US1016919A - Crossing-signal. - Google Patents

Description

T. A. GRIST.

CROSSING SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, 1909.

1,016,919. Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

AT FIQE.

THOMAS A. GRIST, OF KNOX, INDIANA.

CROSSING-SIGNAL.

Application filed November 22, 1909.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THoMAs A. GRIsT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Knox, in the county of Starke and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Crossing-Signals, of which the following, when taken in connection with the drawings accompanying and forming a part hereof, is a full and complete description, sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to which it pertains to understand, make, and use the same.

This invention relates to train signals operated by electricity.

The object of the invention is to obtain a signal for railroads, by means of which when a car is approaching a crossing, or runs onto a given piece of track called ablock of track, a signal will be given in time to prevent persons or teams from attempting to cross the track on which said car is approaching, and to prevent another car from running onto said block.

A further object of the invention is to obtain a signal which will from the time it commences so to do, continue to operate until the approaching car has arrived at and one over the crossing.

A further object of the invention is to obtain a signal which can be used for a single track railroad on which cars travel in both directions; and a signal which will be operated by a car going in either direction, whether said car be following a preceding car over a crossing or block or whether it be going in the opposite direction.

This device is particularly usable on tracks where the motive power is electricity, as in such case the currents on the several circuits of the device may be obtained from the circuit by means of which the cars are propelled.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a vertical section on line 33 of Fig. 2, viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows, showing an elevation of the movable members form ing elements of the device. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 4- 1 of Fig. 1, viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows, showing an elevation of the movable members of the device, viewed at an angle of 90 degrees from the view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevation of a ratchet wheel forming an element of the movable mechanism of the device. Fig. 4- is an elevation of the rotatable terminals and brushes thereto forming ele- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

Serial No. 529,386.

ments of the movable mechanism, of the device.

A reference letter applied to designate a given part is used to indicate such part throughout the several figures of the drawing, wherever the same appears.

The feed wire B, trolley D, wire 6, shoe E, third rail F, wires Gr, G, ground I, and generator J of an electric railway and trolley car are shown by diagrammatic view on a reduced scale on Fig. 1 of the drawings.

H is a casing.

K is an armature of the solenoid coil H. Armature K is mounted in bearings L and L so as to be longitudinallyv movable in a vertical plane. In Figs. 1 and 2 armature K is illustrated as on its journey upward with the current flowing through the coil H and at substantially one half of the total movement of the armature K completed. The armature K is provided with the cross bar 70 and with the slot in.

M is a shaft rotatably mounted in bearings m. Shaft M extends through the slot is of the armature K.

N, N, are oppositely placed ratchet wheels rigidly secured to shaft M.

On one end of the cross bar 70 of armature K the pawl O is pivotally mounted on pin 0 and yieldingly held in engagement with the teeth of ratchet N by spring 0. At the opposite end of cross bar 70 is placed the pin P, which pin when the armature has reached its full upward stroke, is in contact with one of the teeth of theratchet N. The pin P, Fig. 1, is indicated by broken lines P in its extreme upward position, and in contact with a tooth (also indicated by broken lines), of ratchet N. The lowest position of the pin P is indicated by broken lines P" in Fig. 1.

By the foregoing arrangement of ratchet wheels N, N, (rigidly attached to shaft M) pawl O and pin P on cross bar is of armature K, when the circuit of which the coil H is an element is closed (and armature K is suddenly drawn upward to the limit of its upward movement), the pawl 0 moves the shaft M (in the direction indicated by the arrow Q, Fig. 1), that portion of a revolution which is measured by a ratchet tooth; at which time the pin P is in contact with tooth of ratchet wheel N to stop further rotation of said ratchet wheels, and pawl O is in position to prevent backward movement of said ratchet wheels and hence the said ratchet wheels and shaft are firmly locked against movement in either direction.

R is a detent resting on the teeth of ratchet N to prevent backward movement to ratchet wheels N when the armature K and pawl O are descending to their initial position. The upward movement of the armature K is shown as limited by a stop, as by pin 1." at the lower end of the armature K.

S is a gear wheel rigidly secured to shaft M to turn therewith, and S is a gear wheel rigidly secured to shaft T to turn therewith. Shaft T is rotatably mounted in bearings t, t, with the teeth of gear wheel S meshing with the teeth of gear wheel S.

