US1557704A - Track mechanism for automatic train-control systems - Google Patents

Description

Oct.

o. B. KENT ETAL I TRACK IECHAN ISM FOR AUTOMATIC TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEIS Patented Oct. 20, 1925.

UNITED-STATES r T Nr FFICE.

one B. KENT, or WASHINGTON, nrs 'nIo or coLUMBrA, AND ROBERT L. MILLER,

or SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, sAIn- MILLER AssroNoa To oTIs U oMATIc TRAIN CONTROL, INQ, OE SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, A ORPORATION OF WASHINGTON.

TRACK MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC T'RAlIN-CONTBbL SYSTEMS.

Application filed June 30, 1921. Serial No. 479,056.

To all whom it may concern: 7 7

Be it known that we, O Is B. KENT and ROBERT L. MILLER, citizens of theUnited States, and residents of \Vashington, in the District of Columbia, and Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State of Washington, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Track Mechanism for Automatic Train-Control 1 Systems, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in track mechanisms for automatic train control systems, andit consists more particularly in the provision of a ramp device which is capable of movement into or out of the path of travel of a shoe constituting a part of the train carried mechanism whereby under predetermined conditions said shoe is actuated in a manner to cause the train carried mechanism to act on the air brakes of the train to thereby control the travel of the latter.

An important purpose'of our invention resides in the provision of a ramp device of the character mentioned which is of simple and inexpensive construction, possessing few parts: compactly arranged, and unlikely to et out of order, which is gravity opera-tec in a positive manner to a normally active shoe actuating position and which may be electrically or otherwise operated to inactive position. 1 A

1 Our invention consists essentially. in the provision of a supporting element for one or preferably two pivoted'ramp rails, a projectable and retractible shoe operable to swing said rails on their pivots to dispose them either in active or inactive position with respect to the train carried mechanism designed to be actuated thereby and means for effecting desired movements of said shoe; saiclmeans including a pair of links forming a' toggle between the casing and shoe,a lever pivoted tothe shoe and to the casing, and a rod connecting said lever with the toggle. With such an arrangement we accomplish the desired purposes of quickly and easily moving the shoe and consequently the ramp rails either to active or inactive position and of locking the toggle against collapse under the influence of downward pressure on the shoe when the same is projected position.

- iOtl'ier'pnrposes as well as the nature and advantages of our improvements will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which our invention appertains when the accompanying drawings are considered in the light of the detailed description thereof to follow. It is desired to point out and have it understood, however, that variouschanges and desirable additions may be made in and to the structure illustrated without departing from the spirit or scope of our invention as defined in the appended claims.

In the -drawings,wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the different views v I j Fig. 1 is a loi'igitudinal-section. through a ramp device embodying thenovel character, istics of our invention showing the shoeactnatin'gelements' in normal position; and f Fig. 2 is a view, similar to Fig. 1 showing the shoe actuating elements moved to non-active position.

Referring now to the drawings in detail,- 10 designates a somewhat elongated, preferably, rectangular hollow casing which serves .as a? housing and support for the movable elements of our device and which is adapted to be secured in' any suitable manner at a desired location along the tracks of a railroad whereby said movable elements are disposedin position to actuate a traincarried shoe 111 which is "connected in any preferred manner to mechanism whereby actuation of said shoewill, under predetermined conditions act through said mechanism to control the travel of' the train.

Thespecific type of mechanism to be actu- .ated by our improved ramp device consti tntes no part of. o'urpresent invention and we have therefore. illustrated only the shoe.

element of one form of such mechanism in order to show therelation between our de-' vice and that part of a train carried mechanism which it is designed to actuate.

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Withmore particular reference to the f drawings it will he'observed thatthe upper wall of the casing 10 has pivoted-there to at an approximately intermediate point thereon one end of a ramp rail 12- This ramp rail is, thicker near its pivoted end than at its free end and is tapered towards said free end where it terminates in a relatively thin edge.

