US985628A - Train-controlled highway-signal. - Google Patents

Description

' R. D. PETERS. TRAINv CUNTRQLLED HIGHWY SIGNL.

E. D. PETERS. TRAIN CONTROLLED HIGHWAY SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED AUS.,--9G9. l

Patented Feb. 28, 1911.

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To all whom 'it 'UNITED STACrEs PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT 4n.V lumens, Aanxieux', INDIANA.

,Traun-communi) HIGHWAY-SIGNAL.

l fspecicatioii of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 28, 1911.

Application led August G. 1909. Serial No. 53,570.

L and automobiliste traveling along the highparts wa): whether or Anot the way is clear for travel over the railway track.

- A further object Aof the invention is to Vprovide a simple construction of day and night semaphore signal which will be risible for a maximum distance and which .will indicate-the'iiumber of railwa crossings at the particular point. so that the passenger will be warned .to proceed with proper caution. 1With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of the features' ofcoustruction, combination and arrangement of hereinafter full'i" described and A claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. in whicliz- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View showing the signal and circuit in which it is included.

' Fig. i? is a vertical longitudinal section translul'.

versely of the signal embodying the inven tion. Fie'. S'is a section taken on line Zl-l 0irin. e?

Reterriiigto thc drawings, A indicates a railway track and B an intersecting road or highway at the protected crossing point.

Arranged at a suitable point at the side of thc highway B and at a desired distance from the crossing is a tubular post or standard l whicli'lias mounted on its upper end a lamp box i. withvside openings 3 and a front opening -l which-latter faces the high# way. In said boxare inclosed a white light. 5 and one or more i'ed lights (Lilie latter depending in number upon the number of railways crossing the highway` as hereinafter explained.

The lamp." are arranged in a circuit 7 including a suitable source of energy 8 and spaced contacts 9 and 10. pivoted switch 11 n'oriuallx engages the contact f) to close the circuit through the whit(` or safety sig; nal lamp 5'. in which po ilion ii is held by a contaclile spring 1i'. Said switch is adapt` .face

ed to be swung, however, out. of engagement with the contact 9 to cut out the lamp o and into engagement with the contanti() to close the circuit through t-helainp or lamps 6 when the semaphore arm swings to danger position.

Mounted on top of t-hebox 2 and comi niunicating therewith through the mediumY of an opening 413 is a casing 14 inclosing the movable member or core `15 of an electric motor. said core being ixed upon a rotary shaft.- 16 disposed centralljY of the casing and journaled in suitable bearings inthe. side walls thereof.- Fixed upon .one end of the shaft, which projects beyond thc'casing, is a semaphore arm or blade 17 Weighted at. its` normally lower end, asat 18, whereby' the semaphore will normally stand in vertical. y

or safety position, as will also vthe heads 19 and 9.0 of the core l5, it being apparent that, inasmuch as the core 'and semaphore are' both fixed upon the shaft, they will more in unison'with the latter.

Fixed at. a suitable point within the casing and disposed in a horizontal`-plane normally perpendicular to the longitudinal'axis of the semaphore is the stationary member or pole piece 2l of the motor, the Contact of said pole piece being concaved and. the outer face of the coactinghead 20 convex o conform to the curvature thereof. The .shaft 16 includes in its organization a. section Q3 composed of ber or other suitable insulating material and havihg a central llore in which isentered a metalcontact portion or pin 2l projected beyond the-outer end of the section 2l and journaled in a metal bearing member 25 consti-A tuting a contact insulated troni the adia- Referring: particnlarlr to Fig. i wherein is diagrammatically illustrated 'the circuitsfor the system. Q8' and 29 designate sections.

ot the traclriucluded in the saine block and insulated from each other. as at 3f), it being..r understood that the trad: section included in any one block extending beyoni.l opposite sides of the highway or protected point is dividcd into a central section 29 and end sections '.'S in-ulatcd therefrom, thu du- --plicatinir the apparatus at each -cud of the t track.

ie circuit includes conductors 31 and 32 leading to the respectiverails of the track sections 9.9 and having a source of energy, as a vbattery 33. rIfhe conductor 31 extends to one terminal of the field "coil 34, the.- othery terminal -of' which is connected through the plug with the pin 24 to lwhich is connectedV one terminal of the ar- 1 0 mature coil 36, the other terminal of which is connected with the core 15, as at 37'.

