US1564341A - Electrically-operated switch - Google Patents

Description

M. c. GARLlcK ELECTRICALLY OPERATED SWITCH Filed Oct. 29, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNY ELEGTRICALLY OPERATED SWITCH Filed Oct. 29I 1923 .7'

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 :Tf/M m 4 INVENT'OR l /0 /anc'e C Gar//cv i; Q e 56 7 BY V 06W? i ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 8, 1925.

AU1-11T1-1D STATES 1,564,341 PATENT oIfFljCE- MAURICEv o. GARLICK, or EASTON, rnNNsYLvANIA- ELECTRICAIQLY-OPERATED SWITCH.

Application mea october a9, 1923. serieu-No. 671,514. f

To -aZZ whom t may concern f Ben-.it known that I, MAURICE C. GARLICK, a citizen `of the United States, and a resident ofv Easton, county `of- Northampton, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefullmprovement in V,Electrically-Operated Switches, of which the following is .a'specification Myinvention relates to switching devices for electric railways."

The invention provides a simplel and effective form of electrical apparatus, which may be used at will, as. when the car is approaching the switch andit is desired to throw the switch into the opposite position,

' or if desired the carf may be permitted to pass over the switch without causingy it to operate. .f

The device -makes useof a minimum of partsA ofthe simplest character, which are easily assembled, not easily deranged and adapted tofbe readily adjusted or replaced byv unskilled 'labor in a lminimum of time and without undue interferencewith the operation ofthe line. The operating parts preferably comprise'a simple electrical ac.- tuating device operating in one direction, as a solenoid, magnet or the like, and an opposed spring, preferably of the pull or expansion type, the spring being used to supplement or complete the movement-initiated by the electrically operated part of the apparatus and to'prevent derailments, etc., by holding'the switch tongue closely againstth'e rail. 1

Other features and objects of the invention will appear in connectionwith the yfollowing description' andy claims.

An embodiment of my'invention is shown ,j in the' accompanying drawings,4 which is. merely` illustrative of a preferred form of;

myinvention 'andiis not'to impose limita; tions thereon, 1t beingobvious that changes can be'ma'de in' theldetails 'of'.constructionr by those skilled in the art without depart- In'said drawings, Fig; 1 is a small "scale plan view of a switch point andswitchingV device box. Fig.l2 is a larger scale plan View of the-switching apparatus, the lid of the box being removed. Fig 3 is a section on line 3j- 3, Fig. 2. 4 is a plan view similar to a part of Fig. 2 and showing another-'position of the parts. of the switch! .ing device. Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5,`

` 4. Fig.v l'isja longitudinal lsection of the dash pot.` With parts broken '-awayof: al1-'electrical gpljgigl; coupling. Fig,l 8 .jis a section online-,587g Fig. 2, and Fig, 9 is aj diagram oftheelecg# trical circuit for' operatingthe-device, 5j-r The switch tongue represented by thegnuf meral 1-is p ivoted-between. switch, rails-2 and 3. The ground boX 4,:contai-ning the switching device is preferably.. located one side' off the switch-inaccordancelflwith v the customarypractice. Ground boX'4-conjings in' said lips;l2, .12. Rod Gris, preferably passed through asleeve. ,15, which'is in terposedbetween lever 13 and swirtcli,v tongue 1 and serves to impart pushing movement to the switch tongue. f if. Y y

Rod 6r and `Aits surroundingsleeve, ,15 to; gether pass A through ,the registering openejf ing 16 and "17. located ,respectivelyI iii-:fthe side of the easing 5; andlinthe-raily member- 2, Rod 6 and sleeve v15 .are adjustably'c'oni nected with the armlL of,lever:13,which said arm `13a is preferably of;v giene-rallyl rounded contour, andgin: thelformz sl-uwni| such adj ustablel connectionsare providedfvbyy the provision vr'of a plurality of vwashersllf on rod 6 and the cotterpingQOiinsertedz 'iii throughl the end of rod 6 proj'ecting'abeyofd the' lever: armjll. Itfwil'l be; obvibusltlratg' by making use of- :atfvaryingffwnumber' of washersL rof suitable thickness or f'emolvs;

ing one or more washersafromv onefside of the 'lever armf13a to the :opposite side,='which can readily be accomplished by the' removall )of the cotter pin20, substantially"-anyV 'def sired Vadjustment `may be .secured betweeny the lever arm 13l andthe push'and'pull link* member comprising rod' Gan'd sleevel5.-

