US1417124A - Signal-governing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

A. I. WOODRING.

SIGNAL GOVERNING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED 0508, 1921.

Patented May 23, 11922..

jmvend A. f. Wood ring,

ALBERTO I. woonnrne, or warnnnoo, Iowa, ASSIGZN'OR TO THE a. I. woonn'nve 1 COMPANY, or warnnnoo, IOWA.

srornan-eovnnnrne APPARATUS.

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Specification of Letters Patent. Pmbgm pgd M 23 :1199) Application filed December S, 1921. Serial No. 520,918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, ALBERTO I. VVOODRING,

a citizen of the United States of America,

and a resident of Waterloo, Blackhawk County, Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signal-Governing Apparatus, of which the following i IS a specification.

My invention relates to' improvements in signal governing apparatus, and the object of my improvement is to provide mechanism foroperating said apparatus in a predetermined timing ofsuccessive actuations and intervals, manually, incorporating with said mechanism power-relaying means for adding effective power impulses in the said actuations, with automatic resetting of the mechclaimedwithout departing from the spirit oil. theinvention; i

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevation of my improved mechanism operatively con nected to a whistle signal, and Fig. 2 ,is an elevation, in partial section, of parts thereof, taken at an'angle of ninety degrees to said Fig, 1. Fig; 3 'is an enlarged and longitudinally sectioned view of the power cylinder withmovable enclosed elements in elevation, and parts broken away.

Likenumerals of reference designate like 1 parts therein. 1 i

As in my previously filed applioatio above, this invention 1s particularly appropriated for actuating the whistle 1 of a locomotive in a predetermined timing of act-uations and their intervals while giving an audible signal in approaching a highway crossing. This signal may comprise any desired number oi such actuations and timing, but, the embodiment shown illustrates means for giving four successive blasts of the whistle under the accepted code, wherein this signal comprises a two second blast,

an interval of one second, another. two second blast, a one second interval, a one second blast, a one second interval, and a final one second blast.

My device is capable of being set for automatic actuation and resetting, by a single manual action of the engineenso that his attention is not diverted from other neces sary 0r simultaneous duties, and thus the whistle signal may be given in the prescribed manner without any deviation or irregu larity. 1

Furthermore, the incorporation with this dev ce of a power-relaying means, renders the manual power required for the initial action very light, not burdensome, while the slgnal is by the intervention of said power: re aylng means actuated positively, quickly and strongly.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral 29 denotes a springbarrel containing a spiral springBl, one end connected thereto and the other end of the spring being secured to a rock-shaft 20 mounted centrally in and projecting from said barrel. The

barrel 29. lSfiXGCl rigidly on the lower end of a hanger 27. One end of the shaft 20 extends beyond the barrel and has a cranln connectlon with a plungerin a dash-pot 30,

said crank-connection and plunger not being shown, On the other end of said shaft is fixed adisk 19, and a cord 25 has one end secured on the circumference of said disk to wind partially around it, and has aterminal pull-handle 26 for the-use of the engineer.

.On the opposite part of the circumferential edge of said disk are spaced projections 24, 23, 22 and 21, whose marginal lengths .as also the lengths of their intervals are such as to correspond relatively to the successive and differential timing of whistle blasts and intervals above described.

The numeral 11 denotes a fixed arm eX- tending from the hanger 27 horizontally and isbii'urcated at its outer end. A verticallydisposed lever 13 is medially pivoted on a pintle 14 fixed across said bifurcations. A tappet or finger 17 is pivoted at 16 on the lower end of said lever to project at a right angle therefrom toward and in the plane of saiddisk 19, and hasan anti-friction or traveler wheel or roller 18 pivotally mountedon its outer end to travel upon the circumferential edge of the disk. The other end. of the finger 17 engages a shoulder 42 on said lever to limit its movement in one direction.

The numeral 32 denotes a closed lend cylinder supported by means of a bracket on said hanger 27. The cylinderis divided by. means of a plurality of centrally orificed partitions into several chambers, and an imperforate piston 33 is slidably fitted within the left-hand .chamber on a piston-rod 9. The outwardly-projecting end of said rod is threaded to receive adjustable nuts 12 spaced to seat an orificed finger 8, thelatter being'terminally engaged in the fork of an arm 7 fixed on a shaft 6 which also carries a shorter arm and a looped end arm 10. A connecting-rod i (or a flexible cord) may be connected between the outer end of the shorter arm 5 and the upper end of the trip arm 3 which shifts the valve-stem 2 of the whistle 1.

