摘要 |
An ergonomic hand wheel for use on a hand brake system on a railway car in which a hand wheel includes a planetary gear system to provides a mechanical advantage to significantly reduce the effort and force required to turn the hand wheel. The planetary gear system includes a sun gear rigidly interconnected to the hand wheel and a hub member rotatably interconnected to the hand wheel which is independently rotatable relative to the hand wheel. The hub member further including a socket at the axis for attaching the hub member to a rotatable drive member of a hand brake system on a railway car, as well as a plurality of planetary gears rotatably secured thereto to mesh with and engage the sun gear. A fixed ring gear attached to a structural element independent of the hand wheel and the hub member, encircles, meshes with and engages the planetary gears. <IMAGE> |