US1021313A - Railway-switch controller. - Google Patents

Description

P. D. HIBNER. RAILWAY SWITCH CONTROLLER. APPLICATION mum snr'mo, 190a. nmuwnn JULY 18, 1911. 1,021,3 1 3.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

WITNESSES W A TTORNE Y.

COLUMBIA PUNOGRAPM c0" \usumn'mu. D; C

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP D. HIBNER, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

RAILWAY-SWITCH CONTROLLER.

Application filed September 30, 1908, Serial No. 455,441.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP D. HIBNER, a

a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, inthe county of King and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switch Controllers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway switch appliances; and has for its object to improve upon the construction of switch operating devices such as shown in Patent No. 881,799, granted to me the 10th day of March, 1908, so as to adapt certain of the features therein shown for use with the employment of compressed air as the power agent for predeterminately effecting the actions of the aforesaid operating devices.

With these ends in view my invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements which are hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is a plan View of a car-truck, partly broken away, and showing my improvements applied therewith. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of portions of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the compressed air controlling-valve with the valve proper illustrated in a different position from which it is represented in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a cross sectional View of Fig. 3 taken on the plane 4 4. Figs. 5 and 6 are detached perspective views of details shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The same reference characters indicate corresponding parts in the various views.

Let 10 designate the frame of a car-truck which is arranged for pivotal connection by a pin 11 with the car-body in order to have the car body turn independently thereof, as is common in railway practice. Rigidly connected with the truck-frame is suitable framework such as 12. Secured to this framework are two pairs of cylinders 13, 13 and 13 13 arranged with their axes transversely to the truck and located in a horizontal plane. The cylinders 13 and 13 are disposed in axial alinement as are also the cylinders 13 and 13 and the pistons 14 and 14 of the alined pairs of cylinders are respectively coupled by rods 15 and 15. The inner ends of these cylinders are desirably open and from the closed ends connections are had by crossed pipes 16 and 16 between the diagonally opposite cylinders,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

Renewed July 18, 1911. Serial No. 639,202.

that is to say, the interiors of cylinders 13 and 13 are communicatively connected by the pipe 16 and cylinders 13 and 13 are similarly served by the pipe 16. Fixedly mounted upon each of the piston rods so as to swing about the respective axes thereof are pairs of crank-arms 17 which are directed to extend below the plane of the rods while upon one of these piston rods are crank-arms 18 arranged to extend thereabove. J ournaled in the swinging ends of the arms 17 of each piston rod are the cylindrical extremities 19 of a block 19 each of which is centrally bored as at 19 (Fig. 6) to accommodate the upright studs 20 which are integral with, or rigidly secured to, a blade 20. Said studs are screw threaded for engagement with nuts 21 to provide bear-.

head at each of its ends, the rod 23 of the piston 24 therefor extending through a suitable stufling-box in one of the heads and is connected to a crank pin 18 which is carried by the arms 18. The arms 18 are spaced so that the pin may be slidably moved through the piston rod end to an extent equal to the stroke of the piston rod 15. Air passages are provided to convey the power medium to and from the ends of cylinder 22 and, most conveniently, are extended through the respective trunnions 22, 22 of the cylinder.

Situated within convenient reach of the operator upon the car is a duplex-valve whose oflice is to coincidently control the actions of the pistons of all of the aforesaid cylinders so as to effect the swinging of the blade 20 in either rotary direction with respect to a vertical axis through motion imparted from the pistons 14 and 14 and to cause the blade to be depressed through proper motion being imparted from piston 24. The preferred form of this valve, 25, illustrated in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, is of the oscillating type and is inclosed by a casing 26. In the peripheral wall of the casing is an exhaust opening 27 and to each side thereof are openings 28 and 29 from which communication is respectively had with the pipes 16 and 16 by hose connections 28 and 29. In the same wall of the casing is another opening 30 giving communication with the passage in the cylinder trunnion 22 by a hose connection 80; while in the end casing wall are three spaced openings 31, 31 and 31" which communicate by a hose connection 32 with the passage in the other trunnion 22". The casing openings 27, 30 and 31 are desirably arranged to be in a plane, extending diametrically through the casing.

