US1100817A - Semi-automatic signal mechanism. - Google Patents

Description

R. G. BALCAEN. SEMI-AUTOMATIC SIGNAL MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED O0T.16, 1912.

1,1 00,8 1 7, Patented June 23, 19M

A T ZJRNEY COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH c0" WASHINGTON, D. c.

UNITED STATES i PATENT OFFICE.

RAOUL G. BALGAEN, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL RAILWAY SIGNAL COMPANY, OF GATES, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW' YORK.

SEMI-AUTOMATIC SIGNAL MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 23, 1914.

Application filed October 16, 1912. Serial No. 726,008.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RAoUL G. BALCAEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have in vented a new and useful Semi-Automatic Signal Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to dynamic indication electric interlocking.

The primary object of this invention is to supply an existing want, to-wit; a means for controlling a semi-automatic dynamic indication signal, which will allow all parts of the controlling mechanism to be returned directly to normal indication position or to normal position from reverse position after a train which has accepted a signal controlled thereby has passed either into or beyond the section controlled by the signal, without necessitating constant attention to the controlling means by an operator there- ,of, and without necessitating any radical change either in the well known signals used for automatic block signaling in which a motor armature rotates backwardly with the semaphore blade, or in the well known manually operated levers as now used in dynamic indication electric interlocking; and will also prevent the lever from being moved to the reverse position while the track circuit section controlled by the signal is occupied.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the description of the invention progresses, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail, reference is had to the accompanying drawings; wherein I have illustrated a preferred physical embodiment of my invention, and wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a well known form of electric dynamic indication lever with my improvement applied thereto with one side of the lever guide being removed to more clearly show the construction; Fig. 2, is a sectional View, on the line AB of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 3, is a sectional view, on the line CD of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 1, is a schematic illustration of my improved lever connected to a signal which controls a track circuit sec- Referring to Fig. 1, numeral 1 designates the grip of a lever, 2, which is mounted and adapted to slide in a lever guide 3. The end of the lever opposite to that on which the grip 1 is fastened, has a rod 1 attached thereto shown also in Fig. 4: serving as a connection between the lever and circuit controllers to be later described. The lever 2 has formed therein a cam slot 5 which is intended to serve as the actuating means for a roller 6, which may be connected in the well known and approved manner with the well known mechanical locking which is present in all interlocking machines for switching and signaling purposes. As is well known, the mechanical locking serves as a means for constraining each of a bank of levers com posed of a number of levers such as 2, to movement in a predetermined sequence. A lever 2 has certain notches with two projections therebetween formed in its lower edge designated as 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. Beneath the lever 2 and in the same plane therewith, but supported by the lever guide 3, is situated the latch 13, spring pressed to the position as shown by the spring 1 1, and pivoted at 15; the dog 16 pivoted at 17 which has an upper arm 18 adapted to at times lie beneath the end 19 of the latch 13, and which also has a lower arm 20 lying in the path of movement of the rod 21; the cam 22 pivoted at 23 and having the spring member 24 bearing there against in such a way that it will be held resiliently in either one of the positions to which it may be moved. Attached to the lower surface of the lever guide 3 is the indication magnet 25, having an armature-26 which is connected to and adapted to move the rod 21.

All of the mechanism heretofore described ing in the direction of the arrow a by causing it to abut against the lever guide as shown in Fig. 2. Against one side of this abutment, a spring 28 bears, the other end of the spring bearing against the rear end ,of the slot 5 at 29. By making spring 29 of the proper length as will be obvious it will not exert force against the lever 2 when the lever is in the normal indication position. By making the spring longer it may be caused to exert force against the lever until it has moved entirely to the normal position.

Unlike the type of lever described in the patent to Taylor hereinbefore mentioned applicants lever has its top edge formed into a series of notches and serrations and just above the lever, mounted to any fixed object, is the electro-magnet 30. This electromagnet has an armature 31 pivoted at 32 in operative relation therewith. The armature has two arms, one of which extends to the right as shown in Fig. 1 and is designated as 33, the other extending to the left and designated as 34. The arm 33 bears a projection 35, which fits into the notch 36 formed in the upper edge of the lever 2. When the armature 31 is in the upper position, the projection 35 is raised so as to just clear the top edge of the lever 2. The arm 34 is depressed when the electro-magnet is energized and under such conditions either bears upon the bottom of the notch 37 or against one of the teeth 38 formed in the upper edge of the lever 2.

