US708993A - Recorder for signals and engine-drivers. - Google Patents

Description

No. 708,993. Patented Sept. I6, |902.

J. P. DE BRAAM.

RECORDER FDR SIGNALS AND ENGINE DRIVERS.

(Application iiled Apr. 21, 1902.) (im Model.) 2 Shawna-sheetA l.

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N0. 708,993. Patented Sept. I6, |902.

J. P. DE BRAAM. RECORDER FDR SIGNALS AND ENGINE DRIVERS.

(Application riled Apr. 21, 1902.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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lUNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACQUES PIERRE DE BRAAM, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

RECORDER FOR SIGNALS AND ENGINE-DRlVERS.

SPEGIFlGATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 708,393, dated September 16, 1902.

Serial No. 103,985. (No model.)

L9 rz/ZZ wil/0m, t may concern,.-

Beit known that I, JACQUES PIERRE DE BRAAM, of No. 30 Rue Hamelin, Paris, in the Republic of France, have invented a certain new and useful Device for Recording the Position of Signals and the Operations of the Engine-Driver While Trains are Passing the Signals; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ot the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention consists in the features and combination and arrangementl of parts hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

I have myself described in a former British patent, No. 7,626, April 13, 1901, a special warning apparatus, and I will now describe as a representative example a new recording contrivance arranged as combined with the aforesaid warning apparatus.

My invention is shown in detail on the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a front View of the recordingapparatus mounted on the locomotive and fixed onto a box c, which forms part ofthe special warning apparatus described in my previously-mentioned patent. Fig. 2 is a corresponding side elevation. Fig. 3 is an elevation as seen from the opposite side to that of Fig. 1. Fig. at is a side elevation as seen from the opposite side to that of Fig. 2, Fig. 5 represents in plan a sheet of the impressions taken from the recording-roller.

The recording arrangement is set in motion by any suitable transmitting devicein this particular example by the cam c. The cam a is mounted on an axis I), mounted in the box c and which carries the arrangements of the warning apparatus. On this box for the sake of compaetness can be fixed the registering apparatus, properly speaking,which is the subject of the present demand for a patent. This apparatus is composed in principle, on the one hand, of a tracing-pointer CZ, which is normally held out of contact and is brought into contact each time this cam is putin motion for the working of the warning apparatus when passing either of the raised signals Proceed with caution or Stop and, on the other hand, of aroller e,

carryingr paper, Figs. 2 and 3, which is put in motion by a clockwork mechanism. 'This is normally at rest and is set in motion at the same time as the tracing-pointer is brought into a position for marking by the action of the same transmitting-gear or of the intertnediate parts in connection with it. It is apparent that under these conditions the paper carried on the roller e will receive a particular impression every time the train passes a raised signal Proceed with caution or a signal Stop. On the contrary, the paper remains free nl" all impressions if the two signals are both down when the train passes. 'lhe inscriptions on the roller thus record the position (down or up)-occupied by the various signals along the route of the train carrying this apparatus. On the other hand, the operations of the engine-driver while passing the signals are also recorded, since the paper registers a line more or less long according as after passing a raised signal Proceed with caution the enginedriver is more or less slow in stopping the working ot' the warning apparatus by replacing the latterin its normal position, and then also the paper either does or does not record a second line according as the enginedriver has stopped the train either beyond or before reaching the raised signal Stop In the particular `form of construction shown the tracing-pointer d is fixed to a plate f, pvoted on an axis g, carried by the frame h ot' the apparatus. A flat spring t', fixed to the frame in contact with the plate f, tends to constantly press it down and cause the pointer d to make contact with the paper carried by the roller e. Normally-that is to say, when the train is progressing unrestricted with the warning apparatus at rest-the platef is held in a raised position by the upper end of a rod j, which is guided in a sleeve It and terminated at its lower end by a slotway l, into which is inserted one of the arms m of a double lever m n, of which the other artn n has its end in constant contact with the cant a. This lever m n is pivoted on the Iixed axis o, carried by the casing c. A

springp surrou nds the rodj and is fixed by one of its ends to the guide it and presses its other end against a collar q, formed on the rod j. It thus tends to constantly raise the rod j,

