US1528020A - Railway-traffic-controlling apparatus - Google Patents

Description

-Mar. 3, 1925. 1,523,020

L. F. HOWARD RAILWAY TRAFFIC CONTROLLING APPARA TUS Fi led, Aug.- 30, 1923 D ZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII I ,IIIII 'IIIIIIIIIIJ I 0 blllll'l/IIIIII INVENTORI a X W. wee,

rams-. 1 Mar. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT ossics.

EMUEL F. HOWARD, or EDGEWGOD BOROUGH, PENNSYLVANIA, -ASSIGNOR-TO1THE ION swrron & SIGNAL COMPANY, ronArIoN or rENNsYLvANIA.

or swIssvAnE, rnNnsvnvnN'r-n, A- 1' con \RAILWAY-TBAFFIC-CONTROLLING AnPAn rus.

Application filed Aug-11st 30,

train. carrie governing mechanism 1s controlled by energy received from the track- .brakes of the train in the following manner:

way.- More specifically the present; invention relates to the train carried-portion of such apparatus.

I will describe one form ofapparatu$emy l s my v n ea n l en poin out the novel jieatures thereotin claims,

7 In the accompanying drawing, Fig. l' isa diagrammatic view showing one form of apparatus embodying my invention. Fig- 2 is a view showing a modification of a portion of theapparatus: shown in- Fig. 1 and 7 also embodying my invention. r

1 Similar reference characters-refer to similar parts-in eachjof the views.

efer ingwfi 's t character A designates a train. carried relay,

wh ch, as here shown, isof the induction motor type comprising two s ator windings l0; and 11, a rotor 12and threecontact fingers 2, '3 and A operated by therotor. The ato wi ings and a upplie with energy controlledbytnaflfifc condit ons in advance ofjth train in such ,manner that u d r pr eed t af ic cqnd i ns' t c ac fingers are swungtolthelright, under caution I r fi con i ns he C ntact n ers. a swu g to th l a d' nder ep rafi conditions" thecontact fingers occupy vertical or intermediate positions. The means for supplying current ,to the windings l0 and ll forms no part of. my present invention and is omitted from the drawing for the p rp of s mp i ty,-

A lo a ed; o he a is a sign lmp si g n the m r s o n, re

lamps G, Y and which lamps, when livhted, indicate Proceed, .Caution and top,respectively. The proceed lamp is controlled by. contact 22 offrelayA, .so that ,this lamp lighted under proceed traffic conditions. The caution lamp Y is :tions. The circuits fol-these lamps rent are represented by the These circuits will be clearly understood Whenrelay .the brakes in such manner that the ref ren Qoccur. A 7 r jThe reference character E deslgnates a 4-14 of relay A manually closed; by the driver 3.2. Serial No. 660,1,46. j

controlled by contact 2--2 f relay A, so that this lamp is lighted under. caution traffic conditions. The stop lamp- R is controlled by contact 2-2 of relay A 'so that this lamp is lighted under stop tra'fiic condias well as i or the other parts of the apparatus are shown in skeleton form, in that the twoterminals of the battery or other sour'ce of curletters B and 0.

from the drawing. r e

Contact finger 4 of relay A controls-the When contact l4is closed, a slow releasing relay G is energized through a circuit which will be obvious from the drawing. C is energized, a magnet fG is also energized through front a contact 13,, the circuit for which magnet will also be obvious from the drawing. Magnet 6,.controls an automatic application occurs when this magnet is de-energi'zeclis provided with an armature 7,, which controls a valve 5 in a pipeD. As long as'inagnet 6 is energized valve 5 is closed and no automatic application of the brakes occurs;

when magneto becomes d-e-energized,- however, it releases armature [thereby permitting valve 5 to open and the consequent opening of pipe D to atmospherecauses an automatic application of the brakes to t'rain'carried rel'ay which is provided with a pick-up circuit including a caution contact and a normally open oil'- so located-that it may be of the train. VVVhen the relay is once closed, it will remain closed as long as contact H isclosed, because of the stick circuit including contact H and a front contact 9 of relay E. When relay E is closed, contact' 8 thereof closes an auxiliary circuit ior brake-controlling magnet 6, so that this magnet then remains energized after relay C becomes dee rg d l The reference character X designates an cuit controller F auxiliary signaling devicepwhich, in the form here shown, is an electric 'lampfcontrolled by caution contact 3*? of relay A. hi mp Xis so des gn d th m at As here shown, magnet .65.

sence of resistance in its circuit it will burn at greater brilliancy than the lamps of signal S. The circuit for lamp X includes a ballast resistance unit 10, that is, a unit having a high positive temperature coefficient, so that the resistance of the unit increases with increase of temperature. It follows that when contact 3 -3" of relay A becomes closed, the auxiliary lamp X will momentarily burn at relatively high brilliancy and will subsequently burn at relativel low brilliancy.