With all of the parts in the position as shown in Fig. 1, it will be impossible to move the lever 2 in the direction of the arrow 6 by exerting force upon the grip 1, but if electro-magnet 30 were energized, the member 35 would be withdrawn from the notch 36 and then the lever could be moved toward the reverse position.

After a certain movement of the lever toward the reverse position, the arm 34 would bear against the teeth 38 and further movement of the lever would require a slight elevation of the end of arm 34 so that the teeth 38, together with the lever 2 could continue their movement. The elevation of arm 34 would take place by reason of the pressure exerted by the teeth against arm 34, but as soon as the tooth which caused the raising of arm 34 passed beyond the end of the arm, the electro-magnet 30 would cause a depression of arm 34 so that it would bear in the notch between the teeth 38. The relation of the parts is such that when lever has been moved to'the full reverse position the arm 34 would rest in a notch between the teeth 38 and if the electro-magnet 30 were still energized, would hold the lever 2 in the moved position against the action of spring 28 tending to return the lever toward the normal position. If electro-magnet 30 should become deenergized, however, the

spring 28, acting through the teeth upon the upper edge of lever 2, would force arm 34 upwardly, so that the teeth would be freed therefrom. The curvature of the end of lever 34 is made such, that the spring 28 can, acting through teeth 38, actually force arm 34 upwardly unless elcctromagnet 30 is energized, and the pressure which may be exerted by an operator's hand on the grip 1 is also sufficient to return the lever to the normal indication position even if magnet 30 is energized.

As is well known to those skilled in the art, if lever 2 is moved from a reverse posh tion toward the normal position, it will. be stopped at the normal indication position by means of latch 13 until an indication current flows through eleetro-magnet 25. hen lever 2 is stopped by reason of the indication mechanism at the normal indication position, the electro-n'iagnet 30 being deenergized, the member 35 will fall by gravity into the notch 39, which it will be seen is formed with a square shoulder 40 and a sloping surface 41, so that although the lever 2, after an indication has been received may be forced either by hand or by means of spring 28 to the full normal position, it cannot be moved toward the reverse position unless electro-magnet 30 is first energized. The reason for preventing a movement toward the reverse position unless electro-magnct 30 is energized, will be later pointed out.

In Fig. 4, applicant has diagrammatically illustrated the ordinary and well known track circuit section A, having connected therewith the relay R, which includes an armature 42. In Fig. 4, all of those parts which have been specifically described, by referring to Fig. 1, have been shown in a schematic manner and designated by the same numerals that were used to designate them in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 4, a semaphore arm 43, which governs traflic over the section A, has been shown. This arm is moved to and held in an operated position by means of a motor such as has been fully shown and described in the patent to Winthrop K. Howe, $51,024,853, dated April 30, 1912. In Fig. 4, the operating field coils for such motor have been designated by 44 and 45, and the holding field coils by 46 and 47, the brushes being designated by 48 and 49 and the armature by 50. In order to control the operating and holding circuits the ordinary and well known circuit breaker has been shown conventionally and consists of fixed metallic strips 51, 52, 53 and 54 and the movable metallic connecting members 55 and 56. The movable members 55 and 56 are connected to and moved with the semaphore arm 43 and are so located that when the arm 43 is in the normal biased position as shown in Fig. 4, the member 55 electrically connects strips 51 and 52, but when the arm 43 is moved to an operated position the member 56 electrically connects strips 53 and 54 and the connection between strips 51 and 52 becomes broken.

57 designates a source of current and 58, 59, 60 and 61 designate conducting springs which, as is well understood by those skilled in the art, are adapted to be electrically connected at times by the movable conducting member 62.

With all of the parts as shown in Fig. 4 and with no train upon the rails of the track circuit section A, electro-magnet 30 will be energized through the following circuit: positive terminal of battery 57, wires 68 and 67, electro-magnet 30, wire 66, armature 42, and wires 65, 64 and 63 to the negative terminal of the battery 57. Under such conditions the lever 1 may be moved toward the reverse position by grasping the grip 1 and exerting force in the direction of the arrow 5. The lever will not be stopped at the reverse indication position as it would have been if the indication mechanism had been constructed exactly in accordance with the mechanism shown in the Taylor patent heretofore mentioned because in the con struction herein shown, applicant has added a projection 69 to the dog 16, so that the dog after being moved to a position under latch 13, is afterward moved out from under the end of latch 13 by the end of cam 22 striking the projection 69.

