US472500A - John w - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

J. W. HENDERSON. ELECTRICAL INDICATOR.

No. 472,500 Patented Apr. 5, 1892.

T INVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN WV. HENDERSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE .VVHARTON RAILROAD SIVITCH COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRICAL INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 472,500, dated April 5, 1892. Application filed November 13, 1885. Serial No. 182.672. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN W. HENDERSON, of the city and county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented an Improvement in Electrical Indicators or Detectors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to electrical indicators; andit consists in certain impr'ovemen ts by which, through the aid of electricity, the various portions of a distant-moving object may be automatically indicated, all of which is fully set forth in the following specification, and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form part thereofi This invention is excellently adapted to detecting whether a distant railroad-signal is fully raised or lowered or is in an intermediate position, as is specified in my application filed January 2, 1884, and Serial No. 116,200, patented December S,1885,N0.33l,879. The advantage of this is evident when we consider that in railroad-signals, particularly those at long distance from the operating-station, the rods or cables therefor, through contraction or expansion or defective working, are varied to fully raise or lower the said signal, and the engineer on the train is therefore unable to determine whether it means safety or danger. With this detecting apparatus, however, if the signal fails to come home when being raised or lowered an automatic alarm is rung and continues to ring until the said signal is fully raised or lowered, and whichever position is thus assumed is clearly denoted by the pointer on the indicator. The same invention is also applicable to switches, doors, or any other object which should move between two points.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of the upper part of a railway-signal post and its arm and shows its connection with the electric detector or indicator. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the electric detector or indicator, and Figs. 3 and 4: are modified forms of construction of the electric indicator or detector.

M is the signalarm or semaphore, which is pivoted to the vertical post m, and is provided with the red-glass bulls-eye M to warn danger in the night-time, and is adapted to swing in front of the lantern N, secured to the top of the post. The arm M, when brought to its two extreme positions, comes in contact with contact-springs R R, connected by wires r r with an indicator S in the operators house. Thepivot m of the arm M is also connected with said indicator S by a wire r and has a battery R located therein. If desired, this line r may be made a ground-wire.

The indicator may be constructed as follows: Referring to Fig. 2, the wires r r are in circuit with magnets S S between the poles of which is an armature S connected witha pivoted band or pointer S, which, when in the position shown in said figure, indicates that the arm M is neither up nor down and the signal is eitherin a state of transition or working defectively; but when attracted by electro-magnet S indicates that the arm is down, and when attracted by electro-magnet S indicates that it is up. The wires r r are also in circuit with electro-magnetsT T, and are then connected together and unite with the wire T The armatures '1 of the electromagnets T T are pressed against contactscrews T hysprings twhen no current passes, and this closes a local circuit by wire U, through battery U and alarm U If desired, the battery U may be dispensed with and the circuit U derive its current from battery R WVhen the arm M is up, as shown in Fig. 1, the circuit is closed through wire r and electro-magnets S and T, the former of which attracts the armature S causing the needle or pointer S to point to red, and the latter to break the local circuit U by attracting its armature T When the arm is down, the same elfect is produced, but by magnets S and T, and the pointer S points to white. In the act of raising or lowering the arm the alarm U should ring. If it does not the device is out of order.

In place of the construction of indicator shown in Fig. 2 that shown in Fig. 4 may be used, in which the magnets T T are dispensed with and spring-contacts t 15 used for the 10- cal circuit U, or that shown in Fig. 3 may be used, in which the magnets T T are also dispensed with, but the armatures T worked by the magnets S S Having now described my inventiomwhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a railroad-signal the combination of the signal-arm M, contacts R R, circuits 1' 'r'r hattery R and an electric detector S to in dicate the position of said arm M and sound an alarm While said arm is passing from one of its extreme positions to the other, the said detector and alarm consisting of electromagnets S S, armature S, pointer S, contacts T local circuits U, and alarm U substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. A detector or indicator for indicating the two extremes or the intermediate position of a moving object, consisting of two electric circuits, each provided with an electro-magnet adapted to attract the armature of a needle JOHN W. HENDERSON.

Witnesses:

R. M. I IUNTER, E. M. BRECKINREED.

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