Abstract:
A railroad hopper car body includes a set of hopper and hopper discharges. Egress of lading from the discharges is governed by movable doors that swing between a closed position and an open position. The motion is driven by a mechanical transmission that is itself driven by an actuator. Each pair of doors is driven by a single actuator. The actuator is mounted to act through the center sill. A portion, or substantially all, of the actuator may be mounted in a predominantly squat, vertical orientation within the center sill. In alternate embodiments, the transmission output may be bifurcated. The center sill bottom flange may be narrower adjacent to the doors. The mechanism may have a secondary lock. The mechanism may have an auxiliary manual release.
Abstract:
A connecting mechanism includes a first connecting member, a second connecting member, a first conduit and a second conduit. The first connecting member includes a first cylinder and a first piston movably accommodated within the first cylinder to divide the first cylinder into a first space on the one side of the first piston and a second space on the opposite side of the first piston. The second connecting member includes a second cylinder and a second piston movable accommodated within the second cylinder to divide the second cylinder into a third space on the one side of the second piston and a fourth space on the opposite side of the second piston. The first conduit communicates the first space with the third space. The second conduit communicates the second space with the fourth space. An electronic device using the connecting mechanism is also provided.
Abstract:
A locking mechanism (100) for use with a pneumatic cylinder/differential engine for a power-operated door including a locking rod (20), a plunger (24) associated with the locking rod (20) to cause extension and retraction of the locking rod (20) with respect to a door opening/closing gear (46), and a spring member (34) associated with the plunger (24) for maintaining the plunger (24) and the locking rod (20) in an extended position during a door closed position. An aperture (46a) is located through a sidewall portion of the gear hub (46b) which is capable of receiving an end (20a) of the locking rod (20) when the locking rod is in an extended position to lock the door in a door closed position. The invention also includes an emergency door opening mechanism enabling manual opening of the doors in case of an emergency.
Abstract:
A door closer includes a body formed with a cylinder and a piston system located in the cylinder and functionally connectable to the door. The piston system divides the cylinder into a first cylinder volume on a first side of the piston system and a second cylinder volume on a second side of the piston system. A spring located in the second cylinder volume. A flow channel formed in the body guides flow of fluid from the first cylinder volume to the second cylinder volume, and a control valve for regulates rate of fluid flow through the flow channel. A filter is positioned across the flow channel upstream of the control valve relative to flow of fluid through the flow channel from the first cylinder volume to the second cylinder volume. The filter presents a filter area greater than the cross-sectional area of the flow channel to incoming flow to the filter and presents a filter area substantially equal to the cross-sectional area of the flow channel to outgoing flow from the filter.
Abstract:
An actuating arrangement and method for opening and closing a hinged motor vehicle panel utilizes a controllable fluid drive and an uncontrolled fluid drive. The hinged motor vehicle panel is driven during opening from a starting position to a predetermined opening angle by the controlled fluid drive and, after reaching the predetermined angle of opening, is driven into its final position exclusively by the uncontrolled fluid drive.
Abstract:
An arrangement for automatic opening of a motor vehicle rear door which can be pivoted about a horizontal swivel axis contains a pneumatic spring-and-ejector combination in which a pneumatic spring is pivotally connected to the vehicle and the rear door so that it exerts a closing torque on the door when the door is in a closed and a predetermined partially open position, and exerts an opening torque when the door is opened beyond the predetermined position to swing the door fully open. An ejector is arranged to pivot the door from the closed position to a position past the partially open position, thereby reducing the energy requirement of the ejector and avoiding high frictional forces in the door lock.
Abstract:
A method for operating a hydraulic closure system for a motor vehicle includes automatic opening and closing, as well as manual closing, of a closure pivotally mounted to an opening frame defining a closure opening in the motor vehicle. The system used in the method includes at least one hydraulic actuator assembly attached at opposite ends thereof to the closure and the opening frame, respectively. A motorized hydraulic pump inputs energy to the actuator to move the closure from the opened position to the closed position, and a biased energy storage system inputs energy to the actuator to move the closure from the closed position to the opened position. In a preferred embodiment, the pump is activated by relatively slow manually generated movement of the closure from the opened position toward the closed position. Also, an obstacle detection mechanism detects obstacles interfering with closing of the closure based on monitored pressure in the system. A level detection and compensation feature adjusts the amount of energy stored in the biased energy storage system for opening the closure based on the detected inclination or declination of the vehicle so that the amount of energy stored is commensurate with the amount required to open the closure.
Abstract:
An automatic door closer whose housing confines a reciprocable damper piston cooperating with a rotary shaft to rotate the shaft in a direction to close the door or to be moved by the shaft in response to opening of the door. The piston can be biased in a direction to close the door through the medium of the shaft by a strong coil spring as well as by a relatively weak second spring in the form of a torsion spring, an extension spring or a compression spring. The second spring ensures that the party opening the door invariably encounters some resistance to movement of the door from closed position as well as that the door begins to move toward the closed position as soon as the door opening force is reduced below the force of the second spring. The first spring is acted upon by a stressing device to ensure that such spring cannot oppose movements of the door to open position but is available to close the door with a certain delay following a relaxation of the door opening force so that the first spring can assist the second spring in closing the door if the first spring cannot close the door alone.
Abstract:
Hydraulic door closer apparatus includes means for counter-balancing the bias of a return spring, to either assist in opening the door by reducing the force needed to open, or, in an alternative embodiment and mode of operation, to open the door by over-balancing the bias of the return spring. In the latter mode, a remotely manually operable switch, such as, for example, a so-called palm button, may initiate opening the door.
Abstract:
Emergency door opening system in which pressurized gas is supplied to a pneumatic door opening device through a solenoid control valve automatically opening in the event of power failure. Preferably, the gas flow is restricted downstream of the control valve to open the door at a safe rate.