US3408953A - Apparatus for handling railway cars - Google Patents

Description

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 .451 S v m m 2. Q 2 mm mm, Nu m M A A A wiflwnu AI H H I IH QM i V k E 4 mHHH WEHHMM H I m m u w 2 ll ml" I l1| ||11|\| -lIl| Ml||n x |1 l1 my on 5 E m. J E 0 M A WMAM v! 3 Nov. 5, 1968 w. J. SAXONMEYER APPARATUS FOR HANDLING RAILWAY CARS Filed May 9 1966 Nov. 5, 1968 w. J. SAXONMEYER 3,408,953

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING RAILWAY CARS Filed May 9, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR I I WALLACE J. SAXONMEYER BYfiAukQW/ 0449 @Mm-Yf ATT YS.

Nov. 5, 1968 w. J. SAXONMEYER APPARATUS FOR HANDLING RAILWAY CARS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 9, 1966 I I N VE N TOR WALLACE J. SA XONME YER APPARATUS FOR HANDLING RAILWAY CARS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Nov. 5, 1968 Filed May 9. 1966 k a, 5 Jul F F o a? .5 i t Lt 4 I a In LO F ATT'YS.

United States Pate o 3,408,953 APPARATUS FOR HANDLING RAILWAY CARS Wallace J. Saxonmeyer, Park Forest, Ill., assignor to Whiting Corporation, a corporation of Illinois Filed May 9, 1966, Ser. No. 548,740 Claims. (Cl..104176) 3,408,953 Patented Nov. 5, 1968 FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the transfer'table; :FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the transfer table, the robot itself .being omitted to show more clearly the guideway rnountingzthe latter; t i I V 1 t I FIG. 9 is atop plan view, largely in diagrammatieform,

, showing an installation ofthe transfer table and the:new

dinally of the table. The robot includes a pair ofioppo:

sitely disposed couplers each .mounted for being erected and collapsed. In the erected position, the'robot coupler is adapted for coupling engagement with a railway car coupler. In the collapsed position, the robot couplercan pass under the axle of a railway car. Cooperating guideways on the transfer table and on track sections-adjacent opposite ends of the transfer table permit a .portion of the robot to extend beyond either end of the table for coupling engagement with a railway car on the track sections.

This invention relates in a general way to apparatus for handling railway cars, and more particularly the invention relates to a new and improved cable operated device, referred to in the art as a robot, adapted for coupling engagement with a railway car for moving the same (and other cars that may be coupled thereto) along a section of railway track.

A primary object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved railway car robot which is movably mounted in a guideway extending in symmetrical relation with the centerline of a section of railway track, which robot includes collapsible coupling means having a member adapted for coupling engagement with the coupler of a railway car on such track section thereby adapting the robot to transfer a substantial draft force to the car.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved robot according to the foregoing object, which robot further includes another'collap'sible coupling means which is a duplicate of the first mentioned collapsible means and which is arranged in opposite relation therewith thereby adapting the robot to transfer a substantial draft force in either direction of movement thereof.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a railway car handling mechanism which includes a new and improved robot according to foregoing objects,

which robot is mounted on a railway car transfer table and is arranged for advancing one or more railway cars onto the transfer table from an adjacent section of track at each end of the former and for moving such car or cars completely off the transfer table and onto the adjacent track sections. 1

These and other objects and advantages of the inven tion will become apparent from the following specification disclosing a preferred embodiment of the invention which is disclosed in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the new and improved robot according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the lef hand portion of the robot shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2; t

FIG. 4 is an enlarged section taken along the line 4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an end view of the robot taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an end view of a transfer table having the robot of this invention mounted thereon, which view is taken along the line 66 of FIG. 7;

and improved robot mounted thereon; t I -FIG.- 10 is an enlarged section taken'along. the line 1010 of FIG. 9; and v.

FIG. 11 isan enlarged. section taken along-theline 1111 ofFIG..9. r Referring particularly to FIGS. 1-5; the new and improved robot of-thisdnvention, generally designated 10, is of velongated'fabricated construction including acenter section .11 and end sections 12. The-robot is of symmetrical construction with respect to the longitudinal midpoint thereof, and-therefore only'one half 'of thezrobot, namely the left half as viewed in FIG. 1, will be described in detail.

Robot section 12 includes a pair of structural channels 14 suitably connected to each other in parallel spaced relation and having corresponding ends connected with center section 11. Channels 14 include appropriate bearings mounting two pairs of rollers 15. These rollers support the robot for movement along a guideway to be described hereinbelow.

