Patent Publication Number: US-8967404-B2

Title: Device for coupling high-speed railroad cars and method for removing device

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a device for coupling tilting railroad cars which are to be installed at the front and the middle of a high-speed railroad train, and in particular at the front part of the front car of a high-speed railroad train, and a method for removing this device from the cars during maintenance. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     A device for coupling railroad cars to each other has a structure with a coupling pin  4  which joins a coupler  1  to a shock absorber  2  which absorbs and buffers shocks generated mutually between the cars while accelerating and decelerating as they travel, via a coupling joint  3  provided with insertion holes  3   a  and  3   b  in a cross-wise direction (Patent Reference 1,  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 8 ). This coupling device is able to incline in the direction of width of the cars and in the direction of height of the cars. When the coupler  1  and the shock absorber  2  form a set, it is referred to as a “coupling device.” 
     A coupling device which couples railroad cars to each other, such as is disclosed in Patent Reference 2, for example, is employed as a coupling device which couples tilting railroad cars to each other, to make possible high-speed travel on a curved rail. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the coupling device disclosed in Patent Reference 2 has a rounded concave surface  12   a  forming a front inner surface of a shock absorber frame  12  which holds a shock absorber  11 , and a cylindrical surface  12   b  with a vertical inner surface which extends to the rounded concave surface  12   a . A coupling joint  13 , which is intended to engage with the rounded concave surface  12   a  of the shock absorber frame  12 , is provided with an insertion hole  13   b  in the shape of a short cylinder, into which is inserted a coupling pin  14  in a direction perpendicular to the axis, and has an outer peripheral surface formed in a rounded convex surface  13   a.    
     An assembly of the above described coupling device operates in the following manner. 
     First, the coupling joint  13  is inserted from the open side  12   c  of the shock absorber frame  12 , pushing in a forward direction for the rounded concave surface  12   a  to accommodate the rounded convex surface  13   a.    
     Next, the shock absorber  11  with front and back held by a follower plate  15  is inserted into the shock absorber frame  12 , and a rear portion  16   a  of a coupler  16  is inserted into the short cylinder of the coupling joint  13  from the front of the shock absorber frame  12 . 
     Finally, the coupling pin  14  is inserted into the insertion hole  13   b , and the rear portion  16   a  of the coupler  16  couples with the shock absorber frame  12 , after which a locking screw  17  anchors a stop plate  18  in a setting groove  13   c  provided at both ends of the insertion hole  13   b , so that the coupling  14  will not come lose. In this state, a rounded concave surface  15   a  provided to the front surface of the follower place  15  contacts a rounded convex surface  16   aa  of the rear portion  16   a  of the coupler  16 . 
     This enables a smooth rotation and a vertical and width-wise inclination of the coupler  16  with respect to the shock absorber frame  12 . 
     In areas where high-speed railroad cars and conventional railroad cars travel, there are instances when the high-speed railroad cars and the conventional railroad cars are coupled along their routes, and instances when the high-speed railroad cars and the conventional railroad cars are decoupled to run separately along their routes. In such cases, the front cars of the high-speed train must be coupled to the conventional railroad cars. 
     However, there are many cases in which the front part of the front car for a high-speed train, which has special vehicle components in the front part, has no extra space at all on the right and left sides, or hardly any space on the top of a position where a coupling device is mounted. In such cases, after installing a coupling device used for coupling tilting cars to the front part of the front cars of the high-speed train, there is no space to remove the entire coupling device during maintenance, and to mount it after maintenance. 
     Therefore, when the coupling device disclosed in Patent Reference 2 is installed at the front part of the front car of a high-speed train, the locking screw for anchoring the stop plate in position on the right and left side of the coupling device during maintenance is removed, making it impossible to disassemble and remove the coupler and the shock absorber. Even if the coupling device is rotated 90° from its installed position during maintenance, there is hardly sufficient space above, so the operation of removing the locking screw is very difficult. 
     PRIOR ART REFERENCES 
     Patent References 
     
         
         Patent Reference 1: Japanese Patent Application Kokai Publication No. 2005-219685 
         Patent Reference 2: Japanese Patent Application Kokoku Publication No. Showa 44-16967 
       
