US1735828A - Traffic signal - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 12, 1929. L. 'M. TOR-RENCE TRAFFIC S IGNAL Filed June 1927 INVENTOR. LEO M.TORRENCE 54am.

ATTORNEY.

UNITED 1.;

LE0 in. TORRENCE, or Anmnerroy, KANsAsAssIc-Non "r'o so or ARnmerjon, ansas Patented Nov. 12, 1929 TRAFFIC SIGNAL Application filed June's, 1927. sen-a1 No; 196,266,.

of the street intersections.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a rotary traffic signal having a stationary member with thenamesof the street on which it is located. r

'A still further object of my invention. is to provide a signal rotatable by mechanical 'power.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a signal device having a single, un-

colored lamp.

These and other objects will hereinafter be more fully explained.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a pedestal mounted signal, parts broken away for convenience of V illustration.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the device, parts broken away; for convenience of lllustration. i Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed view ofthe turning mechanism, partly in section.

F ig. 4is a sectional plan view of Fig. 3,

taken on line IVIV in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the'rotary arm partly in section. Y

Fig. 6 is a plan view of Fig. 5, parts removed for convenience of illustration.

The mechanism herein disclosed consists of a rotary signal device mounted on a pedestal and is arranged to be centrally posi- .tioned at the intersection of streets or other public highways. The signal to he a rotats the pedestal is a housing 2, having tangentially positioned indicia plates :3, the draw- Y ings herein disclosed show four of said plates, the object of which is that the said plates will transversely position to the streets "MAneaREm ronnnlvcn,

or highways as -co ntro'lling means forthe trafhe on which'they confront, the plates extending and facing in opposite directions W111 read the same signal and be'discernible to the traffic traveling in opposite directions. on the same street or highway.

It will be understoodthat the movements of the rotation will be ini'quadrants successlvely, the indicia plate always: stopping transversely to the street'that it controls,v the. plate extendingin opposite direction will also face 1n opposite direction and will have the word Stop? thereon, the transversely positioned plate will have the word Go? on each side-thereof, and willlikewiseflface in opposite direction. 7 if Note that rearwardly positioned toeach of said plates is a housing-'2, triangular in shape; in'other words the rear Walls thereof extend obllquely and connect near the inner end ofthe transversely-positioned plate, the said walls function as a reflector.

The indicia plates consist 1 of a glass ,4,

rigidly positioned in the housing and in close proximity and rearwardly positioned there-; i

to is an opaque plate 5, saidplate preferably made of sheet-metal. and having apertures which the light flows rendering it possible;

for the traffic to discern the signal and as the present custom is, the plate having the word Stop thereon will be red, and the one having the word Go thereon will be green.

Transversely positioned-to the indicia plates are glass panels 6 colored to correspond withthe glass in front of said plates,

the said panels function as a substitute, and should the glass in said plate become broken the color will still be maintained. I

vConcentrically positioned, onv the first said housing and upwardly extending therefrom is a housing -7 having glass. panels Son the four vertical sides thereof, the said glass being colored to correspond with the indicia glass in the same vertical plane therewith.

On the under side of the first said housing is a downwardly extending portion 9 havi g a ball rac con ent ca y p s t on d as at A, the said race to register with the race in tation of the'housing; downwardly extending from said bearing is a pipe 10, said pipe being rigidly attached to the member 9, r0-

tatable therewith and having means on its extreme lower end by which the housing is rotated; positioned within the member 9 is a reflector ll, as intensifying means for an electric lamp, and its functions as hereinafter described. I r

On a vertical plane with the indicia plates are web members engaging with the corners of the housing, functioning as blinds to obscure from View the illuminated glass panel rearwardly positioned thereto in housing7.

' The socket 14 functions as a bearing for the upwardlyextending arms 18, on which is positioned a housing 19, around which the first said housing revolves, the last said housing is preferably made of sheet" metal having letters cut therethrough similar to stencil or perforation and aligned to form the letters. 1

In each of the'four sides of said housings will be the names of the streets intersecting for convenience of the traflic, for example, the signal is stationed on the intersection of Main and Tenth, Main Street is readable on opposite sides of the housing confronting Tenth -Street, and Tenth Street discernible on the sides confronting Main Street.

on the lowerend of the last said housing is an. I outwardly extending annular flange 20, to prevent the flow of light between the housing and the glass panels in housing 7, by which required that a segmental enclosure 21 be;

means the indiciain the sidewalls of housing 19 is more clearly defined as the light appears through the apertures forming the letters of the name. i

It will be understood that the housing is rigidly maintained in one position,'the flange thereof being wide enough to close the diagonal space between the corners of said housing and housing 7 when the side walls thereof are parallel with each other, therefore it is placed on the extensions of housings 2, to receive the periphery of the flange, the said flange so engaging will also function as bracing means for housing 2 in its rotation; however, it is not intended that the said flange will contact with thehousing 2 at any time. It will be further understood that thelower end of housing 19 is open and the inside walls thereof beingbright will function as reflectors, itis readily seenthat a single light concentrically positioned, or practically so, and having the reflector elements heretofore described, will be capable ofilluminating the interior, thereby rendering all of said indicia readable and also emphasizing the color scheme.

As rotating means for the signal I have provided a handle 22 rigidly attached to pipe 10 near the lower end thereof, the said handle reciprocatingly engaging in a slot 23, by

which means when said handle is rocked to one end of the slot the signal plates are transversely positioned to or caused to confront with the street longitudinally; for example,

, the indicia will read Stop and when rocked It will be understood that the signal, as

supported by the pedestal, may also be power actuated by applying a mechanical power drive within an annular extension positioned I on the shaft of the pedestal. 1

Such other modifications may be employed as lie within the scope ofthe appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a trafiic signal" device, a signal hous-g ing of the kind described, a pedestal rotatably supporting the housing, a pipe downwardly extending into thepedestal and rigidly carried thereby, functioning as a conduit, an electric lamp attached to the upper end of the pipe, a housing having arms attached to the upper end of said pipe, said housing axially aligned with said pipe, the numbers or names of the streets cut through the sides of the last said housing, glass panels'in' first saidhousing in close proximity to the sides of second said housing and in registry therewith, so that when the first said housing rotates to the parallel alignment'of the glass panels to the sides of the second said housing the numbers or names are readable therethrough, the second housing remaining in one position at all times, means to operate the space between the stationary housing, a concave reflector concentrically positioned in the rotatable housing as lightrefraction means for the'interior of both of said housings, a

downward extending pipe from the rotatable housing to rotatably engage in the shaft of the pedestal, a slot transversely positioned in the pedestal, ahandle rigidly attached to the lower end of the last said pipe, the handle to reciprocatingly engage in the said slot .as turning means for therotatable housing to the equivalent of a quadrant to and for,all substantially as shown. 1 i

2. In a traffic signal device, a. signal of. the

kind described, a plurality of tangentially positioned indicia plates comprising an'opaque member having words out through and a translucent member to cover thesameon the exterior, one pair of the signals to have the word Stop, the other pair transversely to the first said pair to have the word Go thereon, upward extension of the housingconcentrical- 1y positioned to the signal plates and having translucent panels in the sides thereof, a stationary housing centrally positioned in the upper extension having the name or number 5 of the streets cut through the sides thereof and readable through said translucent panels, webbing extending from the vertical corner of the said upward extension and extending outward in vertical alignment with the tangent-- ially positioned signal plates means to rotate the first said housing to the extent of a quadrant at each interval as controlling means for the tra-flic at the intersection of highways. In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

' LEO M. TORRENCE.

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