End section 12 of the robot mounts a collapsible coupling mechanism including a pair of arms 16 mounted in parallel spaced relation and with their lower ends pivotally mounted on a pin 17 having opposite ends thereof supported by the channels 14. The other ends of arms 16 mount a plate 18, which plate includes a hook portion 18a adapted for coupling engagement with a standard railway car coupler. Arms 16 mount a pin 20 intermediate their ends; this pin has opposite ends thereof projecting beyond the arms 16 in pivotal engagement with corresponding ends of a pair of bars 21. The other ends of bars 21 are pivotally mounted on oppositely extending pins 22 (FIG. 4) integral with a trunnion block 24.

Pins 22 are rotatably mounted in respective slide blocks 25. Each of these blocks is slidably supported in a slide way 26 formed in a block 27 secured within the associated channel 14. It will be understood that the trunnion block 24 is mounted for reciprocal sliding movement longitudinally of the robot section 12 by the sliding action of blocks 25 in slideways 26, and it will also be understood that such sliding action serves to erect and collapse the coupling means including the hook-like coupling member 18.

Power means carried by the robot are provided for erecting and collapsing the robot coupling mechanism. These power means include a screw 28 threadingly engaged with a sleeve 29 secured in a bore formed in trunnion block 24. One end of screw 28 is journaled in a member 30 mounted between channels 14; this end of the screw is connected with a gear box 31 by means of a coupling 32. An electric motor 34 associated with the gear box 31 serves to rotate screw 28 in either direction of rotation.

In the embodiment of the invention shown for purposes of illustration, the new and improved robotof this invention is mounted on a railway car transfer table 36, which transfer table itself is of known construction and forms no part of the present invention. The transfer table,.which table may be of the type shown in Saxonmeyer Patent No. 3,169,490, is best illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 herein and includes longitudinally extending, inner and outer pairs of girders 37 and 38, respectively, mounted on a number of transverse girders 39. The transverse girders are supported on a driving axle 40 and an idler axle 41, which axles extend in parallel relation with the aforementioned inner and outer girders. Driving axle supports a number of rollers 43 and in like manner idler. axle 41 supports a number of rollers 44. Rollers 43, 44 are aligned transversely of the transfer table in pairs and are supported on rails 45 thereby mounting the transfer table for transverserolling movement. It will be understood that rollers 43 are connected with driving axle 40 for being driven by the latter.

Axle 40 is driven from a gear box 47 having an input shaft 48 connected thereto. Shaft 48 is driven from an electric motor 49 carried by the transfer table. It will be understood that motor 49 and the associated gear box 48 serve to drive rollers 43 in either direction thereby to drive the transfer table in either direction along the rails 45.

As noted in FIG. 6, each pair of girders 37, 38 supports suitable deck plate 51. One girder 38 supports deck plate extensions 52 mounting operating cabs 53 at each corner of the transfer table adjacent idler axle 41. Inner girders 37 also mount respective rails 55 which define the railway track section on the transfer table.

The transfer table 36 includes a pair of wide flange sections 57 which are supported on transverse girders 39 and which extend longitudinally of the transfer table for the entire length of the latter between the inner girders 37. Wide flange sections 57 define a guideway mounting the robot 10 for rolling movement in either direction longitudinally of the transfer table. As noted in FIG. 5, the rollers 15 of the robot rest on the upper surfaces of the lower inside flanges of the sections 57 for rolling movement therealong.

The transfer table also mounts a pair of sprocket wheels 59, '60 adjacent one end thereof, the sprocket wheel 59 being mounted at a slightly lower elevation than the sprocket wheel 60. In like manner, a pair of sprocket wheels 61 ad 62 are mounted at the other end of the transfer table. Sprocket wheel is driven from a shaft 64, which shaft mounts a sprocket gear 65. This gear meshes with another gear 66 which is driven by the output shaft 67 of a gear box 68. The gear box includes an input shaft 69 which is driven from an electric motor 70 carried by the transfer table. It will be understood that the motor 70 and the associated gearing serves to drive sprocket wheel 60 in either direction of rotation.

The sprocket wheels 59-62 drive a chain, a portion of which chain is diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 1 and represented by the numeral 72. The ends of the chain 72 are connected to opposite ends of an elongated shock absorbing device 74, which device is connected to center section 11 of the robot by a bracket arrangement 75. The shock absorbing device 74 acts to connect the chain 72 to the robot 10 by resilient means, such as springs (not show).

