US1707872A - Automatic crossing-bar apparatus for single-track railways - Google Patents

Description

April 2, 1929- Y. OGAWA 1,707,872

AUTOIATIC CROSSING BAR APPARATUS FOR SINGLE TRACK RAILWAYS Filed July 21. 1925 v 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 2, 1929. Y. OGAWA 1,707,872.

AUTOMATIC CROSSING BAR APPARATUS FOR SINGLE TRACK RAILWAYS Filed July 21, 1925 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 y zV M, W w M M fix??? April 1929- I v. oGAwA 1,707,872

AUTOMATIC CROSSING BAR APPARATUS FOR SINGLE TRACK RAILWAYS Filed July 21, 1925 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 fnupnfor Y O ga wa.

April 1929- Y. OGAWA 1,707,872

AUTOIATIC CROSSING BAR APPARATUS FOR SINGLE TRACK RAILWAYS Filed July 21, 1925 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 j77//7/0f mgan a 4 fay Aw, Wm d raw April 2, 1929. QGAWA 1,707,872

AUTOIATIC cnossme BAR APPARATUS FOR SINGLE VTRACK RAILWAYS Filed July 21, 1925 6 Sheets- Sheet 5 ,1 J W ,M riw M7 /$/yj Y. OGAWA 1,707,872

AUTOMATIC CROSSING BAR APPARATUS FOR SINGLE TRACK RAILWAYS April 2, 1929.

Filed July 21, 1925 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 [nuentor YOgawa,

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Patented Apr. 2, 1929.

UNITED STATES YUKIMASA OGAWA, OF FUKUCHI-MURA, JAPAN.

AuromA rIc CROSSING-BAR APPARATUS ron smenrr'rrmcx RAILWAYS.

Application filed iul zl, 1925. Serial No. 45,060.

This invention relates to an apparatus which automatically closes and opens-a crossing bar or bars for a single track railway. It has for its object to obtain an automatic reliable means for controlling crossing bars when a train or car passes along the crossing in either direction of the railway.

To the best of my knowledge, a'known automatic crossing gate arrangement is provided with a member near the rail, and the depression of the member due to a passing car or train sets the member in motion for operating mechanism. But in such an apparatus, the ground member is sometimes the source of unreliability of the apparatus, so that such an apparatus is not practicable. In this invention there is no visible member on the ground to be depressed or struck by the passing car or train, so that there is no possibility of destruction of the apparatus due to the repeated shocks by cars or trains.

The nature of my invention can be clearly understood by referring tothe accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a general arrangement of the apparatus, while Fig. 2 is a side view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the motive mechanism by which the crossing bars are automatically raised or lowered.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 3, and shown on a 7 larger scale.

Fig. 4 shows a swinging plate on a large scale. I

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the mechanism taken from the opposite side to that shown in Fig. 3.

-Figs. 6, 6", and 6 illustrate the successive positions of a controlling mechanism as here inafter described.

Fig. 7 is a detail view of a part of the controlling mechanism in a state of rest, while Fig. 7" is a perspective view, the parts being in mot-ion.

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are perspective views of levers provided under a rail or rails.

In Figs. 1 and 2, each pair of levers 2 and 3 is laid under a railor rails 1 at a distance on each side of the crossing, and a lever 4 is laid under a rail or rails adjacent the crossing. The levers 2 are conveniently placed at a distance of about eight hundred meters away from the crossing While thelevers '3 are placed at a distance of about four hundred meters. r

Three examples of such levers are shown 1n Figs. 8, 9 and 10 in connection with the levers 4, 3 and 2, respectively. One or both ends of the levers 2, 3 or 4 are constantly in contact with the underside of rail or rails 1 by means of a hooked end 2, 3 or 4 which cramps the web of the rail, and an intermediate lever 3" or 4" is used in the examples shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The levers 2, 3 or 4" have a large leverage, the shorter arm projecting beneath the rail or rails, a permitted vertical movement of the rail or rails due to the weight of a passing car or train being magnified and transmitted to the operative mechanism by means of a guide pulley 2 or 4* or a. lever 3.

Referring to Figs. 3, 3, land 5, a pillar 5 is erected adjacent the crossing, and a base plate 6 of the motive mechanism is firmly bolted thereto. A stanchion 7 also secures the base plate in a propermanner so as to ensure its rigidity, and a crossing bar 8 is pivoted on the top of the stanchion.

