US1147596A - Electromechanical system to avoid railway collisions. - Google Patents

Description

ATTILIO BEER, DECD. BY CESIRA BEER w|0ow counz pzclo BONAMINI). HEIR AT LAW. ELECTROMECHANICAL SYSTEM TO AVOID RAILWAY COLLISIONS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG- I2, 1911- 1,147,596.

Patented July 20, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET].

WITNESSES ATTILIO BEER, DECD. BY CESIRA BEER (wwow CONTE DECIO BONAMINI). HEIR AT LAW- ELECTROMECHANICAL SYSTEM TO AVOID RAILWAY COLLISIONS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-12' 19H.

Patented July 20, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES AT'IILIO BEER, DECEASED, LATE or vENIcE, manner c s Ee BEER, wizoovv 'ooN'rE DECIO EoivAMInr. or PESARO, ITALY, HEIB AT LAW or SAID ATTILIO BEER.

ELEGTROMEGI-IANICAL SYSTEM TO AVOID RAILWAY GQ L I JISION'SP Lie-wee.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 29, 1915.

Original application filed. June 21, 1909, Serial No. 503,488. Divided and this application filed August 12,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that A'rrILio BEER, deceased, formerly a subject of the King of Italy, lately residing at Venice, Italy, (CESIRA BEER, (widow BoNAinNn) of Pesaro, Italy,

of manually operated controlling apparatus and partly by the trains.

According to the invention an electric slot device is provided for connecting the motor or operating rod to the signal arm in which the. armature of the slot magnet in its inoperative or normal position is at such a distance from the poles of the magnet as to be beyond the influence of the latter, and is moved into its operative position near the poles of the slot magnet by the first part of the movement of the motor or of the operating rod in setting the signal. With this arrangement there is no danger of the armaturebeing energized by stray currents traversing the slot magnet and thus accidentally connecting the signal to the operating parts when this is not desired.

The invention further consists in the arrangement and combination of the various devices constituting the improved signal operating mechanism as described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims. The

improved signal operating mechanism is de-' signed more particularly for employment with the railway block signaling system described in the specification accompanying application Serial No. 503488 but the scope of the invention is not restricted to the said system as the invention can advantageously be employed in any railway signaling systern where it is desired to control the signals electrically. I

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings illustrates diagrammatically signal operating mechanisms constructed and arranged in accordance with the invention, and adapted to be actuated electrically, while Figs. 2

and 3 show the essential parts of similar Serial No. 643,745.

mechanism adapted to be actuated hand,

both forms of the mechanism being controlled electrically.

Referring first to Fig. 1 of the drawings,

the signal, preferably of the usual sema-' phore type, is electrically actuated by means of the electric motor 1 which is connected to the shaftv 2 through suitable gearing, the motor shaft being provided with a ratchet device 3 so as to insure rotation in one direc vtiononly. The shaft 2 carries a diskfil provided with one or IIIOI'G'PlIlS 5 adapted to engage with slots in a winding drum 6 loosely mounted'upon the shaft 2. The disk 4 is keyed on to the shaft 2 and the winding drum 6 is arranged to be held in engagement with the pins 5 on the disk l by means or a moved out of engagement with the said pins:

by means of arms 9 pivoted at1Oan'dattached to lever 11 formingi the armature of an electro-magnet 12. The lever 11 when released from the electro -magnet 12 falls andcauses the arms .9 to move the winding drumB out of engagement with the pins 5 against the action of the weighted bell crank, lever 7 ,"8 so as to effect a disengagement of' and the weight 16 being mounted on opposite arms of a lever arranged to be retained in its attracted position, when moved thereto by the electro-magnet 15, by means of Weighted catch'18 having a releasing arm 19.

weighted bell crank lever 7,] 8 and to bel The'electro-m'agnet 12 is provided with an auxiliary armature 20, which, when the electro-magnet is energized, closesa switch 21 connected'in the circuit of the electro -mag IlBt 15. v

