US1358976A - Cable-railway - Google Patents

Description

A. E. NORRIS.

CABLE RAILWAY.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I. 1918.

Patented Nov. 16, 1.920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A. E. MORRIS.

CABLE RAILWAY.

APPLlcAUoN FILED APR. l. 1918.

1,358,976. Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. E. Noms. CABLE RAILWAY.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I 191B.

Patented Nov. 16, 1920..

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

narran v-srarss PATENT OFFICE. I

ALMON E. N ORRIS, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

CABLE-RAILWAY.

1,358,976. Specification of Letters Patent. Pntentgd NOV, 16, 192() Application filed April 1,1918. Serial No. 225,862.

To all whomlz't may conce/rn.' cable car from the cable as the car reaches Be it known that I, LMON E. NoRRIs, a a certain point in the traclnkas, for incitizen of the United States, and a resident stance, the` point where the cable is diverted of Brookline, in the county of Norfolk and from the track to the cable-driving mecha- 60 State of Massachusetts, have invented an Hierin-and then automatically gripping the improvement in Cable-Railways, of which car to the cable'at a point farther on where the following description, in connection with the cable again leads to the track from the the accompanying drawings, is a specilicadriving mechanism. Cableway systems of tion, like characters on the drawings reprethis type are shown, for example, in prior 65 lo senting like parts. patents to J. M. McClellon Nos. 1,096,931

This invention relates to cable railways, and 1,096,932 granted May 19, 1914. and more particularly7 to means for aiito- Referring to the drawings, the cable porinatically releasing and applying the cable tion d traveling in the direction of the argrip which is carried by the cable car. row (Fig. 1) passes between the tracks 1 to 70 The invention will be best understood by the sheave 5, thence down to the cable-drivi'cference to the following description when ing mechanism (not shown). Returning, it taken in connection with the accompanying passes over the sheave 6, over the smaller illustration of one specific embodiment guide sheave 7, between the guards 8, and thereof, while its scope will be more particupresents thereat to the cable grip on the car 7 5 larly pointed out in the appended claims. the traveling cable portion 4. As the car ln the drawings :4- approaches the sheave 6, the cable grip 3 is Figure 1 a side elevation showing a por- Caused to be released, the trackway being tion of the cable railway with the car apgiven a slight upward inclination thereat preaching a position where its grip is about so as to lift the released grip clear of the 80 to be released from the cable; cable and clear of interference with the lig. 2 is a similar view showing the posisheaves and adjoining cable portions. This tion of the car at the point where the grip lifting movement is further accentuated by li as again engaged the cable; a relatively abrupt depression in the track- Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device located way at 9, So that while the car is coasting 85 3o at the side of thc trackway for operating the from the point of release to the point where cable grip, the grip passes the sheave 5, and particu- Fig. i is a side elevation of the same with larly while the forward trucks are traveling the parts in their normal position; down the incline 9, the grip is held lifted Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the gripabove the point where it can interfere with 90 closing member elevated in response to an either of the two cable strands l and 4e. As abnormal condition; j the rear trucks pass down the incline 9, Fig. G is a rear end elevation of the cable however, the two jaws of the grip are cai', cable grip and grip-controlling device; brought down-on either side of the cable, beand ing drawn into centering alinement there- 95 so Fig. .7 is a plan view showing the arrangewith by the guide plates 8, and the grip is ment of the cable in the vicinity of the cathereupon again applied to the cable and `ble-controlling device, the car continues its cable-drawn travel.

'ln the drawings, for illustrative purposes, The cable grip may be of any suitable or I have shown one form of the invention as desired construction, such, for illustration, 100 applied to a cable road having the trackway as that shown in my prior Patent No. 1 on which there is adapted to travel one 1,154,652 granted Sept. 28, 1915. Such grip, or more cars 2 provided with the cable-gripfor example, may comprise the gripping ping device 3 adapted to be engaged with or aws 3 adapted to engage the cable, and cardisengage-d from the driving cable 4, ried by the pivoted levers 10 and 11 adapted 105 Vfhile my invention as to many of its to be moved to open and close the jaws by features may have wide and useful applicameans of the toggle 12 operated by the uption in other connections and may be utilized right link 13, the latter attached to a rocker in cable railways for other purposes than arm 14 carried by the rock shaft 15, the

the specific one herein described, I have gripping jaws and toggle, as in my afore- 110 here illustrated the same as providing means said prior patent, being capable of a limited for automatically releasing` the grip of each swinging movement transversely the car.