A second .r'amp rail 13, in all respects -a duplicate of the ramp rail 12, is also pivoted .to the upper wall of the casing near one end of vthe latter, and as shown, the free end of this rail extends towards the free end of rail 12. Both rails are adapted to swing in a vertical plane and their tree ends are designed to be at all times supported upon a shoe 14: which is located mid.- way between the pivots of said rails and which is adapted to loo-projected and retracted in a vertical direction with respect to th casinglO whereby said ramp rails may be swung to a raised position as illustrated in Fig. 1 or permitted to move down.- ward to a lowered position as shown in Fig. 2. s

The means for projecting and retracting the shoe 14 consists primarily of a lever 15 disposed within the casing and pivoted at an intermediate point thereto as at 16. One

end of this lever is pivoted as at 17 to an under portion of the "shoe and its other end is weighted as at 18, said weighted end acting to' raise the-other end and thereby normally hold the shoe in a projected position and the ramp rails disposed at-an upward inclined from their respective pivoted ends toward the shoe.

addition to the lever 15 other means has been provided to assist in projecting and retracting the shoe and to support and hold the same substantially rigid, particularly in its projected position. "This means consists of a pair of links 1-9 1a-nd20, the tormer of which is pivoted as a-t-21 to an under portion of the shoe while the latter is pivoted as'at 22 to the casing, or more desirably, to a block such as shown at 23 secured to the lower wall of the casing. Said links 1-9 and 20 are relatively pivotal-1y connected at their adjacent ends so that a break joint 2%]: is provided and connecting this'break'joint with one endoii a short lever 25,"whic h is pivoted to the casing at its other end as at' 26, is a rod 27'. Carried'by the lever 15 is a pin 28 which rides in a slot in the short lever 25 and which acts to swing's'aid short lever to move the rod-27 to either break or straighten the toggle produced by said links l 9'and 20 when the weighted end of lever 15 isfraised or lowered as the case may be. From the foregoing it is obvious that as long as the weighted end of the lever 15 isin its lowermost position the joint 24 is locked by the rod 27 and no downward movement of the 1 shoe can occur. This is the normal position of the parts mentioned, the same being maintained'in the relation shown in Fig. 1 by the weight 18 as is apparent. Preferably sume either of the positions illustrated in the drawings. When in the position shown in Fig. 1 theshoe 11 carried by \a train passing over the device will engage one or the other of the ramp rails, depending upon the direction of approach of the train, and will be raised thereby, {thus .actuatjingthe train mechanism and brakes. On theother ,hand when in the position shown in Fig. 2

the shoe 11 will pass ireely over said ramp rails and the train mechanism and brakes will be unaffected.

The shoe 14 is desirably so shaped upon its upper face as to provide seats to receive the free ends of theramp rails and at the same time provide an even continuation of their upper faces. Desirably too the ramp rails are pivoted on rods extending between pairs of lugs rising Eron1 the upper *face of the casing and their pivoted ends are round ed so as to have a hearing on the casing and relieve the pivot rods of a portion of'their weight. Furthermore, we deem it within the 'spir it of our invention to make use. of a solenoid arrangement in lieu of the eleetromagnetic arrangement hereln illustratedand to make various other changes additions as may from time to time become desirable within the scope of our invention as defined in the appended claims.

e claim 1. A ramp device tor automatic train control apparatus including a pair of ram-p rails arranged in endto end relation, a weight operated member normally exerting an up ward force upon the adjacent inner ends of said ramp rails to 'maintain them normally projected, and electro-magnetic means to retract said member thereby to permit retraction of said ramp rails under the influence of gravity.

2}. A ramp device for automatic train con Itrol apparatus comprising a casing, a pair of ramp rails carried by saidcasing and arranged in end to end relation, amember within said casing pivoted interm-ediately and having one end weighted whereby its other end is maintained normally elevated, an operative connection between the normally elevated end of said member and the ad jacent ends of saidramp rails whereby the latter are maintained normally projected,

and electro-magnetic means for retracting the normally elevated end of said member whereby said ramp rails may be depressed by gravity.

3. A ramp device for automatic train control mechanism comprising a supporting ele ment, a ramp rail pivoted thereto for swinging movement, a shoe engageable with said rail for swinging the same, a pair of relatively pivoted links between the shoe and said supporting element, a lever for actuating said shoe, and a connection between said lever and said pivoted links whereby the latter are held against collapse under the influence of pressure against said shoe.

4:. A ramp device for automatic train control mechanisms comprising a supporting our signatures,

casing, a ramp rail pivoted to said casing for swinging movement, a shoe projectable and retract-ible with respect to said casing and engageable with said rail for swinging the same, a lever pivoted to the casing and to said shoe for moving the latter, a pair of relatively pivotally connected links connecting the casing and shoe, a rod connecting said links with said lever, a weight in the form of a magnet bar carried at the free end of said lever, and an electro-magnet disposed in operative relation with said weight.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aiiix oTIs B. KENT. ROBERT L. MILLER.

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