US1056992A - Electric semaphore mechanism. - Google Patents

Description

W. K. HOWE.

ELECTRIC SEMAPHORE MECH/NSM.

APPLICATION FILED DEG, 3, 190W 2 SHEETSMSHEET 1.

Qc/ITM...)

`W. K. HOWB. ELECTRIC SEMAPHORE MECHANISM. APPLlGATION FILED DEU.3,1909.

Patented Mar. 25, 1913.

2 SHEETS-*SHEET 2.

-UNITED STATES `Plpt'lllillill OFFICE.

W'INTHROP K. HOWE, 0F ROCHESTER, NEW' YORK, 'ASSIGNOB` T0 GENERAL RAILWAY SIGNAL COMPANY, 0F GATES, NETv YORK., A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

EIECTRIC SEMAPHORE MECHANISM.

Specification ot' vLetters Patent.

Patented Mar. 25, 1913.-

Application lfiled December 3, 1908. Serial No. 531,264.

5 State of New Ynk, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Semaphore Mechenismsgrpf whichthe following is a specification. Y

This invention relates to eleetric semaphore mechanism of the type in which a vsemaphore having a bias to danger position is moved from such position to a set position, giving a cautionary or safety in ication, by means of a rotary electric motor geared to the semaphore, and in which the semaphore is held in such set position by an electrically-controlledv detent, the motor being denergized to ecpnomize the electric current' While the signal is so held'.v

The object of the invention'is to produce a mechanism, othekind in question, in which the signal may be powerfully and quickly moved in both directions of operation, butin which shock and jar are avoided when lthe signal is brought to rest, after such 1 movement, in .either dangerV position or set position.

To accomplish the foregoing object I en ploy a novel` arrangement `of the detentl mechanism gud of the circuit-controller by which the action of the detent is controlled, together with certain yielding devices interposed betweenseveral parts of the seine.` phore mechanism, and I will describe these devices in connection with the description of the illustrated vembodiir'ient.of the invention,l the cessent-vieilv features ofthe invention being deinedin the succeeding4 claims.

In 'the aocompanyin drawings z--Figure 1 vis aside-elevation oiga semaphore vand its aetua't'ingmeohansmembodying the presentsinvlentioh, 'the etuatingmechanism be- .ing slown partly in .vertical'sectiomFig 2 is a. rearLel'eva-.iion ofthe semaphore 'act-'unt- 45,;ing'x`nchenism; and Fig. 3 is a diagram villu'str'eting'the 'electrical vconnections between theseverl parts of the mechanism.

,'Theillustrated embodlment ofthe invention'comprises a. semaphore having the usual lio'rm 4 supported by a spectaclemusting 5.

' Theseparts may be of any: ordinary or suitable form, and the seme ,here 'is illustrated as of the lewenqnadrant ly/pe, that is to, say, thejprm, when m clear or set position, is

ognwardly inclined, es vs'hown in F ig. v2,

y semaphore-arm assumes such horizontal posit-ion automatically in response to its gravitational bias, as is common 1n such mechanisms.

The semaphore is mounted `upon the usual. horizontal semaphore-shaft 6 which is journaled in a bearing on a plete 7. The

spectaclercesting and plate are provided, in the usual manner, with stop-lugs 8 which limit the movements of the semaphore in l both danger position and clear position.

Ihe semaphore is moved from danger position to set position by means of :tu electric motor of any ordmary or suitable form, this motor being illustrated as provided with :in -ermature 9-mounted on a shaft 10. The

armature-shaft is provided. with a inion 11,

, which is loose upon the shftbut 1s held to rotate therewith by a frictional device. This device comprises a spring-pressed collar 12 which presses the pinion against acollar on the right-hand end of the shaft, as

; shown in Fig. 1, and thus, except when subjected to excessive strains, the pinion rotates with thear-matureshaft and communicates power from the motor to the semaphore to move the latter.

