US871378A - Railway-signal. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED NOV. 19, 1907.

L. H THULLEN.

RAILWAY SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.18.1905.

lllllflllllllllllll/l//l/ the signal device thereo ,belrgg 1 NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS H. THULLEN, OF EDGEWOOD, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION SWITCH & SIG- NAL COMPANY, OF SWISSVALE, PENNSYLV ANIA, A CORPORATION or PENNSYLVANIA.

nmwav smxan Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 19, 1907.

To all whom it may concern 'Edgewood, in the-county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway- S 'gnals, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to railway signals, and particularly to that class of railway signals in which a solenoid or other form of electric motor is emplo ed for moving the signal device from one of its positions of indication to another of its positions of indication.

My invention particularly relates to a lock for preventing unwarranted movements of the si nal device from its da er osition to its safety position.-

I will describe a railway signal embodyi my invention and then point out the 11035 features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a rear elevation, partly in vertical section of a railway signal embod myinvention,

in its danger position of indication. g. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the exception that the signal device is in safety or clear position of indication and the operating parts being correspondingly displaced. Fig. 3 is a detail and perspective view of a portion of the o erating mechanism. Fig. 4 is an enlar e, cross sectional view. imi

lar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the figures.

I have shown my invention as ap lied to what is technically known as a dwa signal, though it will be understood that its use is not hmited'to that ty e of railway signal. :gReferring now to tiie drawings: A designates a suitable form of casing for completely inclosing the operating parts of the railway si lf- The casing is rovided with a remova le closure A, whic permits of access to the interiorof the casing A designates a signal device which is shown as being comprisingha blade a and a spectacle caste casting a acts as a counterweight for ,the blade 0. and servesto move the si aldevice to its danger position of indica ion when not heldin any other position of indication The signal device is in the form of a semaphore and as Application ma Inch 18.1906. Serial No. 250.760.

mounted on a shaft B which is suitably journaled in the upper portion of the casing.

C designates an arm fixed on the shaft B,

and D an operating rod having one end connected with the arm C and its other end with one end of a plunger G which serves as a core for a coil F. The coil F and plunger Gconstitutes a solenoid which is one form of an electric motor; The coil F is arranged Within a casing A and is pivotally mounted at F within the casing A. This is done to permit of the coil and plunger having radial movement in moving the s a1 device. It will be seen, therefore, from i 1 that when current flows through the coil F, the plunger G will be drawn into the coil and thus move the signal device from its danger position (Fig- 1) to its safety or"clear position (Fig. 2) against the action of the counterweight an a s ring E which assists in moving the signal evice from its safety position to its danger position.

As before stated, my invention has particular reference to a lock for fpreventing the signal device A being moved om .itsdanger to its safety position other than through an o eration of its motor. As shown, this loc comprises a catch movable with the plunger G, a stop or abutment and what Iherein term a catch 0 crating memher, which, when operated y the motor prevents the latch from acting to revent a movement of the signal device. short, I provide a mechanical lock for preventing any external movement of the signal device from its dan er position and means operated by an when the electric-motor is. operated for rendering the lock ineffective. J designates the catch which is pivotally mounted on the plunger in such manner as to have its foot 0 extend outwardl therefrom as shown in Fig. 1, so that it w' engage a'fixed stop 'K, and to abut against the same when any external attempt is made to move the signal device from its danger to its safety position. In order that the catch J may not interfere/ with the ordinary working of the semaphore: that is to say, in order that it may not interfere when current is supplied to the coil to move the signal device from its danger to its safety position, a catch 0 erating member H,isprovided. This mem r, 'like the plunger G, is made of magnetic mathe surface which engages the nose N of the.

terial, and is adapted to be attracted by the coil. In this instance, the catch operating member comprises a rod-like member having a head, X, provided with an inclined catch engaging portion Y. The catch engaging member is seated within the hollow interior of the (plunger, G; suflicient clearance being allowe over and above the len th of the catch operating member in order t at it may reclprocate freely back and forth Within limits in the interior-of said plunger. The motion of the catch operating member within its seat in the plunger G, consists of a motion towards the coil, when the lattef magnet ically attracts said member, and a motion I in the opposite' di-rection away from thecoil due to the spring M, which acts as'soonas the current is cut off the coil.

