Fluid-pressure and analogous brake systems – Miscellaneous operations on control pipe
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-10
2001-02-13
Oberleitner, Robert J. (Department: 3613)
Fluid-pressure and analogous brake systems
Miscellaneous operations on control pipe
C303S028000, C303S001000, C137S884000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06186600
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates, in general, to a pipe bracket portion of a brake valve control device for railway cars, such pipe bracket having a plurality of test ports for directly accessing fluid lines and determining pressures thereof and, more particularly, this invention relates to an adapter plate used with the test ports of such pipe bracket to provide at least one of a top and bottom access for the automated single car brake tester.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Typical freight brake control valves include a pipe bracket portion having a service portion and an emergency portion mounted on opposite sides or faces of the pipe bracket. Such typical prior art brake control valve assembly is shown diagrammatically in FIG.
1
. Typically, the rear side of the pipe bracket portion has a number of locations for connecting the pipe bracket portion to the piping of the freight car. These rear locations generally will include the connections to the brake pipe, the brake cylinder retaining valve, the brake cylinder, the emergency reservoir and the auxiliary reservoir.
These pipe bracket connections to the pneumatic piping permits the pipe bracket to provide the necessary communication of fluid pressures to both the service and emergency portions of the brake control valve as well as to the brake cylinder and reservoirs.
Most type AB pipe brackets only have connections to pipe lines on the rear surface. However, since it is sometimes necessary to tap into the fluid lines for the purpose of obtaining pressure measurements of the fluid within the piping, such access to the fluid is frequently quite difficult depending on the placement of the brake control valve on the freight car. In addition, the connections between the pipe bracket and the freight car piping would require them to be broken to allow monitoring of the pressures.
Recent modifications to the AB brake pipe bracket have provided direct access to the fluid passageways through the front side of the pipe bracket on the freight brake control valve. This modification eliminates the need to access the rear side of the freight brake control valve. The front side test ports provide access to the brake pipe line, the brake cylinder, the emergency reservoir and the auxiliary reservoir. Providing these test ports on the front side of the pipe bracket enables the testing of the fluid pressures within the pipe bracket without having to remove the freight brake control valve from the car or the service portion or the emergency portion from the pipe bracket portion.
Such brake pipe bracket modification has been disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/547,929, which is assigned to the Westinghouse Air Brake Company. The automated single car brake tester has been disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/396,815 and is, also, assigned to Westinghouse Air Brake Company.
The test ports on the front side of the pipe bracket provide a significant improvement over the old pipe bracket by providing access to the passageways in the pipe bracket without having to disconnect the normal fluid lines connected to the rear side of the pipe bracket portion. However, this modification only provides for a side access to the pipe bracket portion. Unfortunately, there may be instances where car builders cannot utilize the side access, which has vertically disposed test ports, and may prefer or require a top or a bottom access.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a test connector adapter plate engagable with vertically disposed test ports on a front side of a pipe bracket portion of a freight brake control valve of a railway freight vehicle and with a test receiver of a portable automated single car brake tester. Such pipe bracket having a plurality of passageways for providing fluid communication between such test ports on such pipe bracket portion and brake pipe, brake cylinder, emergency reservoir and auxiliary reservoir, respectively.
Such test connector adapter plate consists essentially of a first member provided with access ports which are vertically disposed and engagable with such test ports on such front side of such pipe bracket portion for accessing such passageways in such pipe bracket portion for communicating fluid pressure with brake pipe, brake cylinder, emergency reservoir and auxiliary reservoir, respectively.
Such access ports on such first member are in fluid communication with respective passageways within such test connector adapter plate for communicating fluid pressure.
A second member of such test connector adapter plate being a manifold having access ports in fluid communication via such respective passageways within such test connector adapter plate to such access ports on such first member of such test connector adapter plate for communicating fluid pressure with brake pipe, brake cylinder, emergency reservoir and auxiliary reservoir, respectfully, and engagable with such test receiver of such portable automated single car brake tester.
Such manifold of such second member of such test connector adapter plate being disposed to provide access ports on such second member on an axis perpendicular to that of such access ports on such first member of such test connector adapter plate so as to provide at least one of a top and a bottom access for such test receiver of such automated single car brake tester.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, one of the primary objects of the present invention to provide a test connector adapter plate for the modified AB pipe bracket which would permit a top or bottom access for use with the portable automated single car tester.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a test connector adapter plate for the modified AB pipe bracket which would not require any additional machining of the pipe bracket.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a test connector adapter plate for the modified AB pipe bracket which is simple to install.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a test connector adapter plate for the modified AB pipe bracket which would include a cover plate for the top portion of the manifold access ports when a bottom access is used and a cover plate for the bottom portion of the manifold access ports when the top access is used.
In addition to the several objects and advantages of the present invention that have been discussed in some detail above, various additional objects and advantages of the automatic test connector adapter plate, according to the present invention, will become more readily apparent to those persons who are skilled in the freight brake control valve art from the following more detailed description of the invention, particularly, when such detailed description is taken in conjunction with the attached drawing Figures and with the appended claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5480218 (1996-01-01), Hart et al.
patent: 5709436 (1998-01-01), Scott
patent: 5952566 (1999-09-01), Scott et al.
patent: 6000427 (1999-12-01), Hutton
Andrews Lawrence J.
Scott Daniel G.
James Ray & Associates
Oberleitner Robert J.
Sy Mariano
Westinghouse Air Brake Company
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