US1210838A

US1210838A - Switch-operating mechanism.

Info

Publication number: US1210838A
Application number: US9224016A
Authority: US
Inventors: Claude Henry Ratliff
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1916-04-19
Filing date: 1916-04-19
Publication date: 1917-01-02
Anticipated expiration: 1934-01-02

Description

C. H. RATLIFF.

SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 19. I916.

1,210,38. Patented Jan. 2,1917.

2 SHEETSSHEQ I.

C. H.'RATLIFF.

SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. l9, I916.

Patented J an. 2, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- be actuated by a motormflan- 'mit s the car to pass CLAUDEHENBY Remit 9 re ser ir-eases- SWIrGH-QR B NG, immensel- Specification of Application filed April 19,

To all whom it may concern Be it knownthat I, CLAUDE H. RATLIFF, a citizen of, the United States, residing at Plateau, in the county of Mobile and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in, Switch-Operating Mechanisms; ofwhich the followingji's' a Specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings.

This inventionrrelatesto mechanism for operating switches and particularly a mechanism' for operating switches on street car orinterurbanl lines. I

The general object of theinvention is the provision of a very Simple switch point operating mechanism so arrangedthat it may on a car. operatthrow 1 the ingjin eitherfdirection so asfto switchandhfurtlier sof arranged .lthat cars may, pass through 'point'retnrn'ing. to its set position afterthe cars havepa'ssed through;

the switch, the switch A further object of'the invention is the provision (of f a :very simple mechanism mountednpon the car which is adapted 'to positively engage with a f sw'tch operating wheel and rotate it.

Another-object is to provide means which may be applied to ordinary switch points without change, whereby the switch points may be thrown by an approaching car.

Other objects will appear in the course of the .following description! i The inventionis illustrated in the accompanyingldrawings in which, i -Figure 1 is atop plan view of my switch operating mechanisme'Fig. 2 is a section on the line2+2 of Fig. 1 Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the manner in which a jointed shaft 20*? may. be used in; place'of theshaft 20; Fig. 4: is a sideelevation ofthe tracksection shown in Fig. 1;" Fig. 5 is across section through the platform of a car and through the rails showing the switchbpcrating mechanism; Fig. 6 is a" sectional view of a slotted rail'showing a modified manner of arranging the switch operating wheel; and Fig.17'is a top plan view of the constructionshown in FignG; Referring to these drawings, A designates aline of track, while'B designates abr'anch track. L=The railwcarries'the' switch' point 1 0 which, when thrown in one directiom'perp from or'on to the branch track and which when thrown inith'e other direction, permits passage alongcthe' main hetters r t t. Patented J an. 2,

12216. SeriallNo.92,240.

Attached to theswitch point in any track.

an outwardly extending suitable manner, is

rod 11, this jrod being preferably attached to the switch point by the eye bolt 12 so that the rod may have a slight pivotal movement. A switch 7 operating bar 13 is provided, formed at one end with an angular extension 14, perforated for thejpassage of the rod 11. The rod 11 at oneend isformed with a head 15 and distanced from this head is a collar 16 and disposed between the collar 16 and the angularp'ortion 1450f. the switch operating rod andclbietween the'switch operating rod and the head 15, are :the coil springs 17 which have strength enough to resist ordinary compression, so that under normal circumstances,-the 'rod 11 will move withthe actuatingrod13. The actuating rod ,13 atits outer end eccentric sleeve orjring 18 operating within which is an eccentric 19. ,This eccentric is mounted upon a shaft 20 which extends lon- 'gitudinally of the track and. is mounted in suitable bearingsfl21.

The shafto20 extends longitudinally of the track, as before "stated, to a position any desired distance in advance ofthe switch point,10 and carries upon it a' bevel gear wheel .22." Disposed beside the track and mounted in any suitable bearings, is a short shaft 23 which carries upon it a bevel gear wheel"24c, which meshes with the bevel gear wheel 22. This bevel gear wheel 2a is provided with the radially projecting arms 25 which are villustratedas'four in number. It will be noted" that the gear wheel '24 has twice the diameter of the gear wheel 22 so that a quarter rotation of the gear wheel 2a will cause a one-half rotation of the shaft 20. Mounted upon each platfrom of the car C is a lever 26. There may be one or more of these levers, as desired, and I have illustrated two in. Fig. '5. Each lever is attached to "a rock shaft 27 mounted in bearings on the platformothe lever'passing up through aslot28 in the'platform.. Depending from 'the'robk shaft'is the arm 26 of the lever which'jat its lower end is laterally deflected and has 'its extre'mit'y angularly bent as at 29. Operatively supported on the lower end of the arm26 of; thev lever is a flanged wheel 30 adapted to run along the rail a while .the deflected extremity 29 of the lever projects in a po'sition to engage with one of .thearms" l25 ofzthegear Wheel124. As illusitratd'in Figs. 6 and? 7 ,i the rail121 may be terminates in an longitudinally chambered and slotted, as at rotate the Wheel 24.