The grip may be manually applied and released when desired by means of the hand lever 16 .secured to the rocker arm 14, but to provide means for automatically applying and releasing the same, the rocker shaft is prolonged at the side of the car and has secured thereto the lever arm 17 carrying the roll 18, which, at the appropriate time, is brought into engagement with grip-operating devices located at the side of the trackway.

The stationary grip-operating devices may be of any suitable construction, but herein they are so disposed that they act to release the grip as it approaches the sheave G and to apply the grip to the cable strand 4: after it has traveled past the sheave 5.

To this end, a suitable fixed supporting frame is provided at the side of the trackway, such frame consisting of the horizontal supporting members 20, the uprights 21, inclined braces 22, the diagonal brace 23, and the cap-piece 24.

This frame provides a xed support for means which engage and move the projecting grip-controlling member carried by the car at such time and in such direction as to open the gripping jaws, and thereafter at the appropriate time to close the same. To this end the support has secured thereto a member which presents a stationary guideway for the roll 18, such member herein comprising a plate of L-shaped cross-section and presenting a wall 30 which has a suitably-shaped, depressed, curved portion at the end presented to the approaching car to engage the roll 18 and lift the Ysame as the car passes the stationary support.

The end of the plate 80 which is presented to the approaching roller, acts in conjunction with a coperating and similar plate 31 to provide a flared entrance mouth into which the roller enters, the walls of such mouth converging to form a curved guideway which confines the roller to a fixed path of travel, and is preferably designed to give the grip-releasing mechanism the most effective accelerated movement. `While this guideway lifts the roller and thereby releasing the grip as the car proceeds, it thus confines the roller to a predetermined path, so that when it engages the lower plate it can move neither faster nor more slowly than prearranged, thus preventing toe sudden a release as might occur through the rebound of the roller from the guide plate 30 under the momentum of the car.

The roller as it moves up the curved portion of the plate 30, turns the rock shaft and opens the grip, and as it reaches the elevated horizontal portion of the plate, travels along the same maintaining the grip released until it reaches the opposite and downwardly curved portion of the plate.

At that point positive means are provided for again depressing the roller toenforce a closing movement of the grip, such means being in the form of a similar L-shaped plate presenting a curved wall which overlies the roller in its advance and forces it down from the dotted-line position shown in Fig. 4t to the full-line position therein indicated. Such curved Vplate is also preferably designed to give the roller the most effective accelerated closing movement. This depression of the roller turns the rock shaft 15 in the opposite direction and enforces the closing movement of the jaws about the cable strand 4l.

`While the closing of the jaws is thus enforced by an extraneous member with which the roller 18 is brought into contact, such member is here arranged to exert a yielding pressure against the roller so that where some abnormal condition is present and the gripping engagement of the jaws with the cable is interfered with, no harm can result. rlhus, for example, if the cable sticks in entering the recessed portions of the jaws, or if the presence of a cable splice interferes with the free entrance of the cable between thejaws, or some other abnormal condition is present which might result in damage if the closing of the cable grip were unyieldingly enforced, the illustrative form of apparatus is arranged to yield when a normally sufficient closing pressure has been applied.

l F or this purpose the .depressing or gripclosing member of the stationary device is mounted upon a lever arm 33 pivoted at 13e upon the cap-piece Q4, so that it is capable of an upward movement (see Fig. 5) being normally depressed, however, to its lowermost position (the limit of which is shown in Fig. ll) by any suitable means, such as the series ef weights 35 (Fig. 1) depending from the end of the curved plate 32 by the red 36. The plate 32 is guided in its lifting movement by the arc-shaped member 37 secured to the end of the plate 30 and engaged by guide members 88 carried by the plate 32.

`When the car has advanced to a point which brings the roller into engagement with the plate 32, the roller will ordinarily be forced to follow the path provided by the upper plate 32 and the lower plate 30, and depressed to its lowermost position throwing the toggle past its center to close the jaws, in which position they are maintained by the toggle, the upper movable weighted plate 32 undergoing only such slight movement as is incidental to the increasing force'required te close the toggle as the lat-ter moves past its center. lf some obstruction or abnormal resistance is met with, however, so that the pressure of the weighted plate 32 is insuflicient to move the toggle, the continued movement of the car will carry the roller along a path which may approach the horizontal more or less as indicated in F ig. 5, causing the plate 32, the lever arm 33 and the weights 35 to lift toward some such position as is therein shown, thereby avoiding breakage which might result if an unyielding force were applied to depress the roller.