The catch en aging surface Y, of the catch operating mem er is so called because it is catch J and, due to the inclinationof said surface and the reciprocation of said catch operating member, moves the foot 0- of the catch into orout of the way ofthe fixed stop K so that It will or will not engage same, as the case may be. Thus in Fig. .1 the nose of the catch is made to engage that portion of the inclined surface Y, which is nearest the axis; the catch, therefore, assumes the in-- clined osition shown, with its foot extending into tiie path of the fixed stop The catch'may' be made heavier at its nose portlon so that when free to-move on its pivot it Wlll assume the position shown in Fig. 1. In

' Fig. 2, 'however,' the nose'of the catch engagesthat on the catc operating meinber which is furthest away from the axis. 'The catch, therefore, assumes-the vertical position shown with its foot drawn inwardly out of the path of thefixed sto K. It will be noted that this change in t e position of the catch has been brought about by the inclined catch engaging portion gradually pushing the nose of the catch outward: as the catch operating 4 of the coil.

member is pulled downward against the bottom of its seat by the magnetic attraction The operation of thedevice will now be a piparent. When the signal device isin its anger position, as shown in Fig. 1, the

' plunger G will be inthe position shown; that is to say, pushed out of the coil by the spring ortion of the inclined su face catch operating-member H into it.

to its safety position, the foot of the catch 'will strike against the fixed stop, and will thereby prevent the plunger, G, from being inserted into the coil, and, consequentl will prevent also any rotation of the signal evice.

Should current now be supplied-the coil in the ordinary operation of the railway signal to change the ositionof the signal'device, the coil will pull The catch operating member, however, being smaller, and having less inertia, will move both the plunger G and the first, and as it moves downward inlthe direction of thecoil its inclined catch engagingsurface will press thenose of thecatch outward,

and consequently move. the foot of-th ecatch inward,-so that 1t is no longer in thepath of 'thefixed stop, K. All this will take place before the plunger G has made'suiiicient,"

headway to move from its position of rest to a position where the foot of the catch is o posite the fixed stop. The .plunger wi l,'

therefore, be free to continue its motion 'un- I der' the influence of the magnetic attraction of the coil, until it is entirely seated within does not interfere with the ordinaryopera tion of the signal, but does interfere with the mechanical operationof thesame from the 1 outside. When the current is cut off from the coil to change the signal device back to the coil. It is clear, therefore, how the catch its danger position,the plunger G, and,

the catch operating member H, 'being no longer magnetically attracted,the spring E will force theplunger G and its related parts to its danger position. Moreover,- the spring M, will raise the catch operating memher into its upper limit position, and its 'inclined'catch engaging surface will allow the nose of the catch to move inwardly from the. position shown at Fig. 2 into'the-positionshown at Fig. 1'; therebymoving the foot of the catch outwardly into .the' position shown. in Fig. 1, where it will be in the path of the fixed'stop'K, and will abutagainst the.

same should the attempt be made totamper with the signal device to move it to. its safety position.

What I claim as my invention 'is:-

1. The combination in a railway signal, of

out of the coil and the signal device will move a signal device, an electric motor comprising, 5

a plunger and-coil for moving said signal device, acatch carried by the plunger,a, stop with which the catch engages when the'signal device is moved otherwise than by its motor,

and means also operated. b th il f 'm ing said catch -out of the path of the stop when the signal device is to be moved by the motor.

2. The combination a railway'signahof a signal device, an electric motor comprising a hollow plunger and coil for moving said signal device, a catch, a stop with'whlch said catch engages upon a movement of the signal device other than by its motor, and means within the lunger operated by the coil for moving sai catch out of the path of the stop when said signal device is to be moved by the motor.

3. In a railway signal, the combination of a coil, 2 lunger operatively connected to the signal evice of the railway signal, and adapted to be attracted into the coil, a catch pivoted to said plunger, a fixed stop, and catch operating means for moving said catch out of the path of the sto when said plunger is magnetically attracte into the coil.

4. In arailway signal, thecombination of a coil, a plunger operatively connected with the signal device of the railway signal and adapted to be attracted into the coil, a catch pivoted to said plunger, a fixed stop adapted when it engages said catch to prevent movement of the signal device, and catch operating means comprising a member composed of magnetic material, and adapted to be moved by the coil, the said member being moved in the direction of the coil by magnetic attraction, and in the opposite direction by a spring, said member to move the catch out of the path of the stop when magnetically attracted, and to move the catch into the path of the stop when it is moved in the opposite direction.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of witnesses.

LOUIS THULLEN.

Witnesses: W. L. MCDANIEL, JAMEs CIIALMERS, Jr.

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