US1375806A - Signaling device - Google Patents

Description

I. B. WALKER.

SIGNALING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31.1920- RENEWED MAR. 12,192].

1,375,806. I Patented Apr- 26, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

LB Vial/96f;

ATTORNEYS WITNESSES I l/VVE/VTUR I. B. WALKER.

SIGNALING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31, 1920. RENEWED MAR. 12, 1921.

1,375,806. I Patented Apr. 26, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES INVENTOH W2 .I. "/ZZZ/Per; V

I M 6. 4". mm

A TTUR/I/EIS "certain new and UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IRA BAILEY WALKER, OF ETITA MILLS, CALIFORNIA.

SIGNALING DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern i Be it known that .I, IRA BAILEY WALKER, a cltlzen of the United States, andiresident of Etna Mills, in the county of Sislciyou and State of California, have invented useful Improvements in S1gnal1ng Devices, of which the following is a specification.

y'invention is an improvement in signallng devices, and has for its object to provlde mechanism of the character specified adapted to be arranged on highways for warnlng drivers approaching each other from opposite directions, at dangerous places 1n the road, wherein each car, as it approaches the danger point, operates'mechan1sm which control s'a'signal at the opposite side of the danger point, means being PIOVldGd in connection with the signal for causing itto be displayed a specified length of time and to afterward permit it to'move lnto inoperative or non-display position, and wherein the means operated by the vehicle is so arranged-that only vehicles moving in one direction will operate the same.

In the drawings; 4

Figure 1 is a front view of the improved signal;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section through a portion of the roadway showing the operating means for the signal controlled by the vehicle;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view'showing the means for causing the signal to be displayed a redetermined length of time;

ig. 4 is a perspective View of one of the bell cranks;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the weightcontrolled plate;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the guide for the plate;

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view showing the arrangement for a crossing.

In the present embodiment of the inven tion suitable posts 1 are arranged at the opposite sides of a danger point, as, for instance, a narrow place or turn, or, as shown in Fig. 7 the posts may be arranged on the four sides of a crossing or road intersection. Each post is provided near its top with a semaphore arm 2 which is plvoted to the post, as indicated at 3, and each semaphore'arm carries a legend, as, for H1- stance, Gar coming, or any other desired warning.

The pivot pin 3 upon whlchthe arm Specification of Letters IPatent. Patented Apr. 26, 1921 Application filed March 31, 1920, Serial No. 370,275.v Renewed March 12,1921, I

swings is fixed, and the semaphore arm 2 has an extension 4 which has a bearing engaging the pin. The semaphore arm is moved lnto the dotted line position of Fig. 1 from the full line position of the said figure by the mechanism shown in Fig, 2. At a suitable distance on each side of the danger pomt or from the intersection of the" two roads, there is provided a pit5 at one side of the roadway and 'in position such that one side of a vehicle must pass over the pit, the pit being of a length suflicient to insure that the car cannot pass without passing over thepit.

v Referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that one wall of this pit, namely, that wall remote from the danger point, is perpendicular, as indicated at 6, while the opposite wall 7 is undercut. Within this pit there is arranged a block or plate 8 which normally abuts the perpendicular Wall 6 and which sen aim. 451,842. T

is normally held elevated so that a portion coming from the left of Fig. 2 strikes the block the plate 8 or said block may swing with the moving vehicle a suiii'cient distance to operate the semaphore arm 2 before engaging the upper edge of the beveled wall 7 coil spring 10 is arranged between the block and a fixed point in the roadway, and this spring acts normally to hold the block in the position shown in Fig. 2. That portion of the pit bottom which is not below the block or plate 8 is deepened, as shown at 11, to receive foreign bodles that mlght fall into the pit and to provide a receptacle for such bodies so that they w1ll not interfere with the proper working of the block 8.

A link 12 is connected with the block or plate 8 at one end and at the other with a bell crank 13 which is pivoted" at a suitable point in a conduit or tunnel 14f: which leads from the pit 5 to the post 1 with which the block 8 isdesigned to be connected. An-

other bell crank 15 is arranged at the bottom are connected by connections 16, which may be wires or the like. From the bell crank 15 a flexible member 17 passes upwardly overdirection elements 18 at the top of the post and then downwardly to a connection with the extension 4 of the semaphore arm. The arrangement is such that when the block or plate 8 is swung toward the undercut wall 7 of the pit the flexible member 17 will be moved in a direction to swing the.

the kick-back of the vehicle wheels will not tend to swing the plate orblock away from the wall 6. As soon as the springs 9.

move the plate or block upwardly the latch will release the catch. 8

Means is provided for insuring that the semaphore arm will be displayed a predetermined time and then released to permit it to move into operative position by its own weight. The said means is in the form of a lever 21 which is pivoted to the post adjacent to the semaphore arm. This lever is adapted to be engaged by a ratchet bar 22 with the bearing of the extension 4.

en the signal is moved upwardly into the broken line position of Fig. 1 the ratchet bar engages one end of the lever 21, and swings the said lever. The other end of the lever extends into a casing 23 which is secured to the post" adjacent to' the semaphore arm and is adapted to engage a mechanism to be later described.

