with each other, thus entering the engaged state. The point machine according to claim 3 or 4.

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