US1493495A - Safety apparatus for railway-traffic-controlling devices - Google Patents

Description

4, 4 l Y O M E C.

May 13 1924.

SAFETY APPARTUSA FOR RAILWAY TRAFFIC CONTROLLING DEVICES 2 Sheets-Sheet l AFiled April 18 lNvENToR:

BY l zw Mln. ATTORNEY 2 sheets-'sneu 2 c. E. MccoY SAFETY APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY TRAFFIC coNTnoLLIG DEVICES Filed April 18.

May 13 1924.

INVENTOR t Ma ATTORNEY rPatented May 13, 1924.

UNTED STATS CHARLES E. MCCO'Y, 0F WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA7 ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION SWITCH & SIGNAL COMPANY, F SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY-TRAFFIC-CONTROLLING DEVICES.

Application led April 18, 1922. Serial'No. 554,980.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. MCCOY, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVilkinsburg, in thc county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Apparatus for Railway-Traiic-Controlling Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway trafiic controlling devices, such for example as switches and signals, and particularly to devices of this kind which are operated by power in a suitable form, such as electricity or fluid pressure.

As is well understood, it is sometimes necessary to operate devices of this kind by hand, usually through the medium of a crank applied to a gear in the actuating mechanism of the device, and one object of my invention is the provision of means for preventing the application of the operating power to the device during manual operation.

I will describe one form of apparatus embodying my invention, and will then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of circuits for the control of an electrically operated railway switch, including a circuit controller K for opening the circuits which supply current to the operating motor M. Fig. 2 is a top 85 plan view showing a portion of the mechanism for moving the railway switch A of Fig. 1 including one form of apparatus for governing the circuit controller K embodying my invention. Fig. 3 is a side e0 elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2 for governing the circuit controller K.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in each of the several views.

Referring rst to Fig. 1, the reference character A designates a railway switch the movable points of which are shifted by means of an electric motor M through the medium of an operating mechanism B. The supply of current from a transmission line 10 or other suitable source to motor M is governed by contacts 34 of a circuit controlling device C, and the device C is in turn governed by contacts 35 operated by a lever L which is usually, though not necessarily, one of a plurality of similar levers in an mterlocking machine. The circuits for the control of motor M may be of any desired type, and inasmuch as these circuits form no part of my present invention it 1s not necessary to explain them in detail herein, it being sufficient to oint out that they include a circuit contro ler K which, when open, prevents the supply of current from the source 10 to the motor M, regardless of the position of the mechanism B, device C and lever L.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, the reference character 11 designates a portion of a case or box which encloses the operating motor M and the operating mechanism B. The operating mechanism includes a gear wheel 12 which is fixed on a shaft 13, and this shaft is provided with a squared end 13a adapted to receive a suitable crank by which the mechanism B, and consequently the switch A, may be operated by hand when required. The shaft 13 projects through a hole 14 in the case 11, whereby the crank may readily be applied, and the hole 14 is closed by a cover 15 when the hand crank is not in use. The cover 15 is attached to a metal strap 16, one end of which is pivotally attached to the case 11 at a point not shown in the drawings, and the other end of which is provided with an eye 1ba fitting over an apertured ear. 18 on the case 11 so that the cover can be locked in closed position by the application of a pad lock to the aperture in the ear 18. v

Interposed between the cover 15 and the circuit controller K is apparatus for opening the circuit controller when the cover is removed from its position over the hole 14. This mechanism is as follows:

The circuit controllerK comprises two contact lingers 19 and 20, both of which lare mounted in a block 21 of insulating material attached to a partition 11a of the case 11. Attached to the upper end of nger 19 is a yoke 30 which carries two spaced blocks 22 of insulating material. on a pin 23 passing through these blocks is a rod 24 which extends to a point near the cover 15. Surrounding a portion of the rod 24 is a spring 25, one end of which abuts against an angular bar 26 attached to the wall 11, while the other end of the spring abuts against a collar 27 fixed to the rod' Pivotally mounted' It will be seen, therefore, that owing tc the action of spring 25 the contact linger 19 is biased to a right-hand position, and when in this position contact K is open.

The right-hand end of rod 24 coacts with a plate 28 which is mounted on a spring member 23, and which latter in turn is attached to a block 29 supported by the outer wall 11 of the motor casing. The lower end of plate 28, as viewed in Fig= 2, is bent outwardly at 28b and proJects into such position as to engage the cover 115 when the latter is in place over the hole i4.

