US271581A - Signal for cars and vessels - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

0. G. KNIPE.

SIGNAL FOR OARSAND VBSSELS.

N0. 271,581. Patented Jan. 30,1883.

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themes STATES PATENT @rrron.

OLIVER C. KNIPE, OF NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

SIGNAL FOR CARS AND'VES SELS.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 271,581, dated January 30, 1883.

Application filed J nne 12, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER 0. KN1PE,acitizen of the United States, residing at Norristown, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Oar-Signals, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, like letters of reference indicating like parts in all the figures.

My invention relates to a signal adapted to be used on the cars, usually the rear car, of railroad-trains, though I do not restrict myself to this specific use, limiting myself only by the matter set forth'in the description and claims; and to this end myinvention consists of such an arrangement of parts as to automatically open and close a series of slats, when a train or vessel is in motion, which alternately permit or prevent the transmission of light from a lamp or equivalent placed behind them, thus causing a number of flashes, by which an engineer or other person behind said trainof cars may know the speed at which it is moving.

My invention further consists in a rod or bar having two panes of colored transparentor translucent material secured to its upper extremity, by means of which, when the rod is raised or lowered automatically by a gearwheel engaging with a lug on said rod, different colors are interposed between the light and an observer, according as the train or vessel is moving forward or backward.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure lis aside elevation, with part broken away, of my device, showing the color-rod in the act of being shifted. Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation, with part broken away, of a lamp-case adapted to be used in the operation of my invention, showing the slats open. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of a rod reciprocated by an eccentric and communicating slow motion by means of a pawl at its upper end. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the lower portion of a color-rod adapted to reverse the color of the light with a variation in the direction of motion of the train. Fig. 5 is an enlarged section color-frame, showing the distinct colors of glass.

Reference being had to the accompanying drawings, A is the axle of the rear car-wheels. On the wheel is secured a circular eccentric flange, G, though this may be cast solid with the car-wheel.

B is a gear-wheel or pinion, secured also in any suitable manner concentrically with the axis of the wheel.

A circular band surrounds the eccentric flange, and is connected to a rod, which is pivoted to another rod, as at D, the latter sliding in suitable bearings, and having on its upper end a pawl, E, engaging with the cog-Wheel F once in each revolution of the car wheel or axle, and thus imparting a slow circular motion to wheel F.

On the inner face of this wheel F, which may be placed on the side of the case P, is a pin, near its circumference, which oncein each revolution of said wheel raises the rod a, thus opening or closing the slats b b b 1), according as a is on one or the other side of the slats. Any suitable check may be used, as at g, to prevent the wheel F moving farther than desired by reason of the shock.

K is a bar sliding in suitable bearings, to

the upper end of which is secured a rectaugular frame, in which are placed vertically two panes of differen tly-colored glass or other transparent or translucent material, and as the rod is moved up or down with a change of direction of motion the one or other color will be interposed between the light and the observer. To the end of this bar K, on its side or in a slot, is pivoted a button or lug, shaped somewhat'as shown in the drawings, Fig. 4, and allowed a slight amplitude of vibration, so that when the rod has been resting at its maximum height, held there by the pear-shaped button (1, a reversal of motion throws up the curved extremity of e, which strikes the lower part of d, driving it from the notch and liberating the color-rod K, which will fall to its lowest position, where it will remain until motion is reversed.

The manner in which the slats are closed is clearly shown in Fig. 2, small pins 0 on the rod or wire a serving to lift the slats, which may be made to open automatically by attaching a weight or spring to a.

' The device may be variously constructed and still be within the scope of my invention. The gear B and eccentric C may be secured to the axle inside of the wheel, and instead of the panes of glass or other material attached to the color-rod I may wind flexible glass, colored gelatine, or other substance upon two cylinders, and by a rack and pinion wind the upper or lower cylinder, respectively, thus exposing one or the other color of the transparent or translucent flexible material. By such an arrangement the lamp would be in a smaller compass and a neater appearance presented.