When the lever reaches the full reverse position a circuit is formed in which current flows as follows: positive terminal of the battery 57, wire 68, contact spring 59,bridge 62, contact spring 58, wires 70, 71 and 72, strip 51, movable conducting member 55, strip 52, wire- 73, field coil 44, wire 7 4, field coil 45, wire 75, brush 49, armature 50, brush 48, wires 64, and 63 to the negative terminal of the battery. Current flowing in the above traced path causes the armature to revolve and move the semaphore arm 43 to an operated position, whereupon movable member breaks the connection between strips 51 and 52 and movable member 56 makes contact between the strips 53 and 54, so that a holding circuit which holds the signal in the operated position is formed in which current flows as follows: positive terminal of the battery 57, wire 68, contact 59, bridge 62, contact spring 58, wires 70, 71 and 77, strip 53, movable member 56, strip 54, wire 78, holding coil 47, wire 79, holding coil 46, operating coil 44 now acting as a holding coil, wire 74, operating coil 45 now acting as a holding coil, wire 75, brush 49, armature 50, brush 48, and wires 76, 64 and 63 to the negative terminal of the battery.

It should be noticed that unless electromagnet 30 had been energized the lever 2 could not have been moved at all for the projection 35 resting in notch 36 would have prevented any movement, but as electromagnet 30 was energized a movment of the lever 2 was possible and the fact that electromagnet 30 was energized, was positive proof that track section A was unoccupied by a train, for if it had been occupied by a train, for reasons well known, the armature 42 would have been in the lower position, thus breaking the circuit for the electro-magnet. Applicants invention therefore provides a means which prevents any movement at all of a signal controlling lever from normal position, unless the track circuit section controlled by the signal controlled by the lever, is unoccupied and is in proper condition to allow a train to enter therein by virtue of the right given by a signal in the operated position.

When no train is in section A, and the lever 1 has been moved to the reverse position, it is held therein by the action of the arm 34 as hereinbefore described, so that after a lever has been moved to the full reverse position and the signal controlled thereby has been placed in an operated position, no further attention need be given the lever by the operator thereof. If a train should enter upon the track section A, while the lever is in the reverse position and the signal is in the clear position, the lever will be immediately released so that the spring 28 can exert a force to move it to the normal indication position. This takes place by reason of the fact that the entrance of the train to the track section causes a deenergization of relay R, causing the armature 42 to drop and break the circuit through the electro-magnet 30. As soon as the lever in moving toward the normal position has moved such a distance that the bridge 62 moves from in contact with contact springs 58 and 59, the current flowing through the heretofore traced circuit to cause the signal to be held in the operated position, is cut ofi, and consequently the semaphore arm 43 moves toward the normal position as shown in Fig. 4 by reason of its bias, and in so doing causes the members 55 and 56 to be moved back to their original position and also causes the armature 50 of the motor to be rotated backwardly. As soon as bridge 62 connects contact springs and 61, a circuit is formed through indication magnet 25 in which current generated by the backward rotation of the armature may flow as follows: armature 50, brush 48, wires 76, 64 and 80, indication magnet 25, wire 81, contact spring 61, bridge 62, contact spring 60, wires 82, 71 and 72, strip 51, movable member 55, strip 52, wire 73, operating coil 44, wire 74, operating coil 45, wire 75 and brush 49, to the other terminal of the armature 50. The current flowing in the above traced path will cause an energization of indication electro-inagnet 25, thereby causing the armature 26 to be raised which being connected with rod 21 will cause said rod to be raised and the arm 20 of dog 16 to be struck thereby forcing the arm 18 from beneath the end of latch 13 so that the lever may be forced to the full normal position by hand or the sprlng 28 may be made of such length that acting through lever 2 by means or" shoulder 9 it can force the latch 13 downwardly and cause the lever 2, instead of being held in the normal indication position by the engagemei'it of shoulder 9 with the latch 13, to move to the full normal position, in which position it will be locked as long as the train is upon the track section A by reason of the dropping of projection 35 in notch 36.

