Improvements in Station Indicators for Railway Vehicles.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Station Indicators for Railway Vehicles.
I, JOHN KUEFFER of 2517 Mission Street, San Francisco, State of California,
United States of America, Pianoforte Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to mechanism for operating street and station indicators in
railway vehicles and it consists in certain novel construction and combination of parts
as hereinafter fully described, for producing an automatic mechanism for working an
indicator by or from the movement of the vehicle along the track.
The invention has for its object, more especially to provide automatic mechanism
for indicators on street car lines where the blocks along the route travelled are of
different lengths, and the intersecting streets or stations to be indicated are not at
regular intervals but are some at shorter distances and others again at irregular
distances.
My invention comprises a continuously rotating drum or short cylinder carrying
pins or stops and having a movement in one direction upon a fixed axis, such
movement being imparted by one of the axles of the vehicle. In working relation to
the drum a pivoted lever has one end set to engage the projecting pins and the other
end beyond the pivot is attached to the indicator-operating rod.
The pins are
arranged in separate sets or series circumferentially around the drum, and at various
distances apart according to the intervals between the streets; and by virtue of the
continuous rotation of the drum the end of the lever is struck and depressed by the
pins in that row or series to which the lever is set for operation. The end of
the lever is also extensible and is moved or drawn out by automatic mechanism
actuated from the drum in order to set the end of the lever in line with another series
of pins after the first series has acted upon the lever. As many pins are provided on
the drum as the number of signals to be displayed by the indicator in the round trip
and in each series or circumferential row as many pins are set as the intervals will
permit.
The general construction of these parts and mechanisms and the manner of
adjusting the same for operation will be understood from the following description
with reference to the accompanying drawing in which
Figure 1 represents an end portion of a street car with my improved mechanism
applied therein for operation.
Figure 2 is a top view of the automatic mechanism on a large scale the case that
contains it, and the driving pully on the outside being shown in section.
Figure 3 is a cross section of the indicator-box that is fixed inside the car.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section through the line x, x of Figure 2 and looking
towards that side which is situated on the right hand side of the line.
Figure 5 shows a detail in section.
A indicates the case to protect the parts and furnish also bearings and supports for
the mechanism; B is the drum and CCC are the separate rows or series of pins.
D is the axle on which the drum turns and E is a sheave on the end outside the case
to give motion to the drum.
Power for this purpose is obtained from a sheave or chain-wheel on the car axle
and a chain belt and the connection is made by intermediate sheaves, and a second
beli E, as shown in Figure 1 in order to accommodate the connection to the vertical
play of the car-body on the running gear. The shaft D is geared into the drum by
the driving pinion G fixed on the shaft and the spur-gear H on the counter-shaft H
and the pinions I, I and spur gears J J on the drum; this connection being employed
to reduce the speed of the drum and obtain a slow even motion. The drum is loose
on the shaft and is confined by collars d d.

page_text: K is a lever pivoted at Koutside the box on a bracket K² and having one end
playing through a slot in the box, while the opposite end is attached at K³ to the
upright rod P. That rod extends upward to the indicator W where it is connected to
a lever P' that is part of the indicator mechanism and by an upward movement it
produces rotation of the cylinder W2 carrying the name bearing cards.
The indicator hereinsreprese
represented is of
of that class which has independent cards or
plates bearing the names or matter to be displayed, and loosely hinged or pivoted at
one edge to the periphery of a cylinder or skeleton barrel, so that by the rotative
movement thereof step by step, the cards are brought around in successive order with
intervals of rest between in front of a sight' opening.
Li is a slide-bar, movable in a groove in the end of the lever K'and forming an
extensible part thereof with the toe or projection L* that is turned toward's the drum'
and sets in the path of the projecting stops!
5
10
To this slide-connection of a sliding rack M is made by a rod N, and a spring R
is applied to draw the slide back against the action of the rack in the contrary 15
direction.
...
An intermittent step by step movement of the rack is produced by the wing
of inclined plate S on the side of the drum, the 'pitch of which plate is sufficient to
move the slide-bar the space of one tooth at each time of engagement.
The rack is field by a spring latch or bolt T in the slotted way' Q'and notches & in 20
the back of the rack. The slot or groove, in which the rack travels is so formed that
at the end of the farthest movement the rack 'is thrown out of line with the latch and
is drawn back to the starting point by the reaction of the spring R. The shape of
this.groove is-seen in Figure 4 where the straight portion' is the part for the rack to
travel in during the outward movement, and the remaining portion is shaped to guide
the slide back to the starting point. The groove is dovetailed and the block M× of
the back of the rack is correspondingly shaped:
As thus constructed and combined the extensible end of the lever is drawn out the
distance of one tooth or notch of the side rack at each complete revolution of th
"the"
drum and that distance being equal to the space between one circumferential row, or 30
set, of pins and the next, it will be seen that the finger is moved out of engagement
with one set and into. line with the next set of 'pins ou the drum. The lever is
therefore struck and depressed first, by'all the pins in one series and then by the pins
in the next succeeding series, until the toe has been brought into engagement with
the pins, of the last series, at which time the slide rack is set back to the starting 3.
point, by slipping into and running along the return groove to the front again.
11
}
It will be readily understood by those persons practically acquainted with the
construction of station indicators of various kinds, how the present mechanism
is timed and adjusted.
NAT
****
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven4
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 'I
claim is
I.
J
}
First. In automatic mechanism for operating station "indicator in railway
vehicles a rotating time-cylinder having continuous rotation on its axis at a
given rate of speed which is proportioned to the rate of travel of the car and is
produced by or from the car-axle through the "medium" of suitable ineclianismi and
having stop pins on its periphery which are arranged circumferentially in separate
rows or sets, a rocking lever with a toe-piece which is adapted to be set by
longitudinal movement into position to be struck and moved by the 'stop-pins
composing any one row or set; a sliding rack for part to" which is connected said '5
rocking lever and a part or wing on the rotating cylinder which is 'adapted to engage
and move said rock or lever-carrying part a given distance in the rotations, of
the cylinder to shift the toe-piece from one set of pins to another, "all, combined
for operation, substantially as hereinhefore described:*
J
Second: In an automatic station-indicator for railway vehicles the combination of 5
the continuously-rotating time-cylinder deriving mötion of rotation on its axis from
"
3

page_text: the travel of the vehicle and provided with stop pins arranged circumferentially
in separate rows or sets, the sliding rack in a slotted rack-guide, a rocking lever
connected to said rack having a toe-piece which is adapted to be set into line
with any row or set of stop pins on the cylinder by longitudinal movement of the
lever, a wing or part on the cylinder engaging said rack to shift the lever from one
set of pins to another set at intervals in the rotations of the cylinder, a locking catch
to hold said rack a coil-spring adapted to draw back the toe-piece and an
operating rod connected with the indicator-box in the car and actuated by the
movements of the toe-piece or part which is struck by the stop-pins for operation
as hereinbefore set forth.
nan nhỏ- 50th d..
Oth^- 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.