US1394918A - Traffic-signaling mechanism - Google Patents

Description

L. C. McADAMS. TRAFFIC SIGNALING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26, 1920- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS C. MCADAMS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR 01? ONE-HALF TO J. M.

BENEDICT, OF GLENDALE. CALIFORNIA.

TRAFFIC-SIGNALIN G MECHANISM.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 25, 1921.

Application filed January 26, 1.920. Serial No. 354,293.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LEWIS C. MoADAMs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, has invented new and useful Improvements in Tratfic- Signaling Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to and has for a main object the provision ofan improved type of trafiic signaling means capable of being operated at street intersections for the purpose of directing trafiic across the intersections, a further object being to provide in such a system, a plurality of signal units mounted at the corners of the intersection and adapt ed to be simultaneously operated from a selected one of said units.

Another object is to provide means for interconnecting said signal units whereby the diagonally opposite units of each set may be simultaneously operated by a single operating member for directing the traffic in a given direction and the other set similarly operated by another similar and separate member, and whereby both of said operating members may, if desired, be operated together for moving all of the signals, Other objects may appear as the description of my invent-ion progresses.

I have illustrated the structure and operation of my improvements in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, one practical embodiment of my invention being shown, and all of the means shown being subject to modification and alteration within the scope of the appended claims, without enlarging the scope or departing from the spirit of my invention.

In said drawings and throughout the specification similar characters of reference are employed for indicating the same and like parts, and the several views of the drawings are described as follows:

Figure 1 is a plat of a street intersection showing four of my signal units mounted at the corners;

F ig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan of the said units showing the signals set for the movement of traflic thereby.

Fig. 3 is a similar plan of the mechanism for said units.

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of two of said signaling units showing the operating connections therebetween.

actuating Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional plan of one of the underground housings of the operated units, on line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a similar plan of the housing of the operating unit, on line 6-6, of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a sectional plan of the operating unit above the level of the operating means.

It will be understood that I have shown an underground system in said drawings but it is obvious that an aerial or overhead system of connections may be employed with equal success.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, I have shown four signal units A, B, C and I) mounted at the four corners of a rectangular street intersection, said units being preferably situated at the sidewalk edges and about in line with the building fronts. The unit A, as shown and connected is used as an operating unit while the other units are operated from the unit A.

Each of the units A, B, C and D has a hollow standard 1 substantially extended above the level of and also below the sidewalkQ and provided with a flanged member 3 and a plug 4 at a suitable elevation above the sidewalk. At the sidewalk level a base member?) is provided which is attached to and forms a top closure for an underground housing 6 in the event of the employment of an underground system, as shown; otherwise the member 5 may be extended below the sidewalk only for a depth suflicient to render the standards 1 firm and rigid in character.

Each of said units also has a vertical shaft 7 rotatably held at their lower ends in base members 8 at the bottoms of said housings and said shafts are substantially extended above the upper ends of standards 1 and carry signal vanes 9 of suitable character and bearing a suitable legend thereon for directing the trailic. Shaft 7 of unit A carries a pulley 10 to which one end of a cable, or wire, 11 may be attached and the other end of said cable is adapted to be attached to a pulley 12 of unit 0 which is carried on shaft 7 of said latter unit. Housings 6, 6 of units A and C may be connected and cable 11 inclosed by means of a suitable pipe 13, as shown.

Shafts 7, 7 of units B and D also have pulleys 12, 12' thereon which are connected by means of cables 15 and 16, respectively, with a pulley 14 carried on the lower end of a hollow shaft 21, mounted over shaft 7 of unit A, and shaft 21 has a collar 22 adjacent to the lower side of base member 5 for preventing the upward thrust of said shaft. The units B, C and D, in which the cables 11, 15 and 16 terminate are Provided with coil springs 4.4 around the shafts 7 7, 7, a tubular sleeve 41 being interposed between the pulleys 12, 12, 12 and the base members 5, 5, 5, for carrying said springs, and one of the ends of each of said springs is attached to hooks 45 on the sides of the V housings 6, 6, 6, while the other ends thereof are suitably attached to the upper sides of the pulleys 12, 12, 12, so that when operated the pulleys and cables will move against the tension of said springsand when again released, said springs may be utilized for restoring the signals to normal positions. Said springs, however, may or may not be used, depending upon the convenience and necessity of each occasion, and the requirements of municipalities using my system.

At the upper end of the standard 1, of unit A, I provide two separate operating members 25 and 33 for units A and C and B and D, respectively, member 33 having an upwardly extended outer end 34; and being attached at its hub portion to the shaft '7 by means of a set screw or otherwise,

and member 25 having a similarly extended end 26 and being attached at its hub portion to portion 23 of shaft 21 by means of a set screw 26, or otherwise.

Member 25 has lugs 28, 28 on the lower side thereof for slidably receiving a sliding bolt 27, said bolt having a latch member 29 on the inner end thereof adapted to engage and seat in one or the other of notches 29, 29 in the flange 2a of member 3, and an operating lever 30 at the opposite end capable of manual operation for releasing said latch. A spring 31 is held between lug 28 and a collar 32 on bolt 27 and is adapted to be compressed when said latch is operated for restoring said latch.

Member 33 carries a latch 36 pivoted to the outer end thereof, said latch having an operating portion 37 at one end and a depending latch portion 38 adapted to seat in apertures 39 and 4:0 in members 33 and 25, respectively, for locking said members together for simultaneous operation.

Now, it will be clearly understood that when the operating member 25 is moved one quarter of a revolution independently of member 33, the signals 9, 9 of units B- and D will be moved simultaneously and to a like extent for displaying like signals and opening or closing the trafiic in one direction. Likewise when member 33 is moved independently of member 25 the units A and C will be operated and similar signals displayed thereon for opening the trafiio in an opposite direction. Also, if it is desirable all of said units may be operated together by locking the members 25 and 33 together by means of member 36, as de scribed, and suitable signals may be provided on said units for moving the traffic.

My system may be used as an overhead system by the provision of pulleys on the upper ends of shafts 7 and 21 rather than their lower ends, as shown, and in fact such a system maybe of greater advantage in some'places and at certain points than an underground system. Certainly it would be more economical as to initial and maintenance costs. 3

What I claim is: v

l. A traffic signaling system, comprising standards at the corner of the intersection, vertically disposed shafts in said standards, signal vanes on the upper ends of said shafts, pulleys on the lower ends of said shafts,

a hollow shaft in one of. said standards, surrounding the signal shaft therein, a pulley on the lower end of said shaft, cables connecting said shafts together for operation, and means connected with said hollow shaft and with the signal shaft therein, on one of said standards for operating all of said signals together at will.

2. A traflic signaling system comprising a master signal at one corner and cooperating signals at the other corners of an intersection, said signals, including a standard having a signal shaft therein, a pulley on each of said shafts, operating pulleys on said shafts, cables connecting the pulley on the shaft of the master signal with said other pulleys, and duplex operating means on said master signal whereby said signals may be operated in pairs and all together, at will.

LUTHER L. MACK, J. M. BENEDICT.

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