US1862790A - Coupler lock controlling device - Google Patents

Description

June 14, 1932. w. KELSQ 1 1,862,790

COUPLER LOCK CONTROLLING DEVICE Filed June 23, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 14, 1932. w. KELSO 1,862,790

COUPLER LOCK CONTROLLING DEVICE Filed June 23, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 14, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM KELSO, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB TO THE MCCONVJAY v(it TORLEY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA COUPLER LOCK CONTROLLING DEVICE My invention relates to a device for con trolling the movements of the look by which the rotatable knuckle of a car coupler is normally restrained from performing an uncoupling rotation, and while it is especially suitable for application to the well known bottom operated form of D-type coupler it is also applicable to any coupler having the same general is means. 7

The principal object of the invention is to provide an uncoupling device not only serving to move the coupler lock to unlocked position but also operating to prevent the lock from accidentally moving to unlocked position as the result of the shocks and jars to which the coupler is subjected when in service.

The principal feature of the invention consists in actuating the lock of acar coupler 21, through the instrumentality of two vertically rotatable members, one of which is movably connected to the coupler lock, the said'rotatable members being so formed and related that movement of one of them actuates the as other to causean unlocking movement of the coupler look, while an accidental unlocking movement of the coupler lock causes an interlocking of the vertically rotatable members preventing the said lock from moving to to iuilocked position.

Other features of the invention pertaining to advantageous combinations and relations of parts and desirable structural details will hereinafter appear and be pointed out in the 3:, claims.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiments of the invention:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an American Railway Association standard D-coupler having my invent-ion applied thereto, a well known form of coupler carrier being shown associated therewith, the parts being in nor-' mal locked position.

Figure 2 is a detail view, partly in side if: elevation and partly in section, of a portion of the construction shown in Figure 1, the parts being in the positions they assume when the coupler lock accidentally moves towardunlocked position. v

Figure 3 is a view corresponding to Figure character of lock actuating 2, but illustrating the positions assumed by e the parts when the lock controlling mechanism is actuated to move the lock to unlocked position.

Figure i is a detail plan view of the vertically rotatable lifter bar. I

Figure 5 is a detail end elevational view of the lifter bar.

In the drawings 1 indicates a car coupler having a head 2 upon which a knuckle 3 is rotatably'mounted by means of apivotpin4in the usual manner, the knuckle being normally restrained from rotating to uncoupled position by means of a lock 5. In the form of the invention illustrated, all of these parts conform in detail to corresponding parts of the D-type coupler. The lock lift link 6 which is slidably and pivotally connected to the lock 5 in the well known way may also be like the corresponding part employed in the standard D-coupler of the bottom-operated type.

Pivotally mounted upon the under side of the coupler head, as by means of a pin 7 is a lock lift lever 8 pivotally connected to the link or togglemember 6 at 9. At its lower end the lock lift lever 8.is formed with an opening 10 for receiving the hooked forward end 11 of a vertically rotatable lifter bar 12.

At its forward end the lifter bar 12 is provided with a lug or projection 13 preferably extending vertically on opposite. sides of the main bodyof the lifter said bar to be applied to the lock lift lever 8 either from the right or the left side of the lock as may be desirable. 7

When the parts are in normal locked relation, as shown in Figure 1, the lug 13 of the lifter bar occupies the narrow lower portion 1.4 of the opening 10 in the lock lift lever the walls of this portion of the opening 10 being preferably substantially parallel. Above its constricted portion 14 the opening 10 is enlarged, as at 15, to afford clearance for the lug 13 of the lifter bar 12 permitting the said bar 12, thus enabling member 17 for the larged portion of the opening 10 are preferably curved while the walls of the lower narrower portion of said opening are preferably straight. Between the portions 14 and 15 of the hook receiving opening 10 of the lock lift lever the latter is formed with a shoulder or projection 16 which stands adjacent to and overhangs the upper end of the lug 13 of the lifter bar when the parts are in normal locked relation.

As shown in Figure 2 this lockdown projection 16 cooperates with the upper end of the lug 13 to prevent the escape of said lug from the narrow portion of the opening 10 in the lift lever when the latter attempts to swing upwardly in response to an accidental unlocking movement of the coupler lock 5 communicated through the link member 6.