The signal is operated by means of a cord 22 attached to a lever 23 and adapted to be wound upon the drum 6 as will be hereinafter described. Thele ver 23 is pivoted at 24 and is, connectedjto the signal rod 25. The finger 26 is pivoted at 27 and is connected by means ofa' rod 28 to the lever 11. A pin or projection 29 on the lever 23 serves to move the lever 11 forming the armature of the electro-magnet 12 within magnetizable distance from the poles ofthe latter as the lever 23 is pulled down by the motor 1 in setting the signal. The lever 23 is also provided with a pin 30 adapted, when in its lowest position to engage with the releasing arm 19 of the catch 18. The rod 28 is provided with a pin 31 adapted to engage with a pivoted lever 32 carrying a movable contact 33 adapted to co-act with fixed contacts 34-, so that when the finger 26 is released by the disengagement of the pin 29 and the lever 11 is released by the deenergizing of the electro-magnet 12, the said finger and rod 28 may be dispensed with if desired .without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The operation of the mechanism is as follows: Upon the electro-magnet 12 being energized the auxiliary armature 20 is at tracted and closes the switch 21, thereby connecting the electro-magnet 15 in circuit, so that if the circuit of this electro-magnet is afterward completed the electro-magnet will be energized and will move its armature 17 to close the switch 14, the armature 17 being held in its closed position by means of the catch 18. The motor cricuit is thus closed and the winding drum 6 being operated by the motor will wind up the cord 22 and draw the lever 23 into its lowest position, thereby operating the signal rod 25 to move the signal to the safety or off position. On the lever 23 being pulled down in the manner just described the pin 29 which moves in the arc of a circle about the center 24% presses a projection 26 on the finger 26 to the left. This causes the finger 26 to rotate momentarily around the pivot 27 in the counter clockwise direction thereby raising the rod 28 and the lever 11 so that the armature on the end of said lever is brought nearer to the magnet 12. The lever 23 will continue to move downward until the pin 30 strikes the releasing arm 19 of the catch 18. As the circuit of the electromagnet 15 has in normal working already been opened at a point not shown on the drawing the releasing of the catch 18 will allow the switch 14c to open and thus interrupt the motor circuit; the signal will therefore remain in the safety position until the current in the electro-magnet 12 is interrupted, in which case the lever 11 and finger 26 connected thereto by rod 28 will fall freely and bring the arms 9 into engagement with the winding drum 6 so as to move it out of engagement with the pins 5. As the finger 26 and rod 28 descend the pin 31 on the latter engages the lever 32 and brings the contact 33 into engagement with the fixed contacts 3a, 35. The counterweight on the singal arm will then move the signal back to the danger position, the cord 22 being unwound from the winding drum 6 which is now disconnected from the motor 1. As the lever 23 rises under the action of the signal counterweight to its normal position illustrated in the drawing the pin 29 thereon again engages under the finger 26 and lifts this, together with rod 28 and lever 11, into its initial position. As the pin 31 releases lever 32 the counterweight on the end of the latter separates the contact 33 from the fixed contacts 34, 35 and the whole of the parts again take up the position shown in the drawing ready for the next operation. It should be noted that the auxiliary armature 20 is pivotally mounted in such a manner as to maintain the switch 21 in its open position when the electro-magnet is deenergized.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, which illustrates a form of the invention adapted for manually operated signals, the semaphore operating mechanism is shown as comprising two rods 37, 38, the former of which is connected to the signal arm and the latter to the operating rod. These rods are supported in brackets 39, 40, 4,1 and the upper extremity of the rod 38 is forked to receive the lower extremity of the rod 37 which is provided with a slot 42 within which a pin 13 attached to the rod 38 is adapted to slide. On either side of the rod 38 are two similarly shaped plates n and 15 rotatably mounted on the pin 13 and extending upwardly on both sides of the rod 37. The upper portions of the plates 44s and 45 are provided with projections as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 adapted, under certain conditions, to engage with a pin 46 attached to the rod 37, as will be hereafter ex plained. Botatably mounted on a pin 47 attached to the casing is a plate 48 rigidly connected to a channel piece l9 which pro jects on either side of the rods 37 and 38. The channel piece 49 is provided with slots 50 adapted to receive rings 51, 52 surround ing the pin 43 which engage with the sides of said slots and, in the normal position of the apparatus, retain the plate 48 in the position shown in Fig. 2 in which the plate 18 lies close to the rod 37. Adjacent to the plate 42, a sector shaped plate 53 is pro Ii vided rotatably mounted on a pin 5% attached to the casing, and attached to this sector-shaped portion 53 is an arm 55 adapted to project within a slot 56 formed in an arm 57 rotatably mounted on a pin 58 atff-ia tached to the casing. The arm 57 carries the armature 59 of a magnet 60 and the armature 59 normally rests upon the upper extremity of a finger 61 rotatably mounted on a pin 62. The finger 61 owing to its weight normally rests on a pin 63 attached to the rod 38 and is provided with a cam surface 64. A weight is attached to the armature 59 so that the armature is normally beyond the influence of the electromagnet 60, that is to say, in an inoperative position, and the location of said weight may be so varied that the armature 59 falls on to the finger 61 when the apparatus is used in either a horizontal or in a vertical position.

