Railway point crank system
AssigneeSPX International Limited
InventorsIqbal Singh CHADDA, Todd Christopher Pink, James Ervin Cooper
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a linked crank mounting device for use with a switch rail, comprising: an input terminal or series of input terminals; an actuator; an output connector; and attachment means for rigidly attaching the linked crank mounting device relative to the railway; wherein the input terminal or terminals are for receiving input power, the output connector is directly or indirectly mechanically linked to at least one of a switch rail or an output connector of a further linked crank mounting device, and the actuator applies the input power to the output connector.
Claims20
A linked crank mounting device for use with a switch rail, comprising:
- an input terminal or series of input terminals;
- an actuator;
- an output connector;
- and
- attachment means for rigidly attaching the linked crank mounting device relative to the railway;
- wherein the input terminal or terminals are for receiving input power, the output connector is directly or indirectly mechanically linked to at least one of a switch rail or an output connector of a further linked crank mounting device, and the actuator applies the input power to the output connector.
A linked crank mounting device according to any of 1, wherein the actuator comprises a rack and pinion.
An assembly comprising at least two interconnected linked crank mounting devices, the two devices each comprising:
- an input terminal or series of input terminals;
- an output connector;
- and
- attachment means for rigidly attaching the linked crank mounting device relative to the railway;
- wherein the input terminals are for receiving input power, the output connectors are directly or indirectly mechanically linked to at least one of a switch rail or an output connector of a further linked crank mounting device, at lease one actuator applies the input power to the output connectors, the output connectors each being connected to a linked crank, and the linked cranks being connected to at least one of a) the switch rail, or b) a second linked crank connected to an output connector of a second linked crank mounting device, by linkages;
- the devices being connected to at least one of the switch rails at different longitudinal locations.
A method for actuating switch rails, comprising providing at least one crank mounting device, the device, comprising:
- an input terminal or series of input terminals;
- an output connector;
- and
- attachment means for rigidly attaching the linked crank mounting device relative to the railway;
- wherein the input terminal or terminals are for receiving input power, the output connector is directly or indirectly mechanically linked to at least one of a switch rail or an output connector of a further linked crank mounting device, and an actuator applies the input power to the output connector;
- the device thus being connected to at least one of the switch rails, and supplying a driving force to the at least one crank mounting device to assist with, or to drive, the rotation of a crank on the crank mounting device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.