US1883089A - Electric switch operating and holding device - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 18, 1932. R. E. TAFEL ELECTRIC SWITCH OPERATING AND HOLDING DEVICE Filed Feb. 3, 1930 R087: E. TAFEL 11v VENTOR B Y X o-lw. C.

A TTORNEY Patented Oct. 18, 1932 ROBERT E. TAFEL, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY ELECTRIC SWITCH OPERATING .AND HOLDING DEVICE Application filed February 3, 1930. Serial No. 425,632

This invention relates to improvements in an electric switch operating and holding device, in which the switch point of a railway track is thrown from one position to another by a mechanical force resulting from electric current being applied to solenoids, in the preferred form, disposed adjacent the railway track and being connected to a source of power through a circuit by any sultable coni0 trolling means to be operated as a car approaches a turning point.

An object of the invention is to produce a simple, inexpensive and effective means for producing a mechanism for accomplishing the operation and holding of the switch point.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the railway track and the mechanism employed in the switch operating and holding device.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of several of the major parts employedin Fig. 1 to illustrate the double toggle joint employed.

A ground box 10, preferably made of castiron, is disposed adjacent rail 11 of a railway, in which is carried the usual switch point 12, it being attached to lever 13, pivoted at.

14 to the ground box 10 and so proportioned that a relatively free movement exists as these parts move from the straight line position shown by dotted lines in the drawing to the curve track position which isillustrated by full lines. Pivoted to leverl3 at 13a is a tri-armed or tertiary lever 15, and pivoted on to its two shorter arms at 15a, 156, are heads 16, 17 in which are located guide rods 16a, 17a and which carry on the far ends, heads 18, 19, the former being pivoted to a post 10a, a part of the box 10, the latter being pivoted to a lug 10?) which is also a part of ground box 10. Rods 16a, 17a are slidably mounted in heads 18, 17 and are screwed into heads 16, 19 respectively. Springs 16?), 17 b are shown for a fixed tension, but an adjustable tension may be pro- 5 vided by including a nut disposed on the rods.

Springs 16b, 17b surround rods 16a, 17a, respectively and engage the heads to form units which may be termed bolts. These are located and adjusted so as to continually exert pressure through levers 13, 15 and thereby hold all the moving parts in either of the rest positions, indicated by the full and dotted lineswhich means the device will lock the switch'point for either straight or curvedtrack.

Itis apparent that the switch point will not be only held under relatively, abnormally high pressure, but that if tongue 12 is moved by anyforce applied from the tongue itself, it will be forced by-the spring equipment to return to its original position, To illustrate this action, consider Fig. 1 with parts shown as solid lines. If the tongue is now moved to left, only coil spring 17?) will be compressed, and no rotational movement of lever 15 on pivot 13a results because the pivot pin 15b is beyond a straight line extending from pivot point 13a to 106. Furthermore spring 16?) is exerting a force on lever 15 to prevent any rotation. Parts .are thus so positioned and proportioned that one compression member will hold the other compression'member in a locked position and that one compression member forces the tongue to one'position after being brought to a prac-. tical center by the solenoid plunger and the other compression member similarly functions for the reverse movement.

In Fig. 2 a center line indicated by c, 0 exv tends through the pivot points of the compression member bolts, two of which are incheated on this figure as 15a, 156. Any movement of the tri-arm lever 15 from that shown results in a decreased lever arm lengthior one spring compression member and an increasing length for the other memberas shown in Fig. 1; here consider an extension of the center lines for each bolt in terms of the distance from pivot 13a Thesedistances are the length of moment arm. The movement of the mechanism shown in full line position in the last named figure to the dotted line position and vice versa show an increasing lever arm length of a given arm and a decreasing lever arm length of the other arm which takes place whenever the switch point is shifted from one position to the other. Attention is especially directed to the unstable position of the mechanism which can readily be observed from a consideration of Fig. 2.

If at any time it may become necessary to throw the switch point by hand it will be possible to do so by manually moving lever 15. An operation of this kind is a simple matter owing to the relatively great leverage over the bolts.

From the long arm of 15 there is pivoted a link 20, the other end of which is pivoted to plunger 21 made of magnetic and non-magnetic material and so disposed that the magnetic material will be responsive to magnetic flux created by passing of current into solenoids 22, 23 of ground magnet G. M. lVhen the former is excited the plunger will take up the position shown in dotted lines and when 23 coil is excited, lever 15 and its related parts will take up the position shown in full lines. These solenoids are mounted in a magnetic housing 24 which can be secured in any suitable manner to ground box 10. It will be seen that the switch tongue will be thrown and held in a definite position when either solenoid has been energized and operated to move the parts to either of the positions shown.

The movement employed in this switching device can be classed as a double toggle having a neutral or central position as shown diagrammatically in Fig. :2, the center lines being designated by C, C and L, L. When actuated even slightly from this center position,-the bolts will force the moving parts to rapidly and forcibly travel to the limit which is determined by switch point 12 which 1s directly connected to lever 13, through rod 12a having an articulation at 13a. It will be seen that when at rest, both springs are exerting pressure to firmly hold the switch point in a selected position and that upon excitation of their solenoid, these springs are strained by the movement of the tri-armed lever 15 without movement of lever 13 until the central line has been approximately reached at which stage the switch point and its associated parts move to the position under selection through the combined force of springs and remaining effort produced by the solenoid.

WVhile I have shown a preferred arrangement of the principles employed in my switch operating device, many variations can be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, therefore, I wish to be limited only by the appended claims:

I claim: I

1. In an electrically operated switch throwing device comprising a switch point connected to a spring controlled compound toggle joint provided with a pair of articulated levers, and a pair of spring-pressed bolts pivoted at their outer ends to a stationary member and pivoted at their other ends to one of said levers whereby the levers and bolts are connected through articulations to said switch point.

