US2136804A - Traffic signaling device - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 15, 1938. PAUL TRAFFIC SIGNALING DEVICE Filed Nov. 13, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 1' iii in FIG 2 INVENTOR. HENRY R4UL ATTORNEYS Y- 15, 1938- H. PAUL 2,136,804 I TRAFFIC SIGNALING DEVICE M Filed NOV. '15, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I F165 INVENTOR. v HENRY PAUL ATTORNEYS Nov. 15, 1938. H, PA 2,136,804

TRAFFIC SIGNALING DEVICE Filed Nov. 15, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 IIIIIII I I n v 1 J I u u n n n n m u n I I F168 FIG. 9

INVENTOR. [flZNRY PA UL BY Caeawz, mud We ATTORNEYS,

Nov. 15, 193s. PAUL v 2,136,804

TRAFFIC S IGNALING DEVICE Filed Nov. 15, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 87 '3: 86a 9 'E 86:: a I? 3 85 f- 85 l' 9: 87 92 9: 5 j

' 86 a 8kg FIG. 11

' INVENTOR. JEENRY PAUL ATTORNEYS Nov. 15, 1938. H. PAUL 2,136,804

' TRAFFIC SIGNALING DEVICE Filed Nov. 13, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I INVENT OR. HENRY PA m;

. ATTORNEY-5 Patented Nov; 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,136,804 TRAFFIC SIGNALING nnvrcs Henry Paul, Philadelphia, Pa. Application November 13,1935, Serial No. 49,445

5 Claims. 401. 116-63) The present invention relates'to trafilc signals and particularly to that type of trafllc signal designed to be positioned at an intersection of two or more streets for the purpose of controlling or 5 regulating the flow of; trafilc at the intersection.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a device of the foregoing type of simpler and more compact construction than the conventional trai fic signal now in general use.

Another object is to provide a trafiic signal which is more adaptable to the varying conditions obtained at street intersections than are prior art devices. 1

A further object is to provide a trafllc signal which does notrequire the use of the conventional bank of three colored lights directed along each of the intersecting streets.

Still another object is to provide a traffic signal which does not require the complicated operating and timing mechanisms generally considered necessary in prior devices.

In its barest essentials and simplest aspect, the device of the invention consists of three elements: a source of light directed toward a line of trafiic to be controlled or regulated; a movable screen interposed between the light source and the line of traffic and being divided into a number of differently colored transparent areas; and means for moving the screen so as to bring each of the colored areas in succession between the light source and the line of traffic, thus producing a series of consecutive colored signals visible to the line of traflic. An essential feature of the invention consists in moving the screen at a constant rate of speed, whereby the duration of the color signals will be proportional to the colored areas, and proportioning the colored areas so as to produce signals of desired relative duration.

The inventive idea or concept involved is capable of being embodied in various mechanical forms, several of which will be described in detail for the purpose of illustrating the invention.

Figure 1 is a view, partly in-vertical section on line ll of Figure 2, of one illustrative embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a section taken substantially on line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section taken substantially on line 33 of Figure 1; a portion being broken away for greater clearness;

Figure 4 is a face view of a pair of color disks corresponding to one of several streets at an intersection at which the signaling device is to be used; Figure 5' is a similar view of a pair of color disks corresponding to another of the streets at the intersection; Figure 6 is a horizontal somewhat diagrammatic' cross-section through another illustrative embodiment of the invention;

-'Figure 7 is an exploded or developed view of one 6 of the color cylinders constituting an essential element of the device of Figure 6, the cylinder itself and the light source being shown in dotted lines;

another form of device falling within the purview. of my inventive concept;

Figure 9 is an exploded or developed view of one Figure 8 is a horizontal cross-section through 10 of the color cylinders which constitutes an essential part of. the device, of Figure 8, the cylinderitself and the light source being shown in dotted lines; Figure 10 is a vertical section through still another illustrative embodiment of the invention, the section being taken substantially on line l0-l0 of Figure 11; I

Figure 11 is a horizontal cross-section substan- .tialiy on line |ll| of Figure 10;

Figure 12 is a flattened-out view of the color cylinder forming an essential constituent element of the device of Figures 10 and 11;

Figure 13 is a horizontal cross-section through the colorcylinder, substantially on line |3--l3 of Figure 12; and v Figure 14 is a similar cross-section on line 14-44 of Figure 12.

Referring now' to the drawings in greater detail and more particularly to Figures 1, 2 and 3 there-- of, it will be noted that the constituent elements of the device are housed within a compact casing indicated by the reference numeral I. The casing is shown as being supported on a base or pedestal 2 which may be of suitable or desired form or construction, but it is obvious that the casing may be suspended from above in any suitable manner, as for instance in the manner illustrated in Figure 10. The casing is shown surmounted by an ornamental cap 3 which may take a conventional form.