Connected with the service pipe of an airbrake equipment, such as had on modern cars, is the pipe 33 to supply compressed air to the upper and front portions of the valve-chamber. The valve 25 is fitted to the diameter of the casing chamber and is provided wit-h a cavity 34 arranged to make communication between either of the openings 28 or 29 and the exhaust openings 27. Extending upwardly from this cavity is a duct 34 arranged to register with the opening 31 when the valve is in the medial position in which it is represented in Fig. 3. Branch ducts 34 extend from said duct or cavity and terminate upon the circumferential face of the valve so that when the valve is rotatably moved in either direction sufficient to afford communication between one of the openings 28 or 29 to the valvecavity 34 one or the other of these branches will establish communication between the openings 30 and the exhaust opening 27. One of such positions is illustrated in Fig. 1. The openings 31 and 31 are spaced apart so that one or the other of them, 31 in the referred to view, will be exposed to allow the flow of the power medium from the valve casing to the cylinder 22 to actuate the piston thereof for depressing said blade.

35 is a recess in the valve to uncover the opening 30 when the valve is in its medial position, as represented in Fig. 3, with a consequent flow of the power medium from the valve chamber to impart motion to the piston for elevating the blade 20.

For the purpose of explaining the application of the invention it is to be noted that there is within the track a lever, such as A, or an equivalent, which is connected by suitable lines as B to a switch tongue and when the lever is in the position in which it is represented by full; lines the switch will be open, or closed as the case may be, while by causing the lever to be swung to occupy the position indicated by dotted lines the switch will be reversely disposed. The leve-r A is provided with a pin C which extends upwardly for engagement by the blade 20 when the latter is depressed and inclined in one horizontal direction. or the other to correspondingly shift the pin and the lever to which it is connected. Assuming that the blade 20 is to be depressed and at the same time swung into the position in which it is shown in Fig. l for the purpose of shifting the lever A from the position as designated in full lines to that indicated by dotted lines, then by manipulating the valve handle 25 the valve is adjusted to be in the position in which it is shown in this View. Whence by an inspection of Fig. 1 and as indicated thereon by darts of the courses taken by the power medium to and from the power cylinders, it will be evident that the piston 24 is caused to effect such movement to the piston rod 15 as to rock the same to cause the arms 17 upon this rod to depress the blade downwardly and while being thus actuated all of the arms 17 cooperate to maintain the blade horizontally. Meanwhile, and through the power medium being applied in the cylinders 13 and 13 and the exhaust channels being opened from the cylinders 13 and 13, the affected pistons are influenced to turn the blade in the direct-ion indicated by arrows 00 in Fig. 1. When the blade has been thus turned and sufficiently depressed it will, in the moving of the car in the direction of the arrow y, encounter the pin C and thrust the same laterally as required to operate the switch. To elevate the blade, the valve is adjusted to be as represented in'Fig. 3, when the opening 31 is in register with the exhaust duct 34 of the valve, and the opening 30' is in like relation with the valve recess 35 to allow the powerinedium access to the end of the cylinder 22 where it will, act to raise the blade to and maintain it in its elevated position.

What I claim, is

1. The combination with the movable member of a railway-switch, devices located in the track for controlling the actions of said movable member, and a car-truck, of a blade carried by the truck and arranged to be normally inoperative with respect to said devices, and air-actuated apparatus also carried by the truck for causing the blade to be made operative and likewise capable of adjusting the same so that said switch member may be moved in a predetermined direction.

2. The combination with the movable member of a railway switch, devices including a lever for actuating said member, and a car truck, of a blade, means actuated by compressed air for imparting vertical and horizontal swinging motions to the blade, and a valve operatively connected with said means whereby the action of the compressed air is regulated for controlling said motions to the blade.

3. The combination with a car-truck, of two pairs of power cylinders mounted transversely with respect to the truck, a piston for each of said cylinders, a piston rod for each pair of cylinders, crank-arms mounted upon each of said rods, a blade pivotally connected adjacent of its ends to blocks, said blocks being pivotally connected with the respective crank-arms, another power cylinder arranged longitudinally to the truck, a piston for this cylinder, a piston rod therefor, a pair of crank-arms fixedly connected toone of the first named rods, a crank pin carried by the last named crankarms and being connected with one end of the piston rod of the last named cylinder, a valve connected with a source of compressed air supply, and communicating connections between the valve and each of said cylinders, said valve being adapted to control the flow of compressed air through said connections whereby the respective functions of the various pistons are accomplished.

4. The combination with the movable member of a railway switch, and a lever located in the track for controlling both the opening and closing of said movable member, of normally inoperative means carried by a car and engageable with said lever, and air actuated apparatus for causing said means to engage the lever to selectively open or close the switch.

PHILIP D. HIBNER.

Witnesses:

HORACE BARNES, A. H. SI-IOEMAKER.

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

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