The oscillatory lever 13 "is pivotally mounted at about its center on 'thebearingstud 21projecting upwardly fromStfhe-botw tom' of casing 5.' ,Said lever 'has elongated slot 422 formed therein on the arm 13b opposite' its'connect-ion with rod 6. Such slot receives and is traversed by an anti-friction member, as the flanged wheel 23 rotatably mounted at the end of connecting rod 24. The other end of said connecting rod 24 is pivotally connected to an electromagnetic plunger 25 working in a bore 26 of the solenoid, electromagnet coil, or the like 27. The plunger-25 is adaptedto be drawn inwardly into the bore26 when an electric current is passed through the -coil 27. Movement of plunger V25 and connected parts in the opposite directionv is obtained by means of a pull or expansion spring 28, which` is pivotally connected to the plunger 25 by means of the link 29. Provision@ Vis made for tensioning-n preferably Stretching-and adjustably holding spring 29 in4 place. The preferred form of holding-and Ystretching means comprises a yoke 30adjusta'bly pivoted inthe lugs 31 forn'i'edflin-the extension 4b of the box or casing 4,*'and provided on its upper face witha series of pairs of undercut notches 32, which are adapted to receive the ends of the crossbar 33; Crossbar is adjustably connected to spring 28, and in the form shown the said Vcrossbar is formed into a loop or hook portion 34 substantially midway` between its ends into which the hooked end 35 of spring 28 may be adjustablyvhooked/l Thev stop rib 36 is provided for limiting the downward movement of yoke 3() after the same has passed down to a sufliciient'rextent to carry the crossbar 33 below the' point of pivotal support 31. This movement ofthe yoke past a dead center operates to prevent the spring 28 from rising after same has been stretched into place by depression ofthe yoke 30 upon its pivots. It will be seen that the tension on the eX- pansion spring 28 can be readily adjusted by inserting its crossbar 22 inany desired pairriof undercut-notches 32. The slotted side of'lever 13 is provided with the projecting arm 37 having'a finger 38 extending upwardlytherefrom and projecting into the path' of a leaf spring 39, which is secured at about its middle to the connecting rod 24. Thisarrangement is provided for the purpose of 'throwing the lever 13 past dead center with" complete certainty and will be referred to later in connection with the operation of the device.

In order to prevent the switch closing with a-:snap or an' accelerated movement, whichmight result at times in throwing Wateror the like on bystanders, dash pot means are provided for securing a slow closing\niovement of the switch without substantial slowing down of the movement of the switch during the earlier stages thereof. In the form shown a dash pot cylinder 40 is provided-for this purpose, one end thereof being pivoted at 41 to one end of the casing 5 and the piston rod 42 thereof, which extends through the gland 43, being pivoted at 44 to the vlever 13 by means of the pivot pin 45. Cylinder 4() is partially filled with fluid 46, such as oil, and the piston 47 is provided with one or more holes 48. lVith such arrangement the piston can move rapidly until the oil fills the space between the piston and the head or baseof the cylinder, after which its movement is retarded by reason of the oil being required to pass through the openings 48 before it can get to the other side of the piston.

The dash pot arrangement just described can, of course, be dispensed with if desired.

