IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR COMMUNICATING BY ELECTRICITY BETWEEN MOVING TRAINS FIXED STATIONS, OR BETWEEN MOVING TRAINS
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
AND
.
"I, HERBERT JOHN ALLISON, of the firm of Allison Brothers, Patent Agents, of
52, Chancery Lane,, London, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declaro the
nature of my, invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR COMMUNICATING BY
ELECTRICITY BETWEEN MOVING TRAINS
FIXED STATIONS, OR BETWEEN
MOVING TRAINS,"-a communication from Lucius Joshua Phelps of the City
and State of New York, United States of America, 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 means for signalling or communicating by electricity,
between a moving vehicle, such as a railway car, and a fixed station, or between
two or more moving vehicles.
The object of my invention is to dispense with the use of brushes or contact
wheels carried by a vehicle 'and moving in constant contact with a conductor
placed parallel to the way over which the car or vehicle travels either between the
rails or upon poles beside the track, (which is the plan hitherto employed for the
purpose of communicating electrically with persons upon a moving railway vehicle,)
and to employ in their stead devices whereby currents in a line conductor parallel
with the track or way may induce currents in a local circuit on the vehicle, or
vice versa currents in the local vehicle-circuit may at any time induce currents
on the line circuit.
My invention consists in placing upon the moving vehicle a conductor which is
parallel or substantially parallel to a line conductor (which latter is placed between
the rails or beside the track.). The ends or. terminals of the conductor on the
vebicle are connected with a receiving or with a transmitting apparatus upon the
vehicle, according as it is desired to receive or transmit a communication.
In practice I propose to form the conductor upon the vehicle of two or more
strands or parallel portions making in fact a portion of a large coil of wire of
1.
1; . . 0
i

page_text: irreguluar shape the portion of said coil constituting the return portions for the
parts parallel to the line conductor being carried or located out of inductive
proximity to the line conductor to as great an extent as possible, so as to prevent
conflict of action from the induction of the line upon both portions of the coil.
My invention consists also in a system of signalling or communicating by
induction transfer to and from a moving vehicle, in which the receiving instrument,
upon the vehicle or connected to the line conductor, consists of a polarized relay,
whose armature is unbiased so that it may retain the position in which it is
placed by a current of one polarity until a succeeding current of the opposite
polarity affects it, in combination with a suitable transmitter, and source of
electricity controlled by said transmitter whereby, through a simple make and
break or reversal of the current from said source by the transmitter, each of the
characters making up a signal may be transmitted, through the simple reversal of
current produced by the inductive action between the line conductor and the
apparatus on the car, on the occurence of the make and break or reversal of current
in the line or the car circuit as the case may be.
AT!
My invention consists further in a novel means of preventing disturbance in the
adjustment of the relay through the action of the extra current developed during
the operation of the transmitter at the same station with the relay, and consists
in momentarily forming a shunt around said relay as will be hereinafter more fully
described.
My invention consists further in certain details of construction and combination
of devices more particularly hereinafter described and specified in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle of my invention.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of a railway car equipped with apparatus in
accordance with my invention.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the coil of wire.
Figure 4 is a diagram of the circuits and connections.
Referring to figure 1 let A indicate a conductor, of electricity extending along
a line of way over which a vehicle of any kind may travel,, and B a conductor
carried by a vehicle and stretched or supported in substantial parallelism with the
line conductor and in suitablé inductive proximity thereto...
If the ends of the conductor B, be joined in closed circuit by a return conductor
as C, it is obvious that, on the well known principle of current induction.a break,
reversal or other change of electric condition in the line A will produce by, induction
a current in the conductor B on closed circuit, which current will travel on said
circuit and will affect any instrument therein. +
*
T
At the time current begins to flow in A, current will flow in B in one direction
and when current ceases to flow in A current will flow in B in the opposite
direction. If therefore a, make and break transmitter be connected to circuit A.its
signals may be readily, received on a polarized relay, in circuit with B if said relay
have an unbiased lever, so that at the beginning of a signal the lever will move in
one direction and will.retain its position until the current in the opposite direction,
produced by the break of.the line,circuit flows. If the conductor B, is moving the
same action can take place without interruption because the inductive relation
of B, and, A remains unchanged. The same action evidently may be produced in
reverse way by opening and closing the circuit of, B, if the latter be in circuit with
any source of electricity. The same action may obviously be produced by the well
known expedient of reversing the current on A or on B, according as it is desired
to produce effects in the receiving apparatus connected to one or the other.
