US884158A - System of automatic block-signaling for electric railways. - Google Patents

Description

No. 884,158. I PATENTED APR. 7, 1908 W. K. HOWE.

SYSTEM OF AUTOMATIC BLOCK SIGNALING FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28 1906.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Q mvrml PATENTED APR. '7, 1908.

W. K. HOWE. I SYSTEM OF AUTOMATIC 121,001: SIGNALING FOR ELECTRIC RAI-LWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED'SEPT. 28 190 6 2 SHEETS-SHEET z.

I WITNESSES: Mum *5 ATTORNEY WINTHROP K. HOWE, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SYSTEM OF AUTOMATIC BLOCK-SIGNALING FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 7, 1908.

Application filed September 28, 1906. Serial No. 836,612

To all whomit may concern;

Be it known that I, WINTHROP KEITH HOWE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, county of Erie, State of New York, have invented a System of Automatic Block-Signaling for Electric Railways, of'

which the following is a specification. i

My invention consists in new and useful improvements in systems of automaticb'lock signaling for electric railways.

' In the general practice of block signaling, the signals indicate 'to an approaching train the condition of the block ahead, both as to the presence of another train in such block and as to the continuity of the trafiic rails. In the application of block signaling to electric railways in which cross bonding between tracks is a feature, :it is sometimes convenient to employ two currents for signaling purposes or two portions of the same current. One of such currents flows down one rail and up the other, its purpose being to indicate the location of the cars, and the other current flows along both raiis in the same direction, which I will call a-continuity current, and is employed to indicate any break or discontinuity 111'8. rail of. the track.

My invention relates to means for su )plyingthis continuity current to the traclrway and to the devices actuated by such current to give the required indications.

In the pract1ce of my invention, the continuity current is supplied to the trackway where desired, by means of transformers,

Whose primaries are excited from thesource ofsignahng current, and whose secondaries are in series with the ath 1n the propulsion current. Relays are ikewise connected in series within the path of the propulsion current. These relays are responsive both to the signaling current and to the propulsion current of the railway.

Figure 1' is a diagram illustrating the application of my invention to an electric railwailyg of the two-rail type, in which the traffic r both act as returns for the' ropulsion current back to the generator. wo tracks are shown, but the signaling devices are only complete in the case of the block'sections X, Z, of one track. The two tracks are cross-bonded. Fig. 2 ,is' a diagram showing 'the. application of my s stem to an electric railway of the one-ra" type, in which a the two trackways,

" single continuous rail ofeach track carries the propulsion current back to the generator.

Referring to Fig. 1', D is the propulsioncurrent generator, which is shown as a direct current machine and connected'to an outgoing feeder conductor 2. 3, 4, are the traffic rails divided into block sections X, Y, Z, by insulated-joints. A is an alternator supplying currents for signaling to the distributing .mains 6 and 7. Transformers 8 supply signaling current derived from these mains 6 and 7 to the block sections X, Y, Z. Said block sections are rendered continuous as to the propulsion current, which is direct, and segregated as to the signaling current,- which is alternating, by the react-ance bonds 9, which tie thetwo traffic rails together at the end of each block section, the rail 4 being electrically continuous from one block section to the next through the windings of relay 10 and the secondaries 11 of transformers 12. Each transformer, 12, hasits primary 13 connected across the mains 6 and 7 in series with the resistance 14. 15 is the track relay comprising two stator coils 16, 17, and

a movable member 18. The signal 19 is operated by current derived from the battery 20, which normally flows through the contact 21 of relay 15, and the contact 22 of relay 10, and through thesolenoid 23, which normally holds signal 19 in the clear position. The relay 10 may be designed, so that it will become saturated by the propulsion current, for in such a case, it is obvious'tha't the flux produced will be sufficient to hold the contact 22 closed. Similarly, the transformer 12 may be designed so that it will begin to saturate for the same value of the propulsion current, as that which unaided would maintain the contact 22 of the relay 1O closed. The corres onding trafiic rails of E Y, Z, and X, Y, Z, are connected together by the cross-bonds 24. 25 represents a break, .or electrical discontinuity in one of the traffic rails. In the operation of thisforin of my invention, it will be seen that transformer 8 supplies current to a block section,'which flows for instance down rail 3 and up rail 4. Such current backing up a ainst the reactance' of the coils 9 at the leftand end of the blocksecpotential across and -as there is a:

tion, produces a difference of the terminals of the coil 16,.

GENERAL RAILWAY SIGNAL difference of phase between the currents the coils 16 and 17, a turning moment of the movable member 18 of the relay l5 will'be developed, normally closin the contact 21 in the absence of a car on t e block section, as in sections Y and Z. The relay will also remain closed, if there is no breakin'the -rail 4, the contact 22 being held closed by such current as flows "through the rail 4, either the propulsion'current or the signalln current, or both, from the transformers 8 and 12. The function of the transformer 12 is to supplement the current supplied from the transformer 8. It will be seen'that the sec-- ondaries 11 of the transformers 12 are reversed in polarity in adj'acentblock sections,

their (primaries 13 being connected inthe re-- verse manner across the mains 6 and 7. The path of the currents in the cross-bonds, due to the transformers 12, will, therefore,

- be as indicated ,by the arrows shown on con-- the secondaries 11 of transformers 12 do not produce-a difference of potential across the ductors 24. If the rail 4 is broken, as at 25 of section Z, even in the absence of a car on the block section, both thepropulsion current and the si naling current will be interrupted in the re ay 10, thus opening the contact 22 and allowing the signal 19 to go to the dangerposition. 'It will beseen that 15 and opening the contact 21, so as to send the signal 19 to the danger position.