The vertically rotatable lifter bar 12 is slidably supported toward its rear end by a member 17 which is slotted at its lower end to receive the bar, the lower end of the slot being bridged by a bolt 18 upon which the member 12 normally rests. Above the bar 12 the urn coupling support 17 is provided with a fixed cross bar or projection 19 upon which the lifter bar fulcrums when it executes an upward swinging movement in the act of unlocking the coupler. The portion of the lifter bar or lever 12 which cooperates with the bolt 18 and fulcrum 19 is preferably made of square or rectangular cross section as fiat bearing surfaces are thereby provided for contact with the said bolt and fulcrum. The square sectional form of this portion of the lifter bar is also advantageous in that itovercomes any tendency of the lifter bar to revolve or rotate because of the hook portion 11 of the bar being heavier upon one side than upon the other.

The mechanism for preventing accidental unlocking of the coupler may be used with any uncoupling device affording means for limiting the upward movement of the rear portion of the lifter bar, whether such means is supplied by a cross bar or fulcrum member such as 19 on a rigid support, as shown in the drawings, or is composed of several members not rigidly connected, as disclosed for example in Patent No. 1,507,244, granted Septenr her 2, 1924 to Milliken, et al.

For purposes of illustration the supporting lift-er bar 12' is shown as associated with a coupler carrier device 20 (see Fig. 1) of a well known form now commonly employed on Pullman cars, and the uncoupling mechanism forcommunicating an unlocking rotation to the lifter bar is also illustrated as of the well known form in which a transveisely extending upwardly rotatable crank member 21 having arms 22 is pivotally suspended from the coupler carrier by links 23 the crank member 21 being adapted to be swung upwardly by means of rotatable uncoupling levers 24 which extend in opposite directions toward the sides of the car.

When the lock lift lever 8 and the uncoupling bar 12 are in normal locked relation, as shown in Figure 1, accidental unlocking of the coupler lock 5 is prevented. Upon the occurrence of said accidental upward movement of the coupler lock the lock lift lever 8 is rotated, being drawn upward by the link 01' toggle member 6 until the rear end of the lifter bar 12 comes into contact with the cross bar or fulcrum projection 19 of the support ing member 17. As the lug 18 at the forward end of the lifter bar 12 then occupies the constricted portion 14 of the opening in the lever 8, the lifter bar cannot rotate with respect to the lift lever 8 and consequently as its contact with the projection 19 prevents the rear end of the bar from rising, continued upward movement of the lock lift lever 8, the link 6 and the coupler lock 5 connected thereto is arrested. l/Vhen however it is desired to effect unlocking movement of the coupling lock the upward rotation of the crank member 21 of the uncoupling mechanism causes the lug 13 at the forward end of the lifter bar to move upwardly out of the constricted lower ortion 1% of the opening in the lock lift lever 8, thereby, as shown in Figure 8, positioning said lug 13 in the wider portion 15 of the lock lift lever slot. When the forward end of the lifter bar 12 has reached the upper end of the opening 10 in the lever 8 the continued up ward movement of the crank 21 of the uncoupling mechanism causes the lifter bar 12 to fulcrum upon the projection 19 and execute an upward swinging movement, thus causing the lever 8, link member 6 and conpler lock 5 to execute a full uncoupling movement.

While my invention provides a lock-to-thelock device which is efiicient and complete in itself and is therefore particularly well suited for application to a car coupler not otherwise supplied with means for preventing the coupler lock from accidentally moving to unlocked position, it will be appreciated that mechanism embodying the invention may be as.-.;ociated with a coupler already equi p with lock-to-the-lock means, providing in such a case an additional safeguard against the coupler becoming accidentally unlocked when in service.

I claim:

1. In mechanism of the character indicated, the combination with a car coupler having a lock, of a device for controlling said lock, said device being adapted to move the lock to un locked position and to prevent it from accidentally moving to unlocked position and including a plurality of movably connected members one of which movably mounted upon the coupler, said members being provided with means whereby they are interlocked in one relative position to prevent them from executing uncoupling movements luf) corresponding to an unlocking movement of the coupler lock and whereby when they are in another relative position they are free to execute uncoupling movements corresponding to an unlocking of the lock.

2. In mechanism of the character indicated, the combination with a car coupler having a lock, of a device for controlling said lock, said device being adapted to move the lock to unlocked position and toprevent it from accidentally moving to unlocked position and including a vertically rotatable lock lift lever pivotally mounted upon the coupler head and a swinging lifter bar movably connected to said lever and extending rearwardly from the latter, means for actuating the lifter bar to cause an uncoupling rotation of said lever, and means for cooperating with said lifter bar to limit upward movement of the rear end the latter, said lever and lifter bar having cooperating portions which interlocking ly engage to prevent relative movement of said lever and bar when said lock accidentally attempts to move to unlocked position, and said bar being adapted to actuate said lever to cause the latter to execute an uncoupling movement corresponding to an unlocking of said lock.

