US2988635A - Device for operating the points of electrical toy or model railways, using permanent magnets - Google Patents

Description

June 13,1961 0. GOTHE 2,988,635

DEVICE FOR OPERATING THE POINTS OF ELECTRICAL TOY OR MODEL RAILWAYS, USING PERMANENT MAGNETS Filed July 3, 1957 United States Patent DEVICE FOR OPERATING THE POINTS OF ELEC- TRICAL TOY 0R MODEL RAILWAYS, USING PERMANENT MAGNETS Otto Gothe, Lobberich, Niederrhein, Germany, assignor to Rokal G.m.b.H., Lobberich, Niederrhein, Germany Filed July 3, 1957, Ser. No. 669,877 3 Claims. (Cl. 246-240) The invention is concerned with a device having a permanent magnet, rotatably arranged between two iron poles, for operating the points of electrical toy or model railways.

Operating means of this type are known which are equipped with pawl means or the like of the over dead center or rocking type which are actuated by electro magnetic driving means, in the form of so-called swing switching mechanisms, by way of a lever system. The adjustable member (the switch plate, signal lever, railway gate, or the like) which is to be operated is held in one of its two alternative end positions under spring loading. In these points, the switch plates are, for example, intended to be moved across by the moving vehicle or split and to return to their original position after the vehicle has crossed.

The installation of springs providing the resilient separation of the points in known switch or point-operating means requires a comparatively large amount of space and considerable time and difiiculty in assembly, and at the present time this is hardly acceptable in view of the increasing emphasis on reduction in the size of the models and their structural components. It is very difiicult to provide in models of small dimensions the space required for the angular driving means and lever systems, while on the other hand the individual parts must not be made too small since this would impair their capacity to function and would make them too expensive to manufacture.

German patent specification 802,385 discloses a signalling device in which a signal arm is coupled to a permanent magnet and the latter is subject to the attraction or repulsion of a reversible-pole electromagnetic winding. To keep the parts in one position, Way clear, a powerful continuous current is required during this period to overcome the effect of an additional return spring.

The object of the invention is to avoid the shortcomings of these known arrangements and to provide means for operating the switches or points of electrical toy or modelrailways which require only a very small amount of space, are simple to construct and maintain, and call for only a small number of mechanical connecting elements.

The invention derives from the apparatus disclosed in the aforesaid German Patent 802,385 and resides, broadly, in the feature that the permanent magnet is arranged for rotation between two fixed soft iron bars and in the plane of the latter, and is prevented, by two abutments, from assuming a position in which the magnetic axis thereof is coincident with the axis through the two soft iron bars, that is to say the abutments are so arranged that the permanent magnet cannot rest in the two positions differing 180 from one another, prior to which it will encounter the slightest magnet resistance.

The switching procedure by rotation of the permanent magnet out of its neutral position, between these two abutments, can be performed manually or electrically. In the latter case a reversible-pole magnetic field is induced in the two opposed soft iron bars by the windings which are effective in the same direction.

In both instances it is possible, using a single driving link to move a switch plate of the points structure to and fro and to bring it into the resilient rest position.

In accordance with a particularly advantageous embodition.

Patented June 13, 1961 ment of the invention, a transmission element arranged between the permanent magnet and the switch plate is such that this plate and the transmission element are not operatively coupled until the end of the reciprocating stroke. This saves a considerable amount of energy for operating the points and brings with it all the resultant advantages as regards the dimensioning of the article and the auxiliary electrical devices associated therewith.

Further advantageous details of the invention are indicated in the accompanying drawings, in which the invention is illustrated by way of example. In these drawmgs:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of one embodiment of a point construction in accordance with the invention, this being operable manually,

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of an embodiment in which the switching movement is performed electrically,

FIGURE 3 illustrates a modification of a point op erating means according to the invention.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 1 the reference numeral 1 depicts a permanent magnet having a disc like cross sectional configuration which is rotatable between two soft iron bars 2 and 3 about a vertical axis and is connected by a link 4 to the switch plate 5 serving a branch line 6. Switch plate 5 may be provided with a pair of switch tongues 5' (shown in FIG. 3) which are each mounted proximate and movable relative to an associated rail 6'. Switch plate 5' is pivotally mounted at E. The poles of the permanent magnet 1 are designated N and S in the usual way. In the embodiment illustrated the permanent magnet 1 is urged to the left into the position A-B but is prevented from reaching this position by the plate 5 of the branch line 6 striking the rails at point C. A pressure is set up at C or D, as the case may be, which is directly proportional to the magnetic restoring force of the permanent magnet 1.

A vehicle from the branch line, crossing the points, shifts the switch plate 5 by the thickness of a rail and in so doing overcomes the force of attraction between the permanent magnet and the soft iron bars, without pushing the permanent magnet beyond its neutral posi- When the points have been crossed, the switch plate 5 moves back into its starting position. If the permanent magnet 1 is turned to the right by hand in the direction of the arrow 7, that is beyond the neutral zone F-G, the driving link 4, causes the switch plate 5 to follow, and the permanent magnet '1 strives to orient itself into the position B-A, although this is prevented by the abutment of the plate 5 at D.

