US1128932A - Automatic train-stop. - Google Patents

Description

F. G. BASTIAN.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN STOP.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.22,1913

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

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IIVI/EIVTOR Gr. Bas'l'ian Frederic k ATTORNEYS F. G. BASTIAN.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN STOP.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22, 1913v Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

% y w M By 7%W ATTORNEYS F. G. BASTIAN.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN STOP.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22, 1913.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

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8 WITNESS s H mm my Wm V e k V .m B H m m F ATTORNEYS ,hTT orricn FREDERICK GEOB G'E BASTIAN, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN-STOP.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK G. Bas TIA), a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Buiialo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Train-Stop, of which the following'is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to apparatus for stopping a. railway train by automatically applying the brakes in the event the engineer ignores the signal.

It is a design of my invention to provide an improved means for releasing the air in the train line of the brake system, to reduce the pressure in the train pipe for applying the brakes, by partially exhausting the air into an exhaust reservoir instead of directly into the atmosphere, whereby the. pressure in the said reservoir and train pipe will be I equalized after the brakes-have been applied and the train stopped.

It is a further design of my invention to automatically cut ofi the train line from the main reservoir when the brake is: automatically applied, so that the brakes cannot be released by the engineer until he has deliberately restored the system to operative condition after the automatic operation.

It is a further design of my invention to provide an automatic brake-operating means that will effect an application of the brakes in two stages.

The invention hasalso for its design, a novel, automatically -operated valve commanding communication between the main reservoir and the train pipe.

It is furthermore a design of'the invention to improve in various particulars appara-tus of the general character indicated, to the. end that efiiciency in operation may be promoted, as well as simplicity of adjustment and control.

The distinguishing features of my invention will be further elucidated and the important structural elements characterizing the practical embodiment which is illustrated as an example will be more particularly explained in the specific description hereinafter to be given.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specifi cation, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, with parts.

Specification of Letters Patent.

point on the engine.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

Application filed. January 22, 1913. Serial No. 743,488.

broken away, of an engine and tender having my invention applied thereto together with a means for supplying an electric current; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the circuits; Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section of the three-way valve commanding communication between the main reservoir and the train pipe; Fig. t is a side elevation,

with parts in section, showing a means for closing the throttle; Fig. 5 is a cross section on an enlarged scale, of a conductor section for supplying current through a trolley; Fig. 6 is a partial, longitudinal sectional view of the conductor section; and Fig. 7 is a plan view thereof.

I have illustrated my improved trainstopping meansas operated by an electric current and it will. be understood that the current may be supplied to the engine in any approved manner; as an example, I have shown a trolley taking the current from an overhead conductor.

In carrying out the invention as illustrated, the locomotive 1O mounts a trolley 11, which may have any approved arrangement of retractile spring 11*, to maintain the trolley in position to contact with .a conductor section 12, hereinafter more particularly described, said conductor section being supplied with a current .by an auxiliary feeder 13 from a main feeder cable 14: through a switch or controller 15, which is actuated by any approved form of signal 1.6, so that the current will be supplied to the conductor section 12 whenever the signal 16 is set at danger.

The current passes from the trolley 11 through the wire 17 to a solenoid 18, the plunger 1.9 of which is pivotally connected with the longer arm of a lever 20 which is fulcrumed on any convenient hanger 21 or other support on the engine, the solenoid being in practice, located at any convenient The short arm of the lever 20 is pivotally connected with the stem 22 of a piston valve 23 in the valve casing 24, the valve being adapted to release the air in the train pipe 25.

Instead of releasing the air directly to the atmosphere, I cause it to pass to an exhaust reservoir 26, preferably carried at the under side of the tender 10. Communication is established between the train pipe 25 and exhaust reservoir 26 through a pipe 27 and a U-shaped port comprising parallel ports 28, 29, formed in the valve 23 and a connecting port 30. The arrangement is such that the U-shaped port may establish connection between the pipe 27 of the exhaust reservoir 26 and an exhaust 31 to the atmosphere, or said U-shaped port may establish connection between the train pipe and the pipe 27 leading to the exhaust reservoir, as hereinafter explained. The valve 23 is also formed with a through-port 33, in the form of a straight passage between the train pipe 25 and the pipe 32 leading from the main reservoir 34 to the valve casing 24. It is to be understood that the communication between the main reservoir and the train pipe is, in practice, throngh the medium of the engineers valve.

In operation, a current passing from the conductor section 12 throu h the trolley to the solenoid 18, will so roc' the lever 20 as to move the valve 23 downward in its casing 24,- so that the port or passage 33 will be out of register with the train pipe 25 and the pipe 32 from the main reservoir: and at the same time the U-shaped ports 28, 29, will connect the train pipe 25 with the-pipe 27 leading to the exhaust reservoir 26, the result of which will be that the pressure will be reduced in the train pipe 25 sufiiciently to throw the usual air brakes into operation in the ordinary manner. -It will be seen that since the main reservoir 34 is cut off from the train pipe 25. the engine'er cannot release the brakes of the train, and the arrangement and proportions of the conductor section 12 are such as to maintain the current in the solenoid until the train is stopped, so that it will be necessary for the engineer to deliberatelybr'eak the electric' circuit in order for the valve 23 to rise to again establish connection between the train-line and the main'reservoir, to give the engineer command of the brake sys- The valve 23 is raised by the weight of the plunger 19 of the solenoid, said lunger gravitating to the lower position su ciently to raise the valve when the circuitis broken as hereinafter described, and the raising of the valve connects the pipe 27 of the exhaust reservoir with the exhaust 31 to the atmosphere.

