US954586A - Automatic signal device. - Google Patents

Description

I Pn AUTOMATIC SIGNAL DEVIUE.

l Arrmnmgn muuuy.. 1e, 1909. Patented Apr. 12, 1910.

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i W/ @M5555 F. PORT. AUTOMATIC `SIGNAL DEVICE.

APPLIOATIOF FILED 1113.19, 1909. 954,586, Patented Apr. 12, 1910.

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. of required lengths. tout the length ofthe block and arethe're movin with certainty,

` novel featuresof construction and combina- 'ing between t e fixed 'located on sion sprin members FRANK POBTO, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

AUTOMATIC SIGNAL DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application led March 19, 190B. Serial No. 484,349.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that. l, FRANK Ponro, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore city, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic SignalDevices, of Iwhich the following is a specication..

This invention relates to automatic si aling devices as applicable to a railway lock system desi ned to be operative to stop a train or to check the movements or otherwise warn' the engineer, whenever a train moves into an adjacent track section or block within whicha train may be either running or` stop eil at any given time. llle invention has for its further object to automatically appl the brakes and bring' the train to a. stan still without any action on the partof the en ineer and prevent the train to ass into a lock occupied by anat the same time notifying ,the operator in a station or towerof the close proximityof the train.

The invention further consists of certain thereo tions of parts which will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claim.

Figure 1, is a side elevation equipped with my invention, there being parts broken away and parts iii/section; Pig. 2, is a dia-A ram ofa railway system equipped with my invention; Fi 3, is a'dia am of the wircon uctors and those the engine and tender; Fig. 4, is a side elevation of one of the rolling contact members; Fig. 5, is a diagram of t e device as applied at road crssins, and Fig. 6, is a view similar to Fig. 5, ut illustrates the method of wiring a switch or spur track.

In` the drawings Aindicates a locomotive,` the tender of which is indicated by the letter B, hung from Vsaid tender by suitable brackets' 1 are a plurality of levers 2, carrying at one end contactl members C in the formofwheels or rollers, the other end `of said levers being under the control of a tor- 3 tending at all times to hold the in contact with electrical conductors D constructed along the line of way as diagrammatically shown in Flgs. 2 and 3, and as also shown in Fig. 2, thesaid conblocks ductor's are divided into sections or The several lconductors D extendthrough- "contact 13 remains inoperative,

' 24 is a horizon 4" Patented Apr. 12, 1910.

broken by insulators 4. `As hereinbefore stated, thc levers 2 each carry a rollin contact member indicated at 5, 6, 7 and and whenthe locomotive is travelin in the direction indicated by the arrow but when traveling in the opposite direction the roller 13 contacts with theiconductor 9, the rollerl 5 then 'beinglinoperative The member` 7 and conductors 11 being'located in the centcr of the tender and track respectively, are constant in either direction. Located at some. convenient on the locomotive or tender as iag'rammat# icall shown in Fig. -3, is a source-"of` electrica energy, in the present instance a batterly 14 1s shown by wa of illustration, one po e of said battery being connected yto the contact oint either i 5 by a conductor 15, a branchl` leadin to the contact 13. From the other ,60 1n Fig. 3, a.

side o the battery '14 a conductor 17 leads to one side of a solenoid coil`g18 Aand from the other side of the coil aconductor 19 leads to the contact 6, a branch 2O leads from oondnctor 19 to the contact 8, and abranch 21 leads from conductor 17 to the'c'ontact 7. It will thus be seen that the rolli contacts G and 8 are connected to one sie "of the solenoid 18. To attract the engineers atl tention should two locomotives occupy the same block at once, a lamp 22 is cutin yparallel with the solenoid 18, altho h a lam is shown it is to be understoodtiat a or both lamp and bell can be used for this purpose.

By reference to Fig. Uit will be observed that the signal 'above referred to, as well as thesolenoid coil, are located in the cab of the engine and that the core 23' of said so lenoid is extended belowthe coil a short dis'- tance and` at its lower end is 4connected `to 'one arm of a -bell crank arm of said lever is connected toa stem 25 of a throttlin v lve26, located in the dry pipe 27 of t e ocomotive. Connected to the core 23 atm4 'nt above the 'bell-'crank ly disposed arm-.28, rigidly connected to'eslidab e collar 29, mou e ed una fixed standard or rod 30.A A.. air of gr vit actuated to gle levers 31 are* inged at theii' lower end the slide collar 29, and at their upperend toa collarf32 fixed to the rod '30. It will thus be seen that' when the solenoid is energized and the core is attracted thereinto, the whts 33 on said to gle levers will be'eleva and the valve 6 lever 24;V the `"other will be closed and as soon as thesolenoid is denergized, the weights 33 will cause the core to gravitate downwardly, thus opening the valve 26.

