US1203970A - Automatic train-stop. - Google Patents

Description

"M. B. BULLA.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN STOP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. no. x915 Patented. Nov. 7, 1916;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES HWE/VTOR W5. ELM/a A 7703mm M. BfBULLA.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN STOP.

AFPLlCATlON FILED NOV-10.1915.

- I Patented Nov. "211916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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WITNESSES llV ME ml? Mi M k M 5. 5mm x TO aZZ whom it may concern:

}a citizen of the United States, and a res1- Be a known that I, MmEmB. 13m

dent of El Paso, in the county of El Paso and State of Texas, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Train-Stop, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

This invention relatesto railway appliances and has particular reference to safety appliances 'for railway trains, trolley cars or other analogous vehicles, and hence by the term locomotive as used herein I mean to cover. any railway Vehicle to which my improvements are adapted to be applied.

Among the objects of theqsivention is to provide appliances for use in connection with the ordinary air brake equipment, said appliances being controlled by a normally closed electric circuit-holding the brake mechanism' inactive but adapted to be re: leased to set the brakes and shut off the jpower upon the breakage ofsaid normally closed circuit-either on the occasion of the locomotive passing a danger signal or'because of the failure of the battery or other source of energy for said circuit by any means.

A further object of'the invention is to provide improved facilities including an auxiliary magnet to insure that-the brake be made of what he has done, whereby the railway oflicials will be informed as to whether or not the engineeris exceeding his authority, means being provided also to enable the engineer to reset the appliances to normal position after the locomotive may have been stopped by the automatic means.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the arrange- I ment and. combinatlon of parts hereinafter nnsrarns mm oration Spe'cificationof Letters Iatent. i Patented Now, "Z, 1916. I Application filed lfifovember 10,1915. Serial 110.60, 715, T I

described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed herein, still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the safety appliance casing carried pref-.

erably withinthe locomotive cab adjacent the engineer, parts being in elevation and the electrical parts being in diagram; Fig. 2 is a side'elevation in diagram ,of a locomotive, a signal adjacent the railway track,

and the relation between the improved devices and the standard parts above referred to; and Figs 3 and 4 are detail views of the 3 -way-valve 1n normally closed and open posltions respectively," as further described be- .low. a

This invention is an improvement on my prlor invention on which I filed an application for a patent on the 1st day of-May, 1.915, Serial No. 25,177.

The locomotive 10 is represented as operating along a railway track 11 toward or past a semaphore 12 which may typify any signal or switch device to be guarded by the locomotive appliances. Associated with the semaphore bar 13 isa movable switch blade 14 adapted to connect with a stationary contactpoint or blade 15 when the, semaphore arm is set at danger. The contact 15 is connected by a wire 16 to a track rail, and the movable blade 14 is connected by a wire 17 to a stationary brush 20 adjacent the track. Under these conditions, therefore, the brush 20 is adapted to make electrical connection at the required time with the locomotive appliances through a shoe 21 carried by the locomotive when the brush is engaged by the shoe and the danger signal is set. The

brush 20, however, is inactive when passed by a locomotive when the danger signal is set at clean, 7

Referring now more particularly to the 10- comotive appliances, I show at 22 a casing preferably of a closed nature and kept locked against unauthorized tampering, and