The shape of the casing depends to some extent on the number of streets at the intersection.

, In the caseoi two streets, the housing may advantageously be oi rectangular shape with the four lateral faces facing the intersecting streets. To take care of three intersecting streets, the casing would preferably be hexagonal. A variation would be to make the casing or housing I substantially cylindrical. in shape with twice as many flattened faces as there are streets at the intersection. In any event each ofthe'lateral faces is provided with an opening in which may be mounted a cover glass or roundel l. A hood or visor I may be provided for each opening as is usual incthe art. a

Disposed within the housing I isan inner casinglwhichservestocontainthesourceoflight- I. The inner casing may be mounted in any I suitable manner as by being suspended from the ings. Disposed between each pair of openings is,

a lens 0 which serves to direct the rays of light originating at I through the outer aperture. As shown eachlens 8 may bemounted in aplate Ill provided with a suitable opening in alinement with the apertures in the inner and outer casings. The plates ll may be supported at the proper distance between the two casings I and O in any suitable manner. 7

Rotatably mounted between each of the lateral walls of the inner casing 8 and the corresponding supporting plate II is a color disk. the structure of which will be hereinafter described. In the case of a two-way intersection as in the illustrative embodiment of the invention now being described, them are two pairs of disks designated as ii, lid and I2, ifa respectively. Thefirstpair of disks corresponds tothe North-South street and the second pair corresponds to the East- West street. In the case of a three-way intersection there would, of course, be three pairs of color disks. If one of the intersecting streets should color disks. One is to change the speed of the motor and the other is to change the gear ratio between thegear teeth I! and the gear wheel II.

The electrical connections and circuits for the electric lights and the motor have been omitted as their construction and design form no part of the present invention. Obviously a spring or other type motor may be used.

Referring first to the North disk of Figure 4; that is the disk facing north, it will be noted that the green area is about 2.5 times the size of the red area, and the red area is about 4 times the size of each of the amber areas which are equal. Since the intermediate portion fl is annular the seglnents represented by each of the colors are proportional to their arcuate lengths. In the case of a 40 second cycle, the green on the North disk corresponds to seconds, the red to 10 have a blind end at the intersection, the corcasing 8 and the corresponding supporting plate II. The disks may be rotated in any suitable manner. I prefer to drive them from their outer peripheries and to this end I provide each of them with a continuous series of circumferential gear teeth It (see Figures 4 and 5). All of the disks are driven by a central horizontally disposed bevel gear ll through a train of intermediate gears. For this purpose I'have provided a series of horizontally disposed shafts I5, equal in number to the color disks. One end of each shaft is iournalled in the corresponding supporting plate It and the other end is provided with a vertically disposed bevel gear It meshing with the central gear I. Additional supporting means in the form of angle bars I! may be pro- The central gear itself is driven seconds, and each amber area to 2.5 seconds. Each of the colored areas is adapted to be brought into alinementor registration with the aperture 8 in the inner casing. Hence, as the North disk rotates at a constant speed the green gnal is seen for 25 seconds, then an amber sigal goes on for 2.5 seconds, then'the red for 10 seconds and finally the second amber is seen for 2.5 seconds, after which the cycle is repeated. Referring now to the South disk, it will be noted that the colored areas correspond in color and position to those on the North disk. In other words, the two disks can be superposed. Hence, as the two disks rotate constantly at the same speed, the same signals will be seen on both the North and South sides of the traflic signaling device during the same intervals of time.

Referring now to the East disk (see Figure 5), it will be noted that the area corresponding to the green area ofvthe North or South disk is red in color and that the area corresponding to the red area is green. Also, that the two amber areas of the East disk correspond in position and arcuate length to the same colored areas in the North or South disk. It will also be noted that the East and West disks can be superposed. Hence, in each of these disks, the red area represents 25 seconds of the 40 second cycle, the green area represents 10 seconds and each of the amber areas represents 2.5 seconds as in the North and South disks. Hence, as all four disks rotate at'a constant equal speed, the East and West iii sides of the traflic device will show red while the time.

From what has been said it is thought to be clear that the duration of the diiferent signals can be varied to suit conditions at any particular intersection by varying the arcuate lengths and hence the various segmental areas in the intermediate annular portion 22 of the disks. If it is inerely desired to speed orslow up all the signals proportionately, it is only necessary to change the speed of the operating means correspondingly. It is also thought to be clear that instead of housing all the four disks in one casing as in the illustrative embodiment, one or twoof the disks may be placed in a separate casing and positioned at a corner of the intersection. In such case the traffic devices should be positioned at least two and possibly at the four corners. Preferably a single driving means would be used for each disk, all the driving meansoperating in synchronism.

