US1282111A - Ratchet winding mechanism. - Google Patents

Description

J. F. O'CONNOR.

RATCHET WINDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-8,19IB.

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JOHN F. 0CONNOR, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIeNon T0 WILLIAM H. MINER, or CHAZY, NEW YORK.

RATCHE'I WINDING MECHANISM.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 22,1918.

Application filed J'anuary 8, 1918. Serial No. 210,888.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. OCoNNoR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Ratchet Winding Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in ratchet winding mechanism.

The object of the invention is to provide a ratchet form of winding mechanism, more particularly adapted for use in hand brakes of railway cars for tightening the brake chains and is so designed aS to provide large wearing areas on the engaging parts to thereby prolong the life of the device and also so arranged as to effect release of the brake chain with the relatively slighteifort on the part of the operator. 7 p

In the drawing forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of mechanism embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a central vertical, sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1

showing the same as embodied in a hand brake of a railway car. Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical, sectional. views taken on the lines 33 and 44 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an end view of a locking plate. And Fig.6 is a detail sectional view to more clearly illustrate the manner of disengaging the pawl and looking plates as hereinafter described. In said drawing, 10 denotes the end'or other wall of a box car to which my improved mechanism is attached. The winding mechanism, as shown, includes a hollow cylindrical combined housing and bearing casting 11 having an innerplate 12 seated against the wall 10 of the car. The casting 11 may be provided with suitable lugs or ears 13 by which it canrbe riveted to thecar. At its outer end, the casting 11 is provided with a hollow journal bearing 14 and at its inner end with a corresponding bearinglo to thereby rotatably supportfa chain winding drum 16 to which the brake chain 17 is adapted to be attached. .As will be understood, the casting 11 isisuitably at the bottom, as indicatedat 18 to permit the entrance of the chain v17. p I g A rotatable T member or drum 16 has an extended squared end section 19 0i1 whichis non-rotatably fitted a double faced ratchet wheel 20. The ratchet wheel 20 is not only prevented from rotative movement with respect to the drum 16' but is also prevented from relative axial movement through the shoulder 21 formed on the drum, the washer 22 and spring follower plate 23. The exterior of the journal bearing 14 is made of non-circular form and preferably hexagonal, as indicated at 24 in Fig. 4. Fitted on the hexagonal portion 24 is a locking plate or dog 25 which is axially movable but non-rotatable. The locking plate 25 is provided on its outer face with a series of ratchet teeth 26 that are adapted to cooperate with corresponding ratchet teeth 27 on the inner face of the ratchet wheel 20. The locking plate 25 is normally held in its outer position by means of a spring 28 interposed between it and the end wall 29 of the housing casting 11. It is apparent that the ratchet wheel 20 and consequently the chain tightening drum 16 will be held against rotation when the locking plate 25 is in engagement with the ratchet wheel 20.

The ratchet wheel 20 on its outer sidecooperate with a Corresponding set of ratchet teeth 36 on the outer face of the ratchet wheel 20.

The flange 32 is provided with suitable recesses 37 at diametrically opposite points thereon to receive what maybe termed double acting cam lugs 38 .at the upper forked ends of an operat ng lever 39 which normally hangs in a depending posit on. The

-lugs-88 are of substant ally rectangular formation, as clearly indicated in section 1n Fig. 6 and when the lever 39 is in a plane perpendicular to the axes of the rotating parts of the winding mechanism. the lug assumes the position shown in Fig. 6. When the lever .39 is swung to either side of said plane, that is, from either side of vertical as illustrated in the drawing. it isjapparent thatthe lugs 38 will tend to force apart the pawl acting plate 31-and the locking plate nae 25. as shown by the dotted positions in Fig. 6.

In operating my device, the operator swings the lever 39 in the direction indicated by the arrow a in Fig. 1, it being understood that the lever is maintained in a vertical plane during this operation. As the lever is thus moved, the pawl acting wheel 31 will rotate in unison therewith and on account of the arrangement of cooperating teeth 35 and 86, the ratchet wheel 20 and the drum 16 will be similarly rotate-d. At the end of this movement, the ratchet wheel 20 will be locked by means of the locking plate 25, as hereinbetore described. Nhen the operator swings the lever 39 back to its normal position, the plate 31 will swing with it and the teeth thereof will slip over the teeth 36 of the ratchet-wheel 2O inasmuch asthe plate 81 is yieldable axially against the spring 3%. These operations can be repeateduntil the brake chain is tightened to the desired degree, ll hen the operator desires to release the brake chain, he swings the lever 39 in either direction, as indicated by the arrows bb in Fig. This will first force he pawl acting plate 31 outwardlv against the spring 3% until it is dis engaged from the ratchet wheel 20 and thereupon continued swinging movement of the lever 39 will force the locking plate 25 inwardly against the action of the spring 29 until the plate 25 is disengaged from the ratchet wheel 20, whereupon the latter and the drum 16 are free to rotate in an unwinding direction. In actual practice, the spring 29 will be made somewhat stronger than the spring 34 to positively insure the foregoing sequence of operations, although this is not absolutely necessary because of the fact that, during the release operation, there is no great strain upon the plate 31 whereas there is a load on the locking plate 25. To protect the spring 29, the casting 11 is preferably provided with a flange to which extends over the locking plate 25, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and it will also be noticed that the spring follower plate 28 has a marginal flange ll to cover and retain the spring 3%. The washer 22 is held in position bv bolt 4-2 which extends through it and also through the drum 16. Said bolt 42 also serves to retain the end link of the chain after it has been hooked in position on the drum 16. By employing a series of teeth on the pawl acting wheel and the locking wheel. it is evident that a better connection is alwavs obtained between said wheels and the ratchet wheel and also the wear on the parts is distributed over a much greater area so that the life is thereby prolonged.

