US643742A

US643742A - Conduit system for electric railways.

Info

Publication number: US643742A
Application number: US64318897A
Authority: US
Inventors: Leon Dion
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1897-07-02
Filing date: 1897-07-02
Publication date: 1900-02-20
Anticipated expiration: 1917-02-20

Description

No. 643,742. Patented Feb. 20, I900. I L. DION.

CONDUIT SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

Patented Feb. 20, I900. L. DION.

GONDUIT SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

(Application filed July 2, 1897.)

3 Sheets$heet 2,

(No Model.

No. 643,742. Patented Feb. 20, I900.

L. DION.

EGONDUIT SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

(Application ma July 2, 1597. (No llodel'.) 3 Sheats8heet 3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEON DION, or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CONDUIT SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters latent NO. 643,742, dated February 20, 1900.

Application filed July 2, 1897. Serial No. 643,188. (No model- T0 at whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, LEON DION, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Conduit Systems for Electric Railways,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to conduit systems for electric railways, and more particularly to a system wherein is employed a conduit located in the vicinity of and preferably between the rails of the roadway and containing a main conductor and an auxiliary movable conductor, the latter of which is adapted to be lifted up by magnetic attraction into contact with the conducting top or upper surface of the conduit when a car passes and at all other times to remain outof contact therewith.

The substance and objects of my invention will appear from the succeeding description and claims, reference being also had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which Figure 1 represents a perspective view, with parts broken away, of a portion of an electric roadway constructed in accordance with my invention, showing a car-truck thereon. Fig. 2 represents a top plan view of the conduit with a portion broken away to expose the conductors. Fig.3 represents a median longitudinal vertical sectionof the conduit. Fig. 4 represents a section onihe line 4 4: of Fig. 3, showing also the roadway and the magneto contact-shoe which is attached to the'car. Fig. 5 represents a detail side View, showing the method of insulating the sections of the conductor-inclosing conduit. Fig. 6 represents a perspective View of the end of one of said sections. Fig. 7 represents a perspective view of portions of the main conductor and auxiliary conductor. Fig. 8 represents a similar view to Fig. 7, showing a modification.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

I have illustrated inthe drawings an electrically-equipped roadway in which the rails are used as one of the conductors, as in the ordinary overhead-trolley system; but, as will presently appear, the construction is such that two conduits could be made to supply current for the cars instead of one conduit and the rails.

outer casing is composed of two halvesb I),

connected by stay-bolts b, Fig. 1, and between the conductor-conduit and the edges of the inwardly-projecting flanges b 12 forming the top of the outer casing, permanent spaces or slots 0 c exist.

The inner conduit rests on chairs d in the outer casing and is composed of insulated sections, each of which consists of a trough e, having legs 6' formed on its bottom, by means of which it isclam ped to the chairs by bolts .6 and a sectional cover composed of two plates 6 e the upper one of which is made smooth and flat to form a contact-face for the magneto'shoe 1%. An insulation 01 is placed between the chairs d and the legs 6.

Each of the sections of the inner conduit is butt-jointed to its neighbors by bolts a, Fig. 5, passing through lateral flanges 6 formed on the ends of the sections, and between each section is placed insulation 6 The insulation is extended, as shown in Fig. 3, a short distance longitudinally on each side between the plate 6 e of the conduit-cover. The upper plate of said cover is formed with longitudinally-extending ribs e which rest on the lower plate, and the whole structure of the two cover-plates is designed with a View to withstanding the heavy blows and rough usage of street traffic.

Inside the inner conduit and suitably insulated from the bottom and sides thereof are the main conductor f and the auxiliary conductor g g, composed of independent flexible sections lying on top of the main conductor. These sections of the auxiliary conductor consist of flexible strips of magnetic conducting material, preferably soft iron, and have no direct connection of any kind with each other. The ends of each section 9 are provided with lugs g g, which enter slotsf in the main conductor f and serve to maintain the auxiliary conductor in position thereon. In Fig. 7 the ends of the sections 9 are shown as lapping past each other, while in Fig. 8 they approach but do not meet.

