US1178018A - Traffic-indicator. - Google Patents

Description

M. KAZAWA.

TRAFFIC INDICATOR. APPLICATION FILED MAR. i5, I9I5.

l Patented Apr. 4, 1916. jffyv? 1,178,018. Il Zyl-z' THE COLUMBIA ILANDGRAPH C0., WASHINGTON, u. c.

MASUNOSUKE KAZAWA, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

TRAFFIC-INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

a Application filed March 15, 1915. Serial No. 14,503. Y

To all whom t may concern.'

Be 1t known that I, MAsUNosUKn KAzAwA,

'a subject of the Emperor of Japan, and a resident of the city of Seattle, in the county of .King and State of Vashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tralic-Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists Vof a traffic indicator or a device to be mounted upon vehicles to indicate the direction in which it is intended to steer'the vehicle.

The object of my invention is to producev a device of reasonable cost and which may be conveniently operated to clearly indicate the direction in which it is intended to turn the vehicle, so that other traffic in the street may control its movements accordingly and collisions be thus avoided.

The particular features of which my invention consists will be defined by the claims terminating this specification.

In the accompanyingfdrawingl have shown my invention embodied in the forms of construction which are now preferred by me.

Figure 1 is a section through the vdevice taken on a plane extending from front to rear. Fig. 2 is a section taken upon the line 2-2 of Fig. `1. Fig. 3 is a section, which, in the main, is `upon a central horizontal plane of Fig. 2. as shown by line 3 3, one side of the device being'broken away. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the device showing the targets and the windows at which they are exposed, portions ofthe device being broken away, and Fie'. 5 is a sectional view taken from the point indicated by the characters 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Mv device is mounted within a casing which.l as shown, consists of a cylinder, orv

ring. 1, provided with a back l0. and a front 11, the latter being provided with openings 12, 13 and 14, these serving as windows through-which the targets, which are within the casing. may be seen when placed in' proper pcsition. A frame 2, which is supported within the device, carries upon it the means by which the targets are operated. The targets consist of three disks 30, 31 and 32, all of which are pivoted to swing upon a common pivot 3, the latter being placed at the center of the casing. Each target consists of a disk member, and which,

S. This target is Anormally exposed before j the center window 12 and, when seen, indi# cates that the vehicle is intending to' proceed straight ahead. rl`he other targets 30, 32 are normally held at points intermediate the center window 12 and the side windows 13, 14. The side windows 13, 14 are separated from the center window 12 a sufficient distance, so that in the normal positions of the targets 30 and 32 the latter may not be seen. I have shown the windows as sepa-Y rated from each other 90,and the targets in their position of rest, as being separated from each other 45. The arms ofthe two outer targets 30 and 32, engage with stops, as pins 35, which prevent their swinging nearer the center than that occupied in the position of rest. When the device is 'oper-V ated, the center target 3l and one of the end targetsis swung away from the center in a direction which will raise the outer target to its window 13 or 14, as the case may be, the other end target is not moved from its position of rest. The means for securing this result are as follows: Secured upon the shaft 3 is a pinion land a disk or equivalent member 40. The disk 40 has a flange 41 which is provided with notches to receive the arms 33 of the various targets. Secured to shaft 3 isa pointer 42, which is outside or in front of the face or dial 11. T his pointer, normally, is in a dependent position, pointing tothe window 12. This may be moved through 90 tohave it point to either of the windows 13 or 14, while the targets k30 and 32, which are exposed at these windows, need only to move through 45. In consequence of this, the arm of the center target 31 is placed in a slot which will permit of movement of the disk 40 through 45o before it will engage the arm 33. The flange 41 of this disk is also provided with two slots which receive the arms of the respective targets 30 and 32. These slots, when the disk is in the position of rest, are of such length that they extend 45 from the arm of each target 30 and 32 toward the center, and 90 in the other direction. Therefore, when the 'disk is turned in Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

soV

one direction, it will not pick up the' end target 30 or 32, as the case may be, until after it has moved 45, that is, until the pointer 42 comes into line with the arm 33 of this target, and itwill not engage the arm of the other end target to move it. at all. Also it will lnot engage the arm of the center target 31 until it has moved through 45 and will then swing it into the position before occupied by the end target which is being moved. I

The means for turning the pointer and the disl 40. are as follows: An. arm 5 is pivoted at 50 and has its 'free end branched to form a yoke 51, which is secured to the ends of the rack bar 52, which rack bai meshes with the pinion i. Another arm 6 is pivoted at 60, at the opposite side of the center and is connected with the arm 5 by means of a slot 6l, through which passes a securing pin 62. rIhe pivot G, may conveniently Vbe a shaft which extends outside the case and which is turned by any suitable or convenient means, as, for instance, a small hand wheel 63, which turning means may be located at any convenient accessible point. When the arm 6 is swung upon its pivot it will swing the arm 5, which carries the rack 52, thereby turning the pinion d and disk 4() byv which the targets are moved. These parts are automatically returned to their center position by means oit' spring 7, which are se-` cured to' the ends of the arm 6 and toV threaded bolts 70, which extend through the wall of the case and are adjusted in position by means of thumb nutsfl By adjusting these anchor bolts, the tensionV upon the springs 7 may be adjusted'so as to draw these parts to their center position whenever released.

Having thus described my invention7 what I claim as new, and desire'to secure by Letters Patent of y the United States ofv America, is

y"l. A' traffic indicator having a front facev provided with three windows, three signal targets pivoted back of said tace and adapted to swing to expose each at its' respective window, stops engagingrthe end targets ci the series to prevent swinging toward the center position beyond fixed points, and 'a target swinging member pivoted concentric with the targets and having a slack engagement with all said targets,

Copies said slack being greater for the end targets than for the center one.

Q. A traffic' indicator having a face orv dial having three windows positioned at successive points separated by 900, three targets pivoted concentric with said windows and adapted to be displayed thereat, stops preventing the end targets of the series from being exposed at the center window, an ex! teriorly disposed 4pointer pivoted concentric with the targets, means for swinging said pointer,and means connecting said'p'ointer operatin'gme'ans with the targets to 'swing the latter half the amount of swing otA ther.

pointer. u 3. A tratic indicator having a face or dialv having three windows positioned at successive points separated by 900, threel targets pivoted concentric with lsaid windows and adapted to be displayed thereat, stops-preventing theV end targets of the series Jfrom being exposed at the center window, an ex-` teriorly disposed pointer pivoted concentric being exposed at the center window, an exteriorly disposed pointer pivoted concentric with the targets, means ors'winging said pointer, and a: memberv inward ofthe face connected tol swing' with the pointerand, having stops engaging thetargets to swing them, saidV stops.` beingspaced -to' permit swinging of the pointer- 450' before engaging:z the targets, and fixed stops engaging 'theyendtargetsoi the series to prevent them from4 swinging toward the center from their position of rest. i I 'Signed' at Seattle,- 'iashi-ngton, this-17th day of February, 1915. f l.

' MA'SUNOSUKE KAZAVA; Y Y Witnesses: f

HNRY L. REYNOLDS; j JAMES E. SPnoLL.

of this patent may be obtained for rive cents each, by addressing the Gommissonerotlfatentsg Washington` D. C.

ipo

Images