US2562727A - Pantograph assembly - Google Patents

Description

y 1951 E. F. MOCALEB 2,562,727

PANTOGRAPH ASSEMBLY Filed July 18, 1950 Inventor": Eugene F? Mo Caleb,

H i S Attorney.

Patented July 31, 1 951 arm" OFFICE PANTOGRAPH ASSEMBLY Eugene F. McCaleb, Erie, Pa, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application July 18, 1950, Serial No. 174,415

2 (llaims.

My invention relates to pantograph assemblies, and more particularly to pantograph assemblies of the type used to establish contact between an overhead power wire and electric railway cars and the like.

When overhead wires are erected to supply power to electric railway cars and the like, the wires are subject to sagging between supports. The sagging creates a problem in maintaining constant firm contact between the car and the overhead wire as the tension in the wire varies between adjacent supports. Railway cars are subject to swaying when moving around turns and when traveling over an uneven portion of the roadbedo This increases the difficulty of maintaining satisfactory contact with an overhead wire, particularly when the car is moving at a high speed.

Therefore, an important object of my invention is to provide an improved means for establishing' contact between an overhead power wire and electric railway cars and the like which travel at high speeds.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for maintaining substantially constant contact pressure on an overhead power wire in spite of sagging in the line and major changes in the height of the line above the roadbed.

A further object of my invention is to provide means for maintaining substantially constant contact pressure on an overhead power wire in spite of swaying of the car.

In the attainment of the'foregoing objects an important feature of this invention resides in the use of a pantograph assembly pivotally mounted upon the roof of a railway car or the like, a spring-operated, extensible cylinder in combina-. tion with a plurality of rigid linksmechanically connected to thepantograph assembly, and a bracket in parallel relationship with a pair of rigid links and a pair of arms for maintaining the contact area between a current. collecting device and an, overhead wire substantially constant. The pivotal mounting enables the pantograph assembly to rotate transversely toward either side of the car in response to the swaying of thecar. The extensible cylinder maintains substantially constant contact pressure between the pantograph assembly and the overhead power wire by acting through the first mentioned rigid links to balance the force applied within the extensible cylinder by the spring against the tension of the overhead wire and. theweight of the pantograph assembly. The bracket connected in parallel relationship with the arms and the links maintains the current collecting device in a horizontal plane with respect to the car when the pantograph assembly is raised or lowered to maintain contact with the overhead wire.

For additional objects and advantages and for a better understanding of my invention; attention is now directed to the following description and the accompanying drawing and also to the appended claims in which the features of the invention believed to be novel are particularly pointed out. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a pantograph assembly embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a section taken along line 22 in Fig. 1.

Referring to the'drawing, a standard l is disposed upon the top of an electric railway car. A base block 2 is pivotally mounted upon a longi tudinal shaft 3 which is supported by standard I. Shatf 3 is supported at such a height above the base plate of standard I that base block 2 may rotate transversely through a limited range in response to swaying of the car and in response to transverse displacement of the overhead power wire with respect to the car. The lower arms 4 and 5 of the pantograph assembly are connected to base block 2 by the hinges 6 and 1 respectively.

Hinges 6 and l are pivoted on transverse axes.

A cylinder 8 is disposed vertically upon the top of base block 2. A cylinder 9 having an inside diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of cylinder 8 is arranged concentrically around cylinder 8. A helical spring ID is arranged in compression within cylinder 8, bearing on base block 2 and a retaining plate I]. A bolt l2 in threaded engagement with retaining plate II and a cap [3 on cylinder 9 is provided for adjusting the compression of spring 10. A nut I4 is provided for locking bolt i2 in position. Rigid links and it are connected to the top of cylinder 9 by pinning means and connected to arms 4 and 5 respectively near the lower ends thereof by hinges l1 and I8 respectively, hinges ii and I8 pivoting on transverse axes. Arms 4 and 5 are connected to the upper arms [9 and of the pantograph assembly by hinges 2| and 22 respectively, hinges 2| and 22 pivoting about transverse axes. An inverted, U-shaped bracket 23 is connected to arms l9 and 20 at the upper end thereof by hinges Z4 and 25, respectively, hinges Hand 25 pivoting on transverse axes.

Mounted upon the top of bracket 23 is a cur rent-collecting slider shoe 26 having a 1ongitudinal aperture 21 in the surface thereof for making contact with the overhead wire. The'sides of aperture 21 also prevent transverse motion of shoe 26 with respect to the wire. A shunt 28 is provided to connect shoe 26 to bracket 23 electrically. A U-shaped bracket 29 is provided on the bottom of bracket 23 for attaching means for manually lowering the pantograph assembly such as a cable, a pole, or the like. A pair of rigid arms 30 and 3| are connected to arms I!) and 20 near the upper ends thereof and project downward therefrom in a converging manner. A pair of rigid links 32 and 33 are pivotally connected to the lower ends of arms 30 and 3| respectively and project upward therefrom in a converging manner. A vertically slotted arm 34 is secured to and extends vertically downward from bracket 23. The upper ends of links 32 and 33 are connected to arm 34 by a transverse pin through the ends of links 32 and 33 and the slot in arm 34.

