US488138A - Electric signal-circuit - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

J. v. YOUNG.

ELECTRIC SIGNAL GIRGUIT.

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UNITED STATES PAT-ENT OFFICE.

JOHN V. YOUNG, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION SWITCH AND SIGNAL COMPANY, OE SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC SIG NAL-CIRCUIT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 488,138, dated December '13, 1892.

i Application tiled June 29, 1892. Serial No. 438,378. (No model.)

To uZZ whom t muy concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN V. YOUNG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Signal-Circuits, of which improvements the following is a specification.

The invention described herein relates to certain improvements in electric circuits for railway block-stations, and has for its object such an arrangement of circuits, electric generators, and signal mechanism as willprevent the accidental display of signals at one station being primarily under the control of the operator atan ladjacent station and dependent upon the position of the signal at such adjacent station.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a pai-t of this specification, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View showing the arrangement of circuits and electric generators for several adjacent track-sections and stations. Fig. 2 is a detail view of the lever of an interlocking-machine, showing its electric switch and electric-slot connections; and Fig. 3 is a detail view showing a form of switch employed when electrically-operated signals are used.

In the practice of my invention the signals are to be operated by operators or station agents located in signal-cabins or other suit.

able places along the railroad at a proper distance apart to facilitate the handling of the traffic.

The apparatus used at each station A, B. and C consists of a signal for warning the engineer, a lever for operating the signal, an

electric slot-such as is described and shown in Letters Patent No. 308,494, granted November 25, 188%, to James T. Hambay-to make the connection between the signal and the lever, batteries or other suitable generators for operating the circuits with suitable relays, and circuits connecting the stations for the purpose of controlling the slot or signals.

On each signal-lever is a circuit-controller consisting of a spring or moving part and two contacts arranged so that the spring or moving part can be in contact with but one contact-point at a time and will be operated by thecatch-rod or some suitable part of the lever. This circuit-controller is so arranged that when the lever or catch-rod is in one position one circuit is closed and another is broken and when the lever or catch-rod is reversed the first circuit is broken and the second closed.

The diterent circuits are described as follows:

Circuit No. l.-Starting at the battery b2, wire 9, wire 8, contact c4, circuit-closing switch f wire 7, armature-lever Z3', contact c3, wire 6, contact c2, armature-lever Z2, wire 5, contact c', armature-lever Z', wire 4, wire 3, circuit-closing switch f2,contact c7, wire l0, wire 11, magnets of relay R', wire 12, common wire to battery b2.

Circuit No. 2.Starting at battery b ,wire l, wire 2, contact c6, circuit-closing switch f2, wire 3, wire 4, armature-lever Z, contact c', wire 5, armature-lever Z2, contact c2, wire 6, contact c3, armature-lever Z3, wire 7, circuitclosing switch f', contact c?, wire 22, wire 23, magnets of relay R2, wire 24, common Wire to battery h.

Circuit No. 3.-Starting at battery b', wire 1, wire 16, magnets of electric slot s2, wire 15, wire 14, armature-lever Z4, contact o8, wire 13, common wire to battery b.

Circuit No. 1:.-Starting at battery b2, wire 9, wire 8, wire 17, wire 18, magnets of electric slot s', wire 19, wire 20, armature-lever Z5, contact ci), wire 2l, common wire to battery b2.

The track is insulated and divided into such lengths as will give the best working results.

trate the manner of connecting them up and seen that so long as the circuit of the battery connected to the rails is not interrupted the IOO relay willrbe charged and itsA armature attracted,causingthe lever to press against the contact-point and close any circuit at that point which might be caused to flow through the lever and contact-point of the relay.

The. description of the circuit of a relay and battery connected with an insulated section ofv track is so wellknown that the description of one section will answer for all.

The circuit of the relay connected with section X is as follows: Starting at battery b3, wire 2,8, rail fr', wire 26, magnets of relay R3, wire 27, rail r2, wire 25 to battery b3. The presence of a pair of wheels in a section will form a new circuit for the battery through the car wheels and axle, which being shorter andof less resistance than through the magnets of the relay the relay-magnets will be discharged, allowing* the armature-lever to drop back and away from the contact-point, thereby breaking any circuit which might have been flowingthrough the armature-lever and contact-point of said relay. As shown in the drawings, the signals are at danger7 and the levers are in their normal or danger position. Battery b is flowing through wire l, wire 2, contact c6, switch f2, wire 3, wire 4, lever Z, contact c', wire 5 toward battery h2, and battery h2 is flowing through wire 9, wire 8, Ycontact c, switch f', wire 7, lever Z3, contact c3, wire 6 toward battery b', the effect being that they neutralize each other and there is no work done.