Herein means are also provided to indicate the presence of an abnormal condition, such as the refusal of the grip to close. F or this purpose any suitable means may be provided, but herein for illustrative purposes I have shown an electric switch controlled by the lifting of the movable lever 33 and acting through electrical connections to control some suitable indicating or similar device. IVhile such switch might be connected to a device having the sole function of indicating' the fault, herein I have diagrammatically represented the switch as controlling the motor circuit 4l vv'hich feeds the motor 42 for driving the cable 4, such motor being fed fromil the power circuit 43. The switch is normally closed by the spring 44, but, on the failure of the grip to close, the lever 33 lifts and the angle plate carried thereby engages the end of the plunger 46, thereby opening the switch, cutting off the power from the driving' motor and stopping the operation of the cable and indicating to the attendants the factthat the described fault is4 present.

In the normal operation of the apparatus as heretofore stated, -there will be a slight but perceptible lifting movement of the weighted plate or lever 32. If the adjustment of the grip, however, is so slack or loose that it is not adapted to secure a firm grip upon the cable, such slight lifting movement will be absent. If the grip is adjusted to exert the required pull on the cable, there will be enough resistance in closing the toggle to give the slight perceptible lifting movement heretofore referred to. This slight movement, therefore, affords an indication of the normal working condition of the grip. Its absence indicates an abnormally small resistance, such as might arise from a slack grip or failure of the grip to engage the cable, while an abnormal lifting' movement of the lever indicates the presence of an abnormal resistance as heretofore described.

lIt will be seen that the illustrative form of the invention avoids the necessity of carrying abnormally great weights on the car itself to close the grip, and provides all the necessary grip-closing force through means extraneous to the car, while at the same time this force may be applied yieldably to take care of any abnormal resistance. The gripclosing force may also be varied by varying ytroller,

the weights 35 so as to adapt the force to varying conditions.

lVhile I have shown and described for purposes of illustration one specific form of the invention, it is to be understood that the sameis not limited to the particular cation herein described, nor to the details or relative form or arrangement of parts, but that extensive deviations may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims.

l; In a cable railway, the combination with a track, of a car-propelling cable, a car on the track, a grip on the car, a grip controller carried by the car, means located near the trackway to move said controller to release the cable and hold the grip open while the car travels a predetermined distance, and means also located near the trackway and in the path of said controller to enforce a grip-closing movement when the car has traveled said distance. 2. In a cable railway, the combination with a car, of a cable grip thereon, a grip controller carried by the car, and means automatically to open the grip and again close the same after the car has traveled a predetermined distance, said means comprising a fixed guideway formed by members between which said controller is adapted to enter in the progress of the car and impart thereto a definite, prescribed grip-opening movement, and other members between which said controller subsequently passes imparting thereto a delinite, prescribed gripclosing movement.

3. In a cable railway, the combination with a track, of a car-propelling cable, a car on the track, a grip on the car, a grip controller, and means for automatically releasing the grip, comprising guiding members located near the trackway within the path of said controller and forming a guideway to actuate said controller and confine the same to a deinite grip-opening Inovement.

4. In a cable railway, the combination with a track, of a car-propelling cable, a car onV the track, a grip on the car, a grip controller, and means for automatically releasing` the grip, comprising guiding members located near the trackway within the path of said controller and forming a guideway to actuate said controller and conline the same to a deiinite grip-opening movement, and means automatically and subsequently to close said grip.

5. In a cable railway, the combination with a track, of a car-propelling cable, a car on the track, a grip on the car, a grip conand means located near the trackway to engage said grip controller during'the progress of the car and actuate the same appliand confine it to a definite grip-opening movement.

6. In a cable railway, the combination with a track, of a car-propelling cable, a car linkage adapted to effect a positive closing of the grip, and meanslocated within the path of said controlling member to apply a yielding grip-closing force thereto.

8. In a cable railway, the combination with a car, of a cable grip, a grip controller, means for automatically moving said controller to open said grip at a predetermined point, and means subsequently to close said grip, said grip-closing means comprising a controller-engaging member located at the side of the traclzway outside the limits thereof in the path of said controller and adapted to enforce a grip-closing movement through engagement of the controller therewith.

