US1567871A - Traffic-signaling system - Google Patents

Description

Dec.v 29 1925. 1,567,871

` kc. B. SITZ TRAFFIC SIGNALING SYSTEM Filed Jan. 23, 1923 2 sheets-Sheet l Dec. 29, 1925. 1,567,871 C. B. SITZ TRAFFIC SIGNALING SYSTEM attori/w1,

l Patented Dec; 29,1925. i Y

CLARA a. srrz, or

PATENT OFFICE.-

WASHINGTON, DISTBICT OF. COLUTIBIA.

TnArrIc-SIGNALNG SYSTEM.. Y

. Application illedmJanuary 33, 1928. Serial No. 614,457.`

To aZiZohom t may concean.' l

Be it known that I, CLARA B. Srrz, reslding at lVashington, in the District of A Columbia, a citizen of the United States,

have. Vinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Traino-SignalingI Systems, of

whichl the following is a specification. e

A Vgreat deal of concern is given and anxiety felt, especially by city yfoiicials on account of thel ever increasing number of accidents or fatalities primarily caused byl the augmentative number of automobiles on the city streets, and more particularly in the congested sections or rather street intersections. In the congested streets of'B cities, traic'oiiicers are; generally required at each intersection over`v a considerable' area, and.. as it is apparently physically impossible for each oilicer to give` the slgnal forthe traino to move in the proper direction atl the same time at the several intersecting streets, confusion oftentimes results. When an alarm ofre is turned in; necessitating the lire apparatus to travel throu h the congested traffic, a great deal dculty is experienced by not only the firemen, but bythe traliic oicers and automobile drivers in clearing the streets suficiently for their passage.- The speed attained by the modern re apparatus 1s such as to ordinarily cause a great deal of confusion among automobilists and pedestrians in an effort to seek a place of safety. Due to the city noises, the warnings of the. approaching fire apparatus, by the time .1t 1s d'istinctive to traffic 'n and ypedestrlans, renders their safe movements very diicult. i In an effort to overcome these and other 'Y objections, I have provided a system for automatically regulating movements of traic for use at street crossings, whereby any number of crossings or intersections areV automatically operated from a central station, is hereinafter more fully described, each unit or signaling tower, which is preferably located in the center of inter` secting streets, is provided with means that will permit one pair of signals 'to' allow the traliic to move in Aone of the streets, while the other vpair simultaneously indifcates the traic to stop in the cross street.

By arranging the signalin towers so 'that each intersection will be a ternately set, it

will,necessita-te trac' to maintain a predeterminedor safe speed .between the interi Scting streets, forit is between the intenv upper portion thereof,

controlling` station from which secting'streets that the greatest danger to pedestrians hes. With this arrangement, were. the motorist crossings, he would necessarily have to wait to speed up between.`r

at the next intersection until that signal propose to aecomplish by aural andA visible means.

pedestrian suicient n is to be undemuood that I. do not limit myself merely to the details of construction as shown,

but that the scope o'f my invention `extends`to whatever constructionl may be defined by or included within tle terms or language of the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1,"is a side elevation of my signal- Figure 2, -is a view in perspective ofthe l Figure 3, is anV enlarged horizontal section on the line 3&-3 of Figure 1, showing more clearly y the interior arrangement of thel illuminatin head together` with a partial wiring dlagram illustrating anotherf action of my apparatus.

My invention, in ythe form or embodi- 'ment` shown in the drawings and briefly described, comprises a plurali-ty of si naling posts 10, which, are preferably p aced in the center of intersecting streets or highways,'and a unitary or central operating or any number of the signaling .devices 10 are automatically operated. The signaling devices may be arranged in oups or zones whereby a central operatln station would, of course, be required or each respective zone.

The signaling devices 10 com rise' a1 tubular column 11, of lany desired orm or configuration, a'base 12, and a head portion 13.

Referring tothe embodiment shown r in, Figures 1 to 3,' the head portion 13 is sub stantially square in cross section and comp e tion ofcolored glasses or panels 1,5, whichorm the Alighting chamber. -On the inner sides of each panel is painted or otherwlse formed certain well known indicia for regulating tralic such as Stop and Go. I prefer to-have this 'lettering placed on the inner`sides ofthe glasses or anels so that it will be visible only when t at particular signal is -given,` during which period the opposite -signal would, of course, 1nvisible. The glass in the central portion of eachpanel, as indicated at 16, is preferably left White,or it may be colored yellow, for reasons which will hereinafter be explained. Within the head 12, Ifprovide a substantially crossshaped tubular member'17, preferably constructed of sheet metal for the purpose of forming partitions whereby t-he head is formed into tive separate lightingl compartments. The central lighting compartment 18, comprising the interior of the cross-shaped mein er 17, extends to the central portions of`eaeh one of the panels 15,

and terminates' in substantially circular ends 19. I preferably form the central por- `much neater appearance.