The operation of my device is as follows: Suppose the train, of which 0 is the caboose or rear car, to be moving in the direction in- (licnted by the arrow. The wheel B strikes the button 0 and lifts the color-rod until a notch, 11, in its side slips above the button d, where it is held, the button being prevented Swinging by a lug, m, on its bearing. Thus thelower color is exposed, indicating safety, or motion forwardsay it is green. Meanwhile the rod M is being reciprocated by the eccentric, and the pawl, by pushing the wheel F-say one cog each timefinally, after the wheel F has made one revolution, closes the slats. The number of flashes caused by the opening and closing of these slats may be adjusted, any number to the minute, by varying the number of cogs in F; but it is preferred to make them uniform, so that a schedule can be prepared, and an engineer or station-operator be governed thereby-say thirty flashes in a minute would indicate a speed of thirty miles an hour. The only step necessary to determine the speed at which any train with this device attached is moving is to look at a watch and count the number of flashes. Now, suppose motion to be reversed. WVhen the train stops the slats areopened by theweighted rod a, and indicate by the steady glare of the light that the train is standing still, and signify caution. When motion reverses, the gearwheel B engages with button 6 and knocks d loose from the notch in K, thus causing the rod to drop and interposing the upper pane of glass or other materialsay redwhich may indicate danger.

Thus is attained a perfectly automatic device, which is at once a speed-indicator and a monitor of the direction of motiontwo important desiderata in railroading.

I do not desire to confine myself to the specific use for my device described herein, and for which I pray protection in the hereinafter-specitied claims, as it is obvious my device may be used in other ways than the one particularly set'forth. For example, my device may be placed on any moving body driven by a shaft-as steamboats, ferry-boats, &c.- and may secure useful and desirable results in that the flash-light as developed by my slats would surely indicate motion and the color-bar direction of motion, thus avoiding possible collisions and much uncertainty about harbors or streams durin g the night.

The device can be easily adjusted so as to show the speed of a boat by allowing for slip of the propeller or propellers, and adjusting the cogs on wheel F, actuated by the pawl accordingly.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is-- 1. A signal for indicating the direction of motion of the train or vessel to which it is attached, consisting of two sections of differently-colored transparent or translucent material operated by mechanism deriving motion from an axle or shaft, so that one of two colors is brought before alight asthe direction of motion varies, and remains fixed until a subsequent variation of motion, the color of the light transmitted through said colored material determining the direction of motion.

2. As a means for indicating the speed of a car or vessel, the combination, substantially as described, of one or more slats pivoted to rock in suitable stationary bearings carried on the car or vessel, to permit or prevent the transmission of rays from a light at one side thereof, with mechanism connecting such pivoted slat or slats with a power-driven rotating axle or shaft which operates to continuously rock said slat or slats in their stationary hearing during the traveling movement of the car or vessel, substantially as set forth.

3. As a means for indicating the speed of a car or vessel, the combination of one or more slats pivoted to rock in hearings in front of a light carried by the car or vessel, to per mit or prevent the transmission of the rays of such light, with mechanism opera-ting to continuously rock the slat or slats during the traveling movement of the train, substantially as described.

4. In a signal, the combination, with a slat or slats adapted to be opened and closed by motion derived from an axle or shaft, of a light placed on one side thereof, and two sectionsofditferently-colored glass (or other tran sparent or translucent material) placed on the other 'side, operated by the axle or shaft, so that a different color is raised before the light as the direction of motion varies.

5. In a signal, the combination of one or more pivoted slats adapted to be operated by mechanism deriving motion from a shaft or axle, and to indicate by the number of flashes transmitted from a light placed behind the slat or slats the rate of motion, and a shifting frame containing two sections ofdifl'erently-colored glass, said frame being adapted to be raised or lowered before a light, so as to indicate by the color of the light transmitted the direction of motion.

6. A car-signal consisting. of a rod, M, actnated by the car wheel or axle, and commu- I nicating slow motion to a wheel, F,'whieh opens a number of slats, b b b b, in combination with a lamp, and a. color-bar, K, having secured to its upper end two panes of differscribing witnesses.

OLIVER G. KNIPE.

5 ently-colored glass, all operating substantially Witnesses:

in the manner and for the purpose described. A. ONEILL, In testimony whereof I have hereunto sub- A. G. LONG.

scribed my name in the presence of two sub-

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