US1947925A - Warning signal for railway crossings - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 20, 1934. SLAWSON 7 1,947,925

WARNING SIGNAL FOR RAILWAY CROSSINGS Filed Jan. 51, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N VEN TOR. $742101? 6. SZawsom,

A TTORNEYJ M. G. SLAWSON WARNING SIGNAL FOR RAILWAY CROSSINGS Filed Jan. 31, 1931 Feb. 20, 1934.

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Patented Feb. 20, 1934 WARNING SIGNAL FOR RAILWAY CROSSINGS Marion G. Slawson, Girard, Kans.

Application January 31, 1931. Serial No. 512,674

4 Claims. (01. 177-329) This invention relates to railway crossing warning signals of the character of those shown in my co-pending applications:

Serial No. 445,372, filed April 18, 1930 and Serial No. 487,582, filed October 9, 1930.

The aforesaid applications disclose structures constituting railway crossing warning signals of such a distinctive nature as to compel the attention of motorists and others approaching the crossing, to the end that the serious accidents of the character of those that have so frequently occurred at railway crossings may be eliminated. Broadly stated these signals comprise a readable sign movable to and from indicating position a plurality of times upon the approach of a train, the said sign being moved to non-readable position when the train leaves the block after having crossed the crossing.

Further, additional visual and audible signals such as flashing red lights and a bell or siren are employed in conjunction with the readable sign the whole being so co-related, arranged and controlled as to produce a signal of an extremely compelling andattention arresting type and wherein any failure of the current supply will result in the readable sign being moved to stop position. It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved type of mechanism by virtue of which all of the aforesaid objects may be carried out in an extremely simple, reliable and economical manner.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic view illustrating the various connections;

Fig. 2 is a view partly in front elevation and partly in section;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the operating mechanism of the panels hereinafter described;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a circuit making and breaking disc;

Fig. 6 is an edge elevation of said disc and associated contact making and breaking elements;

Fig. 7 is a detail view of a hold clear coil, hereinafter described;

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view, illustrating a modified form of the invention; and

Fig. 9 is a view of a circuit making and breaking element hereinafter described.

Referring to the drawings, 5 -designates any suitable support such as a post 5 upon which a casing 6 is mounted. This casing comprises a lower box-like casing 7 and an upper housing 8. The casing 7 may serve to receive an electric motor 9 which, through suitable reducing gearing of a conventional type, the casing of which is indicated at 10, imparts rotation to a contact making and breaking disc 11 that is casing may support a conventional railway crossing signal 12 and the sides of the housing '7 may be utilized to support the red lamps 13 and 14, hereinafter described. Depending from the under side of the housing 8 into the open space 15 of the casing, are the letter bearing panels 16 which, in the present instance, bear letters which complementally form the word t p cal shafts 17 to which a quarter turn may be imparted by the end-wise movement of an actuating bar 18, said bar being provided with rack sections 19 which are engaged with the teeth of gear segments 20 that are fast upon the upper ends of the shafts 1'7. Thus, when the bar 18 is moved in one direction, the fiat sides ofthe panels will be disposed toward the front of the casing to present the word stop and when the bar is moved in the other direction, the edges of the panels will be presented toward the front of the casing and the word stop will disappear. White lights 21 are disposed within the housing 8 in a position to illuminate the panels when in reading position and a hood 8 constituting a part of said housing is disposed to protect the panels from the weather. In addition, the under side of the hood 8 may be painted white or otherwise formed to reflect light downwardly upon the panels and aid in illuminating the same. The letters upon the panels maybe outlined in luminous paint, the

remainder of said panels being painted a dark color or the reverse may be the case.- That is to say, the letters may be painted in a dark color and the remainder of the panels be painted with luminous paint, so that said signs may still be visible at night, even though the current supplied to the lamps 21 should fail. p

The bar 18 is actuated in the direction indicated by the arrow A by a solenoid magnet 22 which acts upon a metallic section 23 of said bar, the bar being actuated in the opposite direction by a compression spring 24 which bears between a fixed abutment 25 and a washer or like element 26 upon the bar.