associated with the casing upon the locomo- Within the casin are )laced a )rimar 7 electromagnet 24 and anauxiliary' electromagnet 25, the former having preferably a higher resistance than the latter. At 26 is indicated an armature of the primary' magnet pivoted at 27. The free end of the armature is adjustably connected to a stem 28 connected to the arm 29 of a 3-way. valve 30. The extreme end of the armature is adapted to be acted upon by a set screw 31 tapped through a fixed bracket 32 whereby the armature may be locked against the magnet by the engineer in the event of failure of the apparatus and it is required for him to proceed on his course until repairs may be made. The armature, furthermore, has connected to it a spring 33 anchored at a fixed point 34 and tending to lift the armature away from the' magnet. Under normal running conditions the magnet 24 is energized and thereby the valve 30 is held in position to close the air pipe 35 leading from the main reservoir 36. Associatedwith the valve 30 is an air vent pipe 37 normally open to the atmosphere, and also a T-connection 38 leading through a pipe 40, on the one hand, to a pneumatic motor cylinder 41, and on the other hand through a pipe 42 to a neumatic motor cylinder 43. The pipes 4 and 42 are normally opened to the atmosphere through the connection 38 and valve 30. Within the cylinder 41 is a piston 44 having a rod 45' acting through a pin 46 upon the arm 47- of a normally closed valve 48' guarding the brake air pipe 49 leading from the train line 50. The rod 45 is also connected through a link 51 to a primary recorder 52. The piston 44 is normally held in its rear position by means of a spring 53 in the' cylinder 41. The motor 43 is substantially of the same character as the motor 41, but having its piston rod 54 connected to a throttle lever 55. The pipe 42 being normally in communication with the atmosphere provides that no obstruction to the usual engineers operation of the throttle lever will take place. It will be noted also that any leakage of compressedair from the pipe 35 past the valve 30 will be dissipated into the atmosphere. 1 V

For convenience of description I now refer to a plurality of-binding posts represented at a,'b, 0, Z, 6, f, and g, and also contact points It, i and is. -At 56 I show a block of insulation constituting a support for two pairs of contact springs 57, 57 and 58, 58, the latter pair being preferably longer than the former and all cotiperating with a switch blade 59 pivoted at 60 at the bottom of the casing and having a operation of the engineer.

sulation 62 between the two pairs ofsprings.

The blade, furthermore, is adapted to oocupy anyone 9f three positions indicated at A, B and C, the normal position being that shown at A and so maintained by virtue of a spring 63 anchored to the bracket 32.

The binding posts a and b are respectively connected to opposite sides. of the magnet 24 by wires 64 and 65, and a wire 66 connects'the binding post 5 with one sideof the battery 23. Wires 67 and 74 connect the battery 23 and shoe 21 with the front contact spring 58. The rear contact spring of the same pair is connected by a wire 68 to the binding post 6. The; magnet 24 is thus normally energized from the battery 23, the energy passing through the wire 74, shoe 21 and wire 67, springs 58, 58, wire 68, binding post e, wire 69,

switch armature 70, contacts 71 and in, wire 71, binding post 1", wire 72, binding post a and wire 64 on one side, and wire-66, binding-post b and wire 65 on the other side. In this condition the switch armature 70 is held by the spring 73 away from the magnet 25, this magnet being dead.

The moment the contact shoe touches the brush 20, when the danger signal is set, energy from the battery 23 will pass through the wire 17', brush 20, shoe 21, Wire 67, contact springs 58, 58, wire 68, binding post 6, wire 69, armature 70, contact points i and 7c,'wires 71 and 72, binding post a, wires 64, 65 and 75, binding post 0, wire 76, magnet 25, wire 77, binding post (2, wire 78,.binding post 9, wire 79, contact springs 57, 57', and wire 80 to the ground. This momentary impulse given to the magnet 25 throws the switch armature 70 so as to bring the contact points it and 71 together, thereby breaking thecircuit through the magnet 24. Even though the shoe 21' will quickly have passed the brush 20, the power of the magnet 25 will be co ntinued from the battery 23 as follows: wires. 74,67, springs 58, 58, wire 68, binding post 6, wire .69, armature 70, contacts h and 2', wire 81, binding .post 9, wire 78, binding post a? and wire 77 on one side, and wire 66, binding post 6, wire 75, binding post 0 and wire 76 on the-other side. This condition of the two magnets will continue until broken by When the magnet 24 is thus deenergized, the spring 33 causes the valve 30 to move from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that of Fig. 4, closing the vent pipe 37 and permitting the compressed to pass from the pipe 35 into the T-connection 38 and thence into the two pneumatic motorcylinders 41 and 43. The design of the pipes and valve connections, therefore, determine the rapidity of automatic stopping action.