One surface of the base plate, which surface will be called the front side hereinafter, is provided with a grooved pulley 9 the same eing mounted on a stud, and an arm 10 of a weight 10 is integrally mounted on a side of the pulley. The extreme end 10 of the arm extends through rectangular slots 11 provided on two curved pieces 11 which are fixed on'the front side of the base plate.

A revolving pawl 12 with two blades, 12' and 12", disposed'in opposite directions is pivoted between the two curved pieces in such a position that the tip of the blades extends in the way of the arms end 10, so that the latter hits the blade when the arms tip travels downwards along the slots 11. A Z-shaped piece with round head 23, which will be called a setter hereinafter, is mounted on the axis of the pawl 12, in such a manner that the inclination of the setter relative to the blades is about 45 to the counter direction to that of its rotation. This is best shown in Fig. 7 As is seen in Fig. 7 one of the blades, 12, has a flat edge while the other, 12", is of forked end.

The back side of the base plate, see Fig. 5, is provided with a swinging plate 13 and a bell crank 14, both of which are pivoted on a common stud. The longer arm of the bell crank has a heavy weight which is a little more weighty than the crossing bars The swinging plate has a projection 15 on its back side extending from the front side through a window on the plate. The projection is integrally provided on a pivoted member 16 on the front side of the plate 13, and the free end of same is loosely jointed to an end of.v

motion of the other member ll'fconsequently,

the projection 15 appears upon or disappears from the back side of the swinging plate.

The member 17 is of inverted U-shape,

and its free end extends real-wards and downwards throughout a curved slot 6, on the base plate, so that the swinging plate can swing up and down having the member 17 sliding'along theslot. Of course the slot 6 ismade in an arc with the same center as the swinging plate, and the inverted U-shaped member iscurved sidewise so as to coincide with the curvature of the slot 6 The center of gravity of the member 17 being in a rearwardposition with respect to the pivoting pin 17*, this member always takes such a position as to let the member 16 thrust its projection 15 out of the back side of the plate 13, while the longer arm of the bell crank rests on the projection. It should be noted that the projection is of wedge shape with its horizontal surface upward and its inclined surface downward, so that the weight of the bell crank resting on the projection does not permit the project-ion to move into its opening, but when the bell crank is rising 'alongthe side of the swinging plate, the arm of said bell crank presses'the-projection into its opening and can pass over the-projection. Of course the projection resumes its normal position as soon as the arm haspassed over. The free end of the inverted U-shaped member extends downwards, and registers with the tip of the blade of the setter when the swinging plate takes its lowermost position. c 1 i q On the upper part of the curved piece 11, is pivoted on a stud 19 an unbalanced weight 19 with two arms, one ofwhich, 19, extends into the way of "the end 10 'of the-M11110 along .the groove 11*, while the'other 19 always tends to press the setter by the un-. balanced weight. In other words, the weight- 19 always presses the setter with itsarni 19 in order to let the setter. take the vertical pomakes the setter cupies the extreme counterclockwise position due to theweight 10. Thls is the position jection 15 in the swinging plate, and the bell crank as well as the swinging plate occupy then-lowest position due to the unbalanced weight of the bell crank. The crossing bars 8 being connected with the swinging plate by means of a rope 9 or the' like, and the unbalanced weir tbeing'heavier than the crossing bars, the bars are kept up to open the crossing so long as the swinging plate 7 occupies its lowest position. I

[i -ope 22 connects hothcrossingbars in a proper way so that the baron each side of the crossing gets up anddown simultaneously coacting with each other. i 7

An alarm bell, either electrical or mechanical, is provided adjacent the crossing, and a rope extending from each of the levers 12 causes the bell to ringby a magnified pull of the lever when a 'car moves above the rails above the lever. f

