US240694A - Railway signal apparatus - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

WLW. GARY.

, Railway Signal Apparatus.

No. 240,694. PatentedApril 26,1881.

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, UNITED STATES PATENT OFF CE,

WESLEY W. GARY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

RAILWAY SIGNAL APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,694, dated April 26, 1881.

Application file(l Decemher 9, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WESLEY W. GARY, of Boston, county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway Signal Apparatus, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to an automatic windin g-machine for railway-signals, and has for its object to enable a weight or spring to be wound up by the action of a passing train, as described in a former application filed by me Ootober 1, 1880, to which reference may be had, the said weight being intended to operate signal mechanism of any desired kind-as, forexample, to ring a bell at a point where a carriage-road crosses the line of railway during the time that a train is approaching the said crossing.

The presentinvention consists in novel mechanism for transmitting the power from atreadle operated by the wheels of a passing train to a winding-drum, which receives a rotary motion to wind around it the cord or chain upon which the weight is suspended.

the'spring the said irock-shaft receives an oscillating movement, as in my former application hereinbefore referred to. In that application a toothed bar was shown as reciprocated by this oscillating movement of the rock-shaft, and in that portion of the movement caused by the spring it engages a ratchet-wheel con nected with the winding-drum to rotate the 'said drum, the said bar passing over the teeth inthe positive movement caused by the action of the wheels. A toothed wheel of this kind, although only acted upon by the force of the spring, wears rapidly, and is liable to have the teeth broken out; and in my present invention I dispense with the toothed bar and ratchet-wheel, using,instead, a friction-dog or engaging device, by which the wear is made more uniform and less rapid, and the danger otbreaking is almost entirely removed.

The windin g-drum is mounted loosely on the rock-shaft, and is provided with a friction-disk adapted to be engaged by an eccentric-dog pivoted on a link, itself also loosely connected with the said rock-shaft at its other end. An actuating arm or frame-work rigidly connected with the said rock-shaft, and oscillated in nnison therewith, is adapted to engage a finger projectingfrom the said friction-dog, and when the said arm is oscillated by the movement of the rock-shaft, caused by the wheels of the passing train, it first turns the dog on its pivot until, owing to its eccentricity, it bites or is pressed in to engagement with the friction-disk, after which, in the further movement of the said arm, the said dog, its carrying-link, and the friction-disk and connected drum all turn together with the rock-shaft, being locked together as a single piece by the friction between the said dog and disk. In this movement a portion of the cord is wound upon the drum and the weight raised for a certain distance, where it is held by a ratchet, in the usual manner. When the arm begins to move in thereverse direction it passes away from the finger of the dog, which falls by its own weight, dis engaging itself from the friction-disk and allowing its carrying-link to fall back to its first position, the said link and dog thus following the arm in its reverse movement, while the friction-disk and drum remain stationary.

I have shown the drum as turned by the action of the arm when positively moved by the train; but it is obvious that it may be moved by the force of the retracting-spring, as in my former application referred to.

With the herein-described mechanism connecting the rock-shaft and drum there is no danger of breakage when the positive force of the wheels is employed to operate the actuating mechanism.

When the weight is wholly wound up, 1 cmploy a'device similar to thatshown in the former application to raise the dog-carryin g link, so that the arm,in acting on thesaid dog, does not turn it far enough to bite or engage the friction-disk and rotate it.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved winding mechanism, the weight being nearly run down, and shown in dotted lines wholly wound up and operating the disengaging-lever to raise the dog-carrying link. Fig. 2 is a top view, of the lower portion thereof lying below the lines 00 w in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail showing some of the parts in the same position as in Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a detail showing the parts in the position assumed after a winding stroke has been made, and Fig. 5 a detail showing the position taken by thedog-carrying link when raised by the disengaging device after the weight has been wholly wound up.

The treadle a, rigidly connected with the rock-shaft I), mounted in bearings 0, in proper position relative to the rail cl, and provided with actuating-arms e e and retracting-sprin g f, is similar in operation to the corresponding parts shown in my former application.