Referring to Fig. 6, it will be seen, that the disc 11 comprises a plurality of cams. One group of these cams consists of raised portions 27 and 28 upon the upper and lower faces of These panels are carried by the verti- 7 best illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. The top of the the disc respectively. The cams 27 upon the upper face of the disc act through a plunger 29 of insulating material to bring a contact strip 30 into engagement with a contact strip 31 to thereby complete a circuit to the red lamp 13, the cams 28 serving the same purpose through plunger 2%, with respect to contact strips 32 and 33 to complete a circuit to the red lamp 14. A cam 34 upon the periphery of the disc 11 acts through plunger 35 to move .a contact strip 36 into engagement with a contact strip 37, to thereby complete a circuit to a bell, siren or other audible signal, indicated in the dia gramznatic i at 38. Cams39 and 39 upon the opposite faces of the disc respectively, act through plungers 40 and 41 to move contact strips 42 and 43 into engagement with contact strips 44 and 45 to complete electric circuits, one of which constitutes the circuit to the solenoid magnet 22 and the other of which may be utilized to energize the additional solenoid magnet illustrated in the modified form of the invention shown in Fig. 8. The upper end of one of the panel shafts carries a pin 46 which, when the panels have been moved to readable position, brings about engagement between contact strips 48 and 4.9 to complete a circuit to the white lights 21. Referring, now, to the diagrammatic view, Fig. 1, 50 and 51 designate the rails of a railway track which are insulated from each other, the presence or a train therein completing a circuit through conductors 52 and 53 to energize a magnet 54 of a relay. The armature 55 of this relay is actuated in one direction by a 35 spring 56 and in the other direction by the magnet. When the armature is attracted by the magnet it connects the contact points 57 and 58 and when it is moved in the opposite direction by the spring 56 it connects the contact points 59 and 60. The connecting of 57 and 58 results in energizing the solenoid magnet 22 through conductors 61, 80, contacts 43 and 45, conductors 62, 63, 64, 65, local battery 66, conductors 67. and 68. Included in this circuit, as stated, is the making and breaking device consisting of the contact strips 43 and 45 which are controlled by the movement of disc 11. When 43 and 45 are in contact, the circuit is completed from battery 66 through 65, 64, 63, 22, 62, 45, 43, wire 4311 (Fig. 6) to common return Wire 80. Energization of the magnet 22 results inmoving the bar 18 to the right, as previously described, to move the panels to clear posi tion, where they are held until the magnet is deenergized under continued rotation of disc 11, whereupon spring 24 moves the bar to stop position. During this rotation of the disc, which continues as long as a train is in the block, the red lights 13 and 14 will be flashed by the alternate making and breaking of the circuits controlled by the elements 30, 31, 32 and 33, the circuits through these lamps being through the individual feed wires 69 and 70 which lead to the lights 13 and 14 respectively, the circuit being completed through conductors 64, 65, battery 66, conductor 67 and conductors 61 and Y86, back to the contact elements 36 and 33, (see Fig. 6). The circuit to the white lights mayconsist of. conductors 81 and 82 in which is included the circuit making and breaking elements consistin of pin 4", contact strip 49 and contact 48. The circuit to the siren, hell or other audible signal may consist of a conductor 83, leading from conductor 67 conductor 84, leading to contact 37 and t e e throu h (1 tact 36 and conductors 64 and 65 back to the other side of the battery 66. Thus, as long as the contacts 36 and 37 are closed (see Fig. 6) the audible signal will sound and it will be observed from an inspection of Fig. 5 that the cam 34 is of such length that the signal will sound through approximately one-half of the revolution of disc 11.

Simple and efiicient means are provided for insuring that in the event of the failure of any of the connections or of the current from the battery 66, the sign will be automatically moved to stop position. These means comprise a hold clear coil 85, current to which from battery 661s through conductor 65, a conductor 86, conductor 87 leading to contact 59, thence through armature 55, contact 66 and conductor 67 back to the battery. The magnet 85 energizes a horse-shoe core 88 one leg of which extends through the bar 18 andthe other end of which is slightly shorter, these two ends complementally drawing the nose of a latch 89 into a recess 90 or" bar 18, said latch being pivoted at 91. It is evident that current will flow from the battery through 67, 68 contact points 58 and 57, 95, through contact points 94 and 92, 93 and 87 to energize coil 85, then through 86 and 65 back to the battery.

' This coil 85 will only be energized when points 92 and94 are in contact and this will be when Under this arrangement there is no possibility of the point on latch 89 being drawn in to notch 90 when current is flowing through points 57 and 58. The operation of this part of the structure is as follows:

As long as the armature 55 is being attracted 1 by magnet 54 the solenoid 22 is energized through the connections described by the bridging of the contacts 57 and 58. This moves bar 13 in the direction indicated by the arrow A against the tension of spring 24 to bring the i letter bearing panels to clear position. If the passage of the train from the block should result in de-energizing magnet 22 before the bar has completed its movement to clear position,

the auxiliary circuit described, in which contacts contacts 59 and 66 are located to energize magnet 85 and draw the nose of latch 89 into recess to thereby latch and hold said bar in clear position and against the tendency of spring 24 to move the bar to stop position, and this action will continue as long as magnet 85 is 4 energized. However, if there should be a fail- :5,

ure of the current from battery 66, magnet 85 will .be de-energized and then the thrust of the spring .24 against the slightly beveled nose of latch 89 will rcsult'in forcing said nose out of recess 90 and the spring 24 will act to auto- 1;

matically move bar 18 to stop position.

