US1167608A - Electric coupling for cars. - Google Patents

Description

P. WINSOR & c. CORLISS.

ELECTRIC COUPLING FOR CARS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-23, I914.

1,167,608. Patented Jan. 11, 1916.

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P. WINSOR & C. CORLISS.

ELECTRIC COUPLING FOR CARS.

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Patented Jan. 11, 1916.

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P. WINSOR & C. CORLISS.

ELECTRIC COUPLING FOR CARS.

APPLICATION LED 1AN.23,1914- 1,167,608. Patented Jan.11, 1916.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL WINSOR, OF WESTON, AND CYRUS CORLISS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC COUPLING FOR CARS.

memos.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 11, 1916.

Applicationfiled January 23, 1914. Serial No. 813,985.

drawings representing like parts.

to provide a means of arranging a plurality of coupling contacts in such a way, that when the-faces of any two of such pluralities are brought together, like circuits will be connected, the arrangement at each end of each car always being identical with any other, and still doing away with the necessity of intermediate connections betweeen the members for the purpose of connecting like circuits.

To this end, each or either end of a car is provided with a coupling terminal, having a plurality of pairs of contact members, each pair of contacts being the terminal of one of thewires to be coupled, and the plane containing any pair of contacts being substantially parallel to the plane on which the car is operated, with the members of each pair of contacts located on diametrically opposite sides of and substantially equi-distant from a line substantially at right angles to the aforesaid'planes, said line being common to all pairs of contacts.

The coupling terminals are carried by supports at the ends of the cars in such a manner that when two cars are coupled together, the pairs of contacts for corresponding wires are in the same plane, and the above described lines for the cooperating pairs of contacts are coincident. Q

When cars so equipped are coupled as described, the contacts for corresponding wires are in electrical contact, thereby mak;

ing like wires electrically continuous. The coupling terminals on the supports at the ends of the car when viewed from the opposite ends of the car, are exactly alike. These and other features of this invention will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is an elevation of the adjacent end portions of two railway cars coupled together and provided with coupling terminals embodying this invention. Fig. 2, a side elevation and section of the coupling terminals shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3, a front elevation of one of the terminals shown in Fig. 2. Figs. to S, modified forms of coupling terminals. Figs. 9 and 10 diagrammatic views to illustrate the circuit connections, and Fig. 11, an elevation of two cars with a modified form of support for the coupling terminals.

Referring to the drawing a, .7), represent two cars of any suitable, usual or desired construction, such as now commonly used on elevated electric railway systems. The cars a, b, are provided with the usual draw or coupling bars 0, (Z, both of which in the present instance project beyond the ends 10, 12 of the cars and form supports for coupling terminals 6, 7", by which the conductors or wires on one car are connected with like wires of the other car.

Each of the coupling terminals 6, f, is provided with a plurality of contact members, which have certain parts located in a plane substantially parallel with the plane on which the our travels, and on substantially diametrically opposite sides of and substantially equi-distant from a line substantially at right angles to the first mentioned plane.

F or sake of clearness, the plane in which the members of a pair of contacts are located, may be designated the horizontal plane, and the line from which the members of said pair are equi-distant may be designated the vertical line. The coupling members c, f, may be provided with various forms of contact members. In Figs. 2 and 3, the contact members are represented as movable and rigid, that is, the movable member is shown as a plunger 13, backed up by a spring 1%, and the rigid member is shown as a block 15.

In Fig. 3, the terminal member 6 is shown as provided with five pairs of movable and g d members 13, 15, with the movable and five pairs of contacts are numbered 17, 18,; 19, 20,21. The movable and llgLCl members 13, 15 of the coupling terminal-7, are arranged in pairs and connected in a like manner, but are arranged so that when coupled with the terminal 6, the contact members of terminal f are reversed to the contact members of terminal 6. Fach car is provided at one end with a coupling terminal e andat itsopposite end with a coupling member 7, so that when one end of the car as a is coupled tothe other car 6, the terminal 6 cooperates-with the terminal f, and when the car a, is reversedand its opposite end is coupled to the car b,the coupling terminal f on the car a will couple with the terminal 7 on the car I), as clearly shown in the diagrammatic Fi s. 9 and 10.

