Patent GB-191118454-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in "Fare Prepayment Cars".
Inventor: ROWNTREE HAROLD
IPC: E05F11/54
Filed: 1911-08-15
Granted: 1912-08-15
Abstract: 18,454. Rowntree, H. Aug. 15. Doors for passenger vehicles ; ingress and egress of passengers, controlling. - Relates to fare-prepayment cars. The platforms are provided with outside gates or doors controlled by the conductor from a point at which he can collect the fares. Various arrangements of doors and of manual and pneumatic operating-means therefor are described. A device for shutting off the compressed-air supply in the event of a passenger being caught between the doors may be provided. The steps may be rendered inaccessible with the closing of the doors. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, folding doors 30 are provided on each side of the platform at each end of the car, those on one side being controlled by a hand-lever 33 by the conductor stationed at a point to divide the opening into the car body into ingress and egress ways. The doors on the opposite side are opened to serve as exits only at the front end of the car, and are controlled by the motor-man by a hand-lever 36'. The entrance and exit ways on the platform may be defined by a hand-rail extending from a point midway between the doors controlled by the conductor to his station 36. These doors may be controlled separately instead of simultaneously as shown. In another construction, the platform is divided from the interior by a swinging entrance door and a sliding exit door. The conductor's station may be disposed at one side of the vehicle instead of centrally as shown. The doors shown in Fig. 1 each comprise a pair of hinged sections 30, 31 with a roller 44 running in guideways 45 in the lintel over the doorway, so that, upon rotation of the shaft 32, they fold as shown in the upper part of the Figure. A shoe 48 on the lintel guides the doors into the completely closed position. Fig. 16 shows an alternative means for effecting the simultaneously folding of the hinged sections of a door, the sections 30, 82, 31 being provided with sprocket-wheels 83 ... 86 mounted coaxially to the hinges and connected by chains 87, 88. Intermeshing gear-wheels may replace the chain gearing. A pair of ordinary swinging doors may be substituted for each pair of doors shown in Fig. 1. Steps.-The door-operating mechanism may turn the steps to an inaccessible position when the doors are closed. According to Fig. 1, the doors are operated by the rods 35 connected to cranks 37 on the door shafts 32 and to a segment crank 34 on the shaft of the hand lever 36. To maintain the doors in their open and closed positions and to assist in bringing them to these positions, a spring plunger 41 is connected to the crank 34. A third rod 50 may be connected to the crank 34 and adapted either to turn up the step, or, as shown in Fig. 4, to dispose the riser 52 in a position rendering the step 49 inaccessible. In a modification, the simultaneous operation of the pair of doors is effected by a rod connecting the cranks 37, which are disposed in this case in opposite directions. According to Figs. 5 and 13, the shafts 32 of the doors are geared at 60, 61 to a shaft 59 carrying the step 49 and operated, in the arrangement shown in Fig. 13, by a crank and connecting- rod 58, 35 and a crank-wheel 81 meshing with gear-wheel 80 on the operating-shaft 36. The doors are locked in open and closed positions by the crank-pin 81 assuming dead-centre positions. In Fig. 5, the shaft 59 is operated pneumatically by the motor 53, pistons 54 of which are connected by a rack 55 geared to a rocking segment 56 having connexions 57 to the crank 58. The control valve comprises a casing 63, Fig. 6, with which communicate the pressure supply and exhaust pipes 66, 67 and two pipes 64 connected to the ends of the cylinder 53. These pipes are put into communication for opening and closing the door by the rotary member 62 having ducts 68, 69. To cushion the final movement of the doors, the valve is adapted to be given a partial reverse movement'by the segment 56 and connexion 70 so as to allow the exhaust to take place through one of the restricted end-portions 72, Fig. 8, of the duct 69. Fig. 21 shows a construction in which the pistons 102, 103 work in cylinders 100, 101 of different areas. A rapid opening and slow closing of the doors may be effected in this case by admitting pressure to the larger and smaller cylinders alternately ; or pressure may be admitted to the smaller cylinder for opening, closing being effected by putting this cylinder into communication with the larger cylinder. The piston-rod 108 reciprocates a pair of rack bars 106 geared respectively to a sector 105 on the shaft of each of a pair of doors, of which one 94 is shown. When sliding doors 114, Fig. 22, are employed, they may be operated by the pneumatic motor 54, which rocks the bar 110 having sliding connexion with the bar 111 on the edge of the door. In the event of a passenger being caught between the door and the jamb, the power supply is cut off by a shoe 120, which slides on the edge of the door against the action of a spring 119 and is adapted, by connexions 116, to give rectilinear movement to the rod 115, to which a simultaneous rotary movement, which actuates the valve 104, is given by the engagement of a projection on the rod with a curved guide 117. The doors may be adapted for operation by both power and manual means. Each of a pair of doors may be operated separately by means of concentric operating-handles.