US1633906A

US1633906A - Safety device for railways

Info

Publication number: US1633906A
Application number: US82786A
Authority: US
Inventors: Morel-Revoil Jules Josep Henri
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1925-01-27
Filing date: 1926-01-21
Publication date: 1927-06-28
Anticipated expiration: 1944-06-28

Description

J. J. H. MOREL-REVOIL June 2-8, 1927. 1,633,906

'SAFETY DEVICE FOR RAILWAYS Filed Jan.'2 l. 1926 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FWMW J. J. H. MORELREVOIL SAFETY DEVICE FOR RAILWAYS Filed Jan. 21 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 y-wmzw WW W Patented June 28, 1927.

P-UNITED STATES PATENT 'orrlcrs JULES aosnrn HENRI MOREL-BEVOIL, or rams rnnncn.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR f'RAILWAYS.

Application filed January 21, 1926, Serial No. 82,786, and in France January 27, 1925.

The safety devices now used on railway lines comprise track apparatuswhich either causes the visual signs which might not be perceived by the engine driver to be re peated on the engine or else make-the train stop automatically. But it is nearly impossible for the engine-driver to ascertain whilst heis driving whether this track apparatus is in good working order. Nearly all the railway accidents may be ascribed to this fact.

According to my invention the track apparatus is normally used not for stopping the train or for repeating the signals on board the engine, but on the contrary for preventing an automatic device from work-' ing, which would otherwise produce the slowing down or the stopping of the train at predetermined intervals. By means 1 of this arrangement the defective state or working of the track apparatus has no influence on the safety of the train and only causes a supplementary stopping of the train.

The apparatus built'according to my invention produces automatically stoppages of the train at predetermined intervals, whenever the action of the brake is not prevented by the action of a track apparatus over which the enginepasses. The result is that the railway line is divided into a certain number of sections at the end of which the train slows down andthen stops if nothing is done for making it continue its journey.

Two apparatuses embodying my invention are shown by way of example on appended drawings whereof Fig. 1 is a diagrammatical front viewofa particularly simple apparatus,

Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatical view of a second apparatus. I

The simpler apparatus shown on Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a toothed wheel 1 mounted loose on a shaft 2 secured'to the mechanism casing; a spiral spring 3 secured by onelof its ends to the toothed wheel and by the other to the shaft 2 urges the wheel 1 in the direction of the arrow 7; The toothed wheel bears two projections 4, 4t projecting on either side of the toothed wheeh The projection a is secured to the wheel by means not shown whichv allow its angular position to be adjusted at will. This projection l, in a given point of its predetermined travelling path comes against a lever 5 mounted on the shaft 2. By a lever arrangement 6 thelever 5 is adapted to control the brakes' The toothed wheel 1 is actuated by a catch 7 secured to the end of a rod 8 sliding in the slide 9. The catch 7which acts as a driving pawl moves to and fro at regular intervals under'the action of a cam 10 the rotation of which is controlled by the locomotive wheels through a suitable gearwork. A second catch or detent 11 is pivotally secured to the casing and prevents the wheel 1 when setfree by the driving pawl '2'v from moving On the shaft 2 is also mounted loosely a lever 12 showing a projection 13 disposed below the, catches 7 and 11 and adapted to release them. The lever 12 also bears the armature 14.;of the polarized electromagnet 15 with the core of which it is normally kept in contact, the electron'iagnet beingconstant- 17 weaker than the spring 3 urges the, armature 14 away from its elcctromagnet 15.

The manner of working of the above described device' is as follows:

Normally the driving pawl 7 and the detent 11 provide for a step by step motion of the toothed wheel 1. After a certain number of revolutions of the engine wheel, that is after a givendistance is travelled the projection 4 arrives in front of the lever 5 and by pushing the latter provides for the braking of the train which therefore stops. But if before the two parts come into contact, the brush 16 has passed over a track apparatus 18 through which D. C. passes, the electromagnet is energized by a current stronger than and of opposite polarity with reference to that of the polarizing battery 19 whereby its action is reversed so that the electromagnet 15 lets go the armature 14:. The lever 12 is raised by the spring 17 and its projection 13 lifts the catches 7 and 11. Thetoothed wheel 1 urged bythe spring 3 rotatesin the direction of the arrow 7; the projection at comes back to its original position and pressing down the lever 12 obliges the" armature 141 to come back against the core of the electromagnet 15, as the spring 17 is weaker thanthe spring 3 and the brush is no more in contact with the trackapparatus 18. The result is that the train is not stopped and that it may proceed on its journey until the projection 4 has travelled round up to its contact position with the lever 5 or until a track apparatus again releases the catches.

