US891780A - Air-brake apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

H43. MILLER. AIR. BRAKE APPARATUS. APPLIGATIOIF FILED 1330.16, 1907- PATENTED JUNE 23, 1908.

"I'ZETED STATES PATENT 7 OFFICE; 1

HARVEY B. MILLER, or STAUNTLON, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF To JAMES A. BELL, or STAUNTON, VIRGINIA.

Ara-BRAKE APPARATUS.

To all whom itmayeoncem:

Be it known that I, HARVEY B. MrLLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Staunton, in the county of Augusta and State of Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Air-Brake Apparatus, of cation. This invention relates to air brake ratus.

Air brake apparatus involving my invention canbe used on vehicles propelled by- .steam, electricity, or any other motive agent and may be used as a part of or in connection with a system such as that shown in my application for patent Serial No. 396,807, filed October 10, 1907, of which the present ap lication is a division. Y

n connection with the train pipe I provide a valve'whi'ch is adapted to be auto matically opened to reduce the pressure in the train pipe to either stop or cause the slowing down of a train, or it may be a's'mgle vehicle. In the resent case this valve is electrically eontro led and, when it forms a part ofor is an adjunct to the system mentioned, its automatic opening is caused when the train 1s in dangerous proximity to a secof-the system to which I have referred, for

' said valve-operating means can be used with advantage in other connections. I provide valve mechanism of a simple and advantaeous character, and, by valve mechanism, I refer to the valve and the various partswhieh coaet therewith to cause the opening of the valve for the purpose of reducing air ressure within the train pipe.

In the awing accom anying and forming a part of this speeirihation I represent fully one form of embodiment of the invention which, to enable those'skilled in the art to ractice the same, will be set forth in detai in the following description, while the novelty of the invention will be included in the claims succeeding said description.

In said drawing the apparatus is represented in sectional elevation and as mounted upon avehiele as 2. This vehicle may he the locomotive of a train or it may be an electric car. The vehicle is equipped with a train pi e 3 common in air brake apparatus, and sai .train pipe is: provided with a suit- Specification of Letters Patent. I Qriginal application filed October 10, 1907, Serial which the following is a specifigral.

Patented .Tune 28, 1908.

No. 396,807. Divided and. this application filed December 16, 1907,

Serial No. 406,748. p

"able valve as 4 by opening which the pressure of air in the train pipe 3 can be reduced or exhausted to atmosphere byway of the nipple 5 depending from the valve casing 6. By a partial opening of the valve 4 the vehicle 2 may be caused to slow down. By

a further opening of thevalve the vehicle may be caused to sto I have shown as astened to the stem of the valve4 an arm 7 provided with an ad justable weight 8 adapted to be maintained in its difierent adjusted positions alon the arm 7 by a screw as 9 tapped throug the weight and adapted to engage the arm 7 The weighted arm constitutes a suitable and convenient valveopening device and, in the present instance, when it is horizontal, the valve 4 will be closed so as to prevent the escape of air from the pi e 3- to theatmosphere by way of the nipp e 5.

I have shown as fastened to the vehicle 2 a board or plate 10 represented as furnished at one end with a flange as 11. to which the electro-magnet 12 is suitably fastened. To one pole of the m'agnet 12 the wire 13 is connected and leads from the contact device 14 to which it is electrically connected. From the other pole of the magnet a wire as 15 leads to ground. When therefore the contact device 14 engages against an energized part such as one of the contact rails in the said application 396,807, the magnet 12 will beenergizcd for the purposeof attracting its armature 16. The part 16,,i11 addition to serving as an armature, also constitutes a detent or latch for normally holding the weighted arm 7 against shifting movement, and it is represented as carried at the lower end of the lever 17 shown as fulcrumed be tween its ends to the board or plate 10. The lever 17 is provided on its upper and short branch with an adjustable weight as 18 which is of a mass to cause the balancing of the two arms or branches of the lever; that is to say, the lever is a balanced one and it has in itself no tendency to swing about its axis. Should, however, it be from any accidental cause slightly oil balance, the dilliculty can be easily remedied by the adjustment of the weight 18. The armature 16 constitutes a transverse foot for the lever and, if desired, the two parts may be inte- When the magnet 12 is deenergized the armature-detent l6 under the free end of the weighted arm 7 so as to prevent "said weighted arm from descending in a direction to open the valve 4.. This relation in the present case is, maintained in a positive man- 5' ner, for example, by the spring 19 connected with the lower arm of the lever 17 and also with one end of a screw as 20 taplped through a projection or lug as 21 on t e board or plate 10. By the operation of the screw 20 the tension of the spring 19 can beregulated. This springholds t e armature-detent 16 in its operative position and moves it to such position when the magnet 12 is denergiz ed. It will be assumed that the magnet is energized. When this occurs the armature-detent 16 is attracted and movedfrom under the arm 7, whereby said arm can swing downward to open the valve 4. v

Themagnet is. provided with a casing or housing as 22 the outer'end of which has an opening in which the armature-detent '16 is located at all times, the opening constituting a guiding means for the armature-detent; The core of the magnet is providecl with a tapered seat as 23 which receives the correspondingly shaped end of the armature-detent 16 when the said magnet is energized.

