AUTOMATIC RELEASING APPARATUS FOR COUPLERS OF RAILWAY VEHICLES

• US 3,750,897 A
• Filed: 12/27/1971
• Issued: 08/07/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hisao Takami, Kenichi Murato, Mitsuro Wakao, Shogo Takahashi, Yasuo Maruyama
• Original Assignee: Hisao Takami, Kenichi Murato, Mitsuro Wakao, Shogo Takahashi, Yasuo Maruyama
• Inventors: Maruyama, Yasuo, Murato, Kenichi, Wakao, Mitsuro, Takahashi, Shogo, Takami, Hisao
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoffman, Drayton E.
• Application Number:
  US05/212,320
• Time in Patent Office: 589 Days
• Field of Search: 213/211,215,219 104/18,20,25
• US Class Current: 213/211
• CPC Class Codes: B61G 7/04 Coupling or uncoupling by means of trackside apparatus

Abstract

The automatic releasing apparatus for couplers of railway vehicles comprises a circuit-like travelling guide rail positioned above a rail system and a number of robots suspending from the guide rail, each having automatic releasing mechanism for the couplers. Couplers of railway vehicles are adapted to send out the robots one by one by conforming the sending out speed to the speed of the railway vehicles so as to pull out locking cotters automatically by means of the releasing mechanisms of respective robots, and to restore the cotters to their starting position by moving the releasing apparatus along the travelling guide rail.

Claims

1. An automatic releasing apparatus for releasing the couplers of railway vehicles, comprising a travel rail for vehicles which are to be uncoupled;

a guide rail forming a continuous loop mounted upwardly of said travel rail and having a guide rail portion extending along the latter;

a plurality of robot units suspended from said guide rail for travel along the same;

triggering means for triggering sequential movement of said robot units along said guide rail portion when vehicles to be uncoupled are travelling on said travel rail; and

releasing means on the respective robot units for releasing the couplers of vehicles on said travel rail during movement of the respective robot units in unison with the travelling vehicles.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said guide rail comprises a holding portion where robot units are held in readiness for travel along said guide rail portion;

and further comprising positioning means for holDing said robot units at said holding portion and associated with said triggering means for releasing said robot units sequentially in response to operation of said triggering means.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein said positioning means comprises locking means for sequentially locking each of said robot units at said holding portion in a first and a second stand-by position and thereupon in a release position.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 3, said releasing means of each of said robot units comprising energy storage means;

and further comprising energy-supplying means for supplying energy to said energy storage means during locking of the respective robot unit at one of said stand-by positions.

5. An automatic releasing apparatus for releasing the couplers of railway vehicles, comprising a travel rail for vehicles which are to be uncoupled;

a guide rail forming a continuous loop mounted upwardly of said travel rail and having a guide rail portion extending along the latter;

a plurality of robot units suspended from said guide rail for travel along the same from a starting position;

triggering means for triggering sequential movement of said robot units along said guide rail portion when vehicles to be uncoupled are travelling on said travel rail;

releasing means on the respective robot units for releasing the couplers of vehicles on said travel rail during movement of the respective robot units in unison with the travelling vehicles; and

return means for returning said robot units along said guide rail to said starting position.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 5, said guide rail portion having longitudinally spaced end regions one of which is spaced from said starting position in the direction of travel;

and wherein said return means comprises a direction-changing member arranged in at least said one region for changing the direction of travel of the respective robot units in response to arrival thereof at said one end region.

7. An apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein said guide rail comprises a holding portion where robot units are held in readiness for travel along said guide rail portion;

and further comprising positioning means for holding said robot units at said holding portion and associated with said triggering means for releasing said robot units sequentially in response to operation of said triggering means.

8. An automatic releasing apparatus for releasing the couplers of railway vehicles, comprising a travel rail for vehicles which are to be uncoupled;

a guide rail forming a continuous loop mounted upwardly of said travel rail and having a guide rail portion extending along the latter;

a plurality of robot units suspended from said guide rail for travel along the same from a starting position;

triggering means for triggering sequential movement of said robot units along said guide rail portion when vehicles to be uncoupled are travelling on said travel rail;

accelerating means for accelerating the triggered robot units to the travelling speed of said vehicles; and

releasing means on the respective robot units for releasing the couplers of vehicles on said travel rail during movement of the respective robot units in unison with the travelling vehicles.

9. An automatic releasing apparatus for releasing the couplers of railway vehicles, comprising a travel rail for vehicles which are to be uncoupled;

a guide rail forming a continuous loop mounted above said travel rail and having a guide rail portion which extends along the latter, and a holding portion ahead of said guide rail portion;

a plurality of robot units suspended from said guide rail for travel along the same from a starting position at said holding portion;

triggering means for triggering sequential movement of said robot units along said guide rail portion from said starting position when vehicles to be uncoupled are travelling on said travel rail;

inserting meanS for inserting the respective robot units between, and subsequently withdrawing them from, railway vehicles to be uncoupled;

releasing means on the respective robot units for releasing the couplers of said railway vehicles when the robot unit is inserted between them;

accelerating means for accelerating each robot unit relative to said vehicles after the couplers thereof are released; and

return means for returning each robot unit along said continuous loop to said holding position and said starting position.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein said accelerating means comprises an endless belt extending along said travel rail and advancing in the same direction as said vehicles and motion-transmitting means for transmitting motion between said endless belt and said robot units.

11. A method of automatically uncoupling railway vehicles, comprising the steps of advancing coupled railway vehicles on a track;

moving a robot unit from a starting position over a portion of a guide rail extending along the track, in unison with the travelling vehicles;

inserting the robot unit between the travelling vehicles and effecting uncoupling of the same via said robot unit;

withdrawing the robot unit from between the now uncoupled travelling vehicles;

accelerating the withdrawn robot unit along the guide rail away from the vehicles; and

returning the robot unit over another portion of the guide rail to said starting position.