Electrical contact coupling for a track-borne vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9555820-B2
Application number	US-201414910728-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 6, 2014
Priority date	Aug 7, 2013
Publication date	Jan 31, 2017
Grant date	Jan 31, 2017

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electrical contact coupling ( 10 ) for a track-borne vehicle, wherein the electrical contact coupling ( 10 ) comprises a coupling housing ( 11 ) having at least one frontal housing opening ( 23, 33 ). In order to achieve the current or data-carrying cables of the electrical contact coupling ( 10 ) not needing to move relative to the electrical contact coupling ( 10 ) when said electrical contact coupling ( 10 ) is being coupled and thus reduce the mechanical wear on the external current or data-carrying cables/cable harnesses which realize a relative movement to the coupling during the coupling process, the invention provides for a first contact holder ( 20 ) having a plurality of electrical contacts ( 32 ) to be arranged in the coupling housing ( 11 ) as well as a contacting support ( 40 ) having a plurality of contact tabs ( 42 ). The contacting support ( 40 ) is displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the coupling housing ( 11 ) relative to said coupling housing ( 11 ) from a first position, in which the contacting support ( 40 ) with the contact tabs ( 42 ) is completely accommodated within the coupling housing ( 11 ), into a second position in which at least the front end region of the contacting support ( 40 ) protrudes from the housing opening ( 23, 33 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical contact coupling for a track-borne vehicle, particularly a railway vehicle, wherein the electrical contact coupling comprises the following:
a coupling housing having at least one frontal housing opening;
a first contact holder arranged in said coupling housing having at least one and preferably a plurality of particularly adjacently arranged electrical contacts; and
a preferably plate-shaped contacting support having at least one and preferably a plurality of particularly adjacently formed contact tabs extending in a longitudinal direction of said contacting support,
wherein the contacting support is displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the coupling housing relative to said coupling housing from a first position, in which the contacting support with the at least one contact tab is completely accommodated within the coupling housing, into a second position and vice versa,
wherein at least a front end region of the contacting support protrudes from the at least one frontal housing opening of the coupling housing in the second position to form an electrical contact between the at least one contact tab and at least one electrical contact of a mating coupling of preferably structurally identical design to the electrical contact coupling.

2. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 1 , wherein the first contact holder is configured as a receiving member and is designed to receive at least the front end region of the contacting support of a preferably structural identical mating coupling to electrical contact coupling when the electrical contact coupling is coupled to the mating coupling and the contacting support of the mating coupling is in its second position.

3. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first contact holder is preferably detachably and replaceably connected to the housing of the electrical contact coupling, and wherein the at least one electrical contact of the first contact holder is designed as an electrical sliding or slide contact to which an electrical data or signal line of the electrical contact coupling can be connected.

4. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 1 ,
wherein the electrical contact coupling further comprises a second contact holder arranged in the coupling housing having at least one and preferably a plurality of particularly adjacently arranged electrical contacts, wherein the second contact holder is designed as the end region of the at least one contact tab.

5. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 1 ,
wherein the electrical contact coupling further comprises a second contact holder arranged in the coupling housing having at least one and preferably a plurality of particularly adjacently arranged electrical contacts, wherein the contacting support is designed to electrically interconnect the at least one electrical contact of the second contact holder to at least one electrical contact of the mating coupling of preferably identical structural design to electrical contact coupling.

6. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 5 , wherein the first and second contact holder are in a symmetrical arrangement to a vertical axis of reflection of a housing frontal area of the electrical contact coupling.

7. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 5 ,
wherein the second contact holder is attached to the contacting support of the electrical contact coupling and designed as a guide for guiding the contacting support in movement relative to the housing of the electrical contact coupling.

8. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 5 ,
wherein the second contact holder is preferably detachably and replaceably connected to the housing of the electrical contact coupling, and wherein the at least one electrical contact of the second contact holder is designed as an electrical sliding or slide contact to which an electrical data or signal line of the electrical contact coupling can be connected.

9. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least one sealing arrangement is provided to seal the at least one frontal housing opening provided in the coupling housing particularly in the first position of the contacting support, wherein said sealing arrangement is preferably a leaf seal, pressure seal, brush seal and/or a mechanical flap.

10. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 1 ,
wherein the contacting support is formed from an electrically non-conductive insulating material, and wherein the at least one contact tab extending in the longitudinal direction of the contacting support is accommodated in the insulating material such that preferably only two end regions of the at least one contact tab are at least partly exposed and form corresponding electrical contact areas.

11. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 1 ,
wherein the electrical contact coupling further comprises a drive, particularly a linear drive and preferably a pneumatic, hydraulic or electrically powered drive, which is preferably accommodated in the housing of the electrical contact coupling for displacing the contacting support relative to the housing of the electrical contact coupling as needed.

12. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 1 ,
wherein the electrical contact coupling further comprises at least one optical and/or electromagnetic signal transmission terminal arranged on a vertical axis of reflection of a housing frontal area of the electrical contact coupling or arranged at the housing frontal area of the electrical contact coupling at an offset to the vertical axis of reflection.

13. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 1 ,
wherein the electrical contact coupling comprises at least one centering element for self-centering of the electrical contact coupling when nearing the mating coupling of preferably identical structural design to the electrical contact coupling.

14. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 1 ,
wherein the contacting support is designed as a flexible circuit board in at least one area opposite from the front end region of the contacting support.

15. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 1 ,
wherein the contact tabs in the front end region of the contacting support do not contact the electrical contacts in the first position of the contacting support.

16. The electrical contact coupling according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least the contact tabs in the front end region of the contacting support, preferably also the contact tabs in the area of the contacting support opposite from the front end region, are designed as elastic elements to allow sliding or slide contact with at least one electrical contact of the mating coupling of preferably identical structure to the electrical contact coupling and/or the contacts.

17. A coupler head for a track-borne vehicle, particularly a coupler head of an automatic central buffer coupling, wherein the coupler head comprises the following:
a coupler head housing;
a face plate terminating a front end of the coupler head housing; and
at least one electrical contact coupling,
wherein a coupling housing of the at least one electrical contact coupling is preferably fixedly connected to the coupler head housing of the coupler head such that a frontal area of the coupling housing is in or is in direct proximity to a vertical coupling plane of the coupler head.

18. The coupler head according to claim 17 ,
wherein at least part of the face plate of th

Assignees

• Voith Patent Gmbh

Inventors

• Ende Sascha
• Heinisch Andreas

Classifications

• B61G5/10 Primary

  for electric cables · CPC title

• H01R13/44

  Means for preventing access to live contacts {(making use of a switch actuated by engagement of counterpart H01R13/7036)} · CPC title

• B60D1/64

  Couplings or joints therefor · CPC title

• B60D1/00

  Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices (fifth-wheel traction couplings B62D53/08) · CPC title