The pinion 11 -meshes with n geur 13 which is journaled u on the reduced extremity M of the `seninp'nore-shaft 6. In-

, tegral with the gear 13 is npinion 15 which i meshes with n geer 16. The gear 16 is journaledrupofn a. stud 17 fixed in the casing 18 of the mechanism. A pinion 19 is also journaled loosely upon the stud 17, and

'this pinion is connected with the 'geni-l 15 .by means of a ratchetJnnd-pawl mechnmsnr' 2-ths mechanism being arranged, as shown in Fig. 1, sothat when the motor operates 'the gear 16` rotates the inion 19 through the ratche-t-and-pati'l mec anism, while thisl mechanism permits-'theV gear 1 6 to rotate in the opposite direction while the/.pinionl 19 is vatrest, for a.A purpose which'vill (be, presently described.

The pinion 19- engsges a segmental gear .21 which is. fixed on .the semaphdre-shzift,

and the operation ofthe geariugjust del scribed, es a. whole, is such that Wh'en't-lie 105 motor' is energized it acts to turn the sernalplioreeslnilit; and swing the seme;phorearm4 downward from horizonte-l danger position to inclined Set position, in' opposition to the biais 0f the semaphore. y

Yifvhile its horizontal position gives a danger indication. The

The electrically-controlled dotant-mechaon the platei52.

position is illustrated particularly in Fig.,

2. Upon the rear-end of the arrnatureshat' 10 is mounted a detcnt-plate-52 which isv provided with a series of three radial teethV or abutments. Upon a fixed portion of the apparatus is mounted a plat-e122 having a horizontal ledge or abutment, and above this ledge are two anti-friction rollers 23 constituting a detent adapted to cooperate withthe fixed abutment and the abutments lVhen the rollers are intei-posed between these abutments, as in Fig. 2, reverse rotation of the motor-shaftY is prevented and the semaphore is held in set position, but when the ,rollers are moved to the left., so as to disengage the abutment on the detent-'plate 52, the latter can rotate to permit the semaphore toreturn to danger position in response to its bias.A

The 'detent-rollers 23 are moved intoA and out of operative position by means of upwardly-projecting arms 24 fixed on a sleeve which is journaled on avpin 25'in the motorcasing. The rollers have gudgeons'engaging` vertical slots in thearms, as shown in Fig. 2. A Weight 26 onan arm projecting from the sleeve-'tends constantly to throw the detent into operative position.- Another arm 27I projecting[horizontally 'from the sleeve is normally engaged by a vertically-- movable-magnetic core28, and lthe weight of this core is suticient to hold the detent in inoperative position against the action of the Wei ht 26. The core is controlled by a solenoid 9 through which .it moves, and when the solenoid. is energized the core is raised so as to release the arm 27 and permit the weight 26 to throw the detent into operation.

The detent-mechanism just briefly described is more fully disclosed andclaimed in United States Letters Patent granted to me- February 28, 1911, No.-985,677,' relating to detent-mechanism, which is a. division of the present application, and it is not, therefore, particularly described and claimed herein. An important feature, however, of the present invention resides-inthe use of a vielding connection between 'the detentplate 52 and the motor-shaft. To this. end

the plate is journaledloosely on the shaft, but it rests against a friction-collar 30 fixed on the shaft (Fig. 1) and is pressed against this collar by means ofv a spring-pressed collar 31 slidingly lmounted on the Shaft. By this arrangement the shaft is prevented from rotating freely when the detent is in operation, but opportunity-isv afforded for a slight yielding movementof the shaft when the detent is `.first thrown intoopera tion, as will be' presently described.

The illustrated semaphore-mechanism is provided, as is usual in such devices, with a circuit-controller moved in accordance with the movements of the semaphore and operating to control the circuits through the lof the mechanism, and this shaft. is provided withy al segmental gear 36 meshing with aisegmental gear 37 fixed on the rear extremity A14. ofthe semaphore-shaft.

.The circuit through which the motor is energized iscontrolled vby a contact-,strip 38 on the drum 33 cooperating with two contact- springs 39 and 40. The operation of these parts is, or may be, the same as in previouswell-known constructions. Referring to Fig. 3, a battery 41 is indicated diagrammatically as a. source of current by which the semaphore-mechanism through a controlling-circuit extending to a traclorelay or other y controlling device. Such a device is indicated diagrammatically at 42 as a simple circuit-closer. This-circuit-closer is connected with the battery. by a wire 43, and from the lixed contact of the circuit-closer a wire 44 extends to the'contact-spring 40. lVhen the circuit is closed current flows from the battery vto the conv Itact-spring 4()` and if `the semaphore is in danger position this contactspring-ls engaged by the contact-strip'BS and the cu'rrent fiows to the contact-spring 39 Vand thence, through a Wire 45, to the motor. From the motor the 'current returns. through a wire .46, to the battery. The detent-mechanism is controlled by a shuntcircuit also energized b v thebattenv 41. 'lo

this end a contact-spring 4T is connected with the wire "44, and a second contactspring 49 is connected by a wire 5(1), with the solenoidvlt). The portion of the circuit just described is controlled by a contact-strip 4S on the drum 33. lVhenthis stripengagos the springs47 and 49 'a portion of the current in the Wire 44 flows through these parts' and through the solenoid, and returns thence, through a wire 5 1, to the wire 46 and the battery.

An important feature of the invention resides in the construction and relation ot the contact-strip 48 and the springs 4T and 49. This contachstrip is of such length and so Vplaced upon the drumthat it engages the springs Lt-an'l 49 when the semaphore is in its set position, but when the semaphore is slightly beyond such position, that is to say. in a more inclined position, the contact strip moves beyond and disengages the spring "i3, thereby opening the circuit through the detentsolenoid-V controller having cooperating contacts arranged to open said circuit when the signal moves beyond set position and to hold it open until the signal returns to set position in response to its bias, so as to prevent operation of the holding mechanism when the signal is beyond set position.

3. `ignal mechanism having, in combinav tion., a signal havinga normal position and a set iosition, the signal being movable from normal position to and beyond set position and having a bias toward normal po sition, means for arresting return Inovenient of the signal, in response to said bias, in set position, means for arresting return movement of the sigi'ial in response to said bias in normal position, a motor for moving the signal from'normal position to set position, and mechanical connections between the signal, the motor and the first named arresting means, said connections including yielding devices adapted to permit the motor to continue to move, in consequence of its momentum, after either of Said arresting means has come into operation, so that the motor may come gradually to rest in either position of the semaphore.

t. Signal iiierhanism having, incombination` a signal having a normal position and a set position, the signal being movable from normal position to and beyond set position and having a bias toward normal position; signal.controlling mechanism connected with the signal and including a motor for mov ing the signal to set position, and detent mechanism arranged to operate when the signal, after having moved through its inomentuin'beyond set position, returns in response to its biasl to set position, thereby arresting the signal in set position. the signal-controlling mechanism including also yielding devicesl between the signal and thc detent, adapted to yield. when the detent operates, to avoid excessiw shock to the nicchanisni.

sponse to its bias to set position; electro-v magnetic mechanism for controlling the detent; a source of current and a circuitcon troller connected in circuit with the electromagnetic mechanism, the circuit-controller being connected With the signal so as to move in accordance therewith and having cooperating contacts arranged to control the flow of current through said electromagnetic mechanism so to throw the detent into operation at. the time hereinbefore specied, said signal-controlling mechamsm including ,yielding devices, between 'the detent and the signal, adapted to yield when the detent operates, so to avoid excessive shock to the mechanism.

(3. Signal mechanism having, in combination, a signal having a normal position and a set position, the signal heilig movable from normal position to and beyond set position and having a bias toward normal position, signal-controlling mechanism connected with the signal and including a motor for moving the signal to set position, and detent 1'nech anism for arresting the signal-controlling mechanism when the signal is in set osition, the detent mechanism including ylelding devices to permit the motor to come gradually to rest when the detent operates.

lIN'lllliOP Ii. HOVE.

\Vitnesses F. L. Donosox, S. C. SA'RGENT.

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