US1110759A - Trolley-retriever. - Google Patents

Description

C. I. EARLL.

TROLLEY RETRIEVER.

APPLICATION TILED JUNE 17,1909.

Patented Sept. 15, 1914.

Y 2 SHBETSSHEET 1 O. I. EARLL.

TROLLEY RETRIEVER.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 17,1909.

Patente i Sept. 15, 1914.

8 SHEETS-SHEET WITNESSES CHARLES I. EARLL, OF NEW YORK, Y.

TROLLEY-RETRIEVER.

Specification of petters Patent. Patented Sept. 1 5, 1914.

Application filed June 17, 1909. Serial No. 502,744.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES I. EABLL, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in, Trolley-Retrievers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to trolley retrievers.

The object of my invention is to provide a device of this character which shall be sim ple and effective in its construction and operation and one which shall be especially adapted'for use on trolley cars of moderate speeds.

My invention consists in providing a drum for the trolley rope which is normally under the action of a relatively'weak spring capable of rotating the drum to take up and pay out the slack which would otherwise occur in the trolley rope due to the variations in the height of the trolley wire or conductor, in providing a power spring which is normally wound u and locked, and means for automatically re easing the same when the trolley jumps the wire and causing the power spring to act upon the drum for one revolution or less of the drum, or for a limited number of revolutions, and in so arranging the mechanism that the drum may continue to revolve after the power spring has ceased to act upon it so as to take in the slack and retain the trolley pole in the lowest position to which it is brought by momentum.

In the retrievers heretofore in use it has been necessary in order to rewind or reset the power spring, to pull out an amount of rope equal to that which was taken in during the retrieving action, whereas by means of the novel mode of operation of my present invention the amount which the trolley is lowered by the retrieving action is considerably greater than the length of trolley rope which has to be withdrawn from the retriever to reset or rewind the power spring.

In the practical operation of my present invention, the retrieving action exceeds the length of rope required to be pulled out of the retriever by about fifty per cent.'

My invention consists further in other novel features and constructions to be hereinafter more fully pointed out and described.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this application, Figure 1 is a partial section on line a-a of Fig. 2, Fig. 2

is a section on line b?) of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a partial section correspondin to Fig. 1 showing the parts in difierent relation, and Figs. 4, 5 and 6 represent respectively a partial side view, partial section and detail of a modification.

The reference characters are used in the same sense throughout the drawings and the specifications.

Numeral 1 represents the case which is formed of the shell 2 and the back 3. The back 3 has teeth 4 formed therein. The two parts 2 and 3 of the casing are held together by the central shaft 5 on the front end of which is secured the collar 6 While its back end is threaded and engaged by the thumb nut 7. Mounted on the shaft 5 is the intermediate 8. The intermediate has an elongated sleeve or hub 9 formed upon it which runs upon the shaft 5. The drum 10 is provided with a transverse web 11 which has a central opening bearing upon the sleeve 9 of the intermediate. The outer end of the drum is turned out so as to leave a shoulder 12 to receive the disk 13 which is made removable for the purpose of assembling and disassembling the power spring 14. The disk 13 has a central opening which bears upon the sleeve 9 of'the intermediate. Between the disk 13 and the web 11, is the power spring 14, having its outer end secured to the drum and its inner end to the sleeve 9. In the recess in the end of the drum, on the other side of the disk 13, is the tension spring 15 which has its outer end secured to the drum and its inner end to the inwardly projecting hub 16 formed on the collar 6. The intermediate has a stud 17 formed upon it which carries the lock pawl 18. The lock pawl 18 has a .tooth 19 which engages a tooth 20 on the drum and it has an end or abutment 21 which is adapted to engage the teeth 4 in the back. When the abutment 21 of the lock pawl 18 is out into full engagement with the teeth 4, the point of the tooth 19 will clear the tooth 20 on the drum; and similarly when the tooth 19 is in full engagement with the tooth 20 on the drum the lock pawl will clear the teeth 4. The lock pawl may, however, be partially withdrawn from its engagement with the teeth 4 so as to permit the tooth 20 on the drum to engage the tooth 19 on the lock pawl while the abutment 21 is still in engagement with the tooth 4. the purpose of which will be hereafter explained.