In Fig. 9, two pairs of contact members 01 each terminal 6, f, are shown, and it will be observed that when the contact members of the terminals 6, f, are viewed by a person looking toward the ends of the car, both pairs of contact members are arranged exactly alike, and when the contact members.

of each pair are dit erent in construction, as represented in Figs. 2, l, and 6, the contact members otone terminal as e are reversely arranged with relation to the contact members of terminal f, when considered with re lation to the longitudinal center of the car, but are exactly alike when looked at from the opposite ends of-the car.

The re ersal of contact members with respect to the longitudinal center of the car. is especially noticeable when male and female contact members are used. In Fig. 9, the contact members of the terminal 6 on car a are supposed to make contactwith the contact members of terminal 7 of car I). and in Fig. 10, the car a. is supposed to be reversed .and term nal f thereof engages terminal f of car 6. The members 13, 15 of the coupling terminals may be of any deslred construction, and the contact members of the various pairs of contacts may be arranged with both movable and rigid members on both sides of the vertical plane 16. as represented in Fig. 3. or all the movable members may bearranged on one side of said plane and all the rigid members on the other side of said plane as represented in Figs. 4 to 7. In Figs. 4 and 5, the members 13 are shown as plugs, and the members 15 as sockets. and in Figs. 6 and 7. the members 13 are shown as springs and the members 15 as flat strips.

In Fig. 8, the contacts 13, 15 are of like construction and are represented as abutting contact members, which are formed by the opposite ends of bent metal strips. In the arrangement shown in F 8, three bent metal strips are shown, which correspond to the connecting wires 17,18, 19 of the arrangement shown in Fig. 3, and the opposite ends of said metal strips correspond to the In Figs. 6 and'7, six pairs of contact mem- -bers and siX line wires are shown, and in Fig. 8, three pairs of contact members and three wires are shown. I

In Fig. l, the bars a, (Z, wh1ch serve to couple the cars together are shown as constituting the supports for the coupling terminals, and it will be seen that when the coupling bars 0, (Z, are coupled together automatically as commonly practised, the terminals 6, f, carried'thereby are automatically connected, which dispenses with the flexible cable or ]umper now commonlv employed, and also avoids the necessity of effecting the electrical connection of one carwith another by manual labor. It may be preferred to employ the coupling bars 0, (Z,

as the supports for thecoupling terminals, but it is not desired to limit the invention in this respect, as the supports for the coupling terminals may be otherwise located, ast'or instance, as shown in Fig. 11, wherein the supports for the terminals e, f, are shown as located above the cars a, b, and are suitably constructed to provide for up and down, horizontal and longitudinal movements. T 0 this end, the supports are shown as levers or arms h, z, pivoted at ,7 is, to rods m, n, which slide in tubes, 0,;0, pivoted at q, r to the roofs of the cars. The rods m, 'n are capable of sliding in the tubes 0, 79 and are backed up in a manner well understood by helical springs W, to provide for the longitudinal movement of thesupports, and the pivots is, 7', take care of, the vertical movement thereof, while the pivots 0, 1' provide for the horizontal movement. The supports are provided with suitable means shown as lugs or fingers s, t, which gather and center the said supports, when the cars are coupled together. 7

The wires connecting the terminals 6. 7, may and preferably will be provided in practice with a suitable switch. not shown,

when the with wires or electrical conductors, of electrical coupling terminals carried by and located at the opposite ends of said car, each of said coupling terminals having a plurality of pairs of contact members, with the contact members of each pair connect-ed electrically together and to a single electrical conductor, a plurality of said pairs being located in the same plane with the members of each pair on opposite sides of a plane at right angles to the said plane and with both members of each pair equi-distant from said latter plane, whereby the car can be coupled directly at either end with another car, equipped exactly the same, and connect like electrical conductors in one car with the same electrical conductors in the other car or cars irrespective of which ends of the cars are coupled together.

2. The combination with a car provided with wires or electrical conductors, of electrical coupling terminals carried by and located at the opposite ends of said car, each of said coupling terminals having a plurality of pairs of contact members, with the contact members of each pair connected opposite sides of a plane common to all the pairs and at right angles to the planes in which the contact members of each pair are located, and with both members of each pair equi-distant from said latter plane, whereby when two cars equipped identically are coupled together, each electrical conductor in the coupling terminal will be automatically connected to exactly the corresponding electrical conductor in the coupling terminal of the adjacent car irrespective of which ends of the cars come together.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PAUL WINSOR. CYRUS CORLISS.

lVitnesses J. M. AYER, M. F. HARLEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I. C.

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