Thus, the svw'tch plate 5 is biased in both positions of the magnet 1, without involving a spring-biased, mechanical lever or a spring-loaded rocking pawl, which would require considerable space beneath the switch plate 5.

It is particularly advantageous, as illustrated in FIG- URE 3, to make the distance travelled by the pivot pin 12, which connects the link 4 to the permanent magnet 1, more than the path of travel of the pivot pin 10, which couples the switch plate 5 to the link 4, and to arrange the lost motion in such a way that the positive coupling producing the stroke of the switch plate only comes into effect towards the end of the switch-over operation. This result is advantageously produced by the use of an elongated hole 11 in the link 4.

The magnet 1 can be turned between the two soft iron bars 2 and 3 by hand or electrically, and in accordance with FIGURE 2 the two soft iron bars 2, 3 are each provided with a coil 8 which is wound in the same way in each case, these being arranged in series and being supplied with direct current.

With the current flowing in the direction indicated by 3 the arrow 9 in FIGURE 2, the magnetic flux, is disposed as indicated by N and S. As a result the points are set to the straight brack. When the current flows in the opposite direction to thatindica'ted by the arrow 9, the

polarity of the electro magnets is reversed, the permanent magnet turns through about 90 in the direction of arrow 7, and the points are thereby set to the branch line.

Advantageously a direct current impulse is fed to the two electromagnets having a duration dependent on the inertia of the magnetic mass of the system. After the current is cut off, the attractive force between the permanent magnet and the neutral soft iron bars acts, as in the embodiment of FIGURE 1, as a biasing effort in either of the two alternative positions of the points.

What we claim is:

1. A device for operating switch tongues of yielding track switches for toy or model railroads and magnetically biasing said switch tongues toward their set operative positions, said device comprising a pivotally mounted plate, a pair of switch tongues supported on said plate, a rail for association with said switch tongues, said plate being movable to arrange said switch tongues proximate and movable relative to said rail, a pair of spaced soft iron bars, a permanent magnet extending between and rotatably disposed intermediate said iron bars, a link pivotally connected at one end to said permanent magnet and connected at the other end to said plate, a pair of abutments associated with said switch tongues and said rail effective to stop said permanent magnet from aligning its magnetic axis with the magnetic axis of said iron bars, said magnet being rotated away from the magnetic axis of said iron bars and connected to said link so that in any one of the two switch positions it is operative to bias each of said switch tongues against its associated rail.

2. A device for operating switch tongues of yielding track switches for toy or model railroads and magnetically biasing said switch tongues toward their set operative positions, said device comprising a pivotally mounted plate, a pair of switch tongues supported on said plate, a rail for association with said switch tongues, said plate being movable to arrange said switch tongues proximate and movable relative to said rail, a pair of spaced soft iron bars, a coil electrically associated with at least one of said bars, current means for selectively energizing said coil, a permanent magnet extending between and rotatably disposed intermediate said iron bars, a link pivotally connected at one end to said permanent magnet and connected at the other end to said plate, a pair of abutments associated with said switch tongues and said rail effective to stop said permanent magnet from aligning its magnetic axis with the magnetic axis of said iron bars, said magnet being rotated away from the magnetic axis of said iron bars and connected to said link so that in any one of the two switch positions it is operative to bias each of said switch tongues against its associated rail, and a sliding connection between said other end of said link and said plate permitting lost motion travel of said magnet during shifting of said switch from a position of one tongue proximate one rail to a position of the other tongue proximate the other rail.

3. A device for operating switch tongues of yielding track switches for toy or model railroads and magnetically biasing said switch tongues toward their set operative positions, said device comprising a pivotally mounted plate, a pair of switch tongues supported on said plate, a rail for association with said switch tongues, said plate being movable to arrange said switch tongues proximate and movable relative to said rail, a pair of spaced soft iron bars, a coil electrically associated with at least one of said bars, current means for selectively energizing said coil, a permanent magnet extending between and rotatably disposed intermediate said iron bars, a link pivot ally connected at one end to said permanent magnet and connected at the other end to said plate, a pair of abutments associated with said switch tongues and said rail effective to stop said permanent magnet from aligning its magnetic axis with the magnetic axis of said iron bars, said magnet being rotated away from the magnetic axis of said iron bars and connected to said link so that in any one of the two switch positions it is operative to bias each of said switch tongues against its associated rail, said link being pivotally connected at said one end to said permanent magnet and being connected at said other end to said plate by means of a pin in sliding engagement with a slot thereby permitting lost motion travel of said magnet during a part of a shifting stroke of said switch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,366,350 Beil Ian. 25, 1921 1,548,940 Gill Aug. 11, 1925 1,561,452 Alden Nov. 17, 1925 1,986,635 Hehre Jan. 1, 1935 2,079,525 Place May 4, 1937 2,569,800 Cataldo Oct. 2, 1951 2,722,581 Wittke Nov. 1, 1955

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