As soon as the lever reaches the normal indication position in going to the full normal position as above described, the projection 85 drops into the notch 39, and thereby prevents the lever 2 from again being moved toward the reverse position until electromagnet 30 became energized. This is done to prevent either an inadvertent or intentional moving of the lever 2 to the reverse position while a train is upon track section A, and the signal is at the danger position. If the lever 2 were moved to the full reverse position under such conditions, the mechanical locking between the lever and other levers controlling other signals, governing movements over the track circuit section A could be released, so that the other signal levers could be moved to the reverse position, the signals controlled thereby moved to the operated position and a train accepting such signals could crash into the train upon the track section A.

From the above description it will be seen that applicant has devised a lever for controlling a signal which signal may be moved to the operated position, it track conditions are proper, and which signal will be moved to the danger position automatically by the entrance of a train upon the track circuit section controlled by the signal, and which lever embodies means for automatically moving the lever to a position so that the indication current generated by the return of the signal to danger position will be eilective which lever embodies a'minimum of change from the type of signal controlling lever now in use in dynamic return indication electric interlocking systems, and furthermore requires no change in the type of signal now commonly used for automatic block signaling.

Although I have particularly described the construction of one physical embodiment of my invention, and explained the operation and principle thereof; nevertheless, I desire to have it understood that the form selected is merely illustrative, but does not exhaust the possible physical embodiments of the idea of means underlying my invention.

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

1. In a signal mechanism: a signal having an operated position and a normal biased position; an electric motor including :1 revoluble armature for moving said signal to the operated position; a track circuit section; a translating device including a movable armature controlled by said track circuit section; a source of electro-motive force; a lock magnet; conductors connecting the lock magnet with the source of electromotive force forming a normally closed circuit including the armature of the translating device; a movable lever having a normal position, a normal indication position, and a reverse position; circuit coi'itrollers controlled by said lever; indication mechanism, including an electronmgnet, for controlling the movement of said lever from the normal indication position to the normal position; conductors connecting the clectro-niagnct ot the indication mechanism; the circuit controllers controlled by the lever; and the motor in a normally closed circuit which is broken by the movement of the lever from normal position to a position beyond normal indication position; conductors connecting the source of electro-motive force, the motor, and the circuit controllers controlled by the lever in a circuit completed by the circuit controllers controlled by the lever when the lever has been moved to the reversed position; circuit controllers controlled by the signal inserted in the conductors forming the circuit including the indication electromagnet and in the circuit including the source of current and the motor, for completing the first named circuit when the signal. is in the danger position and the second named circuit when the signal is in the operated position; a force exerting device acting on said lever when in reversed position to move it auton'iatically toward normal position; a two-ended locking member controlled by the lock-magnet; said lever having formed thereon notches and teeth, one end of said locking member fitting in a notch when the lever is in normal position and the lock magnet is deenergized and. preventing movement of the lever, the other end of said lever fitting in said teeth when the lever is in reverse position and the lock magnet is energized and preventing automatic movement of said lever toward nor mal position; the said one end fitting into another notch having one side sloping when the lever is in normal indication position for preventing a movement to reverse position of the lever but allowing a movement of the lever to normal position.

2. A lever; means for manually moving said lever; said lever having three positions, a normal position, a normal indication position and a reverse position; means connected to said lever for controlling mechanical op erations; means connected to said lever for controlling circuits; means comprising indication mechanism for preventing at times a movement of said lever from normal indication position to normal position; means constantly acting against said lever when it is in reverse position to move it automatically toward normal position; a lock magnet; means for controlling said lock magnet; a locking member controlled by said lock magnet having two operative parts; said lever having formed therein notches and teeth for cooperation with said locking member; one of the notches positioned for receiving one of the operative parts of the locking member when in normal position when the lock magnet is deenergized thereby preventing movement of the lever; another of the notches having one side sloping and positioned to receive the same operative part of the locking member when in normal indication position, thereby preventing a movement toward reverse position but allowing a movement to normal position, the teeth being positioned to receive the other operative part of the locking member when in re versed position, when the lock magnet is energized thereby preventing automatic movement toward the normal position; said means constantly acting against the lever being strong enough to force the lever toward normal position from reverse position when the lock magnet is deenergized; said means for manually moving the lever capable of overcoming the locking action of said second named operative part of the looking member.

RAOUL Gr. BALOAEN.

Witnesses:

LILLIAN L. PHILLIPS, MINNIE A. LoI-rR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Batents, Washington, I). C.

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