    
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Problem to be Solved by the Invention 
     The problem to be solved by the present invention is that the operation of removing and mounting the coupling device is very difficult during maintenance in cases where there is no space to remove the entire coupling device above or on the side of the mounting position of the coupling device at the front part of the front car of a high-speed train. 
     Means for Solving these Problems 
     The object of the present invention is to make the operation of removing and mounting the coupling device during maintenance easy in cases where there is no space to remove and mount the entire coupling device above or on the side of the mounting position of the coupling device at the front part of the front car of a high-speed train. 
     The device for coupling high-speed railroad cars according to the present invention comprises a coupler, a shock absorber held in a shock absorber frame and a coupling joint which joins the coupler and the shock absorber held in the shock absorber frame by a coupling pin. The shock absorber frame has a front-end wall partially cut in an inverted cone shape so as to have a front inner surface with a semi-circular concave inner surface to which a cylindrical inner surface extends. The coupling joint has a structure such that a circumferential surface of a short cylinder into which is inserted a rear portion of the coupler which is inserted from the opening of the shock absorber frame forms a rounded convex surface which engages with the semi-circular concave surface of the shock absorber frame, and an insertion hole is provided in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the short cylinder. In the shock absorber frame, there is provided a removal hole for the coupling pin which is disposed at a position to rotate at a predetermined angle in a circumferential direction in the assembled state, and at a position coaxial with the coupling pin in the assembled state in which the coupling pin is inserted into an insertion hole of the coupling joint into which is inserted the rear portion of the coupler which is inserted from the opening. 
     In the device for coupling high-speed railroad cars according to the present invention described above, one end of the coupling pin is provided with a screw hole for attaching a hanging bolt, and it is advantageous to provide an air release hole at a position facing the pin removal hole for the coupling pin. 
     In the device for coupling high-speed railroad cars according to the present invention described above, the coupler is rotated until the removal hole and the coupling pin provided in the shock absorber frame are in a coaxial position, and subsequently, if the hanging bolt is screwed into the screw hole of the coupling pin, for example, after which the coupling pin is pulled out from the coupling joint, and the coupler is pulled away from the shock absorber frame in opposite directions, then the coupling device can be separated from the coupler and from the shock absorber frame which holds the shock absorber and the coupling joint, thereby making it possible to remove the coupling device from the front part of the front car of a railroad train during maintenance. 
     After the maintenance is completed, the reverse process may be performed to mount the coupling device to the front part of the front car of the railroad train. 
     Advantageous Effects of the Invention 
     According to the present invention, even in cases where there are special vehicle components in the front part, so there is no space at the top or on the side where the coupling device is mounted, for mounting and removing the entire coupling device, it is possible to easily remove and mount the coupling device for tilting railroad cars at the front part. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a drawing of a device for coupling high-speed railroad cars according to the present invention mounted on the front part of a front car of a high-speed railroad train.  FIG. 1  ( a ) is a frontal view and  FIG. 1  ( b ) is a planar view. 
         FIG. 2  is a drawing showing an enlarged view of the coupling site between the coupler and the coupling joint which is inserted into the shock absorber frame which holds the shock absorber. 
         FIG. 3  ( a )- FIG. 3  ( c ) are drawings illustrating the sequence followed in implementing the method of removing the device for coupling high-speed railroad cars according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a drawing of the coupling device used for coupling non-tilting railroad cars.  FIG. 4  ( a ) is a frontal view and  FIG. 4  ( b ) is a planar view. 
         FIG. 5  is a drawing of junction part of the coupling device used for coupling tilting railroad cars.  FIG. 5  ( a ) is a frontal view and  FIG. 5  ( b ) is a planar view. 
     
    
    
     EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the present invention, the object of making the operation of removing and mounting the coupling device easy, even when there is no space to mount and remove the entire coupling device above or on the side of the mounting position of the coupling device, is achieved by providing a removal hole for the coupling pin at a position to rotate at a predetermined angle in a circumferential direction in the assembled state, and at a position coaxial with the coupling pin in the assembled state in the shock absorber frame. 
     Embodiment 
     An embodiment of the present invention is described below, making reference to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 1  is a drawing of a device for coupling high-speed railroad cars according to the present invention mounted on the front part of a front car of a high-speed railroad train, and  FIG. 2  is a drawing showing an enlarged view of the coupling site between the coupler and the coupling joint which is inserted into the shock absorber frame which holds the shock absorber. 
     Reference Numeral  21  is an ordinary tight coupler (referred to below simply as a coupler), which has a head part  21   b  for coupling to the front end part of a coupler main body  21   a , and forms a junction part  21   c  with a coupling joint  24  at the rear portion of the opposite side. An insertion hole  21   ca  through which a coupling pin  25  passes is provided in the junction part  21   c.    
     Reference Numeral  22  is a shock absorber (e.g., laminated rubber) which absorbs acceleration and deceleration when the cars accelerate and decelerate while traveling and prevents generation of an impact, and which is held in a shock absorber frame  23 . 
     The shock absorber frame  23  includes a holding member  23   c  of the shock absorber  22  which is open at both ends, and has a front inner surface with an opening  23   aa  at a front-end wall  23   a  partially cut in an inverted cone shape, into which is inserted a frame  23   b , and which extends along the inserted frame  23   b.    
     The frame  23   b  has a structure which includes the opening  23   aa  and an opening  23   ba  through which the front surface is supposed to pass, and the inner surface thereof forms a semi-circular concave surface  23   bb  and a cylindrical surface  23   bc  from a front surface side. 
     Reference Numeral  24  is a coupling joint which joins the coupler  21  and the shock absorber  22  held in the shock absorber frame  23  by means of the coupling pin  25 . This coupling joint  24  includes a rounded convex surface  24   a  which engages with the semi-circular concave surface  23   bb  of the shock absorber frame  23 , and includes a circumferential surface of a short cylinder into which is inserted the junction part  21   c  of the coupler  21  which is inserted from the opening  23   aa  of the shock absorber frame  23 . In addition, an insertion hole  24   b  is provided for connecting with the insertion hole  21   ca  in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the short cylinder. 
     According to the present invention, in an assembled state in which the coupling pin  25  is inserted through the insertion hole  24   b  of the coupling joint  24  into which the junction part  21   c  of the coupler  21  is inserted from the opening  23   aa  of the shock absorber frame  23 , passing through the insertion hole  21   ca  of the junction part  21   c , the following structure is further added to the shock absorber frame  23  and the coupling pin  25 . 
     According to the present invention, in the assembled state described above, removal holes  23   d  and  23   bd  and air release holes  23   e  and  23   be  of the coupling pin  25  are disposed facing each other at a position rotated at 90°, for example, in the circumferential direction of the shock absorber frame  23 , and at a position coaxial with the coupling pin  25 . 
     On the other hand, a screw hole  25   a  for attaching a hanging bolt  26  is provided at one end of the coupling pin  25 , and the other end portion is machined so as to taper narrowly at the other end. 
     In  FIG. 1 , Reference Numeral  27  is a sliding plate which has a semi-circular concave surface  27   a  for holding the coupling joint  24  together with a semi-circular concave surface  23   bb  of the frame  23   b , and Reference Numerals  28   a  and  28   b  are follower plates positioned to make contact with the front and back of the shock absorber  22 , so as to insert the shock absorber  22  in the shock absorber frame  23 . 
     The device for coupling high-speed railroad cars according to the present invention with the additional structure described above is mounted on a railroad car in the following sequence. 
     First, the frame  23   b  is inserted into the front inner surface of the shock absorber frame  23 . Then, the coupling joint  24  is inserted from the open part of the holding member  23   c  of the shock absorber frame  23  so that the central axis of the short cylinder and the central axis of the opening  23   aa  are in alignment with the circumferential direction of the insertion hole  24   b  and the removal holes  23   bd  and  23   d.    