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and consequently the platef. It goes without saying-that the tension of the spring p should be enough to overcome the resistance ofthe spring Figs. 1, 2, and 3 represent the mechanism in its normal position, the guiding-cam a of the warning apparatus being at rest. In this position the tracingpointer (l is removed from the roller e, and this latter is held at rest by the engagement of one of the recesses ou the wheel fr ot' the clockwork mechanism with one of the arms sof a two-armed lever S t, of which the other arm tis kept down to the same degree that the platef itself is kept raised. Normally the arm t is kept down by one of the arms u of a double leveru o, pivoted to the frame h, the other arm c of this lever being subject to the action of a spring ai, fixed to this same frame. The two-armed levers t is itself pivoted at to to the frame h, and its arm s carries at its extremity a spur y, which engages with a notch on a disk r. The spur y, which normally remains engaged with the' disk 1', is released from this latte1l when the hook e', formed on the end of the arm Z, ofthe platef raises the arm tof the lever s t. This movement is produced when the rod j descends and allows the spring tl to press down the plate f. It goes without saying that the tension of the spring a: is necessarily weaker than that of the spring 'L'. It is thus seen that normally the clockwork mechanism which actuates the roller e remains motionless so long as the tracingpointer d is not lowered and is set in motion when this pointer CZ is lowered. This clockwork mechanism, which may be of any known construction, is in the example shown made as follows: On a spindle 3, carried on the frame h, is mounted a drum 2, on the end of which is tixed a toothed wheel 4. This latter gears with a pinion 5, mounted on the axis 6, which carries the engaging disk fr. On this same axis the wheel 7 is keyed, and this gears with the wheel 8,-which is mounted on the same axis 9 as that which carries the roll of paper e. The movement of the roller c is effected by the wheel 8 by means of a rod 10, xed on this wheel parallel to the axis 9 and-passing through the roller from one end to the other. The roller receives simultaneously with the rotary movement a forward longitudinal movement. It carries for this purpose an endless screw 11, whichis in gear with a toothed rack 12, conveniently xed onto the frame 7i, Fig. 3. While turning with the wheel S the roller e glides along the rod 10 and on the axis 9. At every complete turn of the wheel 8 and the roller e this latter is displacedlongitudinally the distance of the pitch of one tooth of the toothed rack 12. The proportions of the clockwork mechanism are so calculated that the roller e completes one revolution and advances one tooth in about three minutes. During this time a train running at the mean rate of sixty kilometers an hour will traverse a distance of three kilometers, which is more than the greatest distance between a signal Proceed with caution and the next signal Stop Let us suppose the mechanism to be in the position shown in the several figures of the drawings and the roller e covered by a sheet- 'of paper of which Fig. 5 represents the development. Cam a ol the warning apparatus is then at rest in the position indicated. It on the journey the engine-driver does not meet any signal against him, the actuatinglever of the warning apparatus will not encounter any striker, and the mechanism of the warning apparatus, as well as that of the recording apparatus, will remain at rest, in which case at the end of the journey the paper on the roller e will be free from all inscription. Let us now imagine that the train passes a raised signal Proceed with caution, the striking-lever corresponding to this signal will be raised and will set in motion the depending lever of the warning apparatus. Gam al will turn in the direction of the arrow, Figs. 1 and 3, and will complete about oneeighth of a revolution in such a way that the projection 13, coming in contact with the arm n, causes the two-armed lever m n to turn, so that its arm m pulls the rod downward. The spring p is compressed, and the upper end of the rod by releasing the plate f allows the spring t' to press down the tracingpointer d into contact with the roller e. At the same time the plate f in sinking causes the hook e to rise. This causes the double lever s if to move and release the spur 'y from the disk 1' and sets the clockwork mechanism at work. The arm u of the double lever no is also lifted by the end of the arm t. The end iol;

of thc arm yU thus frees the regulating ily-wheel r 14, which is supported on an axis carried by the frame. An endless screw 16 is by a series of suitable gearings in connection with the toothed circumference 4 ofthe barrel 2. This latter in turning causes the wheel 8 to revolve by means of the wheels '5 and 7, which in its turn, with the aid of the rod j, gives motion to the roller e. So long as the cam a remains in the position into which it was driven by the working ot the warning apparatus the clockwork mechanism works,and the pointer d will trace a helix 17 on the surface of the paper. Vhen the engine-driver by paying proper attention to the warning apparatus replaces the cam c in its original position, (which operation can be performed by means of a lever secured to the axis 5,) the spring p, pressing against the collar q, will return the rod j to its original position, removing bythe same means the pointer dfrom the roller c. The latter continues te revolve until a notch in the disk r engages with the spur y. The roller thus makes an entire revolution, corresponding to a journey of three kilometers at the-lowest speed of sixty kilometers an hour. lf we imagine the case in which the engine-driver has simply passed a raised signal Proceed with caution and IIO has stopped the train before reaching the raised signal Stop or, belier stili, has passed this signal not raised, the paper only bears the trace ot a straight line 17, (the development of the helix described by the end ofthe pointer (1.,) from the length of whit-h can be judged approximately the distance run by the train between the instantiwhen it passed the raised signal Proceed with caution and the precise moment when the engine-driver replaced the warning apparatus toits original position. Let us imagine that having passed a raised signal Proceed with caution and having returned the warning apparatus at the end of a certain time (less than the time it takes to pass between the two signals) into its original position, the engine-driver neglecting the warning received passes the raised signal Stop,7 the depending lever of the warning apparatus Vthen encounters the striker corresponding to this signal Stop and the axis b receives an angular displacement such that the dat side 18 of the cam a comes in contact with the arm n. Since before the cam could arrive in this position, its projection 13 must in passing actuate the arm 0L, and thus cause a temporary lowering ot' the pointer d. Also since the roller e will be still in motion,having been started by the first movement of the warning apparatus while passing the raised signal Proceed with caution and not having yet completed its revolution, it will receive at the time when the pointer is temporarily lowered a new impression. The time during which the pointer is lowered is so short that this impression is reduced to a clearly-marked dot. If the paper of the roll be then examined, it bears in this second hypothetical case traces 19 and 20, Fig. 5. Trace 19 indicates, as in the preceding case, that the nal Proceed with caution was raised and that the engine-driver passed this signal and returned the warning apparatus to its normal position after it had worked for a time the duration of which is easy to determine from the length of the line 19. On the other hand, the dot 2O shows that the engine-driver had gone on and passed the signal Stop,