The lugs g are of such length that they always remain within the slots f, even when the ends of the auxiliarycond uctors gg, which carry said lugs, are raised into contact with the conduitcover. Vhile the sides of said lugs may, owing to their being always in contact with the sides of the slots f, serve to preserve a complete circuit even if both ends of a section 9 are simultaneously raised, said lugs also, by reason of the slots f being slightly longer than the width of the lugs from their front to rear edges, permit of a slight degree of longitudinal movement in each section, which longitudinal movement is limited by the length of the slot relatively to the lug. Therefore proper contact of the sections of auxiliary conductor with the main conductor is always assured, While said sections are still permitted to have the slight longitudinal movement in either direction due to the alternate lifting of the ends of the sections or the gradual lifting and lowering of portions of each section as the car moves thereover, as more fully hereinafter described.

In shape the main conductorfis preferably rectangular, and the material of which it is composed should be one of suitable conductivity, such as copper. The top plates e e of the conduit are composed of suitable n on-magnetic conductive material, such as manganese steel, and, if desired, the main portion e of said conduit may be composed of the same material.

Current is taken from the top of the inner conduit by the contact-shoe m, which contains an electromagnet and the lower face of which constitutes both the pole-piece of the magnet and the collector for taking the current. hen the magnet is energized, it attracts the auxiliary conductor g and raises it into contact with the under side of the plate 6 thereby supplying current to the motor through the shoe m and the car-wheels. Other suitable means may be used instead of the shoe m for collecting the current. As the car is propelled the auxiliary conductor is raised at successive points, the length and flexibility of the sections 1 being such'that some portion of a section is always in contact with the main conductor f, while another portion is in contact with the conduit-cover. The sections of the conduit are successively energized by the passage of the car and are made of such length that the live section or sections are always underneath the car, and danger of shock to animals or men is prevented. The slotsf in the main conductor, in which are located the lugs or ears g on the ends of the sections 9 of the auxiliary conductor, are made sufiiciently long to allow a small degree of longitudinal movement to said sections.

As above stated, the sections 9 are preferably of such length and flexibility that some portion of a section is always in contact with the main conductor-f, while another portion is in contact with the conduit-cover. This results in a tendency to a crawling action of each section; but this action, while permitted to a slight degree by the construction above described of the lugs g and f, is limited so that it cannot extend throughout the line, each section if it is given an advancing movement being crowded back to its proper position as its farther end is dropped when the car leaves it, owing to the downward movement of the lug g in contact with the farther end of the slotf.

I do not confine myself to the details of construction above set forth, when such construction may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim 1. In an electric-railway system, a closed conduit having a cover or top capable of electrical conductivity, a main conductor inclosed therein, and an auxiliary conductor superimposed on said main conductor and composed of independent disconnected sections, each of said sections being free to rise and fall and having a limited freedom to move longitudinally.

2. In an electric-railway system, the combination with the main electrical conductor, of an auxiliary electrical conductor composed of a series of independent flexible sections formed of metal susceptible to magnetic attraction, each of said sections being free to rise and fall and having a limited freedom to move longitudinally for the purpose set forth.

3. In an electric-railway system, a continuous main electrical conductor, and an auxiliary electrical conductor composed of a series of independent flexible sections formed of metal susceptible to magnetic attraction, each of said sections being free to rise and fall and having a limited freedom to move longitudinally in combination with a conduit having its top surface composed of a series of sections or plates insulated from each other, and formed of metal not susceptible to magnetic attraction, for the purpose set forth.

4. In an electric-railway system, a conduit having a cover or top formed of manganese steel, a conductor composed of independent sections formed of metal susceptible to magnetic attraction, each of said sections being free to rise and fall and having a limited freedom to move longitudinally in combination with a magnet carried by the car, and means for electrically connecting said sections.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 26th day of June, A. D. 1897.

LEON DION.

Witnesses:

A. D. HARRISON, C. F. BROWN.

ICC

IIO