The operation of the apparatus'is as follows: hen it is desired to move the signal arm into the off or safety position, the rod 38 is drawn in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, by means of the operating lever, and the pin 63 acting on the cam surface 64 raises the finger 61 thereby raising the arm 57 bringing the armature 59 within magnetizable distance of the electro-magnet 60, that is into an operative position. The arm 57 being raised, the lower edge of the slot 56 which is in engagement with the arm causes the sector shaped plate 53 to rotate on the pin 54. The plates 44 and 45 and pin 43 with rings 51 and 52 slide respectively along the flat parts of the plate 48, and the sides of the slot 42' formed in rod 37 and slot 50 formed in the channel piece 49, so that the rod 37 attached to the signal arm, during this movement of the rod 38 remains stationary. As the rod 38 continues to move, pin 63 passes beyond the cam surface 64 on the finger 61 so that the latter rests upon the pin 63 and follows its downward movement. At the same time the rings 51 and 52 leave the slots cut in the channel piece 49 and the projections 66 on the plates 44 and 45 approach the pin 46. If the electro-magnet 60 is energized so as to attract the armature 59 and retain it in its attracted position against the action of the weight 65 the sector 53 remains in the position to which it has been moved and the plate 48 is thus prevented from rotating on the pin 47. The plates 44 and 45 therefore are prevented from rotating on the pin 43 and when the projection 66 comes into contact with the pin 46 the continued movement of the rod 38 draws down said pin 46 and with it the rod 37 to which it is attached, moving the signal arm to the safety position. Should the electro-magnet 60 not be energized the armature 59 and the arm 57 will follow the downward movement of the finger 61 carrying the armature 59 into an inoperative position and since the arm 55 will fall by its own weight, the sector 53 will rotate on the pin 54 and be no longer maintained in engagement with the plate 48. The latter being, therefore, free to rotate, the downward movement of the plate 44 will no longer draw down the rod 37 since the projections 66 will slip past the pin 46, rotating the plates 44 and 45 on the pin 43, forcing out the plate 48 and leaving the rod 37 in its normal position of rest with the signal at danger. If, after the rod 37 has been pulled down as first described, the electro-magnet 60 should become de energized, the armature 59 under the influ-- ence of the weight 65 will detach itself from the magnet and, owing to the slot 56, will fall freely until the top edge of the slot 56 strikes the upper portion of the arm :55. The sector 53 will therefore rotate and allow the plate 48 to turn on the pin 47 ,Ithus permitting the plates 44 and 45 to rotate on the pin 43 and thereby releasing the pin 46 and enabling the rod 37 to return to its normal position. It will be seen that by this arrangement and by suitably varying the position of the weight 65, this device can be operated in either a horizontal or in a vertical position. Moreover, the armature 59 being normally beyond the magnetic in-. fluence of the electro-magnet 60, that is to say in an inoperative position, any possibility of the satisfactory operation of the device being affected by stray currents energizing the magnet 60 is avoided.

Iclaim as my invention 1. In apparatus for controlling a railway signal, a counter-weight normally holding the signal in danger position, an electric motor, signal operating mechanism, a device normally retaining the motor in connection with the said mechanism, a counteracting device capable, when released, of overcoming the action of the first mentioned device and of disconnecting the motor from the signal operating mechanism, a connection from the signal to the said counteracting device normally holding the latter out of action, a slot magnet co5perating, when energized, with said connection upon the counteracting device, and means for energizing the slot magnet.

2. In apparatus for controlling a railway signal, a counter-weight normally holding the signal in danger position, an electric motor, signal operating mechanism, a gravityactuated device normally retaining the motor in connection with said mechanism, a weighted lever capable, when released, of overcoming the action of said gravity-actuated device and of disconnecting the motor from the signal operating mechanism, a mechanical connection between the signal operating mechanism and the said weighted lever enabling the latter to be normally held out of action by the signal counter-weight,. a slot magnet, an armature on the weighted lever attracted by the slot magnet when energized, an electro-magnetic switch also acted upon by the slot magnet and controlling the circuit of the electric motor, and means for energizingthe slot magnet.

3. In apparatus for controlling an electrically operated railway signal, an electric motor for bringing the signal into clear position in opposition to a counter-weight, a source of current in circuit with the motor, a relay magnet controlling the said circuit, a slot magnet controlled from a signal cabin for controlling the circuit of the relay, and means also controlled by the slot magnet, and actuated upon the deenergizing of the same, for disconnecting the motor from the signal in order to allow the-latter to return from clear to danger position.

i. In apparatus for controlling an electrically operated railway signal, the combination with a signal operating rod, and an electric motor for operating the same, of a relay controlling the motor circuit, a slot magnet controlling the circuit of the relay, a gravity actuated device tending normally to retain the motor in engagement with the said signal operating rod, a weighted lever controlled by the slot magnet for auto matically disconnecting the motor from the signal operating rod when the slot magnet is deenergized, and means operated by the signal operating rod for engaging and moving the said weighted lever to its inoperative position as the signal moves from its safety to its danger position.

5. In controlling apparatus for electrically operated railway signals, a signal operating lever, a winding drum, a motor for operating the winding drum, a gravity-actuated device tending normally to retain the motor in engagement with the winding drum, a weighted lever for automatically disconnecting the motor, a slot magnet controlling the operation of the said lever, and means for returning the said lever into its initial position under the action of the signal operating lever.

6. In apparatus for controlling an electrically operated railway signal, a signal operating rod and an electric motor normally in operative connection therewith for bringing the signal into its'clear position, a slot magnet controlling thecircuit of the motor, a weighted lever for disconnecting the motor from the signal operating rod under predetermined conditions of the track, an armature carried by the weighted lever, a mechanical connection between the signal operating rod and the weighted lever normally supporting the latter from the former, and a cam device attached to, or forming part of, the said mechanical connection, for lifting the weighted lever into the effective Zone of the slot magnet by the first movement of the operating rod in lowering the signal.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CESIRA BEER,

(WIDOW BONAMINL) [a s.] Sole heir at law of Attil'io Beer, deceased.

Witnesses:

AnoLro GIDoNI FU CARLO, SLUE TI-IAYN.

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

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