US1316543A - Automatic train control - Google Patents

Description

- "w. K; HOWE; AUTOMATIC TRAIN comm. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 15.1915.

Patented Sept. 16, 1919.

o iTEn .s:rAT s rA Enr oFmoE.

WINTHROP or nocH srEn, 4 11K, nssrcuvon {1'0 GENERAL RAILWAY SIGNAL COMPANY, or earns, NEW YORK, -A coRPoRA'rIoNcF NEW YORK.

Tacit whom itmay concern: K j

Be it known that I, Wm'rrmor K. Hows, acitizen of the United States, and a resident a -of theicity of Rochester, in the countyof control of movable vehicles, and particularly suchmova'ble vehicles as =move uponzrailway tracks. W

' The primary ob ectof 131113 lnventlon 1s .QlSllGl'l, a connection and arrangement-of the means locatedon a vehicle which contacts with devices :placed along the right of :way, as will enable the movement,ofi-the train to be controlled irrespective of thevparticular end of :the car, upon which the devices "are placed, is ahead during the movement'o'f the train.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the description of :the invention pro- :gresses, and the novel features of the intion applied thereto.

vention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 7

In describing the inventionindetail, reference ishad to the accompanying drawing,

wherein has 'been illustrated a preferred physical embodiment of the invention by v 'a single figure 'which is a schematic illustra tion of a railwaycar withrapphcants invenway track of which 2 designates the other rail. r

The wheels of "the car are designated by 3, 4, 5, and:6,-1and the axlesconnecting the wheels, by 7 and-8, and the journal boxes supporting *the axles, byr9 and 10. The

journal boxes supportsidevbars 11 and12, which for simplicity are assumed 'to. be made of suitable insulating material. These side 7 bars at any appropriate place, as at "either,

end thereoflisupport contacting shoes, as 13,

portions 13 14 15 and 16 which thereby 'form shoulders, whiclnbycontacting with theaprojecting members 17 18, =19 and 20,

respect1vely,1prevent the shoes j13, 1 4, 15 and 16 from "being depressed toofar when not incontact with aranip, as 21. Between the lmembers lf, 18, 19 and 20 am collars, as 13 14 15 and 16 are located springs 22, 23,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Pate teas t. 1:6, 1919.

Application filed January 15, 1915. Serial No. 2,384.

24 and 25, which positively move the shoes 13, 14, 15 and 16 respectively to their lower position, when they are not in contact with a ramp, as 21.

WVhen themembers 13, 14,15 and 16 are in their. lower positions, as shown, the upper enlarged ends are out of contact with the resilient :members26, 27,28 and 29, which then contact with "the members 30, 31, 32 and 33 respectively. When :any one shoe is raised, however, that shoe causes a resilient member, as 26, 27 28 or 29, located justabove it, :to' move out of contact with the corresponding member 30, 31, 32 01 '33. This upward movement of shoe 13 is caused by its contacting with a ramp, :as '21. a

'lVith all of the parts in the position as shown in the drawings the relay '34 is =energized by a circuit in which current iflows members 30, 31,32 or 33. If any one of the 1 shoes 13,14, 15 or .16,-however, should 0011- l tact with a 1 ramp, as 121, some one o fi the 1 'N'umera'lrl designates one rail of :a -rail- One terminal of the battery 45, wire relay 35, wire 52, journal box 9, axle 7,

wheel 4, rail 2, wire 53 to theother terminal ofthe battery 45. Current flowing in the above ltraced :path would energize the relay 35 and cause .its armature 35 to be raised, thereby closing :a circuit through the relay 34, in which current flows as follows: One terminal of battery 57, wires "36 and 54, armature35' wires 55 and 43, relay 34 and wire to 'theother terminal of the battery 57 The last two above traced circuits would be formed by the contacting of any shoe, :as 13,14, 15 or 16, with anenergized ramp, as 21, and would so cause an energization ofrelay 34:,Wvhich would then be maintained energized by the circuit hereinbefore described, which includes in series with it all of the movable members 26, 27, 28 and 29.

