US1790827A - Automatic traffic signal - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 3, 1931.

P. MANZ AUTOMATIC TRAFFIC SIGNAL Filed April 11, 1927 6 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORN EY Feb. 3, 1-931. P. MANZ l,7"9U,827

AUTOMATIC TRAFFIC S IGNAL Filed April 11. 1927' s Sheets-Sheet 2' INVENTOR ATTORNEY Feb. 3, v p MANZ AUTOMATIC TRAFFIC SIGNAL Filed April 11, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY '10, manuallyoperable;

Patented Feb. 3, '1931 PAUL mm, or EWARK, NEW-JERSEY AuromA'rIc rBArrIc SIGNAL Application filed April 11,

- This invention relates to signaling devices andmore parti'cularlyto such apparatus used publielrighways; I

' i *to'a'utomatica'lly control theflow of tra'fiic on' purposes have been installed at theimportant street "intersections of "many :of the larger towns-and'citiesof the" United States, but those a lre'ady in "operation are Elordinarily This feat-ureentai'ls the services o'fan operator for each apparatus, burdening the city with a great expense and in "addition the periods-of time for the G and"Stop sigrial-s are irregulariand not in synchronism with adjacent devices so} that the 1 harmony ofthe entire systein isafiectedif 1 It is therefore the main-obj ect of the inven= tion toeliminate the foregoingdisadvantages .by providing a sigrial tower that is autol maticallyo'perated', reducing the cost of u keep anddirecting thetraflicmore eflicient y; It is aifurther aim to produce a'novel means for making and breaking electrical circuits to control visible signals. y r v A still further characteristic is'in the pro vision of means'where'by the changing of the signals is perfectly timed-so that all oft'he" apparatus installed on a particular thorough fare may be actuated s'imultan'eously, controll'mv that entire trafiic lane in unison.

till another object is to 'pr ovideauxiliaryactuating means enabling manual; control:

rarily fail.

progresses, are attained by thenovel construc tion, combination and arrangementof par-ts,

of upper portiono'f tion. g V v v I v I Figure 3 "is :a diagrammatical View show;

' speed reducing should the automatic mechanism tempo- 1311911356 "1 0 "aisource c n y d g 7 p 3 21'- carrying a gear train 22'connectedloya,

These and severaloth'er objects, which 'become fmore apparent asthe description hereinafter describedand illustrated in the. accompanying drawings, forming; an i'nr-' "the same showing thesignals in reversedzposi 1927. se riaiNo. 182,713.

'ing themannerof wiring the various signals." 1 V 'F'l ul 4 ISiIII-BIIlZLI Bd fra me'nta vertib b 7 b V :cal'sectional View showing the lower portion V I of the toweriand its associated mechanism-Q .15 It iswell-known-that devices for'similar' Figure 5 is a'ffragmentaryside elevational iew of the signalia'ctuating :mean's.

Figure 6 is* a' sectional view of thetiming cam operatingmeans taken on line *66 of F u s c. g, l

' Figure-7 is a's'ideelevational view. of the gear-train as shown in ;showing the connection'between therod'and v one ofgthe spiders, drawn to an increased a scale.

:Figure 11 is'fan enlarged sideelevational View or the shutter actuating -mechanism.

. In the drawing, the numeral 15 generally designates I a cylindrical "base foundation of cement or any other preferredmaterial, rising from the ground at a street intersection or any location wherethe tower is to operate, the foundation being surroundedby a'tubw' lar base -casin'g '16' having a door fl7"hinged above the c'ement;

' Thetop ofthe cement is covered ibya cular-floor 18 on which-rests an electric motor 19, connected by a cable'20, passing through clutch 23 with the motor to 'drivegashaft 24. .A eoverj2'5,over the'casinglfi, has a hollow column 26risingcentral'ly ther'efrom, on the throughthe; column" adjacent the -wall thereof. 3

Fiiedon t he' -shaft '24 1m timing .cam g P Pr vided-with opposite concentric surfaces -31 intermediate raised surfaces 32 and concentric surfaces '33 offgreater radii than the 1 elements BI-Onwhich'rest a roller 34 rotatably-carrie'd on a holder 35 having a slot 136 electric lamps 52, the housings having one respectively, lower, intermediate and upper. Fixed in the column 26, on a level with the door 28, is a transverse partition 43 to which is pivoted, a switch lever 44connected by a link 45 to a pivoted cam 46,the latter engaging a roller 47 rotatably secured to the rod 37 by clamp members 48, so that should. the motor or its associated mechanism fail to operate, the signals may be manually operated as will laterbe seenli Y The head 27 consists of four walls 49Qarranged in pa'rallel'at uniformly spaced distances fromthe rod- 37, each-wall havingright angled outwardly extending elements 50 to meetthe registering portion of the adjacent wall. 8 1 l.

