US1731002A - Switch-throwing device - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 8, 1929. T. A. GERLACH SWITCH THROWING DEVICE 2 Sheets-5heet 1 Filed Jan. 11, 1929 Oct. 8, 1929. T. A. GERLACH SWITCH THROWING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2 v

Filed Jan. 11, 1929 fwerzzr Tfiornai/ZGarlac/l Patented Oct. 8, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE THOMAS A. GERLACH, OF HARVEY, ILLINOIS Application filed January 11, 1929. Serial No. 331,736.

My invention relates to switch throwing devices and has for its principal object an improvement which will decrease the likelihood of accidents occurring in the use of such de- Vices by the switch being left partly open or closed.

It is the principal purpose of this invention to provide in a device of this character, wherein a switch throwing device is adapted to be actuated by a throwing bar or lever,

means whereby, when the lever is once inserted to throw the switch, it cannot again be removed unless the switch is completely thrown in one direction or the other.

It is also a purpose of this invention to provide in a switch throwing device of this character a novel means whereby the assembly of the switch throwing mechanism can only be made in the proper manner. In dego vices of this character, it is sometimes necessary that they be disassembled and cleaned out because they are out in the open and ex posed to all the dust and dirt and are furthermore subjected to severe usage by the op erators. Since this disassei'nbling and clean ing out is usually done by a person not pan ticularly skilled in mechanical work, it is es sential that such devices be as nearly itool proof as possible. My invention contemplates a simple and eii'ective meanswhercby the device must be assembled with the parts in proper relation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description proceeds in connection with the accompanying drawings. However it is to be distinctly understood that I do not intend to limit myself to the exact details shown and described, but that I intend to avail myself of all such modiwith part of the switch operating mechanism left out for the sake of clearness;

fications would occur to one skilled in this Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section of a slight- 1y modified form of device for accomplishing the same purpose; and

Fig. 5 is a section on the line of Fig. 1.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, I show at 10 a switch box which serves as a housing or casing enclosing the switch moving mechanism which will be hereinafter more fully described. IVithin the switch box 10 there are provided the sliding members 11 and 12 one of which, the member 11, is con nected to a switch connecting rod 13 and the other of which is adapted to. be operated by means of the crank 14 when the crank is rotated about its pivots at 15 and 16 within the switch box. The switch device shown includes the spring 17 and is of the form commonly known as a spring box.

The details of the mechanism interposed between the members 11 and 12 whereby endwise movement of the member 12 is transmitted to the member. 11 through the spring 17, form no part of the present invent-ion and will not be fully described herein. The detailed operation of this portion of the mechanism is more clearly shown and described in my copending application Serial N 0. 281,322, filed May 28, 1928, on a switch box.

The crank 14 is, as described in my eopendin g application, adapted to be rotated, in throwing the switch from open to ciosed position or vice versa, through an angle of slightly greater than one hundred eighty (180) degrees so that at either limit of its movement it is slightly past center and backward movement is opposed by the spring 17 To actuate the crank 1 1, I provide the quadrant gear member 18 which has thereon the gear teeth 19 meshing with the teeth upon the pinion 20 on the end of the crank, the member 18 being pivotedin the bottom of the casing on the pm 9. i

In assembling devices of this character, it is imperative that the quadrant 18 be properly positioned with respect to the crank it the device is to operate properly. This quadrant 18, in. my, device, is readily removable when the cover 21 is removed by simply sliding the member endwise until it slides off the pin 9. To insure its proper positioning in the spring box, I provide on the housing the two guiding lugs and 23 which are located directly opposite the pin 9 and which make it impossible to insert the quadrant 18 in any other way than in one position.

It is also necessary to have the proper position of the crank relative to the quadrant, and to insure this I provide on the quadrant an enlarged gear toot i 24 which is adapted to mesh in the enlarged recess 25 provided. atthe proper position on the pinion 20. This eiifectively prevents any improper positioning of the quadrant gear relative to the crank, and makes the assembly of the device substantially fool. proof. The cover 21, it will be noted, has depending lugs 26, 27, and 28 for holding the cover against lateral movement within the casing 10 and the lug 23 pref erably extends toward the quadrant 18 a siiiicient distance to form a guide for holding the quadrant upon the pin 9.

The other feature of importance in this device consists in means for preventing anything but a complete throw of the switch moving mechanism if it is moved at all. Many accidents are caused by the partial or incomplete opening or closing of switches and it is with a view to eliminate such accidents that this structure is provided. ltconsists of means, after an operating handle or lever has been inserted in the quadrant 18 to move the same, for preventing removal of the handle or bar unless the switch is in either open or closed position. This feature, of course, is not limited to a spring throwing switch, but may be utilized in connection with any switch throwing device of a similar nature.

To accomplish this result, I provide in the cover an elongated slot 29 and a socket 30 in the quadrant 13. The socket 30, it will be noted, is elongated transversely of the quadrant 18 and is narrowed at each side edge as indicated at 31 and 32 in Fig. 1 while adjacent the bottom it is provided with a stop or rest 33 which the switch bar or lever 34 rests when it is inserted through the slot 29. This bar 34 is flattened at one end and widened as shown at 35 in Fig. 3 so that the side edges 36 and 37 thereof will fit into the narrowed portions 31 and 32 and prevent turning of the bar 34 after it is once inserted in the socket 30. The slot 29, intermediate its onus, is of a width slightly larger than the diameter of the bar 34, but is narrower than the greatest width of the flattened end 35 of the bar.

enlarged portions of the slot 29, and that is at the opposite ends of the stroke necessary to give a full throw to the crank 14 and thereby a complete opening or closing movement to the switch operating rod 13. If the socket in the quadrant does not align with one of the enlargements 38 and 39 of the slot 29, the bar 34 can neither be inserted nor removed so that it is impossible to leave the switch in anything but a complete open or closed position without leaving the bar 34 in the switch box. These bars are usually carried by the motormen and will, therefore, not be left behind by them.