I claim: p

1. In a windin mechanism of the character described. the combination with a memer to be rotated and having a ratchet wheel movable in unison therewith, of a pawl acting wheel having a series of teeth cooperable with those of the ratchet wheel, thepawl acting wheel being yieldingly normally held in engagement with the ratchet wheel, a lever for oscillating the pawl acting wheel, and a yieldingly controlled non-rotatable locking wheel engageable with other teeth of said ratchet wheel, said lever being adapted to disengage the pawl acting wheel and the locking wheel from the ratchet wheel to release the latter.

2. In a winding mechanism of the'character described, the combination with a mem her to be rotated and having a ratchet wheel fixed with respect thereto, of pawl and loci-:-

ing members cooperable with the ratchetwheel and yieldingly normally held in en gagement therewith, said locking member being non-rotatably mounted, a lever for oscillating the pawl member to thereby efiect the winding movements of the rotatable member, and means for shifting both the pawl and locking members axially of the ratchet wheel to thereby disengage the lat ter and permit release.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a member to be rotated having a double faced ratchet wheel movable in unison therewith, of a pawl acting wheel coiiperable with the ratchet teeth on one face of said ratchet wheel, a locking wheel cooperable with the ratchet teeth on the opposite tace of said ratchet wheel, spring means normally holding said pawl acting wheel and locking wheel in engagement with the ratchet wheel,means for oscillating the pawl acting wheel to thereby efiect the winding movements, and means for disengaging the pawl acting wheel and locking wheel from the ratchet. wheel by shifting the same axially otthe ratchet wheel. i

l. In a device of the character described, the combination with a member to be rotated having a ratchet wheel movable in unison therewith and fixed with respect thereto, of pawl and locking members cooperable with said ratchet wheel, said locking member be ing held against rotation but adapted for axial movement with respect to the ratchet wheel, said pawl member being rotatable with respect to the ratchet wheel and also axially movable relatively thereto, and a lever for effecting oscillating movements of the pawl member when the lever is moved in one plane, said lever being adapted also to separate the pawl and locking members from the ratchet wheel when the lever is shifted'in another plane.

5. In mechanism of the character described, the combination with amember to be rotated having a doublefacedratchet wheel rotatable in unison therewitln of a pawl acting wheel cooperable withth'e teeth on one face of the ratchet wheel, a locking wheel coiiperable with the teeth on the opposite face of said ratchet wheel, spring means normally holding said pawl acting wheel and locking wheel in engagement with said ratchet Wheel, and common means for both oscillating the pawl acting wheel to efiect the winding operation and to separate the pawl acting wheel and locking wheel from the ratchet wheel by axial movement relative thereto.

6. In a chain tightening mechanism for brakes and the like, the combination with a chain winding drum having a double faced ratchet wheel rotatable in unison therewith, of a pawl acting whee-l cooperable with the ratchet teeth on one face of said ratchet wheel, spring means for yieldingly holding said pawl acting wheel normally in engage ment with the ratchet wheel, a locking wheel cooperab-le with the ratchet teeth on the opposite face of said ratchet wheel, spring means for normally yieldingly holding said locking wheel in operative engagement with the ratchet wheel, means for imparting rotative movement to the pawl acting wheel, and means for forcing said pawl acting wheel and locking wheel away from each other against the springs associated therewith to thereby disengage the same from the ratchet wheel and permit release of the latter.

7. In a chain winding mechanism adapted for railway car brakes, the combination with a supporting casting adapted to be secured to a wall of a car and having a chain winding drum rotatably mounted therein, of a double faced ratchet wheel non-rotatably mounted on said drum, a spring pressed pawl acting wheel cooperable with the ratchet teeth on one face of said ratchet wheel, a locking wheel cooperable with the ratchet teeth on the opposite face of said ratchet wheel, a hand lever for oscillating the pawl acting wheel to thereby effect the winding of the chain, said lever having means cooperable with the pawl acting Wheel and locking wheel to shift the latter axially with respect to the ratchet wheel to thereby release the latter when the lever is swung in a plane parallel to the axis of the chain winding drum.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 24th day of Dec, 1917.

JOHN F. OCONNOR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

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