When the piston 44 is forced forwardly, the

- valve arm 47 will be moved in a clockwise direction, as shown in Fig. 1, to set the brakes. Likewise the throttle lever 55 will be thrown to the closing position and a record of the incident will be made on the recorder 52.

To reset the apparatus and release the' brakes, the engineer will move the switch blade 59 to the G position, thereby breaking the connection between the springs ,58, 58,

and breaking the circuit through the auxilsiticn of Figs. 1 and 3'. This movement bythe engineer of the switch blade 59 will cause a corresponding actuation of the auxiliary recorder 82 through a link 83 extending between the blade 59 and the recorder-arm 54.

In order to pass. a danger signal under orders, the engineer may swing the switch blade to the mid or B position, breaking the connection between the springs 57, 57,

but without breakingthe connection between the other pair of springs. This movement of the switch blade willlikewise be recorded on the recorder 82. The ground connection, however, being broken, the magnet 25wil1 be powerless to change the position of the switch armature 70 and'hence the magnet 24 will not at this time be deenergized.

I claim 1. Inan automatic train stop, the combination of a compressed air pipe, a valve to normally close the same, a normally closed electric circuit including a magnet having an armature, connections between the armature and the valve whereby the valve is'held closed, power means acting upon the armature toggling to open the valve when the circuit broken,.said normally closed circuit includin a pair of contact springs and a switch bla to automatically break said circuit when a danger point is passed, said circuit breaking means including an auxiliary magnet adapted to be energized momentarily by passing a danger point, said auxiliary magnet having an armature carrying a movable contact point serving to establish a new circuit through said auxiliary magnet on the breakposition w e connecting them, and means ing of the normally closed new circuit being adapted to. be broken quently the movement of said blade from between the con-tact springs.

2.. In an automatic train stop, the combination of an air line, a valve normally cl0sing the same, power means tending to open said valve, f means including a normally closed circuit overcoming the normal tendency of the power means, means to automatically breaksaid circuit when adanger point is passed, permitting'the power means to open the valve, means under the control of the engineer for neutralizing the efiect of the bircuit breaking means, and independent recording devices connected respectively to said valve meansand the means under the control of the operator.

3. In an automatic train stop, the comhi nation of a compressed air pipe, a valve to close the same, power means tending to open the valve to setthe brakes, means including a normally closed circuit and an electromagnet to overcome the power means and thereby hold the valve closed, a locomotive battery insaid normally closed circuit, an auxiliary magnet, means in addition to said locomotive battery to energize and initiate the action of the auxiliary magnet when a danger point is passed and thereby break the normally closed circuit permitting the power devices to be efi'ective to open the air pipe, connectionsbeing providedto cause the energy of the auxiliary magnet to be continued through the locomotive battery after the.

point of initiationis passed, means including a movable switch blade and contact springs coiiperating therewith enabling the engineer to break the circuit through the auxiliary magnet to restore the parts to normal position, and a pair of independent recording devices connected respectively to saidvalve andi-said movable switch blade whereby the acts of opening the valve and causing the same to be restored to closed 1 1 be independently recorded. 4. In an automatic train stop, the comblclose the same; automatically operated power means tending to open the valve, electric devices including a normally closed circuit acting to overcome the tendency of the power means, thereby holding the valve closed, said normally closed circuit including a pair ofcontact springs and a movable nation of an air line, a valve to normally the energizing being initiated' by passing a a danger point andv subsequently continued through the same source of energy as is included in the normally closed circuit, the initiating means including a second pair of contact springs coiiperating with the aforesaid switch blade, said switch blade being movblade to make a record of the movements able to different distances to separate either thereof by the engineer.-

one pair of contact springs to prevent the 'MELBERNB'BULLA 7 setting of the brakes or both pairs of contact springs to restore the parts to normal Witnesses:

position after the brakes have been set, and 2 HARRIET W. FOSTER, recordingmeans connected to said switch R. B. REDIG.

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