which was also raised. The responsibility of the engine-driver is thus clearly established. He will not be able to attribute his mistake to the negligence of the signalman, since it follows that the two consecutive signals (Proceed with caution and Stop) must have been up for the register to bear the marks 19 and 20. Finally, let us consider a third case: The signahnan while raising the signal Stop has neglected to raise the signal Proceed with caution immediately preceding it. In this case the engine-driver naturally passes the depressed signal Proceed with caution, and the warning apparatus, as well as the registering apparatus, remains at rest. If under these conditions the train continuing its progress passes the raised signal Stop, there results as before a temporary lowering of the pointer (l and a simultaneous starting of the clockwork incollanism. The roller c makes its complete revolution; but the paper only bears the trace ot' the dot 21, which reveals incontestably the mistake made bythe signalman. To sum up, the paper can bear three kinds of impressions. all starting from an initial line 22. This line is always found slightly on this side of the pointer d when the roller is at rest or when it has returned to its original position after having` made a complete revolution.

First. A simple straight line 17, quite short, shows that the engine-driver has passed a raised signal Proceed with caution and that he has taken notice of the warning apparatus by stopping his train before reaching the raised signal Stop In the case when this line is of a length corresponding with a revolution or of a length such that the corresponding distance traveled by the train cxceeds the distance between the two signals Proceed with caution and Stop the culpability of the engine-driver is thus registered and established.

Second. A straightline 19 followed at some distance by the dot 20 indicates that the engine-driver lirst passed a raised signal Proceed with caution, that he stopped the working ot' the warning apparatus, and that without heeding the warning received he passed the next raised signal Stop The culpability of the engine-driver will thus in this case also be established.

Third. A simple dot 2O indicates that the engine-driver has passed a raised signal to Stop; but it shows at the saine time that the warning apparatus has not been set in motion while passing the signal Proceed with caution, and so this latter must have been down. Even if in the meantime the signalman seeing his mistake and wishing to hide it by raising after the train has passed the signal Proceed with caution, which he had neglected to raise at iirst, his deceit will be clearly established and registered.

It goes without saying that the details of construction of a registering device such as I have just described may be varied without altering the principle of my invention. The apparatus may also be provided with extra mechanisms, such as a winding-gear 23 24 25 and a revolution-counter 26.

I clairn- 1. In combination with a moving vehicle, a record-cylinder,a motor for rotating the sanne, means i'or holding the cylinder normally against rotation, a marker adapted to contact with said cylinder, means carried by the vehicle for simultaneously releasing said holding means and lowering the marker, and means for imparting an endwise movement to said cylinder while it is rotating, substantially as described.

2. In combination witha movingvehicle, a record-cylinder,a motor for rotating the saine, means for imparting to said cylinder an end- IOO IIO

Wise movement when rotating, a pivoted spring-pressed plate carryinga marker adapted to make Contact wil-l1 said cylinder, a rod normally holding said plate ont of' Contact with the cylinder, means for depressing said rod, and means Controlling the movement of the motor, substantially as described.

3. In combination with a vehicle, a Cylinder, a motor for rotating the same, a springpressed arm Carrying a pointer adapted to Contact with said cylinder, a rod having its upper end beneath said plate, a spring for forcing said rod upwardly, a bell-crank le- Ver having one arm engaging said rod, and a rotatable cam adapted to operate against the other arm, substantially as described.

JACQUES PIERRE DE BRAAM.

lfVi messes:

LOUIS GARDET, EDWARD P. MACLEAN.

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