The operation of the apparatus shown in Figure 1, is as follows: When relay A is energized in proceed direction, as shown in the drawing, the proceed lamp G is lighted, slow-releasing relay C is energized, and brake controlling magnet 6 is also energized, so that the train may proceed without an automatic application of the brakes. hen such a change in traffic conditions occurs as to cause relay A to become energized in the caution direction, lamp G will become extinguished, lam Y will become lighted, and relay 0 will become de-energized, so that after a certain interval of time this relay will open and the brakes will be automatically applied unless the driver takes suitable action to prevent such application. If, during the said interval of time, the driver closes circuit controller F, relay E will be come energized, thereby closing the auxiliary circuit for magnet 6 and preventing an automatic application of the brakes. Relay E will then remain energized through its stick circuit as long as relay A continues to be energized in the caution direction. As soon as relay A assumes the caution position, lamp X is momentarily lighted at excess brilliancy, thereby emphatically calling the drivers attention to the fact that a change has occurred in the indication given by signal S. It is not necessary, therefore, for the driver to constantly watch the signal S, because when this signal changes to an indication requiring action on the part of the driver, his attention will be called to this fact by the brilliant illumination of lamp X. Preferably lamp X, when brilliantly lighted, will be visible to the driver no matter what part of his cab he may be occupying and no matter in what direction he may be looking.

- The apparatus shown in Fi 2 is the same as that shown in Fig. 1, except that the auxiliary lamp X is omitted, the caution. lamp Y has the same characteristic as lamp X, and the ballast resistance 10 is placed in the circuit of the lamp Y. lVhen relay A changes from the proceed to the caution position, lamp Y will momentarily be lighted at excess brilliancy and will then be reduced to normal brilliancy, so that the drivers attention is emphatically called to the change in indication given by signal S.

One important feature of my invention is the fact that I am assured that the drivers attention will be immediately called to a change of indication requiring action on his part, so that I am enabled to materially re duce the time interval required in which to permit the driver to prevent an automatic brake application by'closing circuit controller F.

Although I have herein shown and described only two forms of apparatus emhodying my invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim is:

1. Train carried traflic controlling apparatus comprising a signal device provided with a circuit including a source of current and means for closing and opening the circuit, and a ballast resistance in said circuit for reducing the amount of current supplied to said signal device after the circuit has been closed for a brief interval of time.

2. Train carried traffic controlling apparatus comprising at least two signaling devices giving a less restrictive and a more restrictive indication respectively, circuits for said devices. and a ballast resistance associated with the circuit for the more restrictive device to reduce the current supplied to such device after its circuit has been closed for a brief interval of time.

3. Train carried traffic controlling apparatus comprising at least two signaling devices giving a less restrictive and a more restrictive indication respectively, circuits for said devices, and means associated with the circuit for the more restrictive device for permitting an excessive current to reach the device for a brief interval after the circuit'is closed and for thereafter reducing the current in said device to normal value.

4. In combination, a train carried main signal capable of giving a less restrictive indicationand a more restrictive indication, an auxiliary signal device energized only when the more restrictive indication is given by said main signal, and a ballast resistance in the circuit for said auxiliary signal device.

, 5. In combination, a train carried railway signal comprising at least two lamps giving a less restrictive and a more restrictive indication respectively, and means for causing the more restrictive indication lamp to burn momentarily at excess brilliancy when such lamp becomes lighted.

6. In combination, a train carried railway signal capable of giving a less restrictive indication and a more restrictive indication. an auxiliary lamp arranged to be lighted only when the more restrictive indication is given by said signal, and means for causing said lamp to burn momentarily at excess brilliancy when the lamp'becomes lighted. v

and a ballast resistance in said-circuit TEO1 causing said lamp to burn momentarily at relatively high brilliancy when the circuit becomes closed and subsequently causing the lamp to burn at relatively low brilliancy.

8. Train carried railway traiiic controlling apparatus comprising means operating to apply the brakes automatically after a given interval of time subsequent to a change from a less restrictive to a more restrictive trafllc condition, signaling means for indicating traflic conditions to the driver of the train, means for preventing such automatic application if the driver takes suitable action during such interval of time, and means for emphatically calling the drivers attention to a change from less to more restrictive traflic conditions thereby insuring that he have an opportunity to take such suit-able action during said time interval.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

LEMUEL F. HOWARD.

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