The head is, divided" into three vertical rows and fixed in the lower row,;at right angles to the bent portions 50, of the walls, are four lamp housings 51 provided with end 53 open for a purpose later apparent and being provided with lenses 54 and 55 respectively red and green.

Pivotally mounted tions 50and the backs of the opposite lamp housings 51 are opposed reversiblesigns 56 and 57, blank on one side and respectively bearin legends .Goi; and Stop on their other faces.

The headuwalliend of each sign has fixed thereon pinions 58 engaging racks 59 formed on the ends of arms60 of a spider 61 slidable on the rod 37 and connected to it by a pin 62 engaged in a slot 63 in therod, V. l Pressing against the lower wall 64 of the head 27 is one end of an expansion spring 65 encircling the rod 37 the other 'endab-utting a collar 66 fast on the rod so that the hub of the spider 61 will'normally rest onthe upper end of a spacer'67, risingfrom the wall 64 and the roller34-will contactthe timing cam 1 All of the lights of the lower row are connected by. a wire 68 to the contact 40. 1 The central row consists of four centrally disposed lamp housings 69 provided with lamps 7 O and amber lenses 71, the lampsbe' ing connected by a wire 72' to the contact 41. *The upper rowis similar to the lower row, except that the color of the lenses are reversed, as are the. legends on the-signs, and is actuated by a spider 73 slidable on the rod 37 and connected the same as the spider 61, the spider 73 being spaced fromthe lower spider by a spring 74, thezupper end of'the rod 37 engaging a spacer 75 extending downbetween the bent porwardly from the upper wall 76 of the head 27.

- The lamps 77 and 78, respectively red and green, of the upper row are connected by a wire7 9 to the contact 42.

Fixed on the wall 76 is a cap 80 su porting a lamp 81 over which is placed a glo be 82.

Thus, in operation, through the motor 19, the cam 30 is rotated'to change the signals as follows As shown inFigures 4 and 8, the rod 37 is at its lowest point, when the roller 34 engages the cam surface 31 at which time the contact 39 isengaged with the contact 40 to light thelower row of lamps 5455.

When the upper row is lit the corresponding'legends'are visible and the lower rowfis not lit and the corresponding signs areblank.

As-the camcontinues to rotatethe roller- 34 engages the surface 32, moving the rod 737 upwardly which actionthrough the spring 74 raises the spider 73. f c

By this time the c'ontact 39 disengages the contact/40 and engages the-contact 41extinguishing the 1a1fnps=7 7 -7 8 and causing the amber or caution lamps 71 to glow. V At the same time the rackand pinion 59%]58 rotate theupperfsetof signs toshowtheir blank surfaces. w it Continued rotationof the cam {30 causes the roller :34 to'engage the surface 33' WhlQl1 action moves the rod 37-further up; i r

However the-spider 7 3 which nowi'contac s thespacer-75, remains-stationary, but the spider 61 rises to actuate the lower signs 56-57 showing their legends reversely'to the first, showingiof theupper signs thuschanging the flow of trafiic. l-

Simultaneously, the contact 39 disengages the contact 41 and engagesthe contact 42, extinguishing the caution-lamps 71 and lighting the lower set of'lamps 54'55.

As the cam moves further the operation repeats at timed intervalsand in perfect haro yo. a It will be noted that should the mechanical operating means become out of order, the signals may be actuated by the handle 44 and. cam 46. a Thus it may be seen that a traificsignal has been disclosed capable of mech'anicalor manual operation and which is so designed as to control the traflic on a .particularthoroughfare simultaneously at all street intersections. r

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as newand desire to secure by Letters v Patent, -is'-:-

In a trafiic signal a hollow base structure, a hollow standard mounted onsaid base'and a head including Stop and-Go signals mounted on said standard,.a rod in said standard,

means operated in accordance with the longitudinal position of said rod-to cause the exhibition of said Stop oroGo signals,

motor'means in saidbase for reciprocating said rod longitudinally, including a lost motion connection permitting reciprocation of said rodindependently of said motor means and manually operated means cooperating with said rod for moving the latteras permitted bythe lost motion connection to also operate the signals when the motor means is not in operation v V This specification signed and witnessed this 7 eighth day of April, 1927. V I

' 7 PAUL MANZ,

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