# US 8,464,881 B2 · Coupling device for a cart, and rail-guided cart with a coupling device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,464,881 B2 - Document ID: US8464881B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/534,159 - Filed: 2012-06-27 - Published: 2012-12-27 - Granted: 2013-06-18 - Earliest claimed: 2011-06-27 - Applicants: Gerhard Rieskamp - Inventors: Gerhard Rieskamp - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8464881B2 ## CPC - H01F 7/0242: {Magnetic drives, magnetic coupling devices} - H01F: MAGNETS; INDUCTANCES; TRANSFORMERS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES ## Abstract A coupling device for coupling two cars includes a coupling body, a bearing with which the coupling body is mounted to pivot about a vertical axis of the car, and a drawbar via which the coupling body is fastened on the bearing and held at a distance to the bearing. The coupling body has on its side facing away from the bearing at least two convex contact spines adjacent to one another and each lying in a plane parallel to the vertical axis of the car whose diameters of curvature are greater than the extension of the contact spines in the direction of the vertical axis and by which at least one of the contact spines is magnetized, so that two of the cars couple by magnetic attraction on contact of the contact spines of the first car with the contact spines of the second car. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A coupling device comprising: a coupling body; a bearing with which the coupling body is mounted to pivot about a vertical axis of a car; and a drawbar via which the coupling body is fastened to the bearing and held at a distance from the bearing, wherein the coupling body comprises at least two convex contact spines, formed horizontally next to one another on a side of the coupling body facing away from the bearing and in a plane parallel to the vertical axis of the car, wherein diameters of curvature of the at least two convex contact spines are greater than an extension of the contact spines in a direction of the vertical axis of the car, wherein at least one of the contact spines is magnetized so that the car couples with another car through magnetic attraction on contact of the contact spines with contact spines of the other car, wherein a side of the coupling body comprises a convex contact face into which the contact spines are integrated, and wherein the convex contact face is vertically curved about the horizontal axis of the car. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The coupling device according to claim 1, wherein projections of the contact spines in a direction of the horizontal axis of the car are of a same form and are congruent. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The coupling device according to claim 1, wherein the contact spines are formed raised. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The coupling device according to claim 1, wherein the contact spines are integrated into the convex contact face such that the contact spines lie flush in the contact face. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The coupling device according to claim 4, wherein the contact face is a surface segment of a straight circular cylinder whose axis is perpendicular to the vertical axis of the car. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The coupling device according to claim 5, wherein the contact face with its contact spines is formed smooth so that two coupling devices coupled with one another roll up on their contact faces and/or slip against one another in the directions of the vertical axis of the car. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The coupling device according to claim 4, wherein the side facing away from the bearing, comprises the convex contact face into which the contact spines are integrated to lie flush in the contact face. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The coupling device according to claim 1, wherein the at least two contact spines are formed as a bar magnet, a first magnetic pole of which is established on one of the at least two contact spines, and a second magnetic pole of which is established on another of the at least two contact spines. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The coupling device according to claim 1, wherein each of the two contact spines is made of a ferromagnetic material and is ferromagnetically insulated from the other, and wherein one of the two contact spines is magnetized and the other one of the two contact spines is not magnetized. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The coupling device according to claim 9, wherein the coupling body comprises an intermediate area which is disposed between the contact spines and which is made of a non-ferromagnetic material, such that the intermediate area magnetically insulates the contact spines from one another. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The coupling device according to claim 1, wherein the bearing is arranged such that the coupling body is configured to pivot about the horizontal axis of the car. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The coupling device according to claim 11, wherein the bearing comprises a bearing ring and a bearing bolt which, when mounted on the car, extends through the bearing ring with a play sufficiently great that the bearing ring is configured to tilt for pivoting the coupling body on the bearing bolt. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The coupling device according to claim 12, wherein the bearing comprises a recess in the car which is dimensioned such that the bearing ring is inserted into the recess with a play sufficiently great that the bearing ring can be tilted for pivoting the coupling body on the bearing bolt. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The coupling device according to claim 12, wherein the bearing ring comprises a circular cross section. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) A car comprising a coupling device according to claim 1, wherein the car is rail-guided. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The car according to claim 15, wherein the car is a toy railroad car. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The coupling device according to claim 1, wherein each of the at least two contact spines is made of a ferromagnetic material and is ferromagnetically insulated from the other, and wherein the at least two contact spines are oppositely magnetized.