Instead of being in the form of a flat disk as in the first form, the color screen is a tube or cylinder disposed vertically and having a transparent, colored, circumferential band about its mid-section. Referring now to'Figure 6, it will be seen that the casing or housing for the mechanical elements is designated by 48 and that it-ls provided on eachof its vertical faces with an aperture 4! to .receive a roundel or cover glass (not shown). The color screens which, as has been stated, are tubular or cylindrical in form, are each designated as 82 and serve to house or encase va source of light 43 which is shown to have the form of an incandescent bulb. One of the color screens is illustrated in Figure 7, in which figure the central color band is designated as 44. Interposed between each of the color screens (there are as many color screens as apertures 4|) and the corresponding wall of the casing 48 is a plate passing from the source of light 43 through the 45 having an aperture 48 in alinement with the aperture 4i. The aperture 48 is intended to receive a lens (not shown) for directing the light of the bulb 43 through the outer roundei. position of the color band 44 on the tube or cylinder 42 is such that it serves to color the light the first embodiment, it being understood that the opposite color screens have the same arrangement and relative proportioning of the color zones, and that in the East and West screens the red zone has the same area and position as the green zone in the North and South screens, and vice versa.

The color tubes or cylinders may be rotated in any desired manner. In Figure 6 they are shown as being operated from a motor M through intermediate gearing, which consists of a gear 41 for each color screen and secured thereto in any suitable manner, a central gear 48 meshing with all the gears 41, a large worm gear 49 on the same axis as the central gear 48 and a worm 58 on the motor shaft and meshing with the worm 'gear.

The third embodiment of the invention (see Figures 8 and 9) differs from the one just de-' scribed in that the color tube or cylinder is dis-.

posed horizontally instead of vertically. .Re-

'ferring to Figure 8, the casing for the mechanment of the zones are exactly the same as in'the case of the color screen forming part of the device shown in Figures 6 and 7. However, the cylinders or tubes 82 are disposed horizontally instead of vertically. A lens may be supported by means of a plate 65 between eachcolor cylinder and each aperture (ii to direct the light from the cylinder through said aperture. The numeral 68 designates an aperture in the plate 88 to receive the lens (not shown).

.Each color cylinder may be driven from a motor M through a train of intermediate gearing. The gearing may consist of a worm 8'! on the motor shaft meshing with a large central worm gear 88, a small central gear 89 on the same shaft as the gear 68, anumber of h6rizontally disposed shafts 18 equal in number to the color cylinders, each having a gear 1| meshing with the small central gear and sprocket connec- ,tions between the shafts l8 and the corresponding color cylinders. These connections may each consist of a sprocket wheel formed integral with the shaft 18, a sprocket chain'13 and a sprocket wheel 14 secured to the color cylinder, the sprocket chain being trained over both sprocket wheels.

Referring now to the last illustrative form of the invention (Figures 10 to 14 inclusive) it will be noted that this embodiment has a single vertically disposed cylindrical color screen for all sides of the traffic signal. The casing for the device is indicated by the numeral 88 and is shown as being suspended from an overhead support 8|. Obviously, the device may be supported on a. base or pedestal, if so desired. Each vertical side of the device which faces toward a line of traflic is provided with an aperture fitted with a roundel or cover glass. The North and South roundels are indicated as 82 and 82a respectively, while the East and West roundelsflare designated as 83 and 83:; respectively. Behind each roundel is positioned alens. The North and South lenses are denoted by 84 and the East and West lenses are indicated by 85. Each lens may be supported in a suitably mounted plate 88. v Hoods or visors 860. may be provided as in thecase of the other embodiments of the invention.

r The color cylinder is designated by the reference numeral 81 and is shown as being supported upon a turntable'iila which is mounted for rota;- tion on a vertical shaft 88. This shaft and hence the color cylinder is operated by means of a motor M through the worm 89 and the meshing worm gear 90, the worm 89 being secured to the motor shaft, and the worm gear 98 being fixed to the shaft 88. Suitable bearings may be provided for the rotating parts, both in this embodiment as well as in those previously described. s

The color cylinder 81 is provided with one or more circumferential color areas or bands. I

prefer to employ as many color bands as there are streets at the intersection, two, in the case of the illustrative embodiment of the invention.