When used with a system such as'that illustrated in application 396,807 the magnet 12 is energized as soon as the contact device 14 strikes a contact rail, the result being that 1 the armature-detent 16 is attracted by the manet and is moved'fromunder the free end of the arm 7--for releasing said arm. soon as the magnet is deenergized the spring 19, by acting against the lever 17, returns the armature-detent 16 to itsoriginal or op- -erative position at which time the said lever bears against a stop as 24 which may consist of a pin on the board or plate 10. The outer end of the armature-detent 16 has a beveled face 25 engageable by the weighted arm 7 as the latter is returned to its normal osition by hand or otherwise. When t e said weighted arm 7 is nearly horizontal it engages and then rides along the beveled face '25 so as to swing the armature-detent 16 to the left, the motion continuing hntil the said arm 7 passes free of said beveled face 25, at which point the spring 19 swings the armatore-detent under the arm.

I provide means, as will now appear, for adjusting the length of'movement o the arm 7 and, although the means may be of any desirable character, it comprisesa stop or pin as 26 adapted to be placed in any one of the series of erforati'ons or holes 27 formed the boar or plate 10 in an arc concentric with the axis of motion of the arm 7. The pin 26 is removably fitted in the lowermost perforation or hole 27 and the motion of the arm 7, when the same is released, will be continued until the arm strikesthe pin 26. .To 'reduce the motion of the arm 7 to the lowest 6 possible extent the pin 26 will be removed opening said valve,

ing arm fo'd opemngthe valve,

from the, lowermost perforation or seat and will be placed in the uppermost perforation orse'at. I

What I claim is: 1. The combination ofa train pipe, a valve 7( for controlling the discharge of air from said train pi e, a weighted arm connected with said va ve, a magnet having an armature constituting a detent for engaging and normally holding said weighted arm against movement when the magnet is denergized, and a swinging lever to which said armature or detent is connected for movement therewith. g

2. The combination of a train pipe, a valve for controlling the discharge of 'ai'r from said train pipe, automatically operable means for a. detent for normally holding said automatically-operable means against movement, electrically o erable means for actuating the detent to e ect the release of said automatically' operable means to cause the o ening-of the valve, and means for varying t e amount of opening move-- ment of the valve. 9

for controlling the discharge of air from said train pipe, automatically-operable means for openin the valve, a balanced lever, a detent movab e withsaid lever and adapted to hold 9 the automatically o erable means against. motion, an electrica ly-operable device for actuating said detent in a direction to release said automatically 0 'erable means, and means for normally ho ding the detent in its 1 efiectiv'e position. 1

4. The combination of a train pipe, a valve for controlling the discharge of air from said train pipe, automatically-o erable means for o ening said valve, a ba anced lever pro'- vided with a detent for holding the automatically-operable means against movement, a spring acting against the leiger to maintain t e detent normally in its operative position, i and electrically o erable means formoving the detent away om the automatically-operableuneans. r Y

5. The combination of a" train pipe, a valve for, ,oontrolling the dischar e of air from the pipe, an automatica y swinga part having a series of! 'seats arranged on an arc concentric with the axis of motionof said arm, a pin to removably fit said seats to control the amount of motion of the arm, a detent ,for normally holding the arm against movement, and means for operating said detent.

6. The combination of a train pipe, a valve for controlling the discharge of air from the train pipe, automatically-operable means for .causing the opening of the valve, a lever provided with a detent for normally holding the said automatically operable means againstaction, a spring actin against the lever to hold the detent norm y m operative Position, and. a i'electricalli-o e'rab'le. held the sanie against operation, said detent 10 a device for causin thedetent-tqfreesal, auto-Q constituting an armature for said magnet. matically-operab e means. In testimony whereofl have-hereunto set 7. The combination of a train ipe, a y hand in presence of two subs'cribing wit- 5 iivalvefor controlling the discharge 0f--8i1 l n'e'sses'. f fromsaid train'pipe, automatically operable a HARVEY BVMILLER. means for opemn said valve, and a lever Wit'Iie'fsses: I providedwith a etent to directly en age T I C.- A.:CROWELL,' said,automatically*operablmeans an Q to. 1 7 JOHN E. \STBDDARD.

Images