It will be apparent that motor 70 serves to move the robot in either direction along-the transfer table guideway defined by the wide flange sections 57. Preferably, suitable control means (not shown) located in either or both cabs 53 are provided for operating the motor 70, the motor 49 and motors 34 carried by the robot 10. Since such control means of itself forms no part of the present invention and can be readily constructed by a person having ordinary skill in the art using commercially available components, such control means will not be described herein.

An installation for the transfer table 36 and one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 9-11. The rails 45 are supported on footings 77 (FIG. 11) in the base of a rectangular pit 78. The pit includes includes reinforced concrete walls, one end wall being illustrated in FIG. 11. This end wall mounts a structural channel 79 supporting spaced angles 80 which carry a plurality of electrical conductors 81. The transfer table includes suitable electrical collector shoes 82 (FIG. 7) in slidable electrical engagement with the conductors 81 for conducting electrical current to the various electrical 4 motors and other electrical components (not shown) carried by the transfer table. l i

A number of railway track sections 84 extend to side walls of the pit 78. Each track section 84 includes rails 85 (FIG. 10) adapted for respective collinear alignment with the rails 55 on the transfer. table. A guideway is.associated with each track section 84 at the end of the latter which is adjacent the side wall of, the pit 78. Each of these extensions is arrangedto act as an extension of the robot guideway on the transfer table when the rails of the latter are alignedwith the rails of one of the stationary track sections 84. I

As noted in FIG. 10, each of these fixed guideways includes a pair of wide flange sections 88 suitably mounted in a reinforced concrete footing 89, which footing also mounts ends of the rails 85. .The footing 89 may include suitable anchoring and reinforcing members 90 and 91, respectively, for mounting the wide flange sections 88; these sections are preferably of the same size as. the sections 57. It will be understood that when the rails 55 on the transfer table are aligned with respective rails 85 of the stationary track section 84, wide flange sections 57 on the transfer table are also in respective alignment with flange sections 88, in which case the latter serve as an extension of the robot guideway and thereby permit an end portion of the robot 10 to roll from the transfer table and onto the upper surfaces of the inner, lower flanges of the sections 88.

When the robot 10 is advanced to its limit of travel in one direction in which case the leading end thereof is advanced into the guideway extension formed by the wide flange sections 88, the coupling mechanism on this'end of the robot is positioned so the hook member 18a thereof can be coupled with the adjacent end of a railway car on the associated track section 84. In this way, the robot 10 can be employed to pull such a railway car onto the transfer table. It will be understood that suitable inter-- lock means (not shown) are associated with the transfer table control means to prevent movement of the latter when the robot is advanced to a position wherein a portion thereof is located within one of the fixed guideways defined by the Wide flange sections 88. It should also be apparent that the robot 10 is effective to push one or more railway cars completely off the transfer table and onto one of the adjacent track sections 84. Since the robot' includes dual coupling members, the robot can move cars onto or off the transfer table from either end thereof. The number of cars that can be handled on the transfer table will of course depend on the length of the latter as well as the length of the cars handled.

Depending on the number of cars handled and also depending on the relative lengths of the table and the cars thereon, the coupling member 18 of the robot can be used to hold one or more rail cars on the transfer table during movement of the latter. This is possible since the member 18a is adapted for coupling engagement with a railway car coupler. However, it may be desirable to collapse the coupling member 18 and hold the rail cars on the transfer table during movement thereof by other means, such as hydraulically operated wheel stops 93 (FIGS. 7 and 8).

It should be apparent that upon erecting of each of the collapsible coupling mechanisms carried by the robot, the associated coupling member 18 may be readily coupled with a railway car coupler. Collapsing of these coupling mechanisms permits the robot to be passed freely beneath one or more railway cars on the transfer table.

The robot 10 of the present invention is not to be limited for use on a transfer table. The robot may be movably mounted in a fixed guideway mounted along a track section in symmetrical relation with the centerline thereof. In such an installation, the coupler may include only one coupling mechanism. In other words, in all installations it is not necessary for the robot to transfer adraft force in each direction of movement thereof.

It will be understood that the robot of this invention can be used to advance a considerable number of cars in a cut of cars, since the robot is adapted to be engaged with the coupler of one of the railway cars, and since the coupling member 18 and the robot itself are more or less centrally arranged with the track centerline thereby preventing the development of undue stresses in the robot framework. The limiting factor in determining the maximum draft force that may be transferred from the robot of this invention to a railway car will most likely be determined by the robot power means or the strength of the robot itself, since the coupling means carried by the robot transfers a draft force to a railway car through the coupler thereof. In prior art robot devices which include railway car axle engaging members, the maximum amount of draft force that may be transferred to a railway car by the robot is quite often determined by the maximum permissible bending stress in the railway car axle.