In the form of th invention illustrated, in Fig. 8, an additional solenoid magnet 22 acts to move the bar in a direction opposite to that in Which it is moved by the solenoid 22, this solenoid magnet being substituted for the spring 24, and as before stated, the contacts 42 and 44 are utilized to control the current to this additional solenoid magnet in the manner previously described with respect to contacts 43 and 45 in their relation to solenoid 22, it being apparent from an inspection of Fig. 6 that when 42 is closed 43 is open and vice versa. It will, of course, be apparent that an ordinary magnet would be the equivalent of the solenoid magnet for attracting the bar and the claims are to be construed in that light.

Lenses 14 are disposed in the sides of thelamps 13 and 14 and indicate to an approaching train crew whether or not the signal is in operation. These lenses are preferably white. It will be observed that the word Look together with arrows is formed upon the sides of the upper housing 8 and the lenses and arrows are preferably studded with reflex buttons such as are commonly employed for reflecting light from automobile head lights and these buttons may, if desired, be lighted by the white lights 21 in upper housing 8. From the foregoing description it will be seen that very simple and efiicient means are herein provided for carrying out the objects of the invention. However, it will be readily understood that many ways will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art of re-arranging and re-locating the parts, consequently, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction set forth, but that it includes within its purview whatever changes fairly come within either the terms or the spirit of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim 1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a readable sign comprising a plurality of oscillating letter bearing panels, a longitudinally reciprocatory bar, connections between the bar and the panels whereby endwise movement of the bar moves said panels through angles of 90 only, a solenoid magnet for moving said bar in one direction to move said panels to clear position, a latch adjacent the bar but separate therefrom and adapted when engaged with said bar to lock the same in clear position, a magnet mounted upon and movable with the bar into latch attracting position and serving when in such position to attract the latch and cause it to engage said bar, a motor, a circuit making and breaking disc operated by said motor, circuit making and breaking elements controlling the solenoid magnet operated by said disc, a relay comprising an armature, a motor circuit relay contacts in the motor circuit closed by said armature when said armature is in one position, a circuit in which the latch attracting magnet is included, a second motor circuit, a circuit making and breaking device in the second motor circuit, means carried by the reciprocatory bar for opening the last named circuit making and breaking device upon completion of the movement of the reciprocatory bar to clear position, relay contacts in the second named motor circuit and the circuit of the latch attracting magnet, said contacts being closed by the movement of the armature of the relay to a second position and in which said second position the first named motor circuit is broken by the movement of said relay armature.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a readable sign comprising a plurality of oscillating letter bearing panels, of a longitudinally reciprocatory bar, connections between the bar and the panels whereby endwise movement of the bar moves said panels through angles of 90 only to thereby move the panels from fiat to edge-wise position, electrical actuating means for said bar, a circuit in which said electrical actuating means is included, circuit making and breaking means for said circuit including a rotary disc, a motor for operating said disc, a main motor circuit, a relay, the armature of which, carries relay contacts which close the main motor circuit when said armature is attracted, an auxiliary motor circuit, means carried by the armature for completing the latter circuit by the movement of the armature of the relay to non-attracted position, mechanical means for moving said relay armature to non-attracted position means operable under the influence of the movement of the reciprocatory bar for interrupting the auxiliary motor circuit at the limit of movement of said bar in one direction, electrically operated latching means for latching the said bar in clear edge-wise position, a circuit in which the said latching means is included, and means for closing the latter circuit upon movement of the relay armature to non-attracted position.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a readable sign comprising a plurality of letter bearing panels, of a longitudinally reciprocatory bar, connections between the bar and the panels whereby endwise movement of the bar moves said panels through angles of 90 only, an electrical actuating means forsaid bar, a circuit for said actuating means, circuit making and breaking means for said circuit including a rotative disc, a motor for turning said disc, a main motor circuit for said motor, a relay having an armature, relay contacts carried by the armature which when in attracted position close the said main motor circuit, a hold clear latch mechanism including a magnet, spring means tending to move said bar in such direction as to move the panels to stop position, an electrical circuit in which said magnet is included and means carried by the armature relay for closing thelatter circuit when the armature of the relay is in non-attracted position.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination with a readable design comprising a plurality of letter bearing panels, of a longitudinally reciprocatory bar, connections between the bar and the panels whereby endwise movement of the bar moves said panels through angles of 90 only, electrical means for moving said bar in such direction as to more said panels to clear position, an electric circuit in which said electrical operating means of the bar is included, a motor operated circuit making and breaking means for said circuit, a main motor circuit in which said motor is included, a relay comprising an armature and relay contacts carried thereby which when in attracted position complete the main motor circuit, means tending to move said bar in such direction as to move the panels to stop position, an electrically operated latch mechanism including a magnet for holding said bar against the action of the last a named means, and a circuit in which said magnet is included, the armature of the relay carrying relay contacts for completing the latter circuit when the armature of the relay is in nonattracted position. MARION G. SLAWSON.

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