It will be seen that the parts so far described are all of such character that they can be readily assembled, adjusted orftaken apart and reassembled without the use of tools or with theuse of very simple tools. It is desirable also to have a form of plug or wire connection with the solenoid or magnet wire, which similarly can be taken down and put together withthe utmost readiness, and in Fig. 7 I have shown a form of connection for this purpose, making use of an ordinary pipe coupling for securing the parts together. This pipe coupling comprises the two coupling members 49, 50, and the customary threaded coupling sleeve 51. A pair of insulating disks 52, 53 are adapted to be received within the sleeve 51 between the coupling members 49 and 50, and rubber or other insulating rings 54, 55 and 56 are provided on the outer vsides of said disks 52 and 53 and between the same respectively. The female portion of the plug is mounted in the disk 52 and comprises a pair of headed sleeves 57,. 57 inserted through openings in the disk 52 and having the wires 58 and 59 secured in place therein as by means of set screws 60, 60. For the male portion of the plug the disk 53 has the plug pins 61, 61 secured in place therein and the wires 62 and 63 are secured in vplace therein as by means of set screws 64, 64. It will be seen that when the parts just described are assembled and the coupling sleeve 51 screwed in place, there is no strain von the electric plugging parts; and there is no tendency for them to separate, and yet by merely unscrewing. the coupling sleeve 51 complete access can be had to valln the parts of the electrical connecting device. Other forms of electric plugs may, of course, be used, but the one described, which has been designed and constructed particularly for use in' connection with the other partsv of the apparatus described herein, isvpreferable. l

The operation of the device will be clear from the foregoing and the wiring diagram of Fig. 9. The trolley wire, third rail or other current carrying means 65 is leased the interrupted for a small portion of itscon.-

tact surface, as between. the points 66, 67, the current being carried by the insulated connecting member 68 arranged preferably behind the contact surface. Such interrupted portion of the current carrying wire is replaced by Va contact member 69, which is insulated from the trolley or other current carrying member 65, as by insulating member 70. 1

When the contact device,-.as the .trolley wheel 71, passes over this portion of the track carrying the'contaotmember 69, should the control switch 72 be open, there is no current passing through the solenoid winding 27, so that the switch is not affected and remains in whatever position. itv may be in. If, however', trolley controlswitch 72 is closed when the trolley wheel` 71 comes into contact withthe c ontact member 69, a circuit is closed through the trolleyA motor 73 and the solenoid winding 27 and the plunger 25 is forcibly pulled within the solenoid winding, imparting a pull to lever y13 through the connecting rod 24 and roller 2.3,v and thereby turning the lever 13` from the position which it may be in, which may be either that of Fig. 2 or of Fig. 4, toward its opposite position and at the same time lexerting a Vpull on spring l28 through link 29 to thereby eX- pand spring 28 against its normal condition of contraction. As soon as the momentary pull on the solenoid plungerf25fis recontractile force of spring 28 serves to complete the turning movement of lever 13 from one ,extreme position to the other, and for the purpose just described.

the operation of the solenoid and spring are ordinarily sufficient to .secure thev desired result of throwing the lever 13 and switch tongue 1 from one side to the other, but in order to prevent any possibility of the Wheel 23 being stopped at a dead center and thus preventing the completion of the throw, a leaf spring 39 is provided. This spring 39 coming in contact with the projection 38 of the lever 13 serves to push the finger 38 and the lever carried thereby and the connecting rod 24 in opposite directions, thus making it impossible for the parts to stop in a dead center position midway between the two extremes of the oscillatory movement of the lever 13. There the dash pot cylinder 40 is provided, there is a sufiicient slowing up of the final movement of lever 13 and tongue 1 to prevent violent contact of the tongue with the rail, thereby avoiding the undue splashing of water or mud by the throwing of the switch. It will be seen that the operation of switch tongue 1 is substantially automatic in character and that no additional parts are required to be operated by the motorman. All that he has to do upon approaching the switch is either to cut off his motor current if the switch is i-n the desired position, or to leave his current on when the trolley wheel is passing the contact member-69 in case he' desired tohavev the switch thrown to the opposite position.

I claim: Y l

l. In anelectrically operated switch,-a pivoted switch tongue, a lever having an elongated slot .in one arm, means for connecting the opposite arm thereof with` the switch tongue, a flanged wheel in said slot, a one-throw electromagnetic.device, a link connecting same with the wheel, an expansion springconnected tov the electromagnetic device and adaptedy to be put under tension by its throw while the lever is being turned by the electromagnetic device through .a partial turn,- and adaptedby its recoil to impart a further turning movementl to the, lever, whereby lateral movement of the switch tongue is completed. .j i

2.V In an electrically operated switch,l a pivoted switch tongue, an oscillatorylever connected therewith,;means for turning said lever through a path including a dead center position, vand springineans for prevent.- ing the lever stoppingvon dead center.