If it be desired to reinforce the effects, two or more strands or conductors like B
may be employed, connected in continuous circuit like a coil of wire, the strands B
then forming in effect one portion or side of, à coil, and the return portions C, the
other side of a coil: which is in effect flattened or straight on its side, B.
Having described, the general principle and simplest embodiment of my invention
I will proceed to describe its application to a railway in more specific terms.
I
14.

page_text: Referring to figure 2, D, is the bottom of a railway car moving on a line of rails E.
At F is indicated a hollow pipe or conduit say fifteen feet in length and formed if
desired of ordinary gas pipe. The greater the length of this pipe and of the
conductor therein parallel to the line the better. At its end said pipe is connected
with the hollow depending pipes G which in conjunction with the standards or
rods support said pipe. F. beneath the car bottom at a distance of four inches
more or less from the box or other pipe containing the line conductor A.
The pipes G may also be ordinary cast iron pipes, and with the arms or rods ƒ ƒ.
are firmly secured to the car bottom by any suitable means.
Curved elbow couplings or joints are provided at g g. and openings are provided
at the upper ends of the tubes or pipes & preferably in their sides. Through the
pipes G, F, are carried a number of strands of insulated wire formed preferably into
a continuous coil, which is carried out through the ends of the pipe G and along
the car bottom to one side as indicated in figure 3. at which portion it is properly
secured in place and is preferably enclosed in a wooden or other boxing h. The
purpose in carrying the portion C of the coil to one side or out of plane with the
conductor A, and portion B, is to remove it as far as possible from the inductive
influence of the conductor. The same, end is of course also secured to greater or
less degree by placing the return portion C of the coil at as great a distance as
practicable above the conductor.
For the purpose of my invention I find that number eight copper wire is suitable
for the line conductor and that very good results may be obtained by the
employment of say ten turns of number fourteen insulated copper wire in the
conductor upon the car.
The two ends of the coil of wire upon the car are indicated at m m. They are
carried beneath the car flooring or in other suitable means to an operator's table
indicated at H. upon which are placed suitable transmitting and receiving apparatus
consisting in the present instance of a Morse key I, a polarized relay K. and a
sounder L, the relay, key, and a suitable battery or generator being connected to
the terminals m m as shown in the diagram figure 4, while the sounder is controlled
by the relay in the usual way.
The batteries or sections of battery or other generator may be placed in a suitable
cup board near the car roof as indicated, and connections taken to the apparatus. on
the operators table in the usual way.
The connections of the apparatus upon the car and of the apparatus used at a
train dispatcher's office or other fixed station, are illustrated diagrammatically in
figure 4.
At X is shown apparatus supposed to be upon the car and at Y, apparatus placed
at a fixed station, such for instance as a train despatcher's office. M, B, at X
indicates a galvanic battery, storage battery or other source of continuous or straight
electric current, placed in the circuit from one terminal m of the vehicle conductor
or coil to the other terminal through the front contact of the Morse key I so that
by depressing the key a current will flow in the coil and by induction set up a
current in one direction on the line A while by opening the key at the termination
of the dot or dash a current will be induced on the line in an opposite direction.
The polarized relay indicated at K, is by preference of the well known form as
the "Siemens" or "Siemens-Halske " relay and it controls in the usual and well
known manner indicated, the circuit of the sounder L and local battery L, B.
The coils of the relay are in a circuit from m to m. through contacts closed when
the key is at rest or on its back contact. The connection from the relay is to a
stop n. between which and the contact p on the key, is interposed the double
contacts on a lever r, the office of which latter is, by its stop t, to close a shunt 6,
around the coils of the relay. The lever r, is provided with a spring d, which
draws it against the contact t, when the key I is closed, but the retracter for the
key is of sufficient strength to overcome the spring d, when the key is relieved of
pressure by the hand of the operator.