The compressive stress on spring I is adjusted by positioning bolt l2. The force due to this compressive stress in spring I0 is transmitted to the pantograph assembly through the cylinder 9 and links l and Hi. When the cylinder 9 is raised, links l5 and I6 are drawn in toward cylinder 9 thereby pivoting arms 4 and 5 upward on hinges 6 and I and raising the pantograph assembly. The upward motion is transmitted to shoe 26 through hinges 2| and 22, arms I9 and 2D, hinges 24 and 25, and bracket 23. The distance through which bracket 23 is moved is much greater than the distance through which cylinder 9 is moved because hinge 2| moves through a much larger arc than hinge IT. The bracket 23 maintains a uniform separation between the upper ends of arms l9 and 20. If arm I9 tends to drop while arm 20 is rising, bracket 23 tilts, and arm 34 tends to move away from the lower end of arm 30. The link 32 restrains this tendency and tends to pull arm 34 back into the vertical position, thereby maintaining bracket 23 in a horizontal position with respect to the top of the car. If arm 20 tends to drop'while arm I9 is rising, arm 3| and link 33 maintain bracket 23 in a horizontal position with respect to the top of the car in the manner hereinbefore described. The upward motion of the pantograph assembly continues until the forces due to the weight of the pantograph assembly and the tension of the overhead wire as applied to cylinder 9 are equal to the compressive stress on spring Hi. When the car sways to one side or the other, or when the overhead line is displaced transversely with respect to the car, the pantograph assembly pivots about shaft 3 and is extended by the action of spring In to maintain constant contact with the overhead wire.

While the present invention has been described by reference to particular embodiments thereof, it will be understood that this is by way of illustration of the principles involved and that those skilled in the .art may make many modifications in the arrangement and mode of operation. Therefore, I contemplate by the appended claims to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. For use on electric railway cars and the like a pantograph assembly for obtaining power from an overhead wire, said pantograph assembly comprising a pair of upper arms hingedly connected to a pair of lower arms to form a parallelogram, a shaft longitudinally disposed on the top of said car, a base block pivotally mounted on said shaft, a pair of hinges for con.-

necting said lower arms of said pantograph assembly to said base block, a first cylinder mounted vertically on said base block, a second cylinder having a rigid cap on one end thereof and having an inside diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of said first cylinder and disposed around the upper end of said first cylinder, a retaining plate arranged within said second cylinder in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said cylinder, a spring disposed in compression within said second cylinder and bearing on said retaining plate and said base block,

a bolt extending vertically through said cap and in threaded engagement therewith and in threaded engagement with said retaining plate for adjusting the compressive stress on said spring, a plurality of rigid links connecting said cap to said lower arms of said pantograph assembly to transfer the vertical displacement of said second cylinder to displacement of said pantograph assembly, an inverted U-shaped bracket, a pair of hinges for connecting said inverted U-shaped bracket to said upper arms of said pantograph assembly, a current collecting device mounted on the top of said inverted U-shaped bracket and comprising a slider shoe having a longitudinal aperture in the surface thereof for contacting with said wire and for substantially prohibiting transverse motion of said slider shoe with respect to said wire and having a shunt for electrically connecting said current collecting device to said pantograph assembly, a vertically slotted arm secured to and extending vertically downward from said inverted U-shaped bracket and disposed midway between said last-mentioned hinges, said slotted arm connected to each of said upper arms of said pantograph assembly by a rigid link serially connected with a supporting arm, one end of said supporting arm being rigidly mounted on said upper arm of said pantograph assembly, thereby causing either of said upper arms to be restrained whenever said upper arm tends to move to an unsymmetrical position with respect to the other said upper arm.

2. For use on electric railway cars and the like a pantograph assembly for obtaining power from an overhead wire, said pantograph assembly comprising a pair of upper arms hingedly connected to a pair of lower arms to form a parallelogram, a shaft longitudinally disposed on the top of said car, a base block pivotally mounted on said shaft, a pair of hinges for connecting said lower arms of said pantograph assembly to said base block, an extensible cylinder mounted vertically on the top of said base block, a spring disposed in compression within said cylinder for extending and contracting said cylinder in response to changes in the compressive stress on said spring, a plurality of rigid links connecting said extensible cylinder to said lower arms of said pantograph assembly to transfer the vertical displacement of said extensible cylinder to displacement of said pantograph assembly, an inverted U-shaped bracket, a pair of hinges for connecting said inverted U-shaped bracket to said upper arms of said pantograph assembly, a current collecting device mounted on the top of said inverted U-shaped bracket and comprising a slider shoe having a longitudinal aperture in the surface thereof for contacting with said wire and for substantially prohibiting transverse motion of said slider shoe with respect to said wire and having a shunt for electrically connecting said current collecting device to said pantograph assembly, a vertically slotted arm secured to and extending vertically downward from said inverted U-shaped bracket and disposed midway between said last-mentioned hinges, said slotted arm connected to each of said upper arms of said pantograph assembly by a rigid link serially connected with a supporting arm, one end of said supporting arm being rigidly mounted on said upper arm of said pantograph assembly, thereby causing either of said upper arms to be restrained whenever said upper arm tends to move to an unsymmetrical position with respect to the other said upper arm.

EUGENE F. McCALEB.

No references cited.

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