US1791216A - Car-washing apparatus and control therefor - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 3, 1931. A. H. LESCHKE 6 CAR WASHING APPARATUS AND CONTROL THEREFOR Original Filed June 24, 1927 INVENTOR August H- LeschKc his at orne s Patented Feb. 3, 1931 AUGUST H. LESGHKE, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSlYLVANIA CAR-WASHING APPARATUS CONTROL THEREFOR Original application filed June 24, 1927, Seria1'No..201,071, now Patent no. 1,740,546, datedfneeember 24, 1 1929. Divided and,this application filed August 7, 1929. Serial No. 384,102.

My invention relates to car washing apparatus, and more particularly, it pertains to means for automatically controlling washing apparatus for trolley-cars. This constitutes a division of my application for Let- 'ters Patent for Cleaning device for railway cars, filed June 24, 1927, Serial No. 201,071,

now Patent No. 1,740,546, granted December 24th, 1929'. e

As indicated in my patent above denoted, to clean a trolley car it is desirable to arrange on both sides of a railway a set of car-scrubbing brush units, and it is desirable to subject the car to a spray of water before it passes between the brush units, and to a rinsing. spray after it moves from such brush units. 1 have therein illustrated and described the car-scrubbing units, which operate automatically upon contact of the brushes with the car, and therein I have indicated the position of spray-pipes to wash the car upon entering and leaving the scrubbing units. It is desirable that the flow of water in these spray pipes may be regulated automatically by movement of the car being cleaned, and it is with means to so regulate the water that this inventionohas to do.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I is a diagrammatic view, showing a trolleywire'and trolley contacting devices positioned thereon, and indicating means associated therewith for controlling the flow of water in spray-pipes; Figure 11 is a top plan view of a trolley contacting device; and Figure III 7 is an end elevation thereof.

Referring to Figure I of the draw ngs, two spray- pipes 3 and 4 are indicated, there being a set of these pipes arranged oppositely on each side of the railway, together with the scrubbing units which are described in my above mentioned patent. A car, in moving on the railway or track A, to be cleaned will be sprayed first by a pair of pipes 4, then it will engage the scrubbing units '(not shown), and finally, it will pass a pair of pipes 3 to -receive a rinsing spray. I

As said above, it is desirable that these spraying units should operate automatlcally with. movement of the car, and to that end have provided the following instrumental is moved, convenientlyunder its own power,

ties. On the trolley-wire 1 there is appropriately positioned in spaced relation the four similar contacting devices 2a, 2b, 20 and 2d. One of these contactin devices is shown in detail in Fi ures-II and II. It comprises an insulating lock 5, which is attached to. the trolley-wire 1 by means of the screws 6. Aifixed to the sides of the block are the electrical conductive plates 7 and 8. As the trolley 9 of a car passes between these plates, electrical communication may be had from the trolley-wire. That isto say, when the wire 10 is grounded through electrically operative devices, a current will flow from the trolley-wire through the trolley-wheel 9a to the plate 8 and wire 10, whence it may flow through the electrically operative devices and to the ground. I have shown the wire 10' as connected only to the contact plate 8. Manifestly the wire 10 may be in electrical communication with both plates 7 and 8, but connection to either plate will obviously serve. It is .of advantage to provide two opposite plates, such as the plates 7 and 8. This is for the reason that in providing two opposite plates there will be no tendency for the trolley 9 to leave the trolley wire 1 when it makes contact for energizing the wire 10.- Automatic operation of the sprays ensues in the following manner. A car to be cleaned along the track A toward the spray pipe 4.

Before the front-end of a car comes abreast the pipe 4, the trolley 9 thereof engagesthe contact device 2a, and completes electrical communication through the wire 10 to the lever 11 which is fulcrumed at 12. The outer end of this lever is pivotally connected to. the link 13, which is pivoted at its lower end to the operating arm 14 ofthe valve 15 in the water supply-line 16. The. inner end of the lever ll is pivotally connected to the movable core 19 of the solenoids 17 and 18.- One electrical terminal of the solenoid 17 is connected to a contact finger22 and the other terminal, by means of conductor 21, communicates with the ground. Similarly, the solenoid 18 has one terminal connected to the contact finger 20, and the other to the ground.

Normally, the lever 11 has its outer end lowered to close the valve 15, and its inner end raised to contact the finger 20. Therefore, when the trolley 9 eflt'ects electrical connection from the trolley-wire to the wire 10, the solenoid 18 is energized to force the core 19 downwardly and to move the lever 11 into its illustrated position to open the valve 15 and allow water to be sprayed from the pi e 4. The valve remains open until after t e rear of the car has passed the pipe 4, at which time the trolley will contact the device 26-. Obviously, electrical connections are then completed through the wire 40, lever 11, contact-finger 22, and solenoid 17 to the ground. This will energize the latter solenoid and cause it to force the core 19 upwardly to close the valve 15.

Operation of the valve 30, which controls the water supply to the rinsing spray-pipe 3, is similar to that of the valve 15. As the front end of the car leaves the scrubbing units and approaches the pipe 3, the trolley 9 contacts the device 20, and completes electrical connections through the solenoid 18'. The valve 30 is thus opened to supply water to the rinsing spray-pipe. This valve remains open until the car has moved past the pipe 3, and the trolley has contacted the device 211 to effectuate energization of the solenoid 17, which causes lever 11 to move to close the valve 30. It is illustrated in closed position.

The air chamber 59 is connected to the water supply line to revent water-hammering, which may result rom the quick operation of the valves 15 and 30.

What I claim is:

1. In a trolley-car cleanin apparatus comprising a railway, a liqui spray-pipe arranged along the railway and connected to a water supply line, and a control valve in said supply line; the combination of electrically opera le means arranged for the actuation of the valve in the supply line, an electrical circuit, which circuit includes said valve actuating means, an electrical contact device in said circuit, said circuit being energized to effect the opening of said valve upon contact of a car with said device, a second electrical circuit, and a second electrical contact device in the last-mentioned circuit, said second circuit being energized to efiect the closing of said valve upon cont-act of the car with said last-mentioned contact device.

2. In trolley-car cleaning apparatus comprising a railway, a liquid spray pipe arranged along the railway and connected to a water supply line, and a control valve in said line; the combination of electrically operable means for the actuation of said valve, an incomplete electrical circuit, which circuit includes said valve actuating means, and a trolley contact device in said circuit, said circuit being completed upon contact of the trolley of a car with said device.

3. In trolley-car cleaning apparatus comprising a railway, a liquid spray pipe arranged along the railway and connected to a water supply line, and a control valve in said line; the combination of electrically operable means arranged for the actuation of said valve, an'incomplete electrical circuit-which circuit includes said valve actuating means, a contact device in said circuit, said circuit being completed to effect the opening of said valve upon contact of the trolley of a car with said contact device, a second incomplete electrical circuit, which second circuit also includessaid valve actuating means, and a second contact device, which second contact device is included in said second circuit, said second circuit being completed to efiect the closing of said valve upon contact of the trolley with said'last-mentioned contact device.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

AUGUST H. LESOHKE.

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