A plate 24 is mounted to move vertically on a pin 25 on a block 26 which is secured within the case. The plate has an openin through which the pin extends, and the said late rests upon one end of a lever 27 which 1s pivoted at 28 in the casing. The other end of the lever engages the body of the fork or yoke 29 at the upper end of a pendulum assembly 30, which is pivoted at 31 in the casing. I

.This pendulum assembly is a part of an escapement mechanism, comprising, in addition, a toothed wheel 32 journaled in the casing, and the arms of the fork or yoke engage the teeth of the wheel in such manner that when the pendulum swings the wheel will be permitted to rotate in the'manner of an escapement.

A lever 33 is pivoted to the axis of the wheel, and this lever carries a weight 34 at the and adjacent to the plate 24 and the wheel, as indicated in which is adapted to engage the said plate 24 under conditions to be presently described. 1

A pawl 35 is pivoted to the lever, and this pawl 35 is pressed into engagement with the teeth of the wheel 32 by a spring 36 arranged between the pawl and the lever.

The operation of this part of the mechanism is as follows: When the semaphore arm is swung upwardly the lever 21 is rocked, and that end of the lever which is within'the case engages the weight 34 and lifts said weight, as shown in Fig. 3. The pawl by its engagement with the ratchetwheel 32 prevents downward movement of the weight, unless the wheel turns as the weight moves vdown, and the esca ement mechanism slows the movement 0 the wheel '32. It 'will be obvious that by proper arrangement of the parts, the extent of time required for the end of the lever being in engagement with the body of the yoke and stops the move- I ment of the pendulum, with one of the arms of the yoke in engagement with the teeth of the wheel, thus checking the movement of dotted lines in Fig. 3. A gong 35 is arranged within the casing in such position that whenthe pendulum swings it will strike the gong to provlde an audible warnin At a crossing,. or instance, one of the posts 1 provided with its signal is arranged on each side of the crossing on each roadway, as shown in Fig. 7, and a pit 5 provided with its block 8 is -arran ed in suit-' able position near each post. aoh of the angles to the roadway in which 1s the pit,

so that when the block 8 is swung by a ve- 1 15 hicle approaching the crossing signals will be displayed on the cross road at each side of the croing Where there is a bad turn orany other danger point out single road, signals will be arranged on each side thereof and so connected that a. vehicle approaching from either direction will display the signal on the opposite side of the danger point.

Ic aimr/ 1. In combination with a semaphore arm and means adapted to be controlled by a moving car for lifting said am to danger. position, means for holding said arm in danger posltion independent of the vehicle 130 controlled operating means, and time controlled means for releasing said holding means after a predetermined length of time, and an audible signal operated byth'e time controlled means.

2. In combination with a semaphore arm and means adapted to be controlled by a moving car for lifting said arm to danger position, means for holding said arm in danger position independent of the vehicle controlled, operating means, and time controlled means for releasing said holding means after a predetermined length of time.

3. In combination with a normally inoperative signal and means controlled by a moving vehicle for operating said si al to danger position from a distance, means independent of the vehicle controlled means for holding said signal in danger position, and means 'for releasing said holding means after a predetermined length of time to permit the signal to move into inoperative position. 4. In combination with a normally inoperative signal and means controlled bya moving vehicle for operating said signal v to danger pos1tion from a distance, and means independent of the vehic controlled means for holding said signal in anger pov sition for a predetermined length of time after the passage of the vehicle.

5. In combination, a semaphore arm supported to normally swing intoinoperative position, vehicle controlled means operable from a distance forl1ft1ng said arm to danger position, releasable means for holdingthe arm lifted and .escapement-controlled means for releasing said holdin means after a predetermined'length of tlme.

6. In a device of the aiaracter specified,

the combination with the semaphore arm,- of means controlled by a moving vehicle for operating the same, saidmeans including a block adapted to be engaged by the wheels of the vehicle, said block having guided movement to be moved laterally and then vertically when engaged by the Wheels of a car going in one direction and to be moved vertically when engaged by the-wheels of a car going in the other direction, springs for ho ding the block in normal position in the path of movement of the wheels, and means for preventing lateral movement in wheels of a car going in the other direction,

and springs for holdlng the block in normal position in the path of movement of the wheels.

IRA BAILEY

Images