The device shown on Fig. 3 is very similar to that on Figs. 1 and 2 but it provides for better results. The same parts arereferred to by the same reference numbers. In this device the toothed wheel 1 is keyed to the shaft 2. The spiral spring 3 is secured by one end to this shaft and by the other to a stationary part 20. By reason of the direction of its winding it urges the toothed wheel to move in the direction of the arrow The shaft 2 is provided with a square end 21 over which can be secured a cam the shape of which is such as will produce the desired result. In the present case, the cam shows three parts: the inner part 23 having the smallest diameter is used for the train at full speed, the intermediary part 24- of the profile is used for the slowing down and the outer part 25 showing the largest diameter for the stopping. A lever 26 pivoting round a stationary point 27 bears on the cam through a roller secured to its end. A rod 28 is pivoted to this lever and controls the double regulating valve V. This valve comprises two

chambers

29 and 30 the former of which is connected through a pipe 31 with the compressed air chamber. The chamber 30 is connected through the pipe 32 with the brake controlling device. A. tubular slide valve 33 provided with apertures 34 is adapted to slide inside the valve body and separates the two

chambers

29 and 30. A piston 35 showing a circular groove 36 moves inside the slide valve and is con nected with the rod 28. The slide valve 33 is pivotally secured to the

levers

37 and 38; one end of the latter lever engages a groove 39 provided in a ring 40 secured to the sliding sleeve 4L2 :of a centrifugal regulator 4-1. This regulator is mounted on the shaft l3 actuated by the driving shaft as of the engine.

Thedevice works in the following manner:

The movement of the locomotive provides for a step by step movement of the wheel 1 as explained in connection with Fig. 1. As long as the end roller of the lever 26 bears on the part 23 of the cam the device is in its normal position. After a certain time if nothing is changed, the part 2% of the cam comes under the said roller and. lifts it slightly. This movementis transmitted to the piston 35 the groove 36 of which comes partly in front of the. apertures 3l whereby the compressed air is allowed to flow from the chamber :29 into the chamber 30 and therefrom through the pipe 32 into the brake controlling device. A certain braking effect is produced and the engine slows down. If

the movement of the cam 22 continues its part 25 comes under the roller of the lever 26. The piston 35 rises still more and its groove 36 coincides completely with the apertures 34:. The air passes directly from the pipe 31'into the pipe 32 and thence into the brakes. thereby stopping the engine.

But if, as in the preceding case, the brush 16 has passed over a suitably excited track ai iparatus 18 before the part 2& of the cam arrives under the roller of the lever 26, the armature 1a is no more kept down by the electromagnet 15; the lever 12 urged by the spring 17 lifts the catches 11 and 7 so that the wheel 1 is free to rotate in the direction of the arrow until the projection 4t brings the lever 1:2 back against the electromagnet 15 against which thearmature is again kept down. The engine is allowed to continue its journey.

It should be noted that each time the en gine stops, the engine driver must set the device hack into its working position by lifting the catches 7 and 11 whereby the spring 3 is allowed to bring the cam back into its original position. This can be done for instance by means of a suitable knob which also controls through the rodv 51, the automatic registering of the stoppages on the usual time chart actuated by clockwork for the purpose of controlling the engine driver. The recording mechanism has not been illustrated as same does not form part of this invention.

The object of the centrifugal regulator 41 is to make the tubular slide valve 33 rise or sink according to the speed of the en gine. To each speed of the engine corresponds a predetermined position of the slide valve and consequently a predetermined distance between the apertures 34 and the groove 36. V

It should be noted that when the train has slowed down, the engine driver can prevent its stopping altogether. He only needs 4 to lift the catches and. 11 whilst the roller of the lever 26 is still bearing onthe part 24 of the cam.

The advantages of the device shown on Fig. 3 over that shown on Figs. 1 and 2 are the following:

1. The cams 22 can be replaced. easily and their profiles adapted .to the kind of train which is to be protected (express, passenger, goods train) and to the distance which it is desired to travel between the moment when the deviceis set working and the moment it may stop the train. The profile may be such as will produce one or more slowing down periods before the train is completely stopped.

2. The cam can be disposed outside the device whereby it can be replaced without needing to open the casing enclosing the rest ofthe device.

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3. lVhen the train travels a distance greater than has been contemplated the lever 26 lets the cam pass without being damaged whereas the lever 5 (Fig. 1) may be daniaged.

In view of avoiding breakages it is of advantage to provide teeth only round part of the wheel 1 whereby the catches 7 and 11 move without actuating the wheel, when the latter is at the end of its journey, until they are set working again.

What I claim is:

1. A safety'device for railways compris ing an engine, a toothed wheel borne by same, a spiral spring urging same, a catch device controlled by the engine wheels and adapted to give the toothed wheel a step by step motion against the action of the spring, a part borne by the said wheel, an arrangement adapted to actuate the braking device when it is pushed by the part borne by the toothed wheel, a device adapted to release the catches from the toothed wheel a polarized electromagnet adapted when it is excited to actuate the last mentioned device and track apparatus fed with D. C. and feeding the electromagnet when the engine passes over said apparatus.

2. A safety device for railways comprising an engine, a toothed wheel borne by same, a spiral spring urging same, a catch device controlled by the engine wheels and adapted to give the toothed wheel a step by step motion against the action of the spring, a part borne by the said wheel, an arrangement adapted to actuate the braking device when it is pushed by the part borne by the toothed wheel, a lever, a projection against the electromagnet and track apparatus fed with D. C. and feeding the electromagnet when the engine passes over said apparatus.

3. A safety devicetor railways comprising an engine a toothed wheel borne by same, a spiral spring vurging same, a catch device controlled by the engine wheels and adapted to give the toothed wheel a step by step motion against the action of the spring, a cam borne by the said wheel, a lever actuated by said'cam and controlling the braking device, automatic means whereby the toothed wheel disengages its catches when the engine passes over track apparatus fed with D. O. and a knob for disengaging the catchesfrom the toothed wheel.

4. A safety device for railways'compris ing an englne, a toothed wheel borne by same a s iral s rin ur 'in same a catch 7 O C b 7