US1495571A

US1495571A - Automatic traffic signal

Info

Publication number: US1495571A
Application number: US680015A
Authority: US
Inventors: Boshnyak Sebastyen Paul
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1923-12-11
Filing date: 1923-12-11
Publication date: 1924-05-27
Anticipated expiration: 1941-05-27

Description

WLTNESSE INVENTOR Y l EF/'asya/f,

May 27, 1924. v 1,495,571

5 P. BosHNYAK AUTOMATIC TRAFFIC SIGNAL Filed Dfec. 11 1923 ATTORNEYS Fatented May 27, 1924.

STATES,g

SEBASTYEN PAUL BOSI-INYAK, OF ROCHESTER, 1I[I-.`N"NElSOTA.v f

AUTOMATIC TRAFFIC SIGNAL.

Application led'December 11, 1923. Serial No. 680,015.

To allwohom t may concern:

Beit known that I, SEBAsTYEN PAUL BOSHNYAK, a citizen ofthe United States, and resident of Rochester, in the county of l Olmsted andv StateV of Minnesota, have inventedl certain new and useful Improvements inl Automatic Trai'c Signals, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relatesv to improvements in signals andv it consists' of the constructions,

combinations and arrangements herein described' and claimed;

Anobject of the invention isy to provide a signal adapted particularly for use in regu- 'w latingA traiic on streets, one ofthe purposes of the invention being to operate the signal automatically and thereby dispense with the service of' anV officer.

A furtherobject of the invention is tofpro Videan automatic'traffic7 signal in which two pairsfof semaphores controlling traiiic along streets at right angles are-raised and lowered' alternately. f

Other objects andadvantageswill appear in the following specification reference beingv had tothe accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is an elevation of the improved automatic trafic signal.

`Figure 2 is al sectional view yillustrating '50 theinterior operating mechanism.

Figure?) isa detail elevation of the operatingv cam.

Inv carrying' out the invention provision is made of'a hollow case 1 of cast viron or any electric motor 2 which isV operated by current from any availablel source.

9 over'that of the motor shaft, so that thev shaft 9 revolves at a sufficientlylow rate v to properly serve the needl of the signal.

A pair ofcams l1'. and 12 on the shaft 9 cause the operation of pairs of

semaphore arms

13 and 14. The arms" 13 are now up while the arms 14 are down.

It is to be observed in Figure 3 that the cams are substantially 180"- apart and are other suitable material, containing a. smallV v This motor is bolted at. 3 to the floor 4 of the signal, and' therefore counterbalanced. This results in the uniform motion of the shaft 9.

This operation of the semaphore arms is performed by means of a tube 15 and a rod 16, the one being slidable within the other. The tube and rod respectively terminate in yokes 17y andl '18 at the bottom to reach around the cams 11 and' 12 and carry

rollers

19 and 20 upon which the cams may ride. Each yoke is slotted at 21 and 22 (Fig. 3) to admit the shaft 9 which extends through. The pins 23 lupon which the rollers are mounted secure the' ends of the yokes together and keep themfrom spreading.

The upper ends of the tube 15 and rod 16 respectively terminate in

heads

24 and 25 to the sides of .which actuating bars 26 and 27 are pivoted. The tube 15 and rod 16 pass up through a hollow standard 28 which4 isl mounted onthe case 1 andjmay be a part thereof. This standard terminates in a hous# ing 29 in which the head 24, etc. works to actuate the semaphore arms.

Shafts BOand. 31, provided in pairs, furnish the pivotal supports for the pairs of semaphoresl. and 14. These shafts`are suitably fixed in the housing 29. The inner ends of the semaphores extend beyond the pivotal shaft sufficiently to furnish cranks 32 (Fig. 2) with which the upper ends of the various actuating bars are connected. The housing 29 is suitably slotted` at 33 andl 34 to make room for the semaphore arms when they are depressed as inthe case ofv the arms 14.

