US1190509A - Electric train-wire coupling. - Google Patents

Description

T. R. BROWN.

ELECTRIC TRAIN WIRE COUPLING.

Patented July 11,1916.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. H, 1914.

THOMAS R. BROWN, OF SPARKILL, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE WESTINGHOUSE AIR BRAKE COMPANY, OF WILMERIOING, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

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ELECTRIC TRAIN-WIRE COUPLING.

Patented July II, IWLW.

Application filed March 11, 1914. Serial No. 823,969.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS R. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sparkill, in the county of Rockland and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric Train- Wire Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to coupling devices for connecting the electric train line circuits between the cars or other vehicles ofa train.

The principal object of my invention is to provide an electrically controlled coupling of the above type.

In the accompanying drawing; Figure 1 is a, vertical section of a pair of electric train wire couplers embodying my invention and shown in coupled position; Fig. 2 a vertical section of a train wire coupling in the normal uncoupled position; Fig. 3 a transverse section of the coupling on the line w-b of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 a sectional view of a coupler lock and a fluid pressure release device applied thereto.

As shown invthe drawing, the coupling may comprise a casing adapted to be car ried by the car coupler or adapted to be operated as a separate device when provided with suitable means for bringing the ends into proper alinement for coupling, but as this forms no part of my present invention, it is not deemed necessary to illustrate such means in the drawing.

The coupling casing may consist of a casting 1, preferably of brass, a cast iron shell 2 containing an electro-magnet coil 3, a cast iron pole piece 4 interposed between the casting 1 and the shell 2, and a brass tail piece 5, the above parts being securely clamped together by means of longitudinal brass bolts 6, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawing. A sliding contact carrier 7 of insulating material is mounted within the coupler casing and is provided with a plurality of pairs of contact bars 8 audit) arranged horizontally, either on one side or on opposite sides of the carrier, each pair of contacts 8 and 9 being electrically connected together by a suitable wire embedded in the insulating material. Mounted within a recess of the casting 1 are a plurality of spring pressed contact fingers 10 adapted to engage the contacts 8 and 9 and each finger is connected to a corresponding train wire leading out of the coupling through cable 11.

The contact carrier 7 is secured to a soft steel core 12 mounted within the electro-inagnet coil 3 and adapted to. slide longitudinally in a chamber in the tail piece 5. The pole plece 4 has a flange section 13 surrounding the carrier 7 and extending inwardly toward the end of the core 12, so that the magnetic lines of force will act in the direction of movement of the core. The'inner end of the flange section 13 is preferably covered with a facing 14 of leather or brass to prevent magnetic sticking of the core to the pole piece and to serve as a cushion. The core 12 is provided with a recess 15 within which a loosely fitting plunger 16 is mounted and a spring 17 is interposed between sald plunger and the rear end of the tail piece 5. The spring 17 may be normally held under initial tension by means of connected links 18, one of which is secured to the plunger 16 and the other to an eye member 19 screwed into the end of the tail piece 5.

The tail piece 5 is preferably provided with a thin flange 20 adapted to fill the gap between the end walls of the shell 2 and the core' 12, so as to prevent sticking between the shell and the core.

The electro-magnet coil 3 has its terminals connected to leads 21 and 22 leading out through cable 11 and having :a suitable source of current 23 connected in the lead 21. For "controlling the circuit of the electro-magnet coil, a manually operated switch is provided at a convenient point for manipulation, the switch being represented diagrammatically in the drawing by the key 24:.

In order to economize current, the coupling is designed to use current only for projecting the contact carrier in making the electrical connections between the cars, and for the purpose of holding the carrier in its coupled position, a locking device is provided. The locking device shown in'the drawings is arranged to be controlled by fluid under pressure, although it will be understood that the same may be otherwise controlled if desired. Said locking device may comprise a piston 25 mounted in a piston chamber 26 and carrying a locking stem 27 adapted to engage the rear end of the core 12 when the contact carrier is in its outer position and thereby prevent retractive movement thereof.

A spring 28 acts on one side of the piston 25 in a direction to move the parts to locking position and the piston is open on the opposite side to a passage 29, leading to a pipe 30 through which, by manipulation of a suitable cock, fluid may be supplied to said passage. The piston 25-may also control a port 31 leading to a pipe 32 which may communicate with the controlling piston 39 of the locking lever 40 of a car coupler, such as shown, for example, in pending application, Serial No. 756,469, filed March 24, 1913. The passage 29 leads to a chamber 33 containing a movable abutment 34 having a projecting stem 35 through which a hole 36 extends. Said abutment is subject to the pressure of a spring 37 tending to hold the abutment in its outer position and the adjacent faces of the stems 35 on counterpart couplings are adapted to engage when cars are coupled together and thus form a connected passage way from one coupling to the other.

In operation, when adjacent cars are brought to the coupled position, the faces of the electric coupling heads engage, as shown in Fig. l of the drawing, the contact carrier 7 being then in the normal position, as shown in Fig. 2. In order to efliect the electric connection of. the train line circuits, either one of the switches 24 may be closed. If, for example, the left hand switch be closed, the

. electro-magnet coil 3 of the left hand coupling is energized and the core 12 is drawn outwardly, thereby projecting the contact carrier attached thereto 'into the counterpart coupling. The movement of the contact carrier forces the contact carrier of the adjacent car rearwardly to the position shown in Fig, 1, compressing the spring 17, and the respective pairs of contacts 8 and 9 are brought into engagement with the contact fingers 1010 in the opposing coupling heads, thus completing the corresponding train line circuits. The movement of the core 12 to its outer position permits the locking stem to move into locking position behind the core 12 through the action of the spring 28 acting on piston 25, so that when the circuit of the electro-magnet coil is opened by the operator removing his hand fromthe key, the contact carrier will be held in coupled-position by the lock.