The capacity of the exhaust reservoir is such that a reduction of pressure in the train pipe will be effected sufliciently to apply the brakes and stop, the train before the pressure is equalized in the exhaust reservoir and train pipe. The eventual equalizing of pressure will occur, however, after the train stops. The reduction of pressure in the train pipe will thus be more gradual than if the air in the train pipe were directly exhausted to the atmosphere, and besides, there will be no further loss of air from the train pipe after the equalization df pressure.

The conductor section 12 is' in the form of an overhead trolley approach and support for conductors and is provided \vlth an untial conductor element 12 with Which the trolley 11 will first contact, said section being suitably connected as at 13 with the auxiliary feeder 13. A second conductor element 12", of greater length than the initial conductor element 12 is provided, and the two conductor elements are insulated from each other and spaced apart a substantial distance by insulating material 12, the result of which is that the initial contact of the trolley 11 with the conductor element 12 will cause a partial reduction of pressure in the train line. The initial contact is temporary and terminates when the trolley reaches the insulating material 12; in the continued movement of the trolley it will contact with the longer conductor element 12 and effect av final application of the brakes. bringing the train to a stop.

The conductor sections are respectively of such a length that if the train is traveling at high speed, as it will ordinarily be if a signal be ignored, the first conductor section will be traversed so rapidly as to cause the valve to open and close again quickly and not cause it to remain open long enough to reduce the train pipe pressure to a degree to stop the train. but will reduce its speed. The second trolley section, however, is of a length that the valve will be open long enough for the pressure to be reduced for application of the brakes to stop the train. Thus there is an application of the brakes in two stages. he overhead trolley section has its ends in the form of flaring approaches 12 that converge toward the inner ends for properly guiding the trolley to the conductor elements.

In connection with the automatic brakeapplying means. I may provide as well for throwing the throttle lever automatically by air pressure from the main reservoir, and I have illustrated my invention as adapted for use with a throttle-lever control; thus a three-way valve 35 operates in a valve casing 36 which is connected by a pipe 37 with the main reservoir 34. and connected by a pipe 38 with a cylinder 39. in which operates a piston 40. From the piston rod 40" of the piston 40, a connecting rod 4-0 extends to a suitable connection with the throttle-lever 41 for throwing the throttle-open ating rod 42. The three-way valve 35 has a U-shaped port 43 for establishing connection between the pipe 38 and an exhaust 44 to the atmosphere, for exhausting the cylinder 39 after a stroke of the piston 40. The valve 35 has av second port 45 forming a through passage transversely of the valve similar to the passage 33 in the valve 23, which when the valve is in the lower position, establishes communication between the pipe 37 from the main reservoir and the pipe 38 to the cylinder 39. The connection between the connecting rod 40 and the throttle lever 41 is through the medium of a bell crank lever 46, one arm of which engages in a slot 47 of the lever latch 48 that engages the usual sector 49, so that upon the initial movement of the piston rod in a forward direction, the bell crank 46 will release the latch l8, and a continued movement of the piston will throw the throttle lever 41. The usual latch handle '50 is provided for the latch -18, that it may be manually operated when desired, the slot 47 permitting this manual operation. without interference by the bell crank lever 46.

It will be observed that the valve is essentially the same as the valve 23, and similarly said valve is operated by means corresponding with those described in connection. with the valve 23; thus a branch wire 51 leads from the wire 17 through a solenoid 52 in the enginecab. The plunger of the solenoid connects With the long. arm of a lever fulcrumed on a hanger 55 or its equivalent, the shorter arm of the lever being pivotally connected with the valve stem 56 of the valve 55.

By the described arrangement it will be seen that simultaneously with the passage of the current to the solenoid 18, it will pass through the wire 51 to the solenoid 52; the circuit, as will be obvious, may be grounded in any suitable manner, as for instance, the wire 1T may lead from the solenoid 18 to the body of the locomotive as in Fig. 1.

v In the diagram I have conventionally shown an extension 17 to the wheel 10". Similarly the wire 51 from the solenoid 52 may be connected suitably with the body of the engine; .in Fi 2 the circuit is shown grounded conventionally through the wheel 10".

The character 13 indicates the conneetion between the feeder 13 and the conductor section 12". Supporting posts for the conductor section are indicated by the numeral 58. I

The described construction afiords a practical means for carrying my invention into effect, and I'would state in conclusion that I do not limit myself strictly to the mechanical details herein illustrated, since manifestly the same can be considerably varied without departure from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In an automatic train stop, the combination with the main reservoir and the train pipe, of an exhaust reservoir, a valve casing, and a piston valve movable in said casing. the casing having connection with the main reservoir and train pipe and with the exhaust reservoir, and having an exhaust to the atmosphere, and the valve having a port to establish communication between the main reservoir and train pipe, and a port adapted to establish communication between the train pipe and the exhaust reservoir or between the exhaust reservoir and the exhaust to the atmosphere.

:2. In an automatic train stop, the combination with the main reservoir and train pipe, of an exhaust reservoir, a valve casing, a piston valve movable in said casing, the casing having connection with the main reservoir and train pipe and With the exhaust reservoir and having also an exhaust to the atmosphere, and electrically operated means for actuating the valve, said means con'iprising an electric circuit and serving to move the valve to a position to cut off communication between the main reservoir and train pipe and to permit escape of air from the train pipe, said electric means serving to, sustain the valve with the communication between the train pipe and reservoir cut oil while the circuit is closed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK GEORGE BASTIAN. Witnesses:

JAMES F. WARD, HIRAM W. BRoWN.

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