US769698A - Electric switch. - Google Patents

Description

No. 769,698. PATENTED SEPT. 18, 1904. J. G. KELLER & O. F. KADOW.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10, 1903 N0 MODEL. 8 2 SHBETSSHEET 1.

WITNESSES:

\, INVENTORS 2mm /e./5M

9% ATTORNEY No. 769,698. PATENTED SEPT. 13, 1904. J. C. KELLER & O. P. KADOW.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 10. 1903.

no MODEL. 2 sums-sum 2.

WITNESSES: INVENTORS Ffiu ATTORNEY Patented September 13, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES C. KELLER AND OTTO F. KADOIV, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,698, dated September 13, 1904.

Application filed June 10, 1903.

To all whom it ntay concern;

Be it known that we, JAMES C. KELLER and Or'ro F. KADow, citizens of the United States, and residents of the city of Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to electric railwayswitches; and its novelty consists in the means employed to actuate the track-switch and secure its assured and safe return to its normal position after such actuation.

The switch-tongue is moved either from the car or from any other suitable location by the closing of an electric circuit.

In the drawings, Figure l is a diagram of certain parts of the device when it is adapted to be operated from a car. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the trolley-pole and a part of the top of the car. Fig. 3 is a perspective of a part of the track-switch and operating mech-, anism and the box containing the latter. Fig. at is a side elevation and partial diagram of the switch-operating mechanism in its normal position, and Fig. 5 is a similar view of the same parts after the electromagnet has been energized to move the switch lever and tongue. Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the electromagnet and switch-tongueoperating device.

In the drawings, 10 is a portion of railwaytrack, and 11 is a turnout-rail.

12 is a switch-tongue hinged on a pivot 13 and adapted to be swung thereon horizontally in the usual manner.

20 is an electromagnet consisting of a core made of two members 21 and 22, connected together by a hinge and which is wound with a suitable electric conductor 24 24: in the usual manner. The electromagnet 20 is shown as situated in a box or receptacle 30, placed in a suitable cavity beneath the track and the switch-tongue. The electromagnet is supported in its box in any suitable manner by which the one member will be rigidly held in position to permit the other to swing on the hinge or joint 23 between them. In the form of the device shown the supporting means consist of an upright bracket 4E0, supporting Serial No. 160,845. (No model.)

a sleeve or strap &1, encircling the member 21. Any other means may be employed for rigidly supporting this one member of the electromagnet without departing from the principles of our invention. The lever 50, fulcrumed at 51 on the bracket 52, supported from the lixed member 21, is adapted to be moved on said fulcrum by reason of the fact that it is also hinged at 53 to the other member, 22, of the electromagnet. On its under side the switch-tongue 12 is provided with a recess 12, adapted to receive the upper end of this lever 50, whereby when the lever is swung upon the fulcrum 51 the switch-tongue is moved horizontally and caused to be swung upon its own pivot 13.

The means employed to vibrate or swing the lever 51 is the energizing of the two members 21 and 22 of the magnet 20 by causing the electric current to be passed through them. This brings the faces 21 and 22 of the two members of the magnet-core into the same magnetic tield, and consequently attracts the hinged member 22 and causes it .to swing from the position shown in Fig. 4 to that shown in Fig. 5.

The means which we have shown to close the circuit passing through the electromagnet, and thus to energize it to operate the switchtongue lever, form no part of our invention, and other and equivalent devices may be substituted without departing from our immediate invention, which has to do entirely with the switch-operating mechanism.

It is obvious that the switch 60, which is shown open in Fig. 4 and closed in Fig. 5, could be operated manually from a switchtower or other convenient location of a switch operator. \Ve have illustrated, however, in Fig. 1 a means whereby the motorman on a moving car may operate it. In this view and in Fig. 2, is a trolley-wire from the source of power, and 71 is a trolley-wheel, and 72 the trolley-pole, all arranged in the usual manner. 71 is an additional trolley-wheel mounted on the pole 72 and insulated from the wheel 71. is a conductor leading down from the main trolley-wheel 71 to the rheostat on the car, and 80 is a conductor leading down the trolley-pole from the wheel 71 to a switch-stud 81 on the car. 70 is an additional trolley-wire hung alongside of and parallel with the main wire 70 and insulated therefrom, and a conductor 7O connects it with one end of the coils of the electromagnet 20, the otherend of said coils being connected with a conductor 100, which is grounded or otherwise connected with the main trolleywire 7 O. 82 is a switch on the car connected up with conductor 80, so that when it is swung over into contact with the stud 81 it completes the circuit through the main wire 70, wheel 71, conductor 80, switch 82, stud 81, conductor 80", wheel 71, wire 7 0 conductor 70, the magnet, and the conductor 100, energizing the magnet, causing it to move from the position of Fig. 1 to that of Fig. 5 and to operate the switch-lever and move it from its normal position. \Vhen the switch is swung in the opposite direction away from the stud 81, the circuit is broken, the magnet is no longer energized, and the weight of the member 22 draws it back and downward and pulls the lever 50 with it, thus moving the switch-tongue 12 back to its normal position.

What we claim as new is-- 1. In combination, a railway-switch tongue, a lever engaging the tongue, an electromagnet having a core consisting of two members, one member of which is arranged to serve as a weight to hold the lever and tongue in their normal positions, and means for lifting the weight and thereby moving the lever and switch-tongue out of their normal positions, said means comprising the other member of the core and means for energizing both members of the electromagnet.

2. In combination, a railway-switch tongue,

a lever engaging the tongue, an electromagnet having a core consisting of two members, one member of which is arranged to serve as a weight to hold the lever and tongue in their normal positions, and means for lifting the weight and thereby moving the lever and switch-tongue out of their normal positions, said means comprising the other member of the core and a conducting-wire wound around the two members, and a suitable source of electricity whereby, when both members of the electromagnet are energized thereby, the member serving as the weight is attracted toward the other member of the magnetto move the switch-tongue and when the energizing ceases the weight drops back to its normal position.

3. In combination, a switch-tongue, a metallic weight consisting of a core of an electromagnet, means intermediate the tongue and the weight whereby the tongue is normally held in a certain position through the force of the weight, an electromagnet fixed in juxtaposition to the weight, and means for energizing the electromagnet to attract the weight and move the. switch-tongue and to permit the weight to force the tongue back into its former position when the energizing ceases.

WVitness our hands this 23d day of May, 1903, at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio.

JAMES C. KELLER. OTTO F. KADOW.

WVitnesses:

A. F. Hnss, W. J. LUCAS.

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