US792489A - Street-indicator. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED JUNE 13, 19.05.

C. H. BAILEY. STREET INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.17, 1904.

Patented June 13, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

CARL H. BAILEY, OF LEAVENl/VORTH, KANSAS.

STREET-INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 792,489, dated June 13, 1905.

Application filed December 17, 1904. Serial No. 237,329.

To all whom it nuty concern.-

Be it known that I, CARL H. BAILEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Leavenworth, in the county of Leavenworth and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Street-Indicator, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in street-indicating devices employed in connection with electrical-railway systems.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a novel form of street-indicator that will operate automatically to indicate the successive streets or stations on the road in regular order and in which the mechanism is actuated by the same current as that employed in the propulsion of the car.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cheap, simple, and accurate indicator in which the extent of operative movement may be readily adjusted, so that the same mechanism may be used on different roads by proper adjustment to correspond to the number of street or station names to be displayed.

\Vith these and other objects in view, as will hereinafter more fully appear, the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangementof parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size, and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, showing the upper portion of a trolley-car provided with an indicator arranged and constructed in accordance with the invention, the trolley-pole and a portion of the current-conducting wire being also shown. Fig. 2 is an elevation, partly in section, of the indicating mechanism proper. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of a portion of the same. Fig. 4 is a detail view, on an enlarged scale, of the conducting devices carried by the current-conducting wire and the trolley-pole.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings, 1 indicates a portion of an overhead current-conducting wire, 2 a car, and 3 a trolley-pole, all arranged and constructed in the usual manner.

At a point inside the car is a casing 4, having bearings for the reception of a transversely-disposed horizontal shaft 5, on which is secured a ratchet-wheel 6 and a disk 7, the latter bearing in successive order the numbers or names of streets or stations which the car is to pass and these names or numbers being successively displayed through an opening 8 in the front portion of the casing. The disk may be of any diameter, its size being governed by the number of streets or stations along the line.

Within the casing is a solenoid 9, having a movable core 10, to the front end of which is secured a collar 11, having suitable openings for the passage of one or more pins 12, that are carried by one of the end flanges of the solenoid-spool and serve as guides to prevent rotative movement of the core. To the front end of the core is secured a projecting arm 13, that carries a pawl-tooth 14 for engagement with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 6, and the core and pawl are normally projected by means of a coiled compression-spring 15, disposed between the front of the spool and the collar 11.

\Vhen the solenoid is energized, the core is drawn inward against the stress of the spring 15, and the pawl let being held in engagement with a tooth of the ratchet-wheel serves to rotate said ratchet-wheel a uniform distance at each operation. WVhen the magnet is denergized, the core is drawn in the opposite direction by means of the spring 15 and the pawl slides over one or more teeth of the ratchet-wheel and assumes a position in readiness for a subsequent operation. In order to prevent rearward movement of the ratchetwheel and the indicating-disk to which it is connected, I employ a suitable locking-pawl 19, pivoted to the casing and engaging the teeth of the ratchet-wheel.

The rear end of the core or that end opposite the pawl 14: is threaded for the reception of an adjustable nut 20, that limits the extent of outward movement of the core under the influence of the spring 15, and by suitable adjustment of the nut the pawl may be permitted to engage with one or more teeth, in accordance with the angular distance between the names on the indicating-disk.

The indicating-disk shaft 5 is preferably provided with a non-circular end portion, to which may be applied a turning key or knob, as shown in Fig. 3, in order to adjust the position of the disk in case of accident or in the event of the car being compelled to return part of the way before reaching the end of the route.

To the current-conducting wire 1 is secured a block 22, carrying a spring-arm 23, that is curved downwardly and inwardly to a position under the wire, and the block and wire are in electrical contact with the wire 1. A number of blocks or contacts are used, one being disposed at each crossing or station or at points in advance thereof, and as the car travels a contact-plate 24, carried by the trolley-pole, will be brought into engagement with the successive contacts 23 and will close the circuit through a cu rrent-cond ucting wire 25 and the solenoid 9 to ground. The contact plate 24 is held on a spring-arm 26 at the top of the trolley-pole, and as both contacts 23 and 24: are yieldable there is but little danger of breakage or the bending of the parts out of position, while the rubbing contact will serve to keep the conducting-surfaees polished and free from any coating which might interfere with the passage of the current.

In the operation of the device the moving car will bring the contact-plate 2st into engagement with the contacts 23 and a circuit will lye-established from the main currentconductor 1 through the contacts and wire 25 to the solenoid and from thence to ground. The magnet being energized will withdraw its core against the stress of the spring 15, and the ratchet-wheel will be turned to display the next name on the indicating-disk, and at each street-crossing or station this operation will be repeated.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In a car-indicator, a casing having adisplay-opening, a disk bearing the names of streets or stations to be successively displayed at said opening, a ratchet-wheel connected to the disk, a solenoid including amovable core, a spring-pawl carried by the core and engaging the teeth of' the ratchet-wheel, a collar secured to the pawl and having perforations, a spring surrounding the core and extending between the end of the spool and the collar, and pins carried by the spool and extending through the perforationsin said collar to prevent rotative movement of the core and pawl.

2. In a car-indicator, a casing having a display-opening, a disk bearing the names of streets or stations to be successively displayed through the opening, a ratchet-wheel connected to the disk, a pawl engaging the ratchet-wheel, a solenoid including a movable core carrying said pawl, the rear end of said core being threaded, and an adjustable nut arranged on the threaded portion of the core and serving to limit its movement.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CARL H. BAILEY.

Witnesses:

CHARLES MELNIRo, WILLIAM A. SHAW.

Images