9. In a cable railway, the combination with a car, Vof a cable grip, a grip controller, means for automatically moving said controller to open said grip at a predetermined point, and means subsequently to close said grip, said grip-closing means comprising a member arranged in the path of said grip controller and adapted to move the same to enforce a grip-closing movement, said member being yieldably mounted to yield under an abnormal resistance by said grip controller.

l0. In a cable railway, the combination with a car, of a cable grip, a grip controller, means for automatically moving said controller to open said grip at a predetermined point, and means subsequently to close said grip, said grip-closing means comprising a pivoted member normally forced into a position to engage said grip controller and move the same to a grip-controlling position while adapted to yield under an abnormal resistance by said grip controller.

l1. In a cable railway, the combination with a car, of an automatic cable grip-closing device, comprising a grip controller carried by the car, and a yieldable grip-closing member located near the trackway in the path of said controller and adapted to move the same from a grip-released to a grip-closing position, said member being yieldable under an abnormal resistance.

l2. In a cable railway, the combination with a car, of an automatic cable grip-closing device, comprising a grip controller carried by the car, and a pivoted, weighted lever presenting a member lying in. the path of the grip controller and adapted to move the same from a position of release to a grip-closing position. Y

i3. In a .cable railway, the combination 7ith a car, of a cable grip, a grip-actuating member on the car having-a vertical gripclosing movement and means extraneous to the car and located near the rtraclrway for applying a yieldable grip-closing force to the grip actuating member at a predetermined point in the travel of the car.

il. In a cable railway system, the combination with a car, of a cable grip, a controller projecting from the car, and adapted when elevated to release the grip and when depressed to close the same, and an automatic .controlling device located near the traclrway comprising a stationary support, curved guiding members between which said controller is adapted to pass as the car approach-es said support and by which is adapted to be elevated to release the grip, said support also presenting guide members adapt-ed to maintain said controller elevated for an interval and presenting also curved and depressed guide members between which said controller passes and by which it is adapted to be depressed to close the grip, the upper one of said deguide members being vertically an abnormal resistance by said controller to permit the passage of said car without depressing said controlling member.

l5. In a cable railway, the combination with a. car, of a cable grip thereupon, means acting to close said grip when the car reaches a predetermined position, and electrically responsive means 'to indicate the failure of said grip-closing means to acts 16. In a cable railway, the combination with a car, of a cable grip carried thereby, means adjacent the traclrway to automatically close said grip when saidcar reaches a .predetermined position, and means to cause stoppage of the cable-driving mechanism when the grip-closing means fails to act.

I7. In a cable railway system, the combination with a car, of a cable grip thereupon, means adjacent the trackway to close the grip in a predetermined position of the car, said means being yieldable under an abnormal resistance by the grip-closing mechanism, and electricalmeans to indicate the failure of said grip to close.

1S. In a cable railway system, the combination with a car, of a cable grip, automatic means for .controlling the opening and closing of the grip, and means to indicate the failure of said grip-controlling mechanism to act.

19. In a cable railway system, the compressed yieldable under bination with a car, of a cable grip, a grip controller, a member adjacent the tracliway lying within the path of the controller and adapted to move the same to close the grip when the car reaches a predetermined position, said member being yieldable under an abnormal resistance by the grip-closing mechanism, a switch adapted to be moved under the yielding movement of said member, a motor for driving the cable, and a circuit controlling said motor controlled by said switch.

20. In a cable railway the combination with a cable of driving mechanism thereforl` a car, a cable grip carried by said car, a controlling member also carried thereby, means adjacent the railway to engage said member in the travel of the car and move the same into cable gripping relation and devices to stop the cable driving mechanism when the controlling member fails to move under engagement with said means.

2l. In a cable railway the combination with a cable of driving mechanism therefor, a car, a cable grip and controlling member therefor carried by said car, means adjacent the railway including a movable member adapted to engage said `controlling member in the travel of the car and move the same into cable gripping relation and devices adapted to control the cable driving mechanism when said movable member is moved by engagement with said controlling member.

22. In a cable railway, the combination with a cable of driving mechanism therefor, a car, a cable grip and controlling member therefor' carried by said car, means adjacent the railway including a movable member adapted to engage said controlling member in the travel of the car and move the same into cable gripping relation, said member having a slight movement when the gripping member functions and relatively great movement when the gripping member fails to function.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ALMON E. NORRIS.

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