As hereinbefore stated, the continuity of the several conductors 9, 1U, 11 and l2 is broken at desired intervals; at these breaks the conductor 10 of one block and 9 of the next adjacent block are connected by a conductor 34," and the conductors 9 of the first named block, and 1Q of the second, are connected by a conductor 35 for a purpose that will presently appear. The circuit is as follows :-\Vith two trains in adjacent blocks, and moving in op Jositc directions, a circuit will be establishe 'from conductor 9 in the left hand block, through roller 5 on the left hand cub, wire l5, battery 14, wire 17, solenoid 18 and lamp 22, through wire 19, roller 6, conductor 10, wire 34v to conductor 9 in the ynight hand block, and thence by means of roller 13 on the right hand cab, which contacts with coniiluctor 9 in its block, through battery -14 and solenoid 18 in said cab, through wire Q0 to roller (3 and conductor 12, back to conductor Si in the left hand block through wire thus complet ing the cab circuits in both cabs, energizing their solenoids 1S and lights Q2, and `applying their throttle valves 26,

As it is desired to notify a station at some distant point should it occur that two trains are in adjacent blocks, a conductor 3G leads from the conductor 11 of' one block to one side oi a magnetic coil 87, and aconductor leads from the conductor 9 oi the next adjacent block to the other side of said niagnet: connected in parallel with this n'iagi'iet 3i' is its armature 39 carrying a spring contactfdlt'), and insulated from said :n'mature and carried thereby is another spring contact 41, the adjustment o1 this device being such that when the niagnet is'energizcd and the armature attracted, the contacts i0 and 41 will close the circu t through branch condoctors 42 and i3 through a pair of line conductors 11- and 4.5, thence through a signal 46 either visible or audible, or both, located in a station .7, This circuit 1s completed as follmvs:-l+`rom conductor 11 1n the hit hand block, through wire titl, magnet 57,

wire 3S, conductor 9 in the right hand block,

thence through rollin- 13 on the right hand cab, Wire 1G, wire 15, battery 1l, solenoid 1S, Wire 19, roller 6, conductor 152. Wire 35 to conductor 9 in the lct't hand block, thence in a similar manner through roller 5, wire 15 and battery 14 in said cab, and from thence through Wircsl?. and Q] and roller 7 back to conductor 11 in the let't hand block, thus completing the circuit through the an mature 37, which in turn completes the circuit through signal 46.

When two trains are occupying adjacent blocks, means are rovidcd for notifying the engineman of the eparture of the other train by putting a lamp or bell 47 in parallel circuit With the magnet 37, so that. When said lamp ceases to glow either engineman may know that that particular block has been cleared. To announce the, approach of a train to a station a conductor 48 is connected to the conductors 9, and passes through a bell 479 located in the station, thence by a conductor 50"to thecondu'ctor 11, so that when a train enters on that block a current will be established through the conductors 48 and 9 through the contact 5 through the conductor 15, battery 14, conductors 17 and 2l to contact 7, thence through conductors 11 and 501.0 the bell. l

Slight changes and alterations might be resorted to in the form and arrangement of the several parts herein described, without departing from thetspirit and scope of my invention, hence I do not Wish to limit myself to the exact construction as herein set forth; but,

Having fully described my invention, what Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

In an automatic signalin dcxice, the combination withl a track, an( a Vehicle t0 run thereon, a plurality of electrical conductors constructed alo'ng the line of track in parallel relation and insulated in blocks,

a plurality of contact members in excess of the number ofcontluctors sus ended from said vehicle, one of said con uctors bein arranged centrally of said track, and sai contact members so arranged with respect to said conductorsthat certain of said coni tact members will contacttherewith with the vehicle disposed in one direction and have one idle contact member on one side, and will reverse said contacts from said oentrai contact member when said vehicle is reversed and have one idle contact member on thelother side, a source of electric energ'yy on said vehicle, connections' between said 'source of energy and said Contact members, electrically operated signal devices located within said vehicle and included in said` connections, and connections between ecrtain conductors of each block and certain conductors of an adjacent when similarly equipped vehicles are in ad jacent blocks circuits will be closed betiveen the two vehicles and the signal devices operated. j

` In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two' witnesses.

. FRANK PORTO. Witnesses E. Wanrox BREwINoToN,

Anis'rmn W. GmMrn'rrao.

block Wliereby.

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