The two bands are designated as 9| and 92 re-.

spectively, each band being divided into a number of coloredtransparent zones. The upper band Si is to serve to color the light passing through the North and South roundels 82 and 82a, and the lower band is to serve to color the case of intersections of three streets, I prefer to colorbands. As shown, I prefer to employ a use three color bands and hence the roundels facing each street would be on the level of the corresponding color band.

The source of light may be a single incandescent bulb of sumcient power to illuminate both a in the purview of my invention.

Since in the illustrative embodiment each color band is to serve for two opposite faces of the de-- vice and the opposite faces must of necessity display the same colored signal during the same interval of time, each band has to represent two cyclesand is therefore divided into eight color zones. Two of the zones are red (R), two are green (G) and the remaining four are amber (A) in color. In both bands similarly colored zones are disposed diametrically opposite each other, the amber zones being interposed between the red and green zones so that the signal in changing from red to green or vice versa always passes through amber which serves as a caution signal. ,The relative proportions of the zones on the bands may be made or varied to suit individual conditions at a given crossing, it being essential that the oppositely disposed zones on each band he the same in color and in area, and that the red and green zones on one band be equal to the green and red zones respectively of the other band. In the illustrative embodiment, the proportions are such as to produce the same signals as in the first three embodiments; that is, assuming a forty second cycle, the green on the upper band and the red on the lower band correspond to 25 seconds, the red on the upper band and the green on the lower band correspond to seconds and all the amber zones correspond to 2.5 seconds each.

The relative arrangement oi the two color bands depends upon the angle between the intershown in dotted lines.

secting streets which, of course, is the same as the angle, between the adjacent roundels. In the case of two streets intersectingat right angles as in the illustrative embodiment, the red and green zones'of one band are disposed at'right angles to the contrasting colored zones .of the other band.- (See Figures 13 and 14.) If the anglev between the two streets be less or more than 90 then the angle between the contrasting colors on the two bands will be correspondingly decreased or increased as the case may be. In other words, since the signals at the two intersecting streets are always in opposite phase, it is necessary that" the angle between the zones representing the opposite phases on the bands themselves be equal to the angle between the streets. This is thought to be clearly brought out by Figure 12 of the drawings, wherein the cylinder is shown flattened out and the relative positions oi. the roundels'are What has been said applies to intersections of three or more streets, in which case three or,more color bands may be used, each representing two-cycles and the angles between the zones of contrasting color being equal to the angles between thestreets at the intersection.

Under some circumstances it may bedesirable -to provide thecolor cylinder." with a single band for all of the streets, in which case all the roundels and their associated lenses would be on the same level. Under other circumstances it may be desirable to have as many color bands I embodiment it is thought to be clear that at any I particular moment each roundel displays the color of the particular zone which happens to be positioned between it and the light source, and that as the cylinder 81 rotates at a constant speed the color at each roundel changes at intervals depending upon the relative proportions of the color zones. It is also thought to be clear that all sides of the device display the amber signal at the same time and that when the North and South signals are red those at the East and West roundels are green and vice versa. If it is desired to change all the time intervals proportionately, it is merely necessary to speed up or slow down the motor and hence the color cylinder correspondingly. The color cylinder is readily removable and maye be replaced by one in which the relative widths of the color zones are such as to produce any desired variation in the duration oi the signals.

The foregoing specification and description include the essential and distinctive thought of my invention, but it is to be distinctly understood that the same may be modified in various ways and/or combined with various other details without affecting the peculiar results obtained and without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims, in which I intend to claim all the patentable novelty inherent in my invenbe controlled or regulated, a source of light disposed within said caslng; a cylinder rotatably mounted within said casing and housing said source of light. said cylinder being provided with spaced circumferential bands, equal in number to the pairs of opposite vertical sides, each band being divided into a number of difierently colored zones, each pair of opposite apertures being disposed at the level of one of said bands, and means to rotate said cylinder.

2. The traillc device defined in claim 1, the relative proportions of said zones being equal to the desired relative duration of the signals produced by the device.

3. As an element of a traillc signal, a color screen in the form of a cylinder, said cylinder being provided with two spaced circumferential transparent bands, each of said bands being divided into red and greenzones of unequal widths, the red zone on one band being equal in width to the green zone on the other band and vice versa.

4. As an element of a traillc signal, a color screen in the form of a cylinder, said cylinder being provided with twospaced circumferential transparent bands, each of said bands being divided into a red, a green and two amber zones, all the amberzones being equal in width and the 'red zone on one band being equal in width to red zone on one band being equal in width to the green zone on the other band and vice versa, the red and green areas of one band being disposed at an angle to the contrasting colors of the other,

said angle being equal to the angle between the 5 two streets at the intersection.

HENRY PAUL.

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