In some cases it is not desirable to use an operating bar with a flattened end, and for such conditions I provide the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5. In these figures the quadrant 18" has a socket 30 therein adapted to receive a switch operating bar and on this quadrant 13 are outwardly projecting lugs 40 and 41 thru which the bolt 42 passes to secure a gripping dog 43 in position. This dog 43 has a hollowed interior at 44 and is provided with elongated slots such as indicated at 45 for reception of the bolt 42 to permit a slight movement of the dog 43 into and out of the socket 30. Spring 46 normally tends to press the dog into the socket to its fullest extent. Thus it will be seen that, if a switch operating bar be insertedin socket 30, the teeth 47 on the dog 43 will grip the bar and prevent its removal until the dog is released.

To accomplish this release, I provide on the cover 21 a depending cam member 48 which cooperates with the upstanding lug 49 on the dog 43 to permit the dog to extend inwardly in the socket while the quadrant is in between its two limiting positions and to re move the same at the termination of the movement of the quadrant in either direction, the cam surfaces 50 and 51 cooperating with the projection 49 to accomplish this result.

In the description hereinbefore this device has been described in connection with the operation of a switch between two limiting positions namely, open and closed, so that it can be left in either open or closed position. In many cases, however, it is desired that a switch be only left at one position such for instance as where a side or branch line connects with a main line, and it is desired to maintain the main line clear at all times unless the train is coming in from a branch line, and the operator of this train holds the switch open while his train gets onto the main line.

This device, it will be seen, is readily adaptable to switches of this character since it would be a simple change to remove one of the bar releasing devices at one end of the throw of the quadrant, say for instance by removing the cam surface 50, or leaving out the enlargement 39 in the slot 29; whereupon it would be necessary, after the operator had thrown the switch in one direction, for him to again move the switch back into its original position before he could remove the switch bar.

From the above description, it is thought that the construction and operation of this device will be clear to those skilled in this art; and, having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a switch box, switch moving mechanism, a member adapted to be moved between two limiting positions in operating said mechanism to open or close a switch, and having means to receive a throwing bar whereby said member may be moved, a cover for said box, said cover having a slot therethrough through which said bar extends, and means for preventing removal of said bar from said box when said member is between said limiting positions, and permitting its removal in either limiting position.

2. In a switch box, switch moving mecha nism, a member adapted to be moved between two limiting positions in operating said mechanism to open or close a switch, and hav ing means to receive a throwing bar whereby said member may be moved, a cover for said box, said cover having a slot therethrough through which said bar extends, and means on said cover and member for preventing removal of said bar from said box when said member is between said limiting positions, and permitting its removal in either limitng position.

3. In a switch box, switch moving mechanism, a member adapted to be moved between two limiting positions in operating said mechanism to open or close a switch, and having a socket therein to receive a throwing bar whereby said member may be moved, a cover for said box, said cover having a slot therethrough through which said bar extends, and means for preventing removal of said bar from said box when said member is between said limiting positions, and permitting its removal in either limiting position.

4. In a switch box, switch moving mechanism, a member adapted to be moved between two limiting positions in operating said mechanism to open or close a switch, and having means to receive a throwing bar whereby said member may be moved, a cover for said box, said cover having a slot therethrough through which said bar extends, and means on said cover and member for preventing removal of said bar from said box when said member is between said limiting positions, and permitting its removal in either limiting position, said bar having a flattened end cooperating with the means on said cover and member.

5. In a switch box, switch moving mechanism, a pivoted member adapted to swing between two limiting positions in operating said -mechanism to open or close a switch, and having means to receive a throwing bar whereby said member may be moved, a cover for said box, said cover having a slot therethrough through which said bar extends, and means for preventing removal of said bar from said box when said member is between said limiting positions, and permitting its removal in either limiting position.

6. A switch throwing device having a member adapted to move between two limiting positions in opening and closing a switch, said member having means to removably receive an operating bar for moving the same, and means cooperating with said member and bar to prevent removal of said bar when said member is between its limiting positions.

7. A switch throwing device having a member adapted to move between two limiting positions in opening and closing a switch, said member having means to removably receive an operating bar for moving the same, and means cooperating with said member and bar to prevent removal of said bar when said member is between its limiting positions, said means including a slotted cover through which said bar extends.

8. A switch throwing device having a member adapted to move between two limiting positions in opening and closing a switch, said member having means to removably receive an operating bar for moving the same, and means cooperating with said member and bar to prevent removal of said bar when said member is between its limiting positions, said means including a gripping device on said member and means for releasing said gripping device only when said member is in its limiting position. a

9. In a switch throwing device, a casing, means in said casing for operating a switch. moving member, said means including a crank and a removable pivoted member geared to said crank whereby said crank may be turned by swinging said member, and means for insuring proper assembly of said member and crank comprising an enlarged gear tooth on one and an enlarged recess on the other. a

10. In a switch throwing device, a casing, means in said casing for operating a switch moving member, said means including a crank and a removable pivotedmember geared to said crank whereby said crank may be turned by swinging said member, and means for insuring proper assembly of said member and crank comprising an enlarged gear tooth on one and an enlarged recess on the other, and guide means on the casing for guiding said member into position.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 24th day of December A. D.,

THOMAS A. GERLACH.

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