Electrical train coupling

Abstract

An electrical train coupling having two coupling halves, each including at least one electrical contact element, which is electrically contactable with an electrical contact element of the particular other coupling half, including one electrical connection per coupling half. At least one electrical contact element of at least one coupling half is supported by a decoupling element movable against the force of a force accumulator at least also along a coupling direction of the coupling halves, the decoupling element, in a coupled state of the two coupling halves, being moved against the force of the force accumulator into an electrically conductive contact of the electrical contact element with the electrical connection of the coupling half and, in a decoupled state of the two coupling halves, moved by the force of the force accumulator with the electrical contact element, being lifted off of the electrical connection to disconnect the electrically conductive contact to the electrical connection.

Claims

1. An electrical train coupling comprising: two coupling halves, each including at least one electrical contact element electrically contactable with an electrical contact element of the respective other coupling half, including an electrical connection per coupling half; the at least one electrical contact element of at least one of the two coupling halves being supported by a decoupler movable against a force of a force accumulator at least along a coupling direction of the coupling halves, the decoupler in a coupled state of the two coupling halves being moved against the force of the force accumulator into an electrically conductive contact of the electrical contact element with the electrical connection of the one coupling half; and the decoupler in a decoupled state of the two coupling halves being moved by the force of the force accumulator so the electrical contact element is lifted off of the electrical connection to disconnect the electrically conductive contact from the electrical connection; wherein the one coupling half includes a safety interlock, the safety interlock, in the decoupled state of the two coupling halves, blocking the decoupler against a movement of the electrical contact element in the direction of the electrical connection, the blocking being able to be canceled by a manual or automatic actuation of the safety interlock.

2. The electrical train coupling as recited in claim 1 wherein the decoupler includes a carriage axially movable in the coupling direction, the carriage supporting the electrical contact element of the one coupling half, the electrical contact element including a first contact surface facing toward a respective electrical contact element of the other coupling half and a second contact surface facing toward the electrical connection of the one coupling half, the first and second contact surfaces each for applied electrical contacting.

3. The electrical train coupling as recited in claim 1 wherein the one coupling half includes a housing movably accommodating the decoupler and a seal being provided in an area of a first axial end of the housing facing toward the respective other coupling half in the coupled state, the decoupler being pressed with the aid of the force accumulator in the decoupled state of the two coupling halves against the seal.

4. The electrical train coupling as recited in claim 1 wherein the safety blocks the decoupler in a formfitting manner.

5. The electrical train coupling as recited in claim 1 wherein the respective other coupling half includes a corresponding decoupler.

6. The electrical train coupling as recited in claim 1 wherein the two coupling halves each include a housing closable with the aid of a cover on a frontal first axial end facing toward the respective other coupling half.

7. The electrical train coupling as recited in claim 1 wherein the two coupling halves are fixed on one another with the aid of a detent connection in the coupled state, the detent connection being retained with the aid of at least one spring element and being disengaged above a predetermined traction force, moving the coupling halves away from one another, against a spring force of the spring element.

8. The electrical train coupling as recited in claim 7 wherein the two coupling halves each include a housing including at least one axial detent projection having a radial detent opening and at least one detent element movable in the radial direction against the spring force, the detent element of the one coupling half being positioned to engage in the detent opening of the other coupling half.

9. The electrical train coupling as recited in claim 1 wherein the two coupling halves are identical to one another at least with respect to the at least one electrical contact element and the decoupler.

10. The electrical train coupling as recited in claim 9 wherein the two coupling halves are identical to one another with respect to a housing of each of the two coupling halves.

11. A coupling half for an electrical train coupling as recited in claim 1, comprising: an electrical contact element and an electrical connection, the at least one electrical contact element being supported by a decoupler movable against the force of a force accumulator at least along a coupling direction of the coupling halves, the decoupler in a coupled state of the electrical train coupling being moved against the force of the force accumulator into an electrically conductive contact of the electrical contact element with the electrical connection and the decoupler in a decoupled state of the electrical train coupling being moved by the force of the force accumulator so the electrical contact element is lifted off of the electrical connection to disconnect the electrically conductive contact to the electrical connection.