. normally occupy when the power spring 1swound up and locked and the trolley ison The centrifugal pawl 22 is pivotally mounted on the pawl 18. A spring 23 secured to the stud 24 of the Centrifugal pawl 22 and bearing against the intermediate,

tends to move the end of the centrifugal pawl toward the center: of the drum, its inner position being determined by the engagement of'the pin 26 with the web 25, formed on the intermediate. Theweb 25 is circular and concentric withthe center of rotation of the intermediate, and the pin 26 rests upon the web 25 both when the lock pawl is in engagement with the drum as in Fig. 1 and when it is in engagement with the teeth 4: of the back as in Fig. 3, and the distance ofthe periphery of the web from the center issu ch as to bring the hook 30 of the centrifugal pawl in position to be engaged by the lug 31 on the drum. A radial rib or lug 27 is formed on the face of the drum and a radial lug 28 is formed onthe'fa'ce of theinterme diate in the plane of the rib 2? so that the relative rotation of the drum and the intermediate in either direction is limited by the engagement of these two 'ribsor lugs. As shown in the drawings, thedrum, if released, may make about seyen-eighths of a revolution to the right, as seen in Fig. 1, before the lug 27 will engage on the opposite side of thelug 28 and cause the intermediate to rotate with the drum. The parts are shown in Figs. land 2 in the position ,which'they the wire. When there is a sudden jerk on the trolleyropef the centrifugal pawl is I thrown outwardly against the actionv of the spring 23 and-engages a tooth 4c in the back. The continued movement of the drum will then cause the lock pawl 18 to be forced out into engagement with a tooth 4. As soon as the tooth 19 has released thetooth 2O on' the drum, the power spring will rotate the drum to the right, as seen in Fig. 1, winding up the trolley rope and pulling the pole down. The amount of this rotation under the action of the power spring is limited, as' above stated, by the lugs 27 and 28 upon the drum and intermediate, respectively. The power spring 14 is preferably of such strength that after the lock pawl has been released and the drum has turned until the lug 27 has engaged the opposite side of the lug 28, it will still be strong enough to at least balance the upward pull of the trolley. During the turning of the drum, the drum and the trolley pole acquire momentum which, augmented somewhat by the tension spring 15 carries them beyond the point reached when contact is made between the lugs, and the drum and since the spring 23 has a tendency to push forty to fifty per cent.

the lock pawl away from the drum into engagement with the teeth 4, as will be clearly perceived by'considering the parts in the positions shown in Fig. 3. If the drum and intermediate were there turned slightly to the right so as to relieve the pressure between the end of the lock pawl and the tooth 4: which it engages and the lock pawl were .pushed toward the drum, it is obvious-that the stud 24; of the centrifugal pawl would turn relatively to the lock pawl" and the spring 23 would be further wound around the stud and would resist such motion; It is therefore seen that by means of this construction the trolley may be lowered an amount greater than the amount of rope which will have'tobe withdrawn from the retriever'in order to reset the power spring. The amount of this excess of retrieving action will of course depend upon the relative strength of thepower spring and the trolley base springs, as well as the weight, friction etc. In practice I have found it to be from When the centrifugal pawl 22 occupies a horizontal position above the center of the shaft, the centrifugal force must. overcome the spring 23 and in addition thereto the effect of gravity on the centrifugal pawl, and when the centrifugal'pawl occupies a horizontal-position below the center of the shaft centrifugal force must overcome only the difference between the spring 23 and the efiiect of gravity on the centrifugal pawl. In order that the action of the centrifugal pawl may beuniform throughout its revolu-. tion, or in other words in order to neutralize the efi'ect of gravity on the pawl, I make the points of contact between the centrifugal pawl; and the'tc'eth 4 eccentric to the center of the shaft '5 by making a cut29 shown by dotted lines in-Fig. 1, and full lines in Fig- 2. This eccentric cut in the teeth is made deep enough'only to accommodate the cen trifugal pawlQ-Q. The abutment 21 of the lock pawl being broader makes contact with the teeth beyond the eccentric cut and "is therefore not affected by said out.