The core 15, as previously described, is in metallic circuit with the casing 14, to 'which the conductor 32 is connected, as at 38. By this arrangement a circuit v'will be completed through the connection of the rails of the' van' track section 29 by the wheels' of a car to energize the field and cause it to attract the head 2O of the Acore or pole piece 15, whereby the semaphore arm will be swung to a horizontal or danger position against the resistance of the weight- 18, which, upon the breaking of the circuit, will return the semaphore to normal or safety position. On shaft 16 is mounted a contact arm 39 which is adapted upon the rotation of the shaft in adjusting the signal 1'( from safety vto `danger position to 'engage and throw the 'switch llout of engagement with the contact 9 and into engage1nent with the. contact 10,. thus cutting 'the whiteliglit 5 out.

of circuit and throwing the red light 6' into 'circuit. A Then the signal 17y is thrown in the reverse direction back from danger position to safety position, the arm 3 9 releases the switch 11, which'is retracted into normal 'engagement with the contact 9 by -means of the spring 12.

In practice,the conductors 31 and 32 exrend upward through the hollow post vl,

limp box 2 andopening 3 into the casing i-t. The signal mechanism- 1s arranged at om; side .of the' highway at a suitable dis- "tawe from the crossing line A, and in such ,medion that, when the semaphore arm or signal 17 is thrown to dangerl position, itwill extend at a proper elevation over the highway. In addition to employing one or efo more red lamps 6to indicate the number of f of a train ruiming upon the track section 29, 'and connecting the railsthereof, and that o .the motor.

upon the closing of'saidcircuitthe field and -corc wilt .t6 swing the semaphore 1'( to 'danger position, in which position it will be. maintained until the train 'passes off said block section 29, which may extend any desired distancebeyond opposite sides ofthe highway. Upon the passage of the train ol' the track section ,29 the circuit will be broken and the semaphore 17 restored to normal safety position by the Vweight 10. The mode of operation of the signal lamps has been previously described,

so 'that it will be apparent that `when the. semaphore is in safety position, the white or safety light. will glow, while when Said ing of the approach of a train and at the lines or tracks at the crossing pointV By means of my improved highway signal a pedestrian, driver ofY a vehicle or auto" mobilist will be warned of the approach of a train at a suitable distance from the crossi'ng by-a1 visual signal which may be readily seen and interpreted, so that measures vmay be taken to insure freedom from accidents. In many sections, a road or highway is semaphore is shifted to danger position7 the `red lamp or lamps will glow, giving warn- 8o same time indicating the number of crossing crossed by steam and interurban'electrio. l

vrailway lines ruiming in parallel relation',v

and accidents are caused by a collision with a train of one line after tracks `of another linehare been crossed throughignorance of the fact that more than one line passesover the highway at the crossing point. Hereto' fore, so' far as I am aware, no signal mechanisni has 'been 4provided to indicate thel apipreach of a train at a crossing and the number of railroad lines'passing over the crossing. My invention overcomes this objection and insures greater freedom from accidents, as it simultaneously givesboth warnings;-

It. will be understood, of course, that the conductors 31 will connect in practice with vinsulating sections of all crossinor lines,-

where there are more than one, in or er that' the signal may b e operated 'by a car or train traveling on either or any of the cross`4 ing lines.y

1. A .signaling apparatus comprising a.A

`semaphore, a normally opencircuit, a spring-retracted switch fon opening and closing said circuit, a, secondnorinally open circuit, a motor therein including a, movable core for. operating said semaphore, a signal lamp in' the first-named circuit, and a projection carried by the-coreto'engage and close said switch upon the-energization of 2. A. signaling apparatus embodying a,`

normally open circuit, a semaphore, a motor in said circuit including a rotary core for operating said semaphore, a second normally a signal lamp2 a open circuit contaiii;

pivotedfspring tetra switch for opening and closing said lamp circuit., and a projec' 130 i 10 irsnamcd circuit, a pivonly mounted Y .Lion upon the core adapted to engage and ing beyond said pivo'r', aprojcction carried close said switch upon the cnergiznt-ion of by the coi-c to ngage. Said :um .and close 15 the motor. l l said switch upon the cncrgization of the.

3. Ai signaling apparatus comprising a motor, :1nd n spring for rcracting the switch f' semaphore, a normally open circuit, said tu open circuit, upon the rciwsc of the arm circuit being provided with spaced contacts, by said projection',

: xsccond nomiaily open circuit, u motor In icstimonv wheeof I. :iiix my signature 20 ftherein including' a, iovbie core for operai'.- in presenrrc'of two witnesses.

mg sil-id semaphore, :L signgll arranged in the ROBERT PETERS switch movable between the contacs of said ifitiicsscs: clrciiit to open and close the same, said JOHN W. KELLOGG, switch being provided 'with an arm extend- THOMAS FISHER.

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