Air brake system employing combined automatic and direct braking

In an air brake system for plural coupled vehicles such as trains, said system being of the type wherein each said vehicle has a brake applying cylinder movable between a brake applying position and a released position, said system further being of the type including both an automatic braking means for achieving a brake applying position in response to a decrease in air pressure and a direct braking means for achieving a brake applying position in response to a direct braking order, the improvement comprising:

• an air reservoir;
• a single air pipe extending longitudinally of said vehicles, said single air pipe comprising both a brake pipe for said automatic braking means and a main air reservoir pipe for said direct braking means;
• first air passage means for supplying air from said air reservoir directly to said single air pipe;
• second air passage means for supplying air from said air reservoir to said single air pipe, separately from said first air passage means, said second air passage means including an automatic braking valve for selectively increasing or decreasing the air pressure in said single air pipe, said second air passage means further including pressure-adjust valve means for regulating the pressure of air passing through said automatic braking valve to a predetermined value;
• said first and second air passages being alternately operable to communicate said air reservoir with said single air pipe;
• an electric brake valve;
• each vehicle having storage reservoir means, connected to said single air pipe, to supply air to the respective said braking cylinder to move said braking cylinder to the brake applying position thereof;
• each vehicle having an automatic braking control valve means, connected to said single air pipe, for supplying air from the respective said storage reservoir means to the respective said braking cylinder in response to a decrease in pressure in said single air pipe, to thereby initiate an automatic braking operation;
• each vehicle having an electro-pneumatic servo valve means, electrically coupled to said electric brake valve and pneumatically coupled to the respective said braking cylinder and the respective said storage reservoir means, for supplying air from the respective said storage reservoir means to the respective said braking cylinder in response to a command from said electric brake valve, to thereby initiate a direct braking operation;
• an electric switch connected between said electric brake valve and each said servo valve for interrupting connection therebetween;
• and
• a double valve means for selectively opening said first passage means and closing said second passage means or alternatively closing said first passage means and opening said second passage means, said electric switch being coupled to said double valve means to be closed when said first passage means is open and to be opened when said first passage means is closed;
• whereby automatic braking will occur upon separation of said vehicles and opening of said single air pipe, even if the system is operating under the direct braking mode.