page_text: وللو
When therefore the key, is at rest..there, is circuit from the terminals m, m.
through the key, the contacts, and stops p; 8, n, and the coils of the relay, so that
the latter may be operated by the reversed currents induced on, the conductors B
by making and breaking of the line circuit A through suitable apparatus at a
station Y. or by the induced currents upon A set up through the operation of the
key upon another vehicle travelling over the same conductor A. The shunt
circuit 6, around the relay is then broken, at .t. When the key I is closed the
circuit of the relay is broken at two places by the separation of the contacts p, 8,
and of 'n, 8.
When after the closing of the circuit of the battery M, B, the key is
opened, a spark occurs, produced by extra currents, which with keys, of the
ordinary kind would be liable to pass through the back contact of the key to the
relay and, derange the adjustment of the latter. By providing however the shunt 6,
and circuit controller therefor a path for such extra current is provided around the
relay, its path being through the points p, s; (which come together the moment that
the front contact of the key is opened) lever r and contact t. The relay is there-
fore unaffected. As the key settles back to its position of rest however the
contact at t is broken and the circuit of the relay is again established through the
contact n.
The apparatus at the fixed station Y. is similar to that upon the car, and the
key, relay and battery' are connected to the circuit formed of the conductor A, and
an earth or return conductor, in the same way that the similar apparatus upon the
car is connected to the circuit of the conductor B.
From what has been already said the operation will be obvious and need not be
described further in detail. The conductor B moves in continuous inductive
proximity or relation to the line conductor A and currents in either may be induced
by the flow or increase and cessation or decrease of current in the other.
:
The relays are normally in circuit and rest. normally against their insulated
stops. The depression of a key, as for instance that at 'y, causes a current to flow
upon line A. which induces a current in one direction on the conductor B, and.
causes the relay to close tlie circuit of the sounder. The opening of the key, by
breaking the flow of current in A causes an induced current to flow in B, in the
opposite direction so as to throw the relay armature back to its normal position,
thus breaking the circuit of the sounder. I sometimes find it advisable to furnish
the latter with a sound collector or resonator indicated at a; figure 2, which is made
to surround the whole sounder or its stops only and to convey the sounds to the ear
of the operator:
Г
1'
:
I do not limit myself to any particular kind of relay nor, when a polarized relay
is employed; to any particular form of the latter.
The form and construction of the key or transmitter as well as the location of
the conductors A, B, may also be indefinitely varied without departing from the
essential characteristics of the invention claimed: For instance the conductor
might be suspended upon poles or ports and the conductor B might be carried on,
the truck frame of the car,
The conductor B in one or more strands parallel to the conductor A is obviously
applicable to securing the desired inductive transfer from the line to the car, for
any method of signalling or communicating, and is a substitute for a travelling
circuit closer for whatever purposes the latter may or might be used.
→
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed; I declare that what
I claim is
D C
First. The combination in a system of electric transmission or transfer to and
from a moving vehicle, of a line conductor, one or more strands of conductor
placed upon the vehicle, and arranged substantially parallel with but in suitable
inductive proximity to the line conductor, and return connections of said strands
removed as far as practicable from close inductive proximity to the line.
6 .

page_text: Second. The combination with a line conductor extending along a track of a coil
of wire (as B. C.) carried upon a vehicle moving over said track, and having its
portion (B) parallel or substantially parallel with the line conductor.
Third. The combination substantially as described, of the line conductor, the
vehicle conductor, and the containing pipe or conduit suspended beneath the car
and connecting with depending pipes or conduits (as G) as and for the purpose
described.
Fourth. In a system of electric induction transmission or transfer to and from
a moving vehicle, the combination of a line conductor, a vehicle conductor, and a
polarized relay in closed circuit in the vehicle conductor.
Fifth. The combination substantially as described, of a line conductor, a vehicle
conductor, a transmitting apparatus for sending currents through the closed
circuit of the vehicle conductor, and a polarized relay connected with the line
conductor.
Sixth. The combination in a system of transmission by induction to and from a
moving vehicle for a transmitter, a relay, and contact points controlled by the
transmitter for momentarily closing a shunt around the relay when the circuit
closed by the transmitter is broken.