Referring to said Fig. 3, the piston-rod 9 is extended to the right of the piston 33 to traverse one orificed bearing in a partition ofsaid cylinder, and carries a valve-head 38 normally kept upon its'seat 37 in another spaced orificed partition by reactive resilient traction of a coiled spring 39. A pipe'15, leading to a source of fluid supply under pressure not shown, such as compressed air, communicates through an opening in the wall of said cylinder with thechamber cut off to the left by said partition and valveseat 37 A by-pass lOleads from the chamher to the right of the partition 37 to the piston-chamber, Another orificedpartition I with valve-seat further divides'the cylinder-into two more chambers, that is, the last-mentioned one to the right of the partition 37 and a-nother to the rightof said'par tition 35. This last-mentioned chamber has communication with the atmosphere by way of an exhaust-port 4:1; The rod'9 projects through the valve-seat 37, and is terminally contacted by an end of an alined reciprocatory rod 34, being the stem onwhich another valve-head 36 is mounted-,'said stem moving through the valve-seat35, as also through an orifice in the adjacent cylinder head and'being terminally contacted by-the adjacent face of the upper end of said lever 13} Y Operation, The engineer has onlyto pull downwardly quickly and sharply the cord 25 by means of said handle 26,'which rocks the disk 19 in the direction indicated by the arrow, the projections 21 to 24: in turn rocking upwardly the finger-17 without actuating the lever '13. When the cord 25 is released, the spring 31 is caused to react to return the disk to its initial position, and the p'rojections 2% to 21 successively cause the finger 17 by reason of its engagement with said shoulder 42 to rock the lever 13, causing also the upper end of the lever to push to the left the valvestem 34: to close the valve-head 36 against its seat 35. The other end of the stem simultaneously pushes the rod 9 to the left causing the valve-head 38 to be opened away from its seat 37. As compressed air constantly fills the chamber in communication with said pipe 15,.the air traverses the open. valve-seat to enter the chamber to the right, moving thence through the by-pass 410 into the chamber where it pushes the piston 33 to the left, thus by i'neans of the connections above described, operating the whistle 1.

As each projection on the disk rel vases the finger 17, the tensioned spring- 39 in said cylinder is permitted to react to move the rod 9' and seat the valve-head 38 while opening the valve 36. The return of the piston to its initial position thus occasioned forces air through the bypass and the open valve seat 35 to be exhausted through the port ll.

it will be observed that the actuation is sharp and immediate, and entirely automatic after release of the cord 25 by the engineer, so that'the whistle blasts are clear and definitely terminated, the durations respectively of the blasts and of their intervals being exactly as predetermined. \Vhen the en gineer desires to cause single or other kinds of signals, this may be effected by pulling downwardly manually the looped arm 10, rocking the arm 3 and operating the whistle.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Lettrolled device whose movable elements are under compulsion of an auxiliary source of power, an intermediate movable body actuable by said reaction-device only while the latter is in reaction after an initial manual actuation and release to operate said valvecontrolled device to initiate a pomardmpulsc from said auxiliary source of power in actuation of the operative connections and said signal, said reaction-device being shaped to move said body at intervals, and said re actioimlevice also being shaped to prolong each of said actuations and intervals in a predetermined duration.

3. In combination, a signal, a manually movable tensioning reaction-device, and self-- setting and resetting tractioil-means operated between successive intervals by said rcaction-device, and in operative connection with said signal. said traction-means including a power-relaying means operable in communicating power impulses to the operative connections at each. of said actuations of the traction-means by said reaction-means.

4. In combination, a signal, a manuallyoperable rock-body having tensioning means adapted to return the rock-body to initial position. after operation and release, said cylinder containing fluid-receiving and fluidexhausting chambers, the former under constant communication With a source of fluid 20 supply under pressure, valve-controlled ports in said chambers, valves controlling said ports operable by said piston-rod and by said lever alternately in setting and resetting, to permit said source of fluid power 25 to relay power impulses to said piston-rod and piston at each action of said lever, and tensioning-ineans operable on the valves to cause re-setting thereof, after actuation by said reaction rock-body projections of said 30 lever and the release of the lever therefrom. Signed at Waterloo, Iowa, this 8th day of Nov., 1921.

ALBERTO I. WOUDRING.

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