The operation of this signal. circuit o r system is as follows: Aasks B over the bell-code (which is shown on plan, but not described, as it Ais a common circuit well known to any one versed in the electric art) for permission to send a train to him. This being granted, A grasps the catch-rod of his lever, which opcrates signal 2 (the signal the engineer is to observe) and releases the lever. The act of moving the catch-rod has the effect of changing the position of switch f2, so that it is moved away from contact @Gand touches contact c7. Switch f2 being moved away from contact c6, battery b ceases to flow toward battery b2 and to neutralize the same. Switch f2 being pressed against contact c7, circuit No. l is made good or completed, thereby charging the magnet of relay R', causing the armature-lever Z4 to be attracted and press against contact cs, thereby closing circuit No. 3 at that point and causing it to be made good. Circuit No. 3 being made good, the magnet of slot S2is magnetized, so that the union is complete in the wire connecting the lever and signal 2, as described in Letters Patent No. 308,494. By pulling the lever over from its normal position signal 2 will be caused to assume the safety position and the train can proceed, the engineer having the assurance that there is no train between A and B and that the signal l at B to allow trains to proceed to A is at danger, for unless the signal at B is at danger, and so closing circuit 1 at c4, the signal-man at A cannot set his signal to safety The train starts on itsjour ney, and as soon as the forward wheels enter section X batteryb3 is short-circuited and relay R3 is discharged, thereby breaking circuit No. l at contact-point c. This willcause relay R to be discharged and break circuit No. 3 at contact-point c3. Circuit No. 3 being broken at contact o8, the magnet of slot S2 is discharged, thereby breaking the connection in the wire connecting the lever to signal 2, and the signal is'caused to assume the danger position by its counterweights, which are arranged for that purpose. While the train is in this or either of the other sections circuit No. l will continue to be broken and the signals will be caused to remain at danger. Should the operator desireY to give the signal to a following train, he must tirstput the lever to the normal or danger7 position to allow the slot to be in the proper position to make good again the connection in the wire from the signal to the lever. Before the connection can be made again it is necessary for the first train to be entirely out ofsections X, Y, and Z, in order that circuit No. l will be good at contact-points c', c2, and c3. When these are all right A, can again clear his signal in the manner before described, provided B still has his signal l at dangen l To allow a train to go from B to A, the requirements and operation are similar. A must have signal 2 at danger and the track-sections clear of all trains or car-wheels, so that B can make circuit 2`good by starting his catch-rod and causing switch f to press against contact c5. This will cause rclay R2 to become charged and cause circuit No. 4 to be closed at contact 09, thereby magnetizing the magnet of slot S and making the connection good between the lever and signal l, so that the operator can clear the same. A train -entering section Z will short-circuit battery b5 and cause relay R5 to be discharged, thereby breaking circuit No. 2 at contact c3. Circuit No. 2 being broken, relay R2 will be discharged, thereby releasing the armature-lever Z5 and causing circuit No.4 to be broken at contact ci. Circuit No. 4being broken, the magnet of slot S will be discharged and the connection iu the wire between signal No. l and the lever will be broken and allow the signal No. 1 to go to dangen Before B can allow a second train to follow the first he must put the signal-lever back to the normal or danger osition C' to allow the slot to be in the proper position to make good again the connection in the wire from the signal to the lever. Before the connection can be made good again it is neeessary for the entire train to be out of sections X, Y, and Z and A have his signal 2 in the danger position. The handling of trains between B and C is done in the same manner as between A and B.

From the above description it will be seen that with this circuit or system in order to allow a train to proceed from one location to IOO IIO

another under a clear-signal it is necessary for the signal at the far end of the block for controlling-the movement of the trains running in the opposite direction to be at danger and the track clear of all trains. As the battery used to operate the relay is obtained from the extreme or far end of the section at all times, any cross or break which may be in the line-Wire Will prevent the relay being charged, which might possibly occur if the battery at the end Where the relay is located Was used. This will insure giving a clearsignal only when everything is in its proper Working order. As this same circuit can be used to control electric signals instead of electric slotted mechanical signals by simply connecting in the magnets of the electric signals in place ot' the magnets of the electric slots, as shown, and using a two-button circuit-closing switch, as shown in Fig. 3, I claim the operation of electric signals in that manner as a part of my invention.

I claim herein as my inventionl. The combination of a signal operating or controlling circuit arranged at or near the entrance end of a signal-section, a signal-circuit extending along said section and controlling through a relay or other device the signal-operating circuit, and a battery and a circuit-controllerincludedinthesignal-circuit at or near the exit end ot the signal-section, the circuit-controller being so connected to the signal at the exit end of the signal-section as to require the signal t0 be at danger before the signal-circuit can be closed to permit of the closing of the signal-operating circuit at the entrance of the section, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a signal operating or controlling circuit arranged at or near the entrance end ota signal-section, a series of one or more track-circuits, each having a relay,

a signal-circuit looping through the contactpoints of the track-circuitl relays and controlling through a relay or other device the signal-operating circuit, and a batter)T and circuit-controller included in the signal-circuit at or near the eXit end of the signal-section, the circuit-controller being so connected to the signal at the exit end of the signal-section as to require the signal to be at danger before the signal-circuit can be closed, vand thereby close the signal-operating circuit at the entrance end of the section, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of signal operating or controlling 'circuits arranged at or near the end of a signal-section and looping through contact-points of relays included in a signalcircuit extending along the signal-section, and batteries and circuit-controllers arranged at or Lnear the ends of the signal-section and included in the signal-circuit, said controllers being so connected to the signals at the ends of the section that when said signals are at danger the batteries Will neutralize each other,"substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of batteries located at or near each end ofa signal-section, signal controlling or operating circuits connected to said batteries and looping through contactpoints of relays included in a signal-circuit also connected to said batteries and extending along the signal-section, and circuit-controllers so constructed that when shifted to break the signal-circuit they Will complete the p /Vitnesses:

HENRY J. BOWEN, GEO. A. BLooM.

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