Patent GB-189820202-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in Electrical Apparatus for Operating Railway Points and Signals.
Inventor: DUCOUSSO THEOPHILE
Filed: 1898-09-23
Granted: 1898-12-03
Abstract: 20,202. Ducousso, T. Feb. 24, [date claimed under Sec. 103 of Patents &c. Act, A.D. 1883]. Points and switches.-Relates to means for electrically actuating railway points and signals. The rod A, Fig. 6, of the point or signal is connected to a slotted lever D which is worked by a pin F on a disc R driven by worm gearing from the motor M. This has two oppositely-wound field magnets, each provided with a line-wire to the central station, and an armature connected to the junction of the two field-magnet coils and to earth. The lever is shown in one of its extreme positions, and the circuit is through the wire 1 ; as the lever reaches the other end of its stroke, this circuit is broken and the other through the wire 3 completed by means of a forked spring contact-piece y mounted on a sleeve x, which, when liberated by its locking-lever Y, is shot forward by a spring u on the rod U. The rod U may be jointed to a separate lever coupled by independent means with the point or signal. A safety-bar T is jointed to a lever S which bears upon a cam on the side of the disc R. The first and last parts of the movement of the pin F are inoperative, as the lower part of the slot in the lever is concentric with its path. The apparatus works in the same manner in either direction. The transmitting- apparatus, Fig. 11, consists of a contact-breaker 7 and a reversing-switch 11, 12 from which the wires proceed to the motor. If the locking-bar 35 is free, the lever 3 may be moved, say from its extreme position on the right into that shown, and the circuit to the coil 38 of the motor is completed. When the contact-piece y, Fig. 6, is thrown over, the current passes through the coils of a magnet 17, by the lever 12, to the coil 39 of the motor and assists to bring it to rest ; at the same time the armature 18 is drawn down, lifting a locking-bolt which allows the lever 3 to be thrown over to the end of its stroke, breaking the connection with the battery and by means of the pawl 22 and cam 6 throwing over the reversing- switch ready for the reverse operation. The pawl acts also in conjunction with teeth upon the supporting-frame to prevent the lever 3 from being reversed before it has completed its stroke. In case the point has been forced, the head of the locking-bolt engages the pawl and locks the lever, which cannot be worked until the point has been set right. A bell may be caused to ring as long as the magnet is excited. In operating several sets of apparatus by the same leads, they are coupled in parallel, and, in order to prevent the transmission of the control current before all the apparatus have completed their movements, an additional set of contacts coupled in series is mounted upon the plate shown in Fig. 6. Each lead is led to the armature of an electromagnet in the circuit of the other, so that, when current is passing along one, its magnet attracts its armature and breaks the circuit through the other. In this position an arm on the armature is against a contact in the circuit of the second set of contacts ; and it is held there by a spring catch forming the armature of an electromagnet in that circuit, so that, when each apparatus has completed its operation and all the contacts are made, there is a path to earth from the broken main circuit through this electromagnet ; the spring catch armature is now retracted, and the main armature, no longer under the influence of its electromagnet, springs back against the contact and completes the circuit. A similar set of magnets &c. is provided for the other lead. An automatic and permanent check upon leakage and fracture of the leads consists in the application of two circuits, one for each lead, in equilibrium under normal conditions. In the event of leakage &c., this equilibrium is destroyed and the lever of the transmitting-apparatus is locked and a bell is rung. The electromagnet 17 has a double coil, and a double coil relay, an additional contact-breaker, and various resistances are employed.