Patent GB-191114059-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in Means for Controlling Railway Points and Signals.
Inventor: DESCUBES ALBERT
IPC: B61L19/14
Filed: 1911-06-13
Granted: 1912-08-13
Abstract: 14,059. Descubes, A. June 14, 1910, [Convention date]. Electric and fluid-pressure operation and control.-The points and signals for setting and controlling a road from any given point of entry to any exit on the tracks controlled from a cabin are set by means of two levers, one for the entry and one for the exit end which make circuits to energize preparation relays corresponding to each switch point; the relays serve to connect the necessary points motors in circuit; when the points are set, an indication circuit permits the full operation of the lever to set the signal, all other conflicting routes being cut out. Electric, pneumatic, hydraulic, or other fluid-pressure energy may be used. A preparation relay, Fig. 3, corresponding to each point is arranged in the cabin, and they are connected together to correspond to the arrangement of points on the track. Either of two roads I, II at one end of the track may be connected up to any of three roads M, N, P at the other end. Fig. 4 is a diagram of the preparation relays, in which the wires are shown arranged according to the plan of the tracks concerned. Fig. 2 shows all the contacts on the hand-levers and the wires of the indicating-circuits; Fig. 5 shows the same contacts and the wires of the preparation circuits and the motor operating circuits. The levers carry contacts U, V, W, Z, Y, which are situated normally at position O. To set a road from track N to track I, the lever for the exit road I is first moved from position O towards position 3 and the lever N for the entrance road afterwards moved towards position 6. The levers are locked in certain positions when the magnets T, T<1> are de-energized by the armatures x of the magnets which lock a notched slide on the lever. To set the road. the lever I is moved from position O to position 1, and makes a circuit from the battery over the contacts 205, 206, wire 204, to contacts r, s of all other levers to wire 203 of lever I, armature 207 of magnet S<1>, the contacts 209, 210, and the magnet T<1> to earth. This circuit of continuity is only completed if all other levers are at normal position or if their continuity relays S, S' are energized. The magnet T<1> releases the lock x and the lever I is then moved to position 3, and makes a circuit from contact 205, over contact 212 to wire 213 to the preparation relays. The wire 213 corresponds to wire 11 on Fig. 3. The current from the relay E divides to wires 15, 15<1> and passes to relays F, L; at the relay L it enters by a wire corresponding to 1<1> on Fig. 3. The circuit continues over contact 2<1>, 3<1> of armature A<-> to the magnet a+, which draws its armature A<+> and cuts the circuit to the magnet a<-> at contacts 2, 3 and continues the circuit from the wire 4<1> to contacts 7<1>, 8<1> and wire 10. At each relay currents coming from a direction corresponding to the point of the switch divide into the wires for the two directions of the branch roads and current from one direction of the branch roads cuts the other circuit for a branch road and continues along the wire for the junction road. Thus the current from the relay E passes to the relays L, F. At the relay L, the wire L ... J is cut; at the relay F, the current divides to G and K; that which goes to K cuts the wire K ... J and passes to the lever N by the wire 114, Fig. 5, and thence by contact 115, brush W, and contact 116 to earth through the magnet T which releases the lever N for movement to position 4. The circuit then continues from contact 115 over the brush W, contact 118, wires 119, 113 to the relay K where it passes to the relay F only since the wire K ... J is already cut; at relay F the connexion F ... G is cut and the current passes to relay E, cutting the wire E ... L and continues over wire 214 to contact 215 at the lever I and brush W<1> to contacts 220, 221, 222. From the contact 220 the current passes to the magnet S' which draws its armature and remakes the continuity circuit from wire 203 to wire 204. From contact 221, the current passes over contacts as 21, 17, 18, 19, Fig. 3, to the motors operating the switch points as selected by the relays. From the contact 222 the current passes over the indication circuit as shown in Fig. 2; this circuit includes a contact 251 on the signal for the track I which must be at danger, wire 245, contacts 253, 155, 153 at points e, f, k respectively, wires 152, 158, contact 160, which is closed by the coil 157 if no train is on the short insulated section of rails, wire 165, contacts 176, 177, and magnet 179 to earth. From the wire 245 a shunt circuit is also made through contact 260, which is closed if the short insulated rail section is clear, wire 265, contacts 266, 267 on the hand-lever I, 269, 171, 169 at points e, f, k respectively, wire 181, contacts 182, 183 on hand-lever N, wire 186, armature 188 of magnet 179 to the magnet T, which releases the lock of lever N, leaving it free to be moved to positions 5, 6. At the position 5, the circuit is made between contacts 182, 190 to the magnet 192, which draws its armature 197 but does not move the armature 188 so long as the magnet 179 remains energized. When the lever N is moved to position 6, the circuit to the signal motor 149 is completed and the signal set to clear. With the switches in these respective positions, the circuit of continuity is made through the armature of the magnet S which is energized by current from the wires 133, 134 over contacts 123, 124. As the train passes into the section, the relay 157 is de-energized and opens the contact 160, deenergizing the magnet 179, and the magnet 192 then draws the armature 188 to open the circuit to the magnet T, thus preventing the replacement of the lever .N beyond the position 5 to which it is moved although the contact 160 is reclosed when the train has passed the insulated rail, and the magnet 179 re-energized. When the train passes out of the section, the contact 260 is opened and magnet 192 is temporarily de-energized. The magnet 179 draws the armature 188, and when the contact 260 is re-closed, a circuit is completed from wire 152, through contacts 151 on the signal for the track N which is at danger, wires 150, 193, contacts 194, 195, 197, 188 to the magnet T. The lever N can thus be reset to normal position only if the signal has been reset to danger and the train has cleared the section. When the lever N is reset to the normal position, the circuit of continuity is remade at contacts 101, 102. The lever I is next moved to position 2, making the circuit from the battery over contacts 205, 206, wires 204, circuit of continuity, wire 203, armature 207, and contacts 209, 210 to the magnet T<1>, which withdraws the bolt x and leaves the lever I free to return to normal. A modified preparation relay is described which does not require the excitation current to pass continually, during the time the road is set. The relay armatures are provided with setting and replacing coils; the circuit of the setting-coils is broken at the armature in its set position, and the resetting-coils are connected in circuits, one pole of the battery of which is earthed, so arranged that earthing of a conductor such as 1<1>, 10, Fig. 3, serves to energize the resetting- coils in succession and restore the whole of the relays to normal. This is effected by the contacts 125, 126 of the lever N of which the latter is earthed, and the former is connected to the lead 113 of the preparation relay circuit.