Apparatus for Working Semaphore Signals by Means of Electric Currents.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Nov., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Aug., 1894-Accepted, 8th Sept., 1894
PROVISIONAL DEMOLI
[Communicated from abroad by Messrs. SIEMENS & HALSKE, of Berlin, in the
German Empire, Electrical Engineers.]
Apparatus for Working Semaphore Signals by Means of Electric
Currents.
We, SIEMENS BROTHERS & Co. LIMITED, of 12 Queen Anne's Gate,
Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, Electrical Engineers, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus whereby semaphore signals are worked by
an electromotor directly in connection with the signal, the action of such motor
for bringing the signal arm to the "line clear" and danger positions being con-
trolled by moveable contacts at the signal apparatus worked by switches in the
signalman's box, where is situated a repeating apparatus to. indicate to the
signalman the position of the semaphore.
For this purpose an electro motor of any suitable known construction situated
at the semaphore signal, drives a worm gearing with a toothed wheel, the motor
being made capable of rotating the worm and wheel in either direction by varying
the manner in which the current is made to pass through the field magnet coils.
On the axis of the toothed wheel is mounted loose a lever that is connected by
a rod to the signal arm so that the motion of the lever effects the movement
of the signal arm into the "line clear" position, the signal arın being so weighted
as to be moved by gravity into the "danger" position when it is released by the
said lever.
This lever carries a spring catch, the tail of which constitutes the armature
of an electro magnet that is mounted on the lever, the said catch being so
arranged that when a current is passed through the electromagnet this, in
attracting the armature tail of the catch, causes this to engage with the toothed
wheel and thus couples the lever with the latter, so that when the wheel is rotated
by the electromotor it carries the lever round with it causing this to move the
signal arm into the "line clear" position. When the circuit of the electromagnet
on the lever is broken the catch is withdrawn from the wheel by its spring and
the lever being now free, the signal arm is able to move by gravity into the
"danger" position.
66
The current is conveyed to the electro magnet through leads connected with
insulated brushes on a T shaped head of the lever which brushes slide on fixed
contact plates that are connected to the main circuit.
The said lever is also connected by a rod to a switch which in moving with the
lever and semaphore arm, slides over a fixed contact and thereby maintains the
main circuit closed as long as the signal arm is moving, but by the time the signal
arm has assumed its end position for "line clear," the switch will have moved off
the fixed contact, thus breaking the motor circuit and bringing the apparatus to a
state of rest.
When it is desired to bring the signal arm into the "danger" position again, the
signalman's switch is moved so as to break the circuit of the electro-magnet of the
lever, the catch is then withdrawn from the toothed wheel, as before stated, and
the signal arm in moving into the "danger" position, brings the before mentioned
switch connected thereto on to its contact again.
In the signalman's box is provided an indicator for indicating the position into
which the signal arm has been moved. This consists of two electromagnets whose
coils are included in circuits of the battery or other source of current for working

page_text: the electro motor. Between the limbs of these electro magnets is a pivotted iron
bar serving as indicator and weighted so that when no current is flowing through
either of the electro magnets, the bar assumes a vertical position between them.
When the signalman moves his switch so as to bring the signal arm into the danger
position the one indicator electro magnet becomes excited so, as to attract the
indicator and hold it in an inclined position, thereby shewing the signalman that
the signal is at danger. When the signalman moves his switch so as to bring the
signal arm into the "line clear" position the said electro magnet is first. put out of
circuit, allowing the indicator to assume its vertical position, whereupon the other
indicator electro magnet is put in circuit so as to attract the indicator into the
opposite inclined position.
For effecting the above mentioned putting in and out of circuit of the two
electro magnets there are provided at the signal actuating apparatus, two contact
switches acted upon by a spring so as to close two circuits leading to the indicator
electromagnets; one or other of these switches is acted upon by a stud on the
before described switch connected to the signal lever when in the extreme position,
so as, at that time, to break the circuit of the one or other of the indicator electro
magnets.
By the above described construction of the signal actuating apparatus, the
signal arm can be brought both into a lowered and a raised angular position for
giving the "line clear signal, the electro motor being made to revolve in
contrary directions for this purpose by bringing the signalman's switch into
correspondingly opposite positions for effecting the necessary changes in the field
magnet circuits.
Dated this 3rd day of November 1893.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.
Apparatus for Working Semaphore Signals by Means of Electric
Currents.
We, SIEMENS BROTHERS & CO. LIMITED, of 12 Queen Anne's Gate,
Westminster in the County of Middlesex, Electrical Engineers, 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 :-
This invention relates to apparatus whereby semaphore signals are worked by an
electromotor directly in connection with the signal, the action of such motor for
bringing the signal arm to the "line clear
and " 'danger" positions being
controlled by moveable contacts at the signal apparatus worked by switches in the
signalman's box, where is situated a repeating apparatus to indicate to the
signalman the position of the semaphore.
We will proceed to describe the said apparatus with reference to the accom-
panying drawings, in which Figs. 1 to 5 shew diagrammatic views of the apparatus
in five different phases of its action.
The apparatus consists of three main parts, namely the signal operating
mