US1083726A - Circuit-breaker connection for electric-railway systems. - Google Patents

Description

P. E. CASE.

CIRCUIT BREAKER CONNECTION FOB. ELECTRIC. RAILWAY SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2, 1910.

Patented Jan. 6, 1914.

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UNITED STATES PATENT QI FIQE.

FRANK E. CASE, OF SCI-IENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CIRCUIT-BREAKER CONNECTION FOR ELECTRIC-RAILWAY SYSTEMS.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1914:.

Application filed November 2, 1910. Serial No. 590,257.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, FRANK E. CASE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Circuit-Breaker Connections for Electric-Railway Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric railway systems and has for its object the provision of means whereby objectionable arcing is avoided in a simple manner.

In the operation of third rail or" trolley railways, a car frequently passes out of a live section with the power on, so as to cause an are at the collector. Very often a car must pass from a section having one voltage to one having a different voltage, so that under some conditions the arcing which would be incident to the breaking of the circuit at the end of a section is liable to cause damage and be otherwise objectionable.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide means whereby when a car passes from one section to another, the circuit will be opened at a circuit breaker instead of at the trolley or collect-or.

I also provide means whereby the circuit breaker will be automatically closed as the car proceeds so as to be in readiness for the next passing car.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown my invention in a somewhat diagrammatic way for purposes of illustration. In this case I have shown a trolley system of 1,200 volts and an intermediate 600 volt section through which the car must pass. This 600 volt section may be a short section such as would occur for instance at a crossing, although, of course, the length of the sections is practically immaterial to my invention. In order to prevent arcing as the car passes out of the 1,200 volt section A, I provide a short or auxiliary section of trolley B and an automatic circuit breaker C connected between the live section A and the section B. The sections A and B overlap so as to be electrically connected by the collector, as for instance, the trolley roller or third rail shoe. The trip coil D of the circuit breaker is connected in series with the circuit breaker contacts E between section' A and section B. I have shown a standard automatic circuit breaker which will be opened at the contacts E when the trip coil D is sufliciently energized. The coil D may of course be arranged to trip the circuit breaker at any predetermined How of current. Between the 600 volt section F and 1,200 volt section G is provided a second short section of trolley I-I overlapping the section G. The circuit breaker has an operating coil I for closing the breaker. This coil I has one terminal connected to ground, while the other terminal is connected with section H. 7

Assuming the car to be going in the direction of the arrow, the operation of the device will be as follows: When the collector J bridges sections A and B of the trolley, a shunt circuit will be established around the joint K through the trip coil D and contacts E so that when the collector leaves section A, the circuit will not be broken at the trolley. As soon as the collector leaves section A, the trip coil and contacts are in series with the trolley circuit. If the current taken by the car motors is sufficiently large to warrant the opening of the circuit at the circuit breaker instead of at the trolley, the trip coil D will operate to open the circuit breaker at contacts E. The point at which the circuit breaker will open may of course be adjusted as desired. The circuit now being open, the car passes into 600 volt section F and thence on to the dead section II. When the sections G and H are bridged by the collector the coil I will be energized from the 1,200 volt section through the coil to ground. The energizing of coil I closes the circuit breaker so that it will be in readiness for the next passing car.

It is obvious, of course, that my invention may be applied to either a third rail or trolley system and that it is not limited to the voltages or the particular type of system shown and described.

While I have shown my invention as embodied in concrete form for purposes of illustration, it should be understood that I do not limit my invention thereto, since various modifications thereof will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the annexed claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In an electric railway system, in combination, trolley sections of like voltage having a trolley section of different voltage be tween them, auxiliary trolley sections between adjacent ends of said sections, an automatic circuit breaker connected between one of the main sections and an auxiliary section and an operating coil for closing the circuit breaker connected from the next succeeding auxiliary section to ground.

2; In an electric railway system, in combination, trolley sections of like voltage having a trolley section of difl'erent voltage between them, auxiliary trolley sections be tween said sections and overlapping the sections of like voltage so as to be electrically connected thereto by the collector of a passing car, an automatic circuit breaker connected between one pair of overlapping sections, and an operating coil for closing the circuit breaker connecting the next succeeding auxiliary section to ground.

3. In an electric railway system, in combination, two trolley sections of like voltage having an intermediate trolley section of different voltage between them, auxiliary trolley sections between adjacent ends of said sections, an automatic circuit breaker connected between one of said two main sections and the adjacent auxiliary section, and electromagnetic means energized through the other auxiliary section to close the circuit breaker after a car has passed through said intermediate section.

4:- In an electric railway system, in combination, a trolleyclivided into main trolley sections, auxiliary sections between said main sections each arranged to be connected with an adjacent main section by a passing car, an automatic circuit breaker having its trip coil connected in series with its con tacts between adjacent sections, and an operating coil for closing said circuit breaker connected with a succeeding auxiliary section.

5. In an electric railway system, in combination, a trolley divided into main trolley sections auxiliary trolley sections between said main sections each arranged to be con- In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 31st day of October, 1910.

FRANK E. CASE. Witnesses:

HELEN Onronn, BENJAMIN B. HULL.

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

Washington, D. G.

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