2. In an electrically operated switch throwing device comprising a switch point connected to a spring controlled compound toggle joint provided with a pair of articulated movable levers, and a pair of springpressed bolts pivoted at their outer ends to a stationary member and pivoted at their other ends to one of said levers whereby the levers and bolts are connected through articulations to said switch point, one of said articulated levers being pivoted to said station ary member.

3. In an electrically operated switch throwing device comprising a switch point, an-actuating means and a connecting linkage composed of a double toggle joint disposed. in operative relation to the switch point and said actuating means, said double toggle joint consisting of a pair of interarticulated levers and a pair of springpressed bolts having articulations with said levers.

4. In an electrically operated switch throwing device comprising a switch point, an actuating means and a connecting linkage composed of a double toggle joint employing a pair of inter-articulated levers disposed in operative relation to the switch point and said actuating means, said double toggle oint consisting of a pair of inter-articulated levers and a pair of spring-pressed bolts having articulations with said lovers.

5. In an electrically operated switch throwing device comprising a switch point, an actuating means and a connecting linkage composed of a double toggle joint on ploying a pair of inter-articulated levers movable about a stationary point and disposed in operative relation to the switch point and said actuating means, said double toggle joint consisting of a pair of interarticulated levers and a pair of spring pressed bolts having articulations with said levers.

6. In an electrically operated switch throwing device comprising a switch point, an actuating means and a connecting linkage composed of a double toggle oint employin g a pair of inter-articulated levers movable in relation to a stationary member disposed in operative relation to the switch point and said actuating means, said double toggle joint consisting of a pair of inter-articulated levers and a pair of spring-pressed bolts havarticulated movable levers, and a pair of spring pressed bolts pivoted at their outer ends to a stationary member and pivoted at their other ends to one of said levers whereby the levers and bolts are connected through articulations, said lever being provided with an operating extension, one of said articulated levers being pivoted at its inner end to said stationary member and having a pivot at its outer end for connection to said switch point.

8. In an electrically operated switch throwing device comprising a switch point connected to a spring controlled compound to le 'oint rovided with aair of inter-' articulated movable levers, and a pair of spring pressed bolts pivoted at their outer ends to a stationary member and pivoted at their other cues to one of said levers whereby the levers and bolts are connected through articulations, said lever being provided with an operating extension, one of said articulated lever-s being pivoted at its inner end to said stationary member and having a pivot at its outer end for connection to said switch point, also to articulate said other lever.

9. In an electrically operated switch throwing device comprising a switch point, a tensioning member, a switch point rod, actuating means and a connecting linkage composed of a lever having a movable axis and articulated with said rod, with said actuating means and with said tensioning member, said member being also articulated to a stationary member.

10. In an electrically operated switch throwing device comprising a switch point, tensioning members, a switch point rod, actuating means and a connecting linkage composed of a lever with tertiary arms articulated with said rod, with said actuating means and with said tensioning members, said tensioning member being also articulated to a stationary member.

11. In an electrically operated switch throwing device comprising a switch point, tensioning members, a switch point rod, actuating means and a connecting linkage composed of two levers, one of which is provided with tertiary arms articulated with said rod, with said actuating means and said pair of tensioning members, said members being also articulated to a stationary member, the other lever being articulated at one end with said rod and at the other end with the stationary member.

12. In a track switching device comprising a switch point carrying an auxiliary bearing at which is articulated a unitary tri-armed rotatable lever, to two arms of which are diametrically articulated tensioning members, so disposed that one tensioning member will force and hold the other tensioning memher in a set position against movement from the switch point. a

13. In a track switching device comprising a switch point carrying an extension equipped with a remote bearing at which is articulated a unitary tri-armed lever, to two arms of which are diametrically articulated tensioning members remote to said bearing so disposed that one tensioning member will hold the other tensioning member in a set position against movement from the switch point.

14. In a track switching device comprising a' switch point carrying an auxiliary re mote bearing at which is articulated a unitary tri-armed lever, to two arms of which are diametrically articulated tensioning membeis, remote to said hearing so disposed that one tensioning member will exert force to the switch point through movement in one direction and the other tensioning member will similarly function for the reverse movement.

15. In a track switch device comprising a switch point carrying an extensionequipped with a remote bearing at which is articulated a unitary tri-armed lever, to two arms of; which are diametrically articulated tensioning members, remote to said bearing so disposed that one tensioning member will exert force to the switch point through movement in one direction and the other tensioning member will similarly function for a reverse movement.

16. In a switch operating device comprising a driving member, a driven member, an operating lever and a pair of tensioning members articulated with said lever and a stationary member so disposed that a force applied by the driving member produces a rotation of said lever and a force applied to the driven member produces a movement of translation opposed by one of said tensioning members.

17'. In a'track switching device comprising a switch point pivoted to the track and carrying an auxiliary bearing at which is articulated a unitary tri-arm rotatable lever, to two arms of which are oppositely articulated tension members so disposed that from a central position one tensioning member will operate and hold the switch point which is thrown into locked position by the other tensioning member, said forces being utilized through a toggle mechanism, in combination with means for rotating said tri-arm lever from one locked position into and beyond said central position.

18. In a'switch throwing mechanism, two tensioning springs operating upon one another through a toggle mechanism so that one. has an increasing lever arm and the other a decreasing lever arm in'any movement of said toggle mechanism, whereby the force of one spring will apply the other spring force so as to lock said switch.

19. In a switch throwing mechanism, two tensioning springs operating upon one an other through a toggle mechanism so that one has an increasing lever arm and the other a decreasing lever arm in any movement of said toggle mechanism, whereby the force of one spring will apply the other spring force so as to lock said switch through said toggle mech anism.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature. ROBERT E. T'AFEL.

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