12. An electrical train coupling comprising: two coupling halves, each including at least one electrical contact element electrically contactable with an electrical contact element of the respective other coupling half, including an electrical connection per coupling half; the at least one electrical contact element of at least one of the two coupling halves being supported by a decoupler movable against a force of a force accumulator at least along a coupling direction of the coupling halves, the decoupler in a coupled state of the two coupling halves being moved against the force of the force accumulator into an electrically conductive contact of the electrical contact element with the electrical connection of the one coupling half; and the decoupler in a decoupled state of the two coupling halves being moved by the force of the force accumulator so the electrical contact element is lifted off of the electrical connection to disconnect the electrically conductive contact from the electrical connection; wherein the two coupling halves each include a housing closable with the aid of a cover on a frontal first axial end facing toward the respective other coupling half; wherein the one coupling half has a safety interlock, the safety interlock in the decoupled state of the two coupling halves, blocking the decoupler against a movement of the electrical contact element in the direction of the electrical connection, the blocking being able to be canceled by a manual or automatic actuation of the safety interlock, wherein the cover is movable between a closed position and an open position, and in the open position actuates the safety interlock to cancel out the blockade.

13. The electrical train coupling as recited in claim 12 wherein the cover is pivotably attached on the housing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The present invention is described by way of example hereafter on the basis of an exemplary embodiment and the figures, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional view of a coupling half according to the present invention in the decoupled state with closed cover;

(3) FIG. 2 shows the coupling half from FIG. 1 with open cover in a coupling state, but without a counter coupling half;

(4) FIG. 3 shows an axial section through the coupling half from FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 4 shows an axial section through the coupling half from FIG. 2;

(6) FIG. 5 shows an axial section through two coupling halves of an electrical train coupling according to the present invention in the decoupled state;

(7) FIG. 6 shows the electrical train coupling from FIG. 5 in the coupled state of the two coupling halves;

(8) FIG. 7 shows a detail of a detent connection of the electrical train coupling according to FIGS. 5 and 6; and

(9) FIG. 8 shows a three-dimensional top view of an electrical train coupling in the coupled state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(10) The coupling halves shown in FIGS. 1 through 8 are in particular designed identically to one another in such a way that they may form an electrical train coupling having two coupling halves in each case with one another. However, this is not obligatory, but avoids the provision of a female and a male coupling half.

(11) In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, each coupling half includes two electrical contact elements 1, 2, a different number also being able to be provided in practice. Electrical contact elements 1, 2 include a first contact surface 3 oriented toward the free end of the coupling half. As is apparent from FIG. 6 in particular, first contact surfaces 3 facing toward one another of the coupling halves coupled to one another press against one another. Each coupling half furthermore includes an electrical connection 4 at the second axial end, i.e., the axial end facing away from the first axial end having contact surfaces 3 of electrical contact elements 1, 2. Electrical connection 4 includes two poles 4.1, 4.2 here, corresponding to the number of electrical contact elements 1, 2 per coupling half.

(12) The two electrical contact elements 1, 2 each include a second contact surface 5, which faces toward electrical connection 4 or poles 4.1, 4.2 of electrical connection 4. In the decoupled state of the coupling halves, this second contact surface 5 is positioned remotely from poles 4.1, 4.2, see FIGS. 3 and 5. In the coupled state of the two coupling halves, second contact surface 5 presses against particular pole 4.1, 4.2 of electrical connection 4, see FIGS. 4 and 6, only the contact on a pole 4.1 being visible in FIG. 6 due to the selected sectional view.

(13) Whether pressing of first contact surface 3 against particular pole 4.1, 4.2 is provided is dependent on the position of decoupling element 6, which supports electrical contact elements 1, 2, provided in the particular coupling half. Decoupling element 6 is positioned in the area of the first axial end in the decoupled state of the two coupling halves, so that the electrically conductive connection between electrical contact elements 1, 2 and electrical connection 4 is disconnected, because first contact surfaces 3 are lifted off of poles 4.1, 4.2. Upon coupling of the two coupling halves, decoupling element 6 is moved in the direction toward the second axial end of the particular coupling half against the force of force accumulator 7, in the form of a compression spring here, so that first contact surfaces 3 of electrical contact elements 1, 2 come into contact with poles 4.1, 4.2 and the electrical connection is established between electrical contact elements 1, 2 and electrical connection 4. The movement takes place due to mutual pressure application to both decoupling elements 6 or electrical contact elements 1, 2 thereof when the two coupling halves are plugged together.

