Side tension brake condition sensor
AssigneeHoneywell International Inc.
InventorGary R. O'Brien, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sensor for determining the on/off condition of a railroad car handbrake that utilizes a manual wheel which applies tension to a chain extending under the car to the brake setting system and the sensor utilizes a bias member which pushes against the side of the chain so that when the car brakes are not set, and the chain is loose, the bias member moves to distort the chain and such movement causes a sensor, such as a Hall effect device, to approach a magnetic member to produce a signal indicating that the brake is in a released condition.
Claims20
Apparatus for use with an actuator to set and release brakes, the actuator including a force-producing member that is taut when applying a force to put the brakes in a set condition and which is relaxed when the force is diminished to put the brakes in a released condition, comprising:
- a biased member bearing against the side of the elongated flexible force producing member transverse to its length and movable from a first position when the elongated force producing member is relaxed and to a second position when the elongated force producing member is taut;
- and,
- a sensor connected to said biased member to determine at least one of the first and second positions as an indication of the condition of the brakes.
The method of determining the set condition of a brake having a brake control that is activated to a set condition by a flexible member, when in tension, and to a release condition, when tension is removed, which flexible member extends to a tension producing device that may be alternately operated to apply or to remove tension to the flexible member to cause the brake to alternately be set or released respectively, comprising the steps of:
- A. positioning a bias member to press against the side of the flexible member, transverse to its length so that it assumes one position when the flexible member is in tension and another position when the tension of the flexible member is removed;
- and
- B. a sensor to detect the position of the bias member as a determination of the set condition of the brake.
A system for determining the released condition of a railway car brake system having a brake setting member to which a chain is attached and that extends down the side of the railway car to a brake control, movement of the brake setting member in a first direction causing the chain to be in tension to activate the brake control and set the brakes and movement of the brake setting member in a second direction causing the chain to be out of tension to de-activate the brake control and release the brakes, comprising:
- an arm attached to the railway car and including a contact portion which bears against the side of the chain so as to apply a lateral bias force thereto, which bias distorts the chain so that the arm is in a first position when the chain is not in tension but which bias force is overcome when the chain is in tension to move the arm away from the first position;
- and
- a sensor attached to the arm and operable to produce and output when the arm is in the first position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.