Acoustic signature inspection of railroad wheels
First Claim
1. An electromagnetic exciter for use in acoustic signature inspection of the wheels of railroad cars comprisinga. a base adapted to be secured in place adjacent the gage side of a railroad rail;
- b. an impact member comprising an impact head carried by a pivot arm;
c. means mounting the pivot arm on the base for pivotal movement so that, when the exciter is in place, the head swings in a plane normal to the associated rail between an inactive position, wherein it is clear of passing wheels, and an active position, wherein it will strike the inner face of a passing wheel;
d. yielding stop means defining said inactive position and serving to retard rebound of the impact member following return of that member to the inactive position;
e. spring means biasing the impact member toward the inactive position;
f. a solenoid mounted on the base and having a reciprocable armature which is spring biased to a rest position, and a coil which upon energization shifts the armature to an actuated position; and
g. a lost motion force-transmitting connection between the armature and the pivot arm which affords to the impact member an initial range of motion wherein it is accelerated away from the inactive position by the armature as the latter moves from the rest to the actuated position, and a terminal range of motion wherein said member swings to its active position solely as a result of the kinetic energy imparted to it by the armature during said initial range of motion.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The disclosure concerns an electromagnetic exciter for striking the wheels of moving railroad cars undergoing acoustic signature inspection. The apparatus comprises a pivotally mounted impact member which is accelerated by a solenoid through only a portion of its impact stroke and then moves onward to impact solely as a result of the kinetic energy imparted to it during the initial acceleration period. The solenoid is controlled by an electronic drive circuit which responds to an input signal from a wheel presence detector and delivers to the solenoid coil a burst of energy whose size and duration may be adjusted to yield the greatest sound pressure level while allowing the field of the coil to relax quickly enough to reset the apparatus for the next car wheel.
15 Citations
9 Claims
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1. An electromagnetic exciter for use in acoustic signature inspection of the wheels of railroad cars comprising
a. a base adapted to be secured in place adjacent the gage side of a railroad rail; -
b. an impact member comprising an impact head carried by a pivot arm; c. means mounting the pivot arm on the base for pivotal movement so that, when the exciter is in place, the head swings in a plane normal to the associated rail between an inactive position, wherein it is clear of passing wheels, and an active position, wherein it will strike the inner face of a passing wheel; d. yielding stop means defining said inactive position and serving to retard rebound of the impact member following return of that member to the inactive position; e. spring means biasing the impact member toward the inactive position; f. a solenoid mounted on the base and having a reciprocable armature which is spring biased to a rest position, and a coil which upon energization shifts the armature to an actuated position; and g. a lost motion force-transmitting connection between the armature and the pivot arm which affords to the impact member an initial range of motion wherein it is accelerated away from the inactive position by the armature as the latter moves from the rest to the actuated position, and a terminal range of motion wherein said member swings to its active position solely as a result of the kinetic energy imparted to it by the armature during said initial range of motion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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Specification