31, and the wheel 24 may be disposed in this chamber, its arms extending into the slot so that the deflected lower end of the lever may extend through this slot the wheel 24* being so disposed that the arms 25 will operate in this slot. Thus the lower terminal end of the lever one of the upwardly projecting arms 25 to It is to be understood, of course, that the arms 25 are so disposed and the parts are so adjusted that the arms will extend at an angle of about 45 degrees to the rail and so that when the terminal end of the lever engages with these arms, they will rotate the wheel 24 through a quarter revolution. Preferably a sector rack 32 is provided over which the lever operates, the lever being provided witha pawl engaging with this rack so that the lever may be held in either its depressed or raised position. In one position of the lever, the terminal end of the lever and the wheel 30 will be raised completely-from the track. In another position of the lever, however, thewheel 30 will rest upon the track, while the terminal end'29 will project below the rail; in positionto engage one of the arms 25. .'Preferably, in order to secure a solid bearing for the shaft 23 and thewheel 24, I provide a block'33 adapted to be disposed betweenthe base and head of the rail and through which the shaft 23 passes and against which the wheel 24 operates. Preferably, also, the eccentric rod 13 operates over a wear plate 34.

It is to be understood that the eccentric has a diameter sufiicient to cause the opening of the switch point 10 when the shaft is r0- tated one-half a revolution in one direction and close the switch point when the shaft is rotated the next one-half revolution in the same direction.

The operation of the device will be obvious from what has gone before.

When a car approaches the switch, (the car moving toward the point of the switch) the motorman if he desires to shift the switch will depress the lever so that it will positively engage with one of the arms 25. This will rotate the bevel gear wheel 24 through a one-fourth revolution giving a one-half revolution to the shaft 20 and to theeccentric. If the switch point 10 be closed against the main rail, then the rotation of the shaft 20 and eccentric will cause the switch point to open to the position shown in Fig. 1. Under these circumstances the car will be shifted onto the side track. If, however, the switch point be open to the side track, and'the car approaches desiring to pass along the main track, then a rotation of the gear wheel 24 will give a reverse movement of the switch point. Of course, if the car does not desire will be sure to engage ju'sted upon the be, made up of sections 20 havin trated in Fig. '3 is that illustrated in Fig. 1,"n-amely, a wheel rying a bevel gear 22 to approach the switch point, the motorman does not depress or dispose the lever in an operative position.

Inasmuch as the switch point is mounted for movement independent of the actuating rod 13, it is obvious that a car approaching on the branch line and desiring to pass on the main line, can do so, the car wheel simply pushing the point open and running through the point. the car approaches the switch on the main line and the switch is open,then the flange of the wheel will not push the switch point closed and the car will move along and after it has passed the switch point, will again be shifted to its open position. The eccentric sleeve or'ring is made intwo parts as usual, so that if the switch works too easily, the two sections of the eccentric sleeve or strapmay be turned more tightly on the eccentric by means of the bolts 19. It is also obvious that the gear Wheel 24 can be readily ad shaft 23 so as to secure a proper timing of the several parts. Preferably, on each platform, there will be two levers 26 mounted upon the rock'shaft 27 so that switches on either side of the track may be thrown. It is obvious, however, that the switch mechanism can beso arranged that a switch on one side of the track will be thrown by a gear wheel 24 mounted on the opposite side of the track sothat thus the gear wheels 24 may all be'arranged on the same side of the switches been opposite sides.

The operating mechanism of the switch is intended to be protected by a metallic housing, while theshaft 20 will preferably pass through a tubular housing 34. It is obvious that the particular character of the housing is no part of my present invention.

As illustrated in Fig. 3, the shaft 20 might versal joint connection with each ot so that the shaft could shift around a curve and permit the positive operationof the switch point by a car passing around a curve. The operating mechanism illusprecisely the same as 24 provided with radiating arms and carbevel gear wheel on' the first shaft section.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with'a' switch point,

of a switch rod extending therefrom, a shaft.

extending longitudinally ofthe' track, in advance of the switch point, an eccentric mounted on the shaft,a' sleeve surrounding the eccentric, an eccentric bar extending from' the sleeve, having loose connection with the switch rod, springsv surrounding the-switch 'rodand centric bar and resisting independent move- If, on the'other hand,

track, even though the a unier,"each section operating in a suitable bearing 21 bearing against the 'ecmeshing with the ment of the switch rod with relation to the bar a bevel gear wheel carried upon the shaft, a bevel gear wheel disposed in a plane parallel to the track, and engaging the first named bevel gear wheel, and radially dis posed arms projecting from the second bevel gear wheel and adapted to be engaged by switch operating mechanism on a car.

2. The combination with a track including a switch point, of a shaft extending longitudinally of the track, a rotatable member on the shaft operatively engaging the switch point, whereby a half rotation of the shaft will oscillate the switch point from one operating position to another, a bevel gear Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the wheel on the shaft, a bevel gear wheel dis posed in a plane parallel to the track and engaging the first named bevel gear wheel and having a diameter twice as great as that of the first named bevel gear wheel, and arms extending radially from the second named gear wheel adapted to be engaged by an operating member on a car.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CLAUDE HENRY RATLIFF.

Witnesses H. S. ALDRIDGE, M. V. DRUMMOND.

Commissioner of ratontsr Washington, D. G.