, The centrifugal pawl 22 is provided with a'lug 30whieh engages the lug or point 31 on the drum. When the setting of the power spring is nearly gpmpleted, the lug 31 en.- gages the' hook 3 on the centrifugal pawl and pulls thelock pawl toward the drum'until the point of the tooth 19 has come slightly within the radius of the tooth 20 on the drum at the same time as the lugs 27 and 28 come in contact. Then, when the pull on the trolley rope is relaxed, the drum, under the action of thepower spring will turn to the right as seen in Fig. 1, and the engagement'of the tooth 20 with the tooth 19 on the lock pawl will cause the pawl to pass into full engagement with the tooth 20 and out of engagement with the tooth 4 of the back.

To more clearly explain this action I wilf .then turn to the right approximately seveneighths of a'revolution. The lug 31 will not then have passed the hook 30 on the centrifugal pawl. The lugs 27 and 28 prevent any further rotation of the intermediate and the drumunder the-action of the power spring. Then when-the rope is pulled out from the retriever to wind up the power spring, the drum will turn to the left, and near the end'of the turning, that is just before the lugs 27 and 28 come in contact, the

- lug 31' will engage the'hook 30 and pull the lock pawl a short distance toward the drum,

a distance suficient, however, to bring the.

extreme point 19 of the lock pawl within the radius o'fithe tooth 20 on the drum by the time that the lugs 97 and 28 have come in contact. vThen when the pull on thetrolley rope is relaxed the drum will turn slightly tothe right under the actionof the power spring, the lock pawl-still being in engagement with the tooth of theback although it has been partially withdrawn from such en gagement, until the tooth 20 engages the tooth 19. The angle ofthe contact surfaces is such that as the pull on the rope is further relaxed the lock pawl is forced home to its normal position shown in Fig. l.

y In Figs. 4, 5 and 6 I have illustrated a modification of my invention, by means of which the power spring is caused to act for I more than onerevolu-tion, in fact for about one and three-quarters revolutions as shown. In this ihodi-fication a disk is interposed between the web 11 of the drum 211:? thy termediatefl. This disk is provided with a lug 3%which engages the lug 27 on the drum,and a lug 35 which engages the lug 28 on the intermediate. The centrifugal paw] 36is provided with a hook 37 which engages the lug 38011 the disk in lieu of the lug 31 It will be obvious that in this modification when the lock paw-l is released from the drum the will turn to the right as seen in Fig. 4

until the h1g2? engages the opposite side. of

"the lug Sion the disk and willcontinue to revolve,, carrying the diskwith itiuntil-the lug 3 5 on the disk engages the opposite side of the lug 28 on the intermediate, after which the drum and intermediatmwill revolve together until the momentum is overcome by the trolley base springs.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

up to a degree more than sufficient to overcome the upward pull of the trolley pole, means for automatically releasing said power spring on a sudden pull of the trolley rope Whereby said spring is put into action and for limiting the amount of its action including means for retaining the drum in the position to which it is carried by momentum, after the power spring has ceased to act.

2. In a trolleyretriever the combination gwiththree relatively movable members, one

fconstituting' a drum, another stationary member and the third an intermediate, of a power spring having one end secured to said intermediate and the other end to one of the other of said members, a locking means between said intermediate and said member to which said power spring is secured adapted to retain said power spring in its normally, wound'up conditionv anda retaining means between said intermediate and said other member to retain said power spring after the release of said locking means and the unwinding of: said power spring a predetermined amount, said lockingmeans including means operating between said intermediate and the member not secured to said power spring permitting said drum to rotate in a direction to wind up trolley rope and opposing its rotation in a direction to unwind trolley rope when said retaining means is in action.