.tion of the panel 14 immediately in front of and aligning with the end portions 19,

with a circular. frame or rim 20.` This not only strengthens the frame 'but gives it a Thus, itgwill be seen, eachpanel is provided with three shades or colors, such as redland green for the Stop andA Go signals and the y central or circular signal may be yellow,`

Vor left white or clear, as desired.

By arranging the lamps or lights in the novel form, as is illustrated in `Figure 3, `but live lamps may be utilized tocarry out all ofthe desired signaling. A lamp 21, is placed in each corner of the lighting chamy ber 13, and due to the alternating arrangement of-thecolored panels, each ofthe opposite signals, such, asred and green, are displayed at the same time,these, of course, being-arrangedat an angle of 90, or indicating Va signal for tratiic for both intersecting streets. At eachopposite diagonal corner the same signal, of course, is indicated lat the same time, which may be clearly seen from the wiring diagram.

. A lamp 22, is located within the center of the lighting chamber, which, also, is the center of the `cross-shaped member 17 and furnishes light for the centrallyblocated signals 1.6, onreach side of thedheadl portion 13.

Although I show the head portion 13, as integrally formed, it is, `of course, to be i understood thatit may' be built uprof sheet metal or assembled in various wa s. To render the ysignals more plainly. yislble, the glassmay be ribbed or roughened, as desired, and reflectors' (not shown) may be utilized.

Immediately above the head portion 13.

portion 23, I provide suitable means for supporting and mounting an' enlarged globe 24, which lis preferably' formed `of white frosted glass. Within ,the globe 24, I suit `ably mount a red light or bulb 25, and a clear light 26.

Below the head portion`13, provide a compartment with openings 27, through outer sides in the form of a ventilator or louver, lfor the purpose of housing a suit` able audible signal device 28. The openings 27 are, of course, of suilicient size to render the audible signal device 28 clearly and distinctly Vheard above the city noises 'which willenable trailic to seek shelter, as inthe case. of an alarm of lire, or for theclear passage of ambulances. y

As is illustrated in the several views of the accompanying drawings, the lead, wire 38, is grounded to theswitch operatin device 29, and passes to the negative si e of the battery B, the positive lead wire 39 .havin .connection with and feeding the sevl eral e ectrical devices.

Fp ordinary traiic signaling purposes my improved system operates, by the electrical energy passing through the lead wire 39, the pivotedswitch member 40, and the wire 41, through one of the diametrically opposite pairsy of lamps 21, returning through the wire 42, connected with the contacting member 34,`from which it is conducted through the negative terminal of the battery B by means of the disc 30.

When an alarm of re is turned in and the passage or route of the apparatusl has been ascertained, it maybe found desirable to clear certain intersections of heavy traic,iwhereupon a switch or key 46, which is provided for each intersection, is thrown into contact.

T Referring now to Figure 3, `the current from'the local battery b passes through the wire 47, to the solenoid 48, thence returning to the battery. by means of the wire 49.

When the solenoid y-48 has been energized the pivoted switch blades, 40 and50, arel thrown, which now permits the current from the battery B to pass through the switch 40,y and be-conducted along the wires 51 and '52, returning through the wires, 53 and 54, tllence to the battery B fby' means of the wire Iclaim: 1. In a tratlic signal, a casing having a plurality of sides, a plurality of compartments, one at each corner of the casing, each gsides and a lamp orrendering said indicia visible.

l2. A traffic signal comprising a casing having four sides, a plural'it ments one at each corner of t e casing, each '10 including a portion of two of said sides and containing stop indicia on one of said sides and go indicia on the adjacent side, and

of compartimeans fol-rendering said indicia visible, and a central cross-shaped compartment termina-ting in openings on each side .of the 15 compartmentand arranged between adjacent. pairs of said first named compartments andcontaining trahie-change indicia' in each of said o enings and means for rendering said indicla visible.' In .testimony whereof I hereunto affix m signature.

LBA B. SITZ.

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