3. In mechanism of the character indicated, the combination with a car coupler having a lock, of a device for controlling said lock, said device being adapted to move the lock to unlocked position and to prevent it from accidentally moving to unlocked position and including a plurality of rotatable members one of which is adapted to actuate the other, said members being movably connected and one of them being formed with an opening having a constricted portion and the other having a portion adapted to extend into said constricted portion of the opening so as to lock said members against movement permitting the coupler lock to move to unlocked position.

, 4t. In mechanism of the character indicated, the combination with a car coupler having a lock, of a device for controlling said lock, said device being adapted to move the lock to unlocked position and to prevent it from accidentally moving to unlocked position and including a lock lift lever pivot-ally mounted upon the car coupler, a swinging lifter bar for actuating said lever, means for actuating the lifter bar to cause it to perform an uncoupling movement, and means cooperating with the lifter bar to forma fulcrum therefor, the pivotal point of said lever and said fulcrum being in spaced relation, said lever being provided with an opening and said bar being provided at its forward end with a hooked portion extending through said opening, said bar being provided at its hooked end with a lug and the said opening being formed with a constricted portion for receiving said lug when the parts ar i o l locked relation. a

5. In mechanism ofzthe character indicated, the combination with a car coupler having a lock, a device for controlling said lock, said device being adapted to move the lock to unlocked-position'andto prevent it from accidentally moving to unlocked position and including a lock lift lever pivotally connected to-the underside of the coupler head and having anopening'in its freeend which is widerat the top than at the bottom, an upwardly swinging lifter bar having'a portion extending into said opening, means for slidably supporting the lifter bar rearwardly:of said lever, means for actuating the lifter barto cause it to execute an un:-v

coupling movement, anda fulcrumzfor said lifter bar,.said Y bar being provided at its forward endwith a projection which when positioned in the narrower part of said opening in the lock lift lever prevents said lever from executing an uncoupling movement,

and being provided at its forward end with a hook .whereby it is movably connected to the lock lift lever and having a portion toward its rear end which is of non-circular cross-section .6, In 7 mechanism of the character indicated, tl 1e combination with a car coupler having a lock, of a device for controlling said lock, said device being adapted to move the lock to unlocked position and to prevent it from accidentally assuming unlocked position and including a vertically rotatable lock lift lever pivotally connected to the coupler head and formed with an opening having a constricted lower portion, a vertically swinging lifter bar supported at its forward end by said lever and extending rearwardly from the lever, means for slidably supporting the lifter bar rearwardly of said lever, means forming a fulcrum for the lifter bar, saidlast named means being adapted to limit upward movement of the rear end of said bar, and means for actuating the lifter bar, said lifter bar being provided at its forward end I with a lug adapted to enter the constricted portion of the opening in the lock lift lever and to cooperate with the latter to prevent it from executing an uncoupling rotation, and the wall of said opening in the lock lift lever being formed adjacent the constricted portion of said opening with a projection adapted tooverlap the upper end of the said lug upon the'lifter bar.

7. In mechanism of the character indicated, the combination with a car coupler having a lock, of a device for controlling said lock, said device being adapted to move the lock to unlocked position and to prevent it from accidentally assuming unlocked position and including a lock lift lever pivotally connected'to the coupler head and provided at its free end with an opening which lifter bar having a hooked forwardend'em tending through said opening, means for sli dab-1y supporting the li-fter liar rearwardly of said lever, and means for actuating thelifter bar, the forward end of the lifter bar being provided with a lug projecting tin opposite directions from said hooked portion and adapted to be received in the narrower part of said opening in the-lock lift lever, whereby the lifter bar is adapted to be assembled with said lever in a pluralityof positions.

8. In mechanism of the character indicated, the combination with a car coupler having a lock, of (a device for controlling said lock, said device being adapted to move the lock to unlocked position and'to "prevent it from accidentally assuming unlocked possition, and includingra lock lift lever positioned beneath the coupler head and pivotally connected thereto, a link member movably connecting the lever to said lock, and for actuating said lever, said lever and said means being'provided with interlocking portions constituting means for preventing said lever from accidentally executing an uncoupling movement.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM KELSO.

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