While the invention has been shown in but only one form, it will be understood, as mentioned above, that the invention is not to be so limited. On the contrary, the invention is susceptible of various forms and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for advancing one or more railway cars along a section of rail track, said apparatus comprising, guideway means mounted along said section of rail track in symmetrical relation with the centerline of the latter, a robot mounted on said guideway means centrally thereof for movement in either direction therealong, power means connected with said robot for moving the same, coupling means mounted on the robot and including a coupler member which is raised and lowered between erected and collapsed positions, said coupler member being shaped for coupling engagement with and uncoupling from the coupler of a railway car on said track section upon raising or lowering of said coupling member relative to said car coupler, collapsing of said coupling member serving to permit the coupling means to pass beneath railway cars on said section of track upon movement of the robot therepast, and power means on the robot engaged with said coupling means for raising and lowering said coupler member.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said coupling member is defined by a rigid hook contained in a generally horizontal plane when such hook is in its erected position.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 further defined by, said robot being elongated along the direction of movement thereof, said coupling means being mounted on said robot adjacent one end thereof, other collapsible coupling means mounted on said robot adjacent the other end thereof, said other coupling means being a duplicate of the first mentioned coupling means and being arranged oppositely of the latter.

4. In combination with a railway car transfer table, an apparatus for moving one or more railway cars back and forth between the transfer table and an adjacent, aligned section of railway track, said apparatus comprising, means on the transfer table defining a first guideway between the rails thereon, said first guideway being equidistant from said rails and extending longitudinally thereof to at least one end of the transfer table, means defining a second guideway mounted between the rails of said section of railway track, said second guideway serving as an extension of said first guideway when the rails on the transfer table are positioned in respective collinear relation with the rails of said section of rail track, a robot mounted on said transfer table for movement in either direction along said first guideway, power means on the transfer table for moving said robot along said first guideway and for moving at least an end portion of the robot into and out of said second guideway when the latter serves as an extension of the first guideway, collapsible coupling means carried by said robot on said end portion thereof, other power means on the robot for erecting and collapsing said coupling means, said coupling means including a coupler member shaped for coupling engagement with the coupler of a railway car on said rails when the coup ing means are directed, said member being arranged to apply a draft force to a railway car on said track section upon movement of the robot away from said second guideway thereby to pull such car onto the transfer table, collapsing of said coupling means serving to permit said member to pass beneath railway cars on said rails upon movement of the robot therepast.

5. In combination with a railway car transfer table, an apparatus for moving one or more railway cars back and forth between the transfer table and stationary track sections arranged to join with the ends of the track on the transfer table, said apparatus comprising, means on the transfer table defining a guideway between the rails thereon, said guideway being equidistant from said rails and extending the full length of the transfer table, means defining a guideway extension mounted between the rails of each of said track sections, each of said guideway extensions of said first guideway when the rails of the transfer table are positioned in respective collinear relation with the rails of the associated track section, an elongated robot mounted on said transfer table for movement in either direction along said first guideway, power means on the transfer table for moving said robot along said guideway and for moving at least the leading end portion of the robot and out of each of said guideway extensions when the latter serve as an extension of said guideway, collapsible coupling means carried by said robot adjacent each end portion thereof, other power means on the robot for independently erecting and collapsing each of said coupling means, each coupling means including a coupler member shaped for coupling engagement with'the coupler of a railway car on said rails when the associated coupling means are erected, each of said members being arranged to apply a 'draft force to a railway car on a track section joining with one end of the track on the transfer table upon movement of the robot away from the associated guideway extension thereby to pull such car onto the transfer table, collapsing of each coupling means serving to permit the associated member to pass beneath railway cars on said rails upon movement of the robot therepast.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,117,636 11/1914 Cederlund l04l76 1,573,388 2/ 1926 Friesen l04l76 3,262,398 7/ 1966 Cheek l04162 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

D. F. WORTH, Assistant Examiner.

DATFNT OFFICF UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 ,408,953 November 5, 1968 Wallace J. Saxonmeyer It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 3, line 68, cancel "includes". Column 6, line 33, after "tensions" insert serving as an extension Signed and sealed this 17th day of March 1970.

(SEAL) Attest:

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr. WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

kttesting Officer Commissioner of Patents

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