Device mountable to a rail, so that means for screening off the railway can be connected to a number of devices

Abstract: Device for mounting to a rail (4), so that means for screening off the railway can be connected to a number of spaced apart devices (1), said device comprising a connecting bar (2) extending almost horizontally during use of said device, in which the end (6) of said connecting bar can be slid under the rail (4) and is provided with a hook portion (22) that can embrace the rail foot (11) and with a lock (9) being operable by means of a coupling bar (12) extending towards the upright (3) across an angle with the connecting bar (2) and can be fixed to it (3) after the lock has been brought across the other side of the rail foot (11). The end pieces (6, 13) of the connecting bar (2) and of the coupling bar (12) are secured therein using bushes (7, 14) of electrically insulating material.

Description: The invention relates to a device mountable to a rail, so that means for screening off the railway can be connected to a number of spaced apart devices, said device comprising a connecting bar extending almost horizontally during use of said device, in which the end of said connecting bar can be slid under the rail and be fixed to the rail foot, and said connecting bar carries an upright at a distance from the end connected to said rail foot (cf. WO 9534719 A). With known devices of this type, a number of them are fixed to the rail in spaced apart relationship so that then their uprights can be connected to each other by belts, cables or metal parts. This occurs in particular on locations where people are working near the rail. Said devices are intended to prevent the railway workers from contact with a passing train. A difficulty of said known structure is that the connection of the end of the connecting bar to the rail has to occur through means mounted near the rail. Therefore, during said work, one has to make sure that there are no trains approaching. Further, said known structure is not very stable since the connecting point is situated at a considerable distance from the upright, whereas said upright must be able to absorb loads. The object of the invention is to remove this difficulties and to that end provides for, that the end of the connecting bar to be slid under the rail is provided with a hook portion that, after sliding it under the rail, can embrace the rail foot, the connecting bar being provided with a lock pivotably connected to it at a distance from said hook portion, said lock being able to embrace the other side of the rail foot and being operable with the help of a coupling bar pivotably connected to it and also pivotably connected to a connecting piece being in turn pivotably connected to the connecting bar, in which said coupling bar can extend towards the upright at an angle with the connecting bar and can be fixed to said upright at a distance from the connecting point between connecting bar and upright, after locking of the end portion of the connecting bar to the rail foot has taken place, in which all pivot axes are square to the plane going through the connecting bar and the upright. In particular, it will be provided for, that in the locked state of the device, the connecting piece extends almost parallel to the connecting bar and that the pivot point between the coupling bar and the connecting piece is situated closer to the free end of said connecting bar than the pivot point between said connecting bar and said connecting piece. In this way, a strong locking of the device to the rail is achieved. On mounting the device to the rail, first the free end of the connecting bar is slid under the rail and then pulled back slightly in order to bring the hook portion around the rail foot. Subsequently, by means of a relatively small movement of the coupling bar, the lock can be pivoted across the rail foot. Then, the free end of the coupling bar is situated at a considerable distance from the rail, so that, on mounting the device onto the rail and locking it, one can remain at a distance from the rail. After movement of the coupling bar, to wit substantially in longitudinal direction thereof, its free end will contact the upright in a certain place and it can be fixed to it. By the presence of the coupling bar between the connecting bar and the upright, the latter is supported in a better way, so that it is able to absorb higher loads, also in case of a lightweight version. For fixing the coupling bar to the upright, one can use a pin which is slidable substantially in longitudinal direction of the coupling bar and which is pressed outwardly and out of the end of the coupling bar by a spring and which can be received in a bore in the upright. When the upright is constituted by a pipe, a further bore for passing tools by means of which the pin can be pushed back can be provided opposite the bore in which the pin is received. In this way, the connection between the coupling bar and the upright can be removed, and the device can be removed from the rail. It can be provided for, that the pin can be pushed back by special tools only. In order to make the device suitable for rails of different width of the rail foot, it can be provided for, that the hook portion situated at the free end of the connecting bar is connected to a bush which is slidably yet not rotatably mounted to the connecting bar and can be brought at the appropriate distance from the lock by means of a bolt. Further, it is desirable that both the connecting bar and the coupling bar are electrically insulated from the rail, since the rail can be live and said bars must be touched with the hands. In order to achieve this, according to the invention it can be provided for, that the end portions of said connecting bar and of said coupling bar situated near the rail have a smaller diameter than the further part of said bars and are secured therein using bushes of electrically insulating material. For example, the bushes can be mounted between the telescoped portions of the bars by bonding. The invention is further explained by way of an embodiment shown in the drawing, in which: fig. 1 and 2 show a side view of a device according to the invention in the position in which it is mounted to and locked onto a rail; fig. 3 shows a part of fig. 2, but in the position in which the locking has been discontinued; and fig. 4 shows in cross-section the connecting point between the upright and the coupling bar, as it is indicated by the circle IV in fig. 1. The device 1 shown in the drawing consists of the connecting bar 2 changing to the upright 3 by means of a bend. The device is fixed to the rail 4 in a way to be described further. After a number of such devices 1 have been fixed to the rail 4, their uprights 3 can be connected by means of belts, cables or metal strips, to which end the uprights 3 can be provided with fasteners 5. Thus, a safeguard for protecting the railway workers is achieved along the railway. The connecting bar 2 is provided with an end piece 6 being secured in it by means of a bush 7 of electrically insulating material. The end piece 6 is provided with the pivot point 8 in which lock 9 is rotatable, provided with a hook 10 which can fall across the rail foot. Operation of the lock 9 takes place by means of the coupling bar 12. Said bar 12 is provided with an end piece 13 being mounted in the bar by means of a bush 14 of electrically insulating material. The end piece 13 is pivotably connected to the lock 9 at the point 15. At the point 16, said end piece 13 is pivotably connected to a connecting piece 17 which at the other side, at the point 18, is pivotably connected to the end piece 6 of the connecting bar 2. A bush 19 guided by a pin 20 mounted in the end piece 6 is slidable on the end piece 6. By means of a bolt 21 screwed into a threaded portion in the end piece 6, the position of the bush 19 on the end piece 6 can be ajusted. The bush 19 carries the hook portion 22 that can grasp around the rail foot 11. Thus, the device can be applied with rails having a varying width of the foot. Since the bush 19 can be mounted in the correct place on the end piece beforehand, no work needs to be done near the rails 4. Fig. 3 shows the position of the parts 9, 12, 13 and 17 when they are in the unlocked position before the lock 9 can be clamped onto a rail. When the device must be clamped onto the rail, the bar 12 will be moved from the position shown in fig. 3 into the position of fig. 1. With unlocking, the coupling bar 12 will be pivoted in the direction of the arrow R in fig. 1 and after that be pulled back in its longitudinal direction. Fig. 4 shows the way of securing the coupling bar 12 to the upright 3. To that end, the coupling bar is provided with a pin 23 slidably received therein, which is pressed out by a spring 24 and can be accomodated in a bore 25 in the upright 3. From the other side of the upright 3, the pin can be pushed back against the action of said spring 24. This can be realized through a tool that can be brought into a bore 26 and can be moved in the direction of the arrow P. In fig. 1, dash lines T show the profile which must be available for a train, and within which no objects are allowed. It will be obvious, that only one possible embodiment of a device according to the invention has been illustrated in the drawing and described above, and that many changes can be made without leaving the inventive idea, as it is defined in the accompanying claims.