     After that, the sliding plate  27  is inserted from the open part of the holding member  23   c  of the shock absorber frame  23  from the rear of the coupling joint  24  which presses on the side of the frame  23   b  and is accommodated by the semi-circular concave surface  23   bb , to hold the coupling joint  24  with the semi-circular concave surface  23   bb  and the semi-circular concave surface  27   a  of the sliding plate  27 . In this state, the insertion hole  24   b  and the removal holes  23   bd  and  23   d  are not only in axial alignment with the circumferential direction, but they are also in axial alignment with the coupling joint  24 . 
     Next, the shock absorber  22  which is in contact with the front and back follower plates  28   a  and  28   b  is inserted into the shock absorber frame  23  from the opening of the holding member  23   c , and the shock absorber  22  is held by tightening a bolt  29  which is screwed in from the back end surface of the shock absorber frame  23 . 
     When the shock absorber frame  23  is arranged on the railroad car in a state in which it holds the coupling joint  24  and the shock absorber  22  as described above, the bolt  29  is removed. 
     After that, the junction part  21   c  formed at the rear portion of the coupler  21  is inserted from the opening  23  aa of the shock absorber frame  23  arranged on the railroad car, and it is inserted into the short cylinder of the coupling joint  24  until the insertion hole  21   ca  of the junction part  21   c  and the insertion hole  24   b  of the coupling joint  24  are in alignment. 
     Finally, the coupling pin  25  into which is screwed the hanging bolt  26  through the screw hole  25   a  is inserted from the removal holes  23   bd  and  23   d , to join the coupler  21  to the shock absorber frame  23  which holds the shock absorber  22  via the coupling joint  24 . After coupling these, the hanging bolt  26  is removed, and the coupler  21  is rotated 90% and as needed, rubber stoppers  30   a  and  30   b  can be applied, for example, to the removal hole  23   d  and the air release hole  23   e.    
     Next, removal of the coupling device from the railroad car during maintenance is performed as described below. 
     First, in the state shown in  FIG. 3  ( a ), the rubber stoppers  30   a  and  30   b  are removed from the removal hole  23   d  and the air release hole  23   e.    
     Next, as shown in  FIG. 3  ( b ), the coupler  21  is rotated until the removal holes  23   bd  and  23   d  and the coupling pin  25  reach a coaxial position, which the operator checks via the removal hole  23   d  from which the rubber stopper  30   a  was removed. After that, the hanging bolt  26  is screwed into the screw hole  25   a  of the coupling pin  25 , and the coupling pin  25  is pulled out from the coupling joint  24 . 
     Finally, as shown in  FIG. 3  ( c ), the coupler  21  is pulled in a direction opposite from the shock absorber frame  23 , so as to separate the coupler  21  from the shock absorber frame  23  which holds the shock absorber  22  and the coupling joint  24 , and it is removed from the railroad car. 
     According to the present invention, it is possible to remove and mount the coupling device, even if there is no space to mount and remove the entire coupling device above or on the side of the mounting position of the coupling device, because the coupler  21  can be separated from the shock absorber frame  23  which holds the shock absorber  22  and the coupling joint  24 . 
     The present invention is not limited to the example described above, and the embodiment may, of course, be advantageously modified within the scope of the technical ideas recited in the claims. 
     For example, in the above example, the rounded concave surface and the cylindrical surface provided to the front inner surface of the shock absorber frame  23  were formed by inserting the frame  23   b  having the rounded concave surface  23   bb  and the cylindrical surface  23   bc  formed on the inner surface, but a rounded surface and a cylindrical surface may be directly formed on the front inner surface of the shock absorber frame  23 . 
     In the above example, the screw hole  25   a  was provided for attaching the hanging bolt  26 , but instead of the screw hole, simply a hole may be provided, into which a hard rubber is inserted, and the coupling pin  25  may be pulled out by holding a grip attached to the hard rubber. 
     It is easier to pull out the coupling pin  25  if the air release hole  23   e  is provided, as in the above example, but there is no necessity to provide the air release hole  23   e.    
     The device for coupling high-speed railroad cars according to the present invention was devised primarily to be used in the front part of the front car of high-speed railroad trains, but it may of course also be used in the coupling part of the middle cars of high-speed railroad trains. 
     Explanation of The Reference Numerals 
     
         
           21  Coupler 
           21   c  Junction part 
           21   ca  Insertion hole 
         Shock absorber 
         Shock absorber frame 
           23   a  Front-end wall 
           23   aa  Opening 
           23   b  Frame 
           23   ba  Opening 
           23   bb  Semi-circular concave surface 
           23   bc  Cylindrical surface 
           23   c  Holding member 
           23   d  Removal hole 
           23   e  Air release hole 
           25  Coupling joint 
           24   a  Rounded convex surface 
           24   b  Insertion hole 
         Coupling pin 
           25   a  Screw hole 
           26  Hanging bolt 
         Sliding plate 
           27   a  Semi-circular concave surface 
           28   a ,  28   b  Follower plates 
         Bolt 
           30   a ,  30   b  Rubber stopper