If it is desired to uncouple, fluid under pressure is supplied to. pipe 30 on either car and since the passages 29 on adjacent cars are connected together, the piston 25 which happens to be in the locking .position will be re tracted ,by the action of the fluid pressure against the spring 28 and this permits the spring 17 acting on the core 12 of the other coupling to move the corresponding contact 4 carrier and also the contact carrier of the adjacent coupling back tothe normal position,

.I claim as new and desire If, as shown in the drawing, the electric coupling is provided with the fluid connection to the car coupler release piston, such as shown in'Fig. 4, the movement of the pistons 25 to the outer position, when fluid is supplied to the passage 29, will operate to uncover the ports 31 so that fluid under pressure is supplied to the pipe 32 and the release piston of the car coupler, which is thereby operated to shift the coupler locking lever to release position.

The port 31 is so positioned that the same does not open until after the stem 27 has moved to permit the contact carrier to return 'to normal position, so that the car couplers will not be released for uncoupling until the contact carriers have been retracted. This is particularly desirable in the case of that type of car coupler in which there is a lateral as well as a longitudinal movement of the parts in the. act of uncoupling, since the lateral movement in uncoupling, with the contact carrier still in engagement with the counterpart coupling, might cause injury to the carrier.

While the pressure of the contact fingers 10 against the cont-act bars of the contact carrier should be sufficient to prevent movement of the carrier from normal position, additional means may be provided for holding'the contact carrier in this position, such as by providing a shallow cavity 38 in the core 12 positioned to be engaged by the rounded end of the stem 27 in the normal position of the parts, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing.

By means of the above arrangement the pressure of the spring 28 operates to yieldin'gly hold the locking stem 27 in the cavity 38 and thereby assist in preventing undesired movement of the cont-act carrier.

Having now described my invention, what to secure by Letters .Patent, is

1. In an electric train line coupling, the combination with a coupling head containing a plurality of fixed contacts adapted to be connected to train line circuits and a movable carrier provided with contacts, of electrically -controlled means for projecting said carrier to electrically connect the corresponding fixed contacts of counterpart coupling heads through the contacts of the movable carrier.

2. In an electric train line coupling, the combination with a coupling head containing a plurality of fixed contacts adapted to be connected to train line circuits and a movable carrier provided with corresponding contact bars, of an electric solenoid for projecting said carrier to electrically connect the corresponding fixed contacts of counterpart coupling heads through the contact bars of the movable carrier.

3. In an electric train line coupling, the

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combination with a coupling head containing a plurality of fixed contacts adapted to be connected to train line circuits and a movable carrier provided with corresponding contact bars, of an electric solenoid for projecting said carrier to electrically connect the corresponding fixed contacts of counterpart coupling heads through the contact bars of the movable carrier and means for returning the carrier to normal position.

4. In an electric train line coupling, the combination with a coupling head containing a plurality of fixed contacts adapted to be connected to train line circuits and a movable carrier provided with corresponding contact bars, of an electric solenoid for pro-.

jecting said carrier to electrically connect the corresponding fixed contacts of counterpart coupling heads through the contact bars of the movable carrier and a spring 'for returning the carrier to normal position.

5. In an electric train line coupling, the combination with a coupling head containing a.plurality of fixed contacts adapted to be connected to train line circuits and a movable carrier provided with corresponding contact bars, of an electric solenoid for projecting said carrier to electrically connect the corresponding fixed contacts of counterpart coupling heads and to push back the carrier in the adjacent coupling head.

6. In an electric train line coupling, the combination with a coupling head containing a plurality of fixed contacts adapted to be connected to train line circuits and a movable carrier provided with corresponding contact bars, of an electric solenoid for projecting said carrier to electrically connect the corresponding fixedcontacts of counterpart coupling heads and to push back the carrier in the adjacent coupling head and a spring for Opposing the backward movement of the latter carrier.

7. In an electric train line coupling, the combination with a casing containing a plurality of fixed contacts and a movable carrier having corresponding contact bars, of electrically controlled means for projecting said carrier to electrically connect the corresponding fixed contacts of counterpart couplings, and a spring opposing such movemen 8. In an electric train line coupling, the

combination with a casing containing a plu-' rality of fixed contacts and a movable carrier having corresponding contact bars, of a spring for the carrier and electrically controlled means for projecting said carrier to electrically connect thecorresponding fixed contacts of counterpart couplings,

contacts of counterpart couplings and for pushing the opposing carrier against the resistance of the corresponding spring, the resistance of said spring tending .to return both carriers to normal position.

10. The combination with a coupler head, a movable lock and a fluid pressure device for releasing said lock, of an electric train line coupling comprising electric contacts adapted to be connected to the train line circuits, a movable contact carrier having contacts, means for projecting said carrier to electrically connect corresponding contacts of counterpartcouplings, a piston having a stem for locking the contact carrier in its projected position and operated by fluid pressure for releasing the carrier and for opening communication for supplying fluid to release the coupler lock.

11. In an electric train line coupling, the combination with a plurality of fixed contacts connected to train line circuits, a movable carrier having corresponding contacts, and means for pro ecting said carrier to connect the corresponding fixed contacts of counterpart coupling heads, of a locking device for yieldingly holding said carrier in normal release position.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

THOMAS E. BROWN. Witnesses:

A. M. CLn1\rnNTs,' S. W. Emma.

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