The operation may be readily understood from the foregoing description. The signals.v will be stationed somewhere approximating the center of intersecting streets, takingthe place of the traiiic officer usually employed. Electric current is furnished-to the motor 2 from lany convenient and available source.` Attention may be given to the operating mechanism in the case 1 by opening the door 35 (Fig. 1).I

It is to be observed that the cams 11 and 12 on the counter shaft 9 are stationed 18()o apart. The cam 11 is now `down and has consequentlypulled down on the tube 15 so that' the semaphores 13 are extended into the position stopping traffic along one' of the intersecting streets. y The other street is'open as indicated by the position of the other Lpair of semaphores 14. As soon as the shaft 9 has revolved sufficiently the roller 19' will ride down one of the inclinesof the cam 11 and the roller 2O will ride up one of the inclines of the other cam 12 causing a reversal of the position of the two pairs of semaphore arms. The arms 14 will then be extended and the arms 13 depressed. The actuating bars 26 and 27 of the respective arms are suspended from the inner crank ends thereof, but inasmuch as the lower extremities of the tube 15 and rod 16 are slotted at 21 and 22, to receive the shaft 9 ample guidance is furnished therefor so that there is no undue looseness in the parts. The operation of the mechanism in the case 1 will be so timed that there will be sufficient time between the operation of alternate pairs of semaphore arms to permit the proper movement and dispersion of traffic along the intersecting streets at which the signal is stationed. The globe 36 at the summit of the signal may be and preferably is illuminated so as to mark the position of the signal at night. The light from this globe may be powerful enough to illuminate the semaphores so as to show their position.

Vhile the construction and arrangement of the improved automatic traflic signal as herein described and claimed is that of a generally preferred form, obviously modications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

Having thus described-the invention, what I claim is:

1. A traflic signal comprising a case sur-A mounted by a standard and a housing, pairs of semaphores pivoted in said housing but extensible therefrom at right angles to each other, a tube extending from the case to the housing having a head, actuating bars connecting the semaphores of one pair with said head, a rod slidable in the tube also having a head, actuating bars connecting said head with the semaphores of the other pair, a slotted yoke carried by the tube and rod respectively and situated in the case, a counter shaft passing through the slots and having bearing in the case, cams carried by the shaft within the yokes and disposed-opposite each other, a roller carried by each yoke against which the respective cam rides, a pin by which each roller is mounted in the respective yokes, said pins holding the ends of the yoke together, and driving means for the countershaft including' a worm gear carried thereby, a motor, and a train of gearing between the worm gear and said motor.

2. A traffic signal comprising a case surmounted by a standard and a housing, pairs of semaphores pivoted in the housing and eXtensible therefrom at right angles to each other, a pair of heads having means oining them to each pair of semaphores, a tube and a rod carrying the respective heads, one being slidabl e within the other and both eX- tending through the standard into the case, a counter shaft, means for driving the counter shaft, a pair of cams carried by the shaft opposite to each other, and a roller carried by the tube and rod respectively engaged by the respective cams and moving the pairs of semaphores to extended and depressed position alternately.

3. A trafiic signal including two pairs of semaphores situated at right angles to each other, means upon which the semaphores are individually pivoted, the ends thereof terminating in cranks beyond the pivots, a tube and a rod for actuating the respective pairs each having a head, the rod being slidable within the tube, means for reciprocating the tube and rod to depress said pairs of semaphores alternately, and actuating bars joining the heads of the tube and rod respectively with pairs of semaphores at said cranks, the actuating bars of the rods being shorter than those of the tubes to provide room between the two for said reciprocation.

4t. In a traffic signal, a pairof pivoted semaphore arms, an actuating bar connected with each, a head with which the opposite ends of said bars have common connection, means carrying the head terminating in a slotted yoke, a shaft passing through the slot of the yoke serving to guide the yoke and said means during reciprocation, a cam carried by the shaft, means including a roller carried by the yoke and engaged by the cam, to reciprocate theyoke and its carried parts and means to drive the shaft.

5. In a traffic signal, pairs of semaphore arms at right angles to each other, means upon which they are pivotally mounted, actuating bars each connected at one end to each of the semaphore arms, a pair of heads with each of which the pairs of bars have common connection at their opposite ends, reciprocable means carrying the individual heads terminating in slotted yokes, a shaft passing through the slots keeping the yokes and the means in alignment during reciprocation, rollers carried bythe yokes, a pair of cams on the shaft, one for each roller, said cams being in counterbalancing position so that the motion of the shaft may be uniform, and means to drive the shaft.

6. In a traffic signal, two pairs of pivoted semaphore arms, actuating bars connected with each arm, actuating means including telescopic members each carrying a head with which the pairs of bars have connection, and means to alternately reciprocate said telescopic members including a yoke carried by each member, means including a roller carried by each yoke, a pair of eccentrics bearing against the rollers to depress said members, a common shaft carrying said pair of eccentrics, and means for rotating the shaft.

SEBASTYEN PAUL BGSHNYAK.