(14) To retain the two coupling halves in the plugged-together, i.e., coupled state, a detent connection using a plurality of detent elements 8 movable against a spring force is provided, which are inserted movably in the radial direction into a housing 9 enclosing the particular coupling half. Such a detent element 8 is schematically shown in FIG. 7. It includes, for example, a ball 8.2 pre-tensioned by a compression spring 8.1, which engages in a radial detent opening 10 in an axial projection 11 of the particular other coupling half due to compression spring 8.1 in the coupled state of the two coupling halves, in order to establish the detent connection. One possible design of such an axial projection 11 is particularly apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2, according to which axial projection 11 extends in the axial direction and in the circumferential direction of coupling housing 9 and protrudes therefrom in the axial direction. An axial opening 12 is provided in the remaining circumferential section, in which axial projection 11 of the particular other coupling half may engage and into which detent elements 8 or balls 8.2 here protrude in a spring pre-tensioned manner. When the two coupling halves are pushed together, corresponding axial projection 11 plunges into axial opening 12 associated with it and balls 8.2 engage in corresponding detent openings 10 in axial projections 11. When the traction force is sufficiently large in the sense of moving the two coupling halves away from one another, balls 8.2 move radially outward against the force of compression springs 8.1 so that the form fit with particular axial projection 11 is disengaged.

(15) In particular, a plurality of corresponding detent elements 8 is positioned distributed over the circumference of housing 9, at regular or irregular intervals in relation to one another.

(16) In the decoupled state of the two coupling halves, housing 9 is frontally closed in the area of the first axial end by a cover 13. The closing may in particular be carried out “automatically” by a spring element 14, in the area of hinge 15 of cover 13 here. Cover 13 may press against a frontal seal 16 of the housing, which is apparent in particular in FIG. 4. Additionally or alternatively, a seal 17 may be provided in housing 9, against which decoupling element 6 presses in its position remote from electric connection 4, see FIG. 3. A particularly reliable seal of housing 9 in the decoupled state of a coupling half may thus be achieved.

(17) In the coupled state of the two coupling halves, both housings 9 may be sealed against one another using seal or seals 16, since housings 9 press against one another frontally in this area.

(18) To avoid inadvertent insertion of decoupling element 6 in the decoupled state of the coupling halves into housing 9 and thus the establishment of an electrically conductive contact between electrical contact elements 1, 2 and electrical connection 4, a safety interlock 18 is advantageously provided, which includes, for example, a latch 19 blocking decoupling element 6 in a formfitting manner against a movement in the direction toward the second axial end or in the direction toward electrical connection 4, which is apparent particularly from FIGS. 3 and 8 here. Latch 19 is mounted to be tiltable around a pivot point in housing 9 in such a way that in a locking position, it protrudes with one end radially outward from housing 9 and blocks decoupling element 6 against an axial displacement with another end at the same time. By actuating or pressing the end of latch 19 protruding out of housing 9, this blockade is disengaged, so that decoupling element 6 may be moved in the direction toward electrical connection 4. The actuation is advantageously carried out by cover 13, which accordingly includes a contact surface, which comes into contact with latch 19 for its actuation upon tilting of cover 13 in the direction toward the particular other coupling half, in order to press the end protruding radially outward from housing 9 radially inward.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(19) 1 electrical contact element 2 electrical contact element 3 first contact surface 4 electrical connection 4.1 pole 4.2 pole 5 second contact surface 6 decoupling element 7 force accumulator 8 detent element 8.1 compression spring 8.2 ball 9 housing 10 detent opening 11 axial projection 12 axial opening 13 cover 14 spring element 15 hinge 16 seal 17 seal 18 safety interlock 19 latch