Automatic tie plate setting machine
AssigneeOak Industries Inc.
InventorsDennis J. Cotic, John L. Thorson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A machine for automatically setting rail tie plates includes a frame adapted to be propelled along a rail bed having one or both rails removed, the frame including a hopper adapted to store a plurality of randomly oriented plates therein, a crane for transferring plates to a plate sorting conveyor which sorts the plates as to specified length-to-width orientation and deposits the oriented plates upon an inclined conveyor where they are sensed as to specified top-to-bottom orientation, with improperly oriented plates being automatically inverted; the sensed and inverted plates are then manually disposed as to proper high-to-low side orientation, from where they are stored for eventual automatic deposition upon the tie by a reciprocating pusher assembly.
Claims43
An automatic machine for setting rail tie plates, comprising:
- a frame having two sides and adapted to travel along a railroad track bed;
- a hopper means secured to said frame for storing a plurality of randomly oriented plates;
- sorting means secured to said frame and adapted to receive the randomly oriented plates from said hopper means and to automatically sort the plates as to a specified length-to-width orientation regardless of their orientation upon receipt from said hopper means;
- sensing means located on said frame and adapted to sense the orientation of the sorted plates as to a specified top-top-bottom orientation;
- reorienting means located on said frame and adapted to be triggered by said sensing means for properly reorienting the sensed inverted plates as to a specified top-to-bottom orientation;
- means located on said frame for receiving the plates from said reorienting means and for enabling the slidable manipulation of the oriented plates as to a specified high side-to-low side orientation;
- and
- setting means on said frame adapted to receive the oriented plates from said high-side to low-side orientation means and to automatically set the oriented plates individually upon an upper surface of each of a plurality of rail ties.
An automatic rail tie plate setting machine comprising:
- a frame having a front end, a rear end, two sides and being adapted to travel along a rail track bed;
- a plate storage hopper mounted at the front end of said frame and adapted to store a plurality of rail tie plates;
- means for transferring several of the plates from said hopper to a sorting conveyor;
- a plate sorting conveyor having two sides and adapted to receive the plates from said transfer means and to sort said plates in a specified length-to-width orientation;
- an inclined conveyor ramp adapted to receive the sorted plates from said plate sorting conveyor and having plate orientation sensing means and plate reorienting means, said orientation sensing means adapted to sense the top-to-bottom orientation of the plates, and, upon sensing improperly oriented plates, to trigger said reorienting means to invert the improperly oriented plates;
- and
- a tramp material breakaway apparatus connected to said sorting conveyor and said ramp and adapted to prevent the transmission of tramp material down said ramp.
An automatic rail tie plate setting machine comprising:
- a frame having a front end, a rear end, two sides and being adapted to travel along a rail track bed;
- a plate storage hopper adapted to retain a plurality of randomly assorted rail tie plates;
- means for transferring the plates from said hopper to a plate sorting conveyor;
- said plate sorting conveyor adapted to receive the plates from said hopper and to sort the plates into specified length-to-width orientation;
- an inclined conveyor ramp adapted to receive the sorted plates from said sorting conveyor and having sensing means for sensing the top-to-bottom orientation of the plates and reorienting means for reorienting improperly oriented plates;
- a low friction conveyor table to receive plates from said conveyor ramp and adapted so that the plates may be manipulated as to specified high side-to-low side orientation;
- a plate storage rack adapted to receive the orientated plates from said low friction conveyor and to store the plates in linear fashion;
- and
- a plate setter assembly having a stop means and reciprocating pusher means adapted to receive individual plates from said storage rack and to place each of the plates upon a respective tie at a zero velocity.
A method for automatically setting rail tie plates upon the ties of a railroad track, comprising:
- providing a frame adapted to travel along a railroad track bed;
- storing a plurality of said plates upon said frame;
- automatically sorting said plates on said frame as to specified length-to-width orientation for at least one rail;
- automatically sensing said sorted plates on said frame as to their top-to-bottom orientation;
- automatically inverting said sensed plates which are sensed to have improper top-to-bottom orientation;
- manipulating said sensed and inverted plates as to a specified high side-to-low side orientation;
- and
- setting said oriented plates upon an upper surface of said ties.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.