The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 07, 1997
Filed:
Jul. 25, 1995
Scott M Trapp, Simpsonville, SC (US);
Michael A Weiss, Stoney Creek, CA;
Westinghouse Air Brake Company, Wilmerding, PA (US);
Abstract
An energy collector allows flow of electrical energy between a vehicle and a rail of a railway track. The energy collector includes a vehicle mounting device for mounting the energy collector to such vehicle; a collector shoe for sliding electrical contact on such rail; and a lever arm having a first end and a second end. The energy collector also includes a bottom torsion unit connected to the collector shoe and connected to the second end of the lever arm. The bottom torsion unit is disposed so that the collector shoe is forcefully and generally aligned upon such rail even as the collector shoe encounters physical deviations along a surface of such rail. The energy collector further includes a top torsion unit connected to the vehicle mounting device and connected to the first end of the lever arm. The top torsion unit is disposed so that a generally downwardly oriented force is applied to and conveyed by the lever arm to and through the bottom torsion unit to the collector shoe so as to encourage contact between the collector shoe and such rail. The energy collector additionally includes a shunt engageable at an initial end to such vehicle and connected at a terminal end to the collector shoe. When a potential is applied across such vehicle and such rail, the energy collector permits electrical energy to flow from such vehicle through both the shunt and the collector shoe to such rail during both static and dynamic operation of such vehicle.