The relay 34 has another armature 34 which may be employed in any well known or appropriate manner, in any way desired, to control the movement of the train, as for instance, by acting upon a brake valve magnet 56.

From the above description it will be seen that the car carrying the shoes may move upon the track with either its head end forward, or its rear end forward, and will always have a shoe, as 13, let, 15 or 16, in position-to be contacted by the trackway devices as ramps located on one side only of the trackway, and that the contact of any shoe with a ramp will control the relay 34: exactly as would the contact of any other shoe with a ramp, or that the shoes may contact with and cooperate with a ramp placed on either side of the trackway.

Although I have particularly described the construction of one physical embodiment of my invention, and explained the operation and principle thereof; nevertheless, I desire to have it understood that the form selected is merely illustrative, but does not exhaust the possible physical embodiments of the idea of means underlying my invention.

lVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a system for protecting railway traffic, means for establishing connnunication between a railway track and a vehicle adapted to travel thereon comprising impulse devices located at intervals along the track, two cooperating impulse devices carried by the vehicle on each side thereof, said impulse devices on the vehicle on either side thereof being located at the same distance from the corresponding end of the vehicle, whereby an impulse may be transmitted to the vehicle at the same point in its travel irrespective of the direction in which it is headed.

2. In a system for protecting railway trafiic, means for establishing communica- .tion between a railway track and a vehicle adapted to travel thereon comprising ramps located at intervals along the track, two contact shoes carried by the vehicle on each side thereof and adapted to form electricalcontact with said ramps and to be mechanically moved thereby, the contact shoes on eitherside of the vehicle being located the same distance from the corresponding end of the vehicle, traffic protecting means having a tendency to assume its active condition, a circuit for normally holding said trailic protecting means in its inactive condition controlled separately by said contact shoes, and a partial circuit having multiple branches to said shoesfor conducting electrlcal energy from the ramps to the traflic protecting means on the Vehicle.

3. In a system for protecting railway traflic, means for establishing communication between a railway track and a vehlcle adapted to travel thereon comprising ramps located at intervals along the track, two con-,

tact shoes carried by the vehicle on each side thereof and located the same distance from the corresponding end of the vehlcle,

said shoes being arranged to make electricaltained normally inactive by current in either c1rcu1t andhavmg a tendency to assume 1tsactive condition.

4. In a traflic protecting system for railways, in combination: a vehicle and a track thereforyramps located at intervals along the track; a shoe carried by the vehicle on each side thereof, said shoes being arranged to engage said ramps and being adapted to be displaced by such engagement; a normally closed circuit controller operated by each shoe and opened upon displacement of that shoe; a control relay 011 the vehicle having a pickup circuit and a normally closed stick circuit including said relay, said stick circuit including said circuit. con trollers in'series; another relay on the vehicle controlling the pickup circuit of the first relay; a normally open partial circuit including said another relay and having multiple branches terminating at the respective shoes; and traffic controlledmeans for supplying electrical energy to said ramps for energizing said another relay.

5. In a system for protecting railwg'ay traffic, the combination with a vehicle and automatic train control apparatus therefor, of means for establishing communication between the track and the vehicle comprising trackway impulse devices located at intervals along the track and adapted to cooperate with impulse devices carried by the vehicle, the vehicle carried impulse devices being located one on each side of the vehicle and substantially the same distance from the corresponding end thereof, said trackw y impulse devices having a tendency when cooperating with a vehicle carried impulse device to set the train control apparatus on the vehicle into operation, and

means for placing the trackWay impulse devices into condition to prevent such operation of the train control apparatus.

6. In a system for protecting railway traflic, the combination with a vehicle and automatic train control apparatus therefor, of a control relay on the vehicle for governing said apparatus having a stick circuit and a pickup circuit, impulse devices located at intervals along the track, impulse devices carried by the vehicle one on each side thereof and each adapted to cooperate with the trackway impulse devices and cause interruption of the stick circuit, and means for placing the trackWay impulse devices in condition to cause energization of the pick-up circuit of the control relay.

WINTHROP K. HOWE.

WVitnesses:

SOPHIE LEVIN, GEORGE T. WHITNEY.

Copies 01 this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

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