Claims: Device mountable to a rail (4), so that means for screening off the railway can be connected to a number of spaced apart devices (1), said device comprising a connecting bar (2) extending almost horizontally during use of said device, in which the end (6) of said connecting bar can be slid under the rail (4) and be fixed to the rail foot (11), and said connecting bar (2) carries an upright (3) at a distance from the end (6) connected to said rail foot (11), characterized in that the end (6) of the connecting bar (2) to be slid under the rail (4) is provided with a hook portion (22) which, after sliding it under the rail (4), can embrace the rail foot (11), the connecting bar (2) being provided with a lock (9) pivotably connected to it at a distance from said hook portion (22), said lock being able to embrace the other side of the rail foot (11) and being operable with the help of a coupling bar (12) pivotably connected to it and also pivotably connected to a connecting piece (17) being in turn pivotably connected to the connecting bar (2), in which said coupling bar (12) can extend towards the upright (3) at an angle with the connecting bar (2) and can be fixed to said upright at a distance from the connecting point between connecting bar (2) and upright (3), after locking of the end portion of the connecting bar (2) to the rail foot (11) has taken place, in which all pivot axes (8, 15, 16, 18) are square to the plane going through the connecting bar (2) and the upright (3). Device according to claim 1, characterized in that in the locked state of the device, the connecting piece (9) extends almost parallel to the connecting bar (2) and that the pivot point (16) between the coupling bar (12) and the connecting piece (9) is situated closer to the free end of said connecting bar (2) than the pivot point (18) between said connecting bar (2) and said connecting piece (9). Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that for fixing the coupling bar (12) to the upright (3), a pin (23) is used which is slidable substantially in longitudinal direction of the coupling bar (12) and which is pressed outwardly and out of the end of the coupling bar (12) by a spring (24) and which can be received in a bore (25) in the upright (3). Device according to claim 3, characterized in that at a tubular upright (3), opposite the bore (25) in which the pin (23) is received, a further bore (26) is provided for passing a tool by means of which the pin (23) can be pushed back. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hook portion (22) situated at the free end of the connecting bar (2) is connected to a bush (19) which is slidably yet not rotatably mounted to the connecting bar (2, 6) and can be brought at the appropriate distance from the lock (9) by means of a bolt (21). Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the end pieces (6, 13) of said connecting bar (2) and of said coupling bar (12) situated near the rail (4) have a smaller diameter than the further part of said bars and are secured therein using bushes (7, 14) of electrically insulating material. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that the bushes (7, 14) are mounted between the telescoped portions (6, 13) of the bars (2, 12) by bonding.

Inventors: URLINGS JOSEPH HUBERTUS MARIE, URLINGS, JOSEPH HUBERTUS MARIE
Applicants: INFRA SAFETY SERVICES B V, INFRA SAFETY SERVICES B.V.
Application year: 1998
Main classification: E01B26
IPC codes: E01B26