An eccentric friction-dog, g, pivoted at 2, near one end of the carrying-links g, pivoted loosely at their other end on the rock-shaft I), is adapted, when turned on its pivot 2, to bite or engage the friction-disk h on the windingdrum 1', around which is wound the windingcordj, extended to and coiled around a winding-pulley, It, so that when wound upon the drum i it is unwound from the said pulley is, causing the said pulley to rotate in the operation.

A suspending-cord, l, connected at one end with the pulley 7c and supporting at its other end a weight, w, is adapted to be wound upon the said pulley k in the opposite direction to the winding-cord j, so that as one of the said cords is wound upon the said pulley the other one is unwound therefrom.

The actuating-arms 00 are connected at their extremity by a rod, 0 which passes under a projecting finger, g of the friction-dog g, so that when the said arms 0 e are vibrated by the depressing of the treadle a the rod 6 will engage the finger g and first turn the dog g on the pivot 2 until, owing to its eccentricity, its surface is brought to bear upon or bite the friction-disk h, as shown in Fig. 4, thus locking together the said disk, links, and dog, so that in the further movement of the actuatingarms 0 0 they are compelled to accompany the said arms,.the disk It and connected drumt' then rotating with the shaft 1) to wind the cord j thereon and raise the weightw. Vhen moved forward in this way the drum i is prevented from returning by the pawl m engaging the ratchet m, connected with the said drum 5, and when the actuating-arms e e are turned back by the springf, after a wheel has passed, the finger g follows them, the dog g turning on its pivot 2 to disengage the disk h and links 9, which turn back freely over the rock-shaft b. When moved back in this manner the actuating-arm 6 comes to rest upon a stop, 4, and the link g upon a stop, 5, as shown in Fig. 3, in such position relative to one another that the surfaces of the friction-disk l1. and dog 9 are wholly separated from one another, leaving the said disk and connected drum it free to turn back on the shaft 1) when the pawl m is disengaged from the ratchet m, the said pawl forming the detent by which the mechanism actuated by the weight w is controlled. The said mechanism remains inoperative as lon g as the said ratchet and pawl are engaged.

This pawl may be controlled by an electromagnet or otherwise, as is desired, this forming no part of my present invention.

The links g are connected by a cord or connector, or, attached to the pivot-piece 2 of the dog 9, to the disengaging-lever 0, pivoted at 6, near the pulley k, in such position that the weight 20 at the end of its upward movement engages the said lever 0, raising it and the connected links g. as shown in Fig. 5, and in dotted lines, Fig. 1, so that the actuating-arm c in its extreme movement cannot bring the dogg into engagement with the disk h, and consequently after the weight has been wholly raised the arms 0 c in their succeeding movements will have no further effect upon the winding drum and weight.

It is obvious that a spring might be used as the actuating-pmver to be renewed or wound up instead of the weight w, and when the weight is used it is desirable to make some portion of the cords jor 1 between the said weight and the drum ielastic as,for example,

by introducing aspiral spring therein-so that p the inertia of the weight will be gradually overcome without too great sudden strain upon the said cords.

If desired, a surface of yielding material, as leather or rubber, may be employed on the friction-disk to be engaged by the eccentric-dog.

1 claim-- 1. In a railway signal apparatus, an actuating-arm adapted to be vibrated by the wheels of the passing vehicles, combined with a friction-disk and a friction-dog operated by the said arm, and caused to engage and rotate the disk in the movement of the arin in one direc tion, but to be disengaged from the said disk in the return movement, substantially as described.

2. The rock-shaft and treadle, and actuating-arms fixed thereto, combined with the winding-drum and connected friction-disk, and the eccentric-dog and its carrying-links loose on the said rock-shaft, the said dog being operated by the actuating-arms, substantially as described.

3. The friction-disk and dog-carrying links and dog pivoted therein, combined with the actuating-arm and means connected with the Weight when wholly wound to raise the said links, to thereby prevent the dog from engaging the friction-disk when operated by the actuating-arm, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereofl have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WESLEY W. GARY.

Witnesses:

J 0s. P. LIVERMORE, L. F. CONNOR.

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