The parts of the apparatus thus far described are so arranged and proportioned that when the cover 15 is in position over the hole 14:, it pushes the plate 28 to the left, thereby in turn pushing rod 24 and finger 19 to the left to close contact K in opposition to the force or b ias exerted on this contact by the coiled spring 25. When the cover 15 is removed from' the hole, however, plate 28 moves to the right under the influence of spring 25, so that contact K is opened. When the cover is restored to its closing dposition, contact K, of course, is again close In the structure shown 1n the drawings I have provided a latch 31 for keeping the contact K open after it has once opened due to removal of the cover 15 until it is restored to the closed position by manual action. This latch 31 passes thro-ugh a slot 19a in contact finger 19 and a slot 2 0a in finger 20. The latch is provided with a dog 31b which abuts against finger 19 and with a dog 31a which coacts with nger 20. The latch is held in place by a cotter pin 33 which passes through the latch and engages with finger 19 on the side of this iinger op-- posite to dog 31". The slot 20a in finger .20 is long enough to permit the latch to rise so that the dog 31a will pass through the slot. The latch 31 is biased downwardly by a spring 32.

The operation of this latching device is as follows:

Normally the latch 31 occupies the position in which it is shown in Fig. 3, so that contact K is closed. 1When contact K is opened, due to removal of cover 15, the latch 31 is carried to the right by contact nger 19 and is pressed downwardly by spring 32, so that the dog 31a passes thrcugh slot 20l in finger 20 and latches against the right-hand face of this finger. When the cover 15 is restored, contact finger 19 is shifted to the' left, but the dog 31? on latch 31 then shifts contactu linger 20 also to the left, so that contact K remains open. In order to close this contact it is necessary for the maintainer or other authorized person te remove the cover from the motor casing and lift the left-hand end of latch 31 by hand.

In some instances it may not be desirable to provide the latch 31, and so I have constructed this latch in such manner that it may readily be applied or 'removed from the contact. To remove the latch it is only necessary to take out the cotter pin 33-and pull the latch to the left through the slots in the contact fingers. With the latch removed contact K will, of coul-se, open when the cover 15 is removed, and will close when the cover is returned to its closing position.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of safety apparatus embodying my invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims without departing fromthe spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination, a railway traiiic governing device, a motor, mechanism interposed between said motor and said device for moving the device, said mechanism having a part adapted to receive a crank whereby said device may be moved by hand, a member normally in position to prevent application of such crank to said mechanism and movable to another position wherein itpermits application of the crank, apparatits controlled by said member for preventing the supply of operating energy to said motor when the member is in such position as to admit the crank, and manually releasable means for preventing restoration of energy to said motor after said member is returned to normal position.

2. In combinaticn, a railway trafc governing device, a motor, mechanism interposed between said motor and said device for moving the device, said mechanism having a part adapted to receive a crank whereby said device may be moved by hand, a member normally in position to prevent application of such crank to said operating mechanism and movable to another position wherein it admits the crank, a contact controlled by said member and opened when the memberi is moved to crank admitting position, manually ieleasaole means for holding said contact open after said member is returned to its normal osition, and an operating circuit for said) motor controlled by said contact.

3. In combination, a railway traffic governing device, a motor, mechanism interposed between said motor and said device for moving the device, said mechanism having a part adapted to receive a crank whereby said device may be moved by hand, a member normally in position to prevent application of such crank to said operating mechanism and movable to another pesition wherein it admits the crank, a contact comprising two fingers biased to such relative positions that they do not engage, means controlled by said member when in normal position for moving said ingers to engaging position, a pawl removably attached to one of said fingers for preventing mutual engagement of said fingers when they have been disengaged by removal of said member, and an operating circuit for said motor controlled by said contact.

4. In combination, a railway traic governing device, a motor, mechanism inter posed between said motor and said device for moving 'the device, said mechanism having a part adapted to receive a crank where-A by said device may be moved by hand, av

member normally in position to prevent application of such crank to said operating mechanism and movable to another position wherein it admits the crank, a contact controlled by said' member and opened when the member is moved to crank-admitting position, readily removable manually releasable means ,for keeping said contact open after said member is returned to normal position, and an operating circuit for said motor controlled by said contact.

In testimony whereof I airix my signature.

CHARLES E. MCCOY.

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