When a car 26 enters the block section (block section X) the current from transformer 8 will be short-circuited' upon itself and diverted from the coil 16, thus denergizing relay 15, opening contact 21 and sending the signal 19 to the danger position.

In F i 2, the continuity current for rail 4 is supplie by a transformer 27, whose primary 28, is connected across the signaling mains 6 and 7, and whose secondary 29, isinserted' direct-l in the cross-bonding conductor 24.

The re ay 10 is connected in series Withthe traffic rail 4, as in Fig. 1. The winding 17 of the-relay15 is energized from a secondaf'y 30 of a transformer 31, whose primary 32 is connected across the mains 6 and 7. The said transformer has another secondary 33, which supplies the track circuit signaling current to the block section, as in Fig. 1 said current being designed to normally actuate the relay 15, by producing a rotary field through the 'oint action of the currents of coils-16 and 17.

he coil 16 is connected across a reactance- 34, which reactance is connected in series with a resistance 35 across the traffic rails, 3,-

means.

in each b 4, of a block section. Thereactance is designed not to saturate, by such'small amount'of propulsion'current, as due to leakage or other causes is allowed to flow through it by the limiting resistance 35. It will be seen that the connections of the rimaries 28 are reversed sothat the polarity of these secondaries 29willbe diflerent in adjacent block sections. The paths of the "currents in the. cross-bonds will, therefore, be shown bythe arrows. It will be seen that substantially the same flow of continuity current occurs in the arrangement of Fig. 2, as that of Fig. 1,

and,the operation of thesys tem is substantially the s'ame.

nfg out 'my invention, it will b'e evident that the continuity current may be sup lied'ina considerable number of ways :of transformers 27 of adjacent b ock sections j wit ou't' departing from the spirit of my invention, and I desire it to be understood that I am the first to supply the continuity current locally to the traflic rails of an electric I railway by means' of transformers or other transmitting devices, or any suitable Furthermore, my invention is applicable to a great variety oftypes of railway and to various arrangements of reactance bonds and signaling circuits.

claim; v 1. A] signaling system comprising I an Having thus described my invention, I

alternating generator, separate means connected'therewith arranged to produce respectively a difierencelof, potential across the rails and a continuity current along the rails ofa block section.

2. A signaling system compri singa single alternating generator, separate means con: nected, therewith arrangedto] produce respectively a difference of potential between t e rails, and to send a continuit -current I through therails, a relay connects with the rails toindicate the condition of the block as to occupancy, and a relay arranged to indicate the condition of the .rails as to continuity.

'3. A signal ing system comprising an alternating generator, and means connected therewith arranged tocreate continuity currents in adjacent trackways. I 4 I I 4. A signalingsystem comprising a signaling current arranged to control a: track circuit and means in each'block for applying 1 a local continuity current. p ,7

r 5. A signalingsyst'em comprising. means presence of a break in either track rail.

6. A signaling system comprising av trans former connected'across the track railsand a transformer connected in series with a track rail of each section.

7 A signaling system comprising means whereby the traflic rails of each block siock for separately indicating the multaneously transmit the whole propulsion-current, and two signaling currents.

8. A signaling system comprising a relay in each block sectiontraversed by the signaling current, and a relay traversed by the whole propulsion current and the signaling currents.

9. A signaling system comprising means for impressing a signaling current upon each block section, and means for causing a con tinuity current to flow locally upon the block sections.

10. In a signaling system the combination of a transformer and a relay both traversedby a propulsion current and adapted to be saturated by approximately the same value of propulsion current. v

11. A signaling system comprising traflic rails divided into block sections, both 'of said traffic rails conducting the propulsion current freely, one of such trafiic rails compris- 111%i11 its circuit reactance bonds, and the ot er of such traflic rails comprising in its circuit relay devices and transformers.

12. A signaling system comprising a course of power current, a trackway divided into block sections, reactance bonds inter posed between the block sections, means for exciting a difference of potential between the rails of each block section, means for locally "bonds interposed between said blocksections, said track rails forming a return for the power current,- a source of signaling current, feeders therefrom, a transformer in each block section having its primary connected across the alternating feeders and its secondary across the track, a transformer in each block section having its primary con nected across the alternating feeders and its secondary in series with one rail of adjacent block sections, a relay energized by the difference of potential between the rails, a

relay energized by the current flowing along a the rail. from one block section to the next,

and a signal controlled b said relays.

In testimony whereof, affix mysignature, in the presenceof two witnesses.

WINTHROP K. HOWE.

. Witnesses:

A. F. DIETRIOK, El C. BEYER.

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