The `combination with switch rails having a switch. tongue, lpivoted therebetween, of a lever connected tothe switch tongue, single throw electromagnetic f means .connected to. said lever and adapted lto impart a vpartial turning movement thereto, expansion spring means having a connection with i' said lever for, imparting a f urther throw to the lever andiswitch tongue, and means of adjustment for said spring including apivotedfyoke, aplurality ofvpairs of undercut-notches provided inl said yoke, andV a cross-bar adapted to be receivedin any pair of said notchesv and having substantially midway thereof aloop for receiving one end of said expansion spring.

pMeans for imparting lateral :spring pull to a switch tongue comprising a rod extending at substantially a right angle thereto, a lever adapted to throw said rod in either direction, a roller mounted to travel on said lever, a single throw electromagnetic means connected to said roller and adapted to impart a partial turning movement to the lever, adjustable expansion spring means having a, connection with said lever for imparting a further throw to the lever and switch tongue, and spring means for preventing the stoppage of said v ing movement thereto, a roller mounted to travel on said lever, a one-throw electromagnetic device, a. link connecting same with the roller, a pull or expansion spring having a. connection with said lever vso as to be movable past a dead center with respect thereto, and means for adjusting the tension on said spring including a pivoted yoke, a plurality of pairs of undercut notches provided in said yoke, and a cross-bar adapted to he received in any pair of said notches and having substantially midwaythereof a loop for receiving one end of said expansion spring.

6.*1n an electrically operated switch, a pivoted switch tongue, an oscillatory lever, a push and pull rod connecting same to the switch tongue 'and extending at substantially a right angle thereto, a roller mounted. to travel on said lever, a one-throw electromagnetic device to turn said lever through a part of its movement, a. link connecting same to the roller, an expansion spring in opposed relation to said electromagnetic device and also connected to said link for imparting a. further throw to the lever and switch tongue, a leaf spring on said link for preventing stoppage of the roller and lever in dead center, a. lug on the lever for guiding said leaf spring, and means for adjusting the tension of said expansion spring.

7. In an electrically operated switch, a pivoted switch tongue, a` perforated lug extending down therefrom, a rod fastened to the lug and extending at substantially a right angle to the switch tongue, a loosefitting sleeve on said rod, an oscillatory lever actuating said rod and sleeve, a roller adapted to travel on said lever, an electromagnetic device for imparting movement to said roller and lever, a link connecting same to the roller, a pivoted yoke having a plurality of pairs of notches therein, a cross-bar adapted to fit in any pair of vnotches and having a loop substantially midway thereof, an expansion spring. in opposed relation to the electromagnetic device having one end detachably connected to said loo-p, a rod pivoted -at one end to said link and having a hole' in its yother end to receive the other end of the spring, a leaf spring on said link for. preventing stoppage of` the roller :and levery in dead center, and dash pot means for slowing up the final movement of the tongue. i

8.1In combination, switch rails, a switch tongue pivo-ted between-the rails and having a downwardly extending perforated lug, a rod extending through a hole in the lug and having a. cotter pin von one side thereof and a sleeve thereabout on the other side thereof, said sleeve being shorter vthan the rod, a. lever having an arm with a slot therein through which the rod extends and against which arm the sleeveV abuts, adjustable stop means between lsaid sleeve and rod and the lever arrh comprising washers and a cotter pin, an elongated slot on the 'side of the lever fulcrum oppositethe said arm and extending at substantially right angles thereto, a roller running in sa-id slot, a one-throw electromagnetic device, a link connecting same with the wheel, a te-nsion-adjustable expansion sprngm opposed relation to the electromagnetic device having one end connected to the link,l a leaf spring mounted at its center substantially midway. on said link, a lug `on the side of the elongated lever slot for guiding said lea-f spring, and a dash pot attached to the lever and adapted to slow up its-movement as it i-s moved toward the rail, said dash pot comprising a. cylinder partially lilled with fluid and a perforated pisto within the cylinder. y y ln testimony whereof, I have Vsigned `my name hereto. i

MAURICE c. GARLICK.

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