3. In a trolley retriever the combination vith a drum adapted to receive the trolley rope, a power spring and mechanism by which said power spring is adaptedto be automatically thrown intoaction on a sudden pull of thetrolley -rope to rotate the drum to wind up the trolley rope, of, means for limiting the action of the power'spring and causing it to cease to act beforedt has completely relaxed, and means governed by said mechanism for retaining the drum in the position to which it iscarried by momentum after the power spring has ceased to act. v

l. In a trolley retriever the combination with three relatively movable members, one constituting a drum for the trolley rope. another a normally stationary member and the third an intermediate member, said. drum and said intermediate being concentrically and rotatably mounted, of a power spring connecting said intermcdiate'memher with one of the other of said members, and a stop acting between said intermediate and the member connected with'it by the power spring, adapted to limit theirrelativc rotation in both directions and means acting between said intermediate and the said Y other a normally stationary member and the third an intermediate member, said drum,

and said intermediate being concentrically and rotatably mounted, of a power sprin connecting said intermediate member wit one of the other of said members, and a stop acting between said intermediate and the member connected with it by the power spring, adapted to limit the unwinding of said power'spring and a ratchet and pawl connection between 'said' intermediate and the said member not connected with the power spring permitting their relative rotation in one direction and preventing it in the opposite direction, when the power spring has reached the limit of its unwindmg. a

6. In a trolley retriever the combination with a drum, of an intermediate mounted concentrically with said drum and having a lug secured thereto a power spring connecting said drum and said intermediate tending to rotate them in opposite directions and a lug on said drum adapted to engage said lug on said intermediate to limit their relative rotation in both directions.

v7. In a trolley retriever the combination with a case provided with a tooth and a shaft mounted in said case, of a drum provided with a tooth and an intermediate member rotatably mounted on said shaft, a

power spring connecting said drum and said intermediate member, a lock pawl mounted on said intermediate member adapted to engage the tooth on said drum and to be released therefrom and to engage the-tooth 'on said case and to simultaneously engage the tooth on said drum and the tooth on said case.

8. Ina trolley retriever the combination with a case provided with internal ratchet teeth and a shaft centrally located with respect to said teeth, of a drum and an intermediate rotatably mounted on said shaft, a power spring secured to said drum and to said intermediate tending to rotate them in opposite directions, a tooth on said drum, and a lock on said intermediate adapted when in one position to engage the tooth on said drum and clear the teeth in said case, in another position to engage a tooth in said case and clear the tooth on said drum, and in an intermediate position -to simultaneous'l engage a tooth in said case. and the toot on said drum.

9. The combination with a drum of a centrifugal pawl pivotally mounted and adapt-' ed to revolve with said drum, a spring tending to hold the free end of said centrifugal pawl towardthejcenter of revolution, and a plurality of teeth adapted to be engaged by said centrifugal pawl arranged eccentrically. to the axis about which said centrifugal pawl revolves.

' 10. A trolle retriever case having a con-H5 said intermediate, and a centrifugal pawl pivoted to said lock pawl and adapted to engage said teeth. Y Y

12. In a trolley retriever the combination with a cage provided with a tooth, of a drum provided with a tooth rotatably mounted in said case, an intermediate mounted to rotate concentricallywith said drum and connected therewith by a retrieving spring, a lock pawl mounted on said in-- termediate adapted to engage the tooth on said drum and clear the tooth in said case,

to engage the tooth-in said case and clear said drum, and to simultaneously engage said teeth on said drum and said case.

13. In a trolley retriever the combination with a case provided with internal teeth .and

a shaft mounted in said case, of a drum pro-- vided with a tooth and a projection, and'an intermediate member rotatably mounted on said shaft, a retrieving spring connecting said drum and said intermediate member, :1 lock pawl pivotally mounted on said intermediate member and adapted to engage the teeth in said case in its outer position, the tooth on said drum in its inner position and to engage the teeth in said case and said drum in-its intermediate position, and a centrifugal pawl pivotally mounted on said lock pawl adapted to engage the teeth in said case torelease said lock pawl from saiddrum and to engage said projection on said drum to draw said lock pawl into engagement with the tooth on said drum.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of v two subscribing witnesses. I

CHARLES I. EARLL.

Witnesses F. M. HILL, ERNEST MILLER.

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