U, U, are rotatable terminals rigidly mounted on shaft T. Terminals U, U, are insulated from shaft T by fiber u, or other insulating material. The terminals U comprise the parts it, u, of electric conducting material, and the parts it, u, of insulating material. The parts u are electrically connected to the terminal U by rods u/Il, III- V is an electric brush in electrical contact with the periphery of the terminal U and V, V are like brushes in contact with the periphery of terminal U. As is illustrated in Fig. A of the drawings the several electric conducting parts u and the insulating parts or pieces to of the terminal U are so arranged relative to each other and to the brushes V, V, that when one of said brushes is in contact with electric conducting material the other of said brushes is in contact with non-electric material.

W, W, are wires to the circuit of which the signals X, X, are elements, and W, W are also wires which alternately form elements in said circuit.

A casing H is placed on each side of the crossing or each end of the block and when the brushes V in both of said boxes are at the same time brought into electric contact -with electric conducting material in the electric terminals U the wire W forms part of a closed circuit in which the wire W and signal X are elements, and said signal will be given, and when the brushes V in both casings H are in contact with electric conducting material u the wire W will in like manner form part of a closed circuit in which the wire lV and signals X are elements and said signal will be given. When a car is between the third rails which make and break the circuits of the device, the circuit in which the signals are placed will be closed and one or the other of the wires W, or W will be elements in said closed circuit, and as said car passes from between said third rail said wire W or W will be cut out and the circuit broken. When the device is installed the boxes H are adjusted so that when the brush V in one of said boxes is in contact with electric conducting material u of terminal U the brush V in the other of said boxes is in contact with insulating material it of terminal U. As before stated when brush V in a given box is in contact with the electric conducting material on terminal U the brush V in said box is in cont-act with insulating material in said terminal.

The operation of the device is as follows: A car approaching and coming in contact with the third rail on either side of a crossing (or either end of a block) will energize the solenoid coil H which is in the same circuit with said rail, and draw the armature K upward to turn the ratchet wheels N, N, one step forward. The turning of said ratchet wheels will turn gear wheels S, S, sufliciently to move the terminals U, U, around to change brushes V, V, on said terminal U. That is, if the terminal V is in contact with electric conducting material at (as in Fig. 4:) and the brush V is in contact with insulating material it before the coil H is energized, upon the energizing of said coil and consequent movement of terminal U, U, it will occur. that after said movement the brush V will be in contact with electric conducting material u and the brush V will be in contact with insulating material it. By this action whichever one of the solenoid coils H is energized a corresponding one of the wires W, W will be thereby placed in a closed circuit and a signal given. As said car comes in contact with the other third rail the energizing of the remaining 7 coil H will break the circuit and the signal will cease to operate. The device is then in position to repeat said operation when another car approaches the third rails in either direction.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A rotatably mounted shaft, oppositely placed ratchet wheels rigidly mounted on the shaft, an electromagnet, an armature arranged to co-act with said magnet, said armature extending from the magnet to beyond the shaft and provided with a cross bar, a dog mounted on the cross bar adjacent to one end, and an abutment on said cross bar adjacent to the other end, means to yieldingly hold the dog in engagement with one of said ratchet wheels to turn the shaft a determined distance in a .given direction when the magnet is energized and said armature is advanced, said abutment positioned to engage with a tooth of the remaining ratchet wheel at the end of said advance movement of the armature and' movable terminals which are arranged to be moved by the movement of said shaft, and electric brushes arranged to co-act with said terminals.

2. A rotatably mounted shaft, oppositely placed ratchet wheels rigidly mounted on the shaft, an electromagnet, an armature arranged to co-act with said magnet, said armature extending from the magnet to beyond the shaft and provided with a cross bar, a guide arranged to permit longitudinal movement of the armature therein, a dog mounted on the cross bar adjacent to one end, and an abutment on said cross bar adjacent to the other end, means to yieldingly hold the dog in engagement with one of said ratchet wheels to turn the shaft a determined distance in a given direction when the magnet is energized and said armature is advanced, said abutment positioned to engage with a tooth of the re maining ratchet wheel at the end of said advance movement of the armature and means to prevent the shaft from turning in the opposite direction, in combination with an additional shaft, gear wheels on said shafts arranged to intermesh, movable terminals connected to said additional shaft to be moved thereby, and electric brushes arranged to co-act with said terminals.

THOMAS A. GRIST. In the presence of CHARLES TURNER BROWN, C. A. ADAMS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

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