US 12,522,261 B2 · Mechanical coupling in automated gladhand system

Abstract

A claw system for mechanical coupling a railcar mover to a railcar is disclosed herein. The claw assembly may comprise a set of arms and a set of claws each mounted on the interior side of one of the set of arms. When a railcar adjacent to a railcar mover on a set of tracks is positioned within a proximity of the railcar mover, the claw assembly may be utilized to grasp the air hose of the adjacent railcar. For example, the set of arms may be attached to the railcar mover via a motorized rail upon which the set of arms may be configured to move axially toward each other in a direction perpendicular to the tracks, thereby causing the claws to move toward each other and close around the air hose of the adjacent railcar. The claws may include openings configured to grasp the air hose.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A claw system for mechanical coupling a railcar mover to a railcar comprising:

a set of arms attached to an end of a railcar mover, the set of arms including at least a first arm and a second arm;
and
a set of claws mounted on the set of arms, wherein the set of claws include a first claw mounted on an interior side of the first arm and a second claw mounted on an interior side of the second arm, wherein the interior side of the first arm faces toward the interior side of the second arm, and wherein the claws each include openings configured to grasp an air hose of a railcar adjacent to the railcar mover on a set of tracks,
wherein the arms are configured to move axially along the end of the railcar mover toward each other in a direction perpendicular to the set of tracks, thereby causing the set of claws to close around the air hose of the railcar adjacent to the railcar mover.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Mechanical coupling in automated gladhand system

Life of this patent

Mechanical coupling in automated gladhand system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16