Referring to Figs. 6 and7, Fig. 6 shows the relative position of the pawl, thesetter, the rod, the unbalanced weight and the inverted U-shaped member. Thesepositions of the members are assumedat the time the crossing is open. The end of the arm 1O presses an arm 19 of the unbalancedflweight upward, so that another arm 19" of the same presses the setter in its vertical position, and either blade of the pawl is at a little distance to get in touch with the inverted UTshaped member. When a car gets over the rails on the lever 3, the arm 1O turns clockwise as beforedescribed, and the end of the arm 10 travels along the slots 11 from top to. bottom. This travel lets the arm interfere with one of the blades of the pawl and turns it to the sues cessive positions as shown in Figs. 6" and 6. W hen the blades have passed over their hori: zontalposition, see Fig. 6, the setter comes in contact with the arm 19 As the blades rcvolve the setter also revolves forcing the arm 19 outwards. When the blades have get near to their vertical position, the round end of the setter comes about to get out of con, tact with the arm iof the weight 19, which rotate further till the latter completes half a revolution. If the forked ended blade of thepawlhas occupied before the half rotation wasv mane, such a position as to interfere with the arm 10, the flat ended blade forces out theinverted U- shaped member during the rotation as shown in Fig. 6 so that the projection 15 sinks or disappears from the side'of the. plate 13. But, if the flat ended blade, has occupied such positions, the forked ended blade does not interfere with the inverted U-shaped member during the rotation, since the member registers wit-l1 the forked space of the blade as clearly shown in Fig. 7". This is the most important Y characteristic of the revolving pawl.

When the arm 10 travels in reverse direction the arm interferes with the blade at its underside, but the blade resumes its position after a little rotation due to the pressure of the setter.

The action of the apparatus is asfollows hen a train or a car gets on the rails on the lever 2, the alarm bell at first rings. lVhen the car gets to the lever 3, the rope 20 is pulled to rotate the arm 10 and the arm, in turn, hits the forked ended blade, which in this case has been kept in the position to interfere with the arm, in order to allow the projection 15 to move in from the side of the plate 13. 7

Prior to this time, the unbalanced weight of the bell crank 14 has been resting on the projection as shown in Fig. 5, and the swing-' ing plate has been kept in its lowest position due to the weight. As soon as the projection sinks or disappears from the side of the plate, the plate slides up owing to the weight of the crossing bars which are connected with the plate, leaving the weight or bell crank behind. Thus the crossing bars descend to close the crossing by their own weight, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

As soon as the car has passed over the lever 3, the rope 20 is released, and the arm 10 returns to its original position.

The passing car next gets to the lever 4, and the downward motion of the lever pulls the rope 21, and raises the bell crank 14. \Vhen the longer arm of'the bell crank passes over the projection on the swinging plate, which has been kept in its highestposition, the yielding projection 15 again gets out of the way of the plate, and, when the car passes over the lever 4, the rope 21 is released, the unbalanced weight of the bell crank 14 permits the swinging plate to swing down pulling the crossing bars to open the crossing. Thus the crossing bars resume their ordinary positions when the car passes over the lever 14.

lVhen the car gets on the second lever 3, the rope 20 extending from the second lever is pulled and the arm 10*, which has been in its. top-most position, gets down as before. This of course lets the pawl 12 turn as before, but the inverted U-shaped member is no little affected by the blades, because, in this case, the forked ended blade passes under the member untouched, so that the swinging plate does not rotate as before, and the pawl returns to its original position, in which the motive mechanism is set'to operate for the next car or train coming next from either direction.

Claims 1. An automatic crossing-bar apparatus for asingle track railway, comprising a lever adapted to be placed beneath the rail or rails at a point remote from the crossin in each direction another lever adapted to be placed beneath the rail or rails adjacent the crossing and a motive mechanism, which includes an unbalanced weight controlled by the ac-- anism, which includes an unbalanced weight,

a rod extendng from said weight, curved pieces having slots through which said rod passes, a base plate to. which said curved pieces are secured, a revolving boss with a forked ended and a flat edged blade being p0- sitioned in such a manner that either one of the blades interferes with the rod when the latter travels along the slots, and a setter on the common axis to the pawl.

3. An automatic crossing bar apparatus for a single track railway, comprising a lever adapted to be placed beneath the rail or rails at apoint remote from the crossing in each direction and a motive mechanism which includes a swinging plate and a bell-crank ivoted on a common stud, said swinging p ate being provided with a projection so as to project out or sink from a side of the plate according to the control of a mechanism effected by the action of an unbalanced weight, and said bell crank being constructed to slide along the plate from bottom to top over the projection, but can not get down over the projection so long as the latter is not sunk by its controlling mechanism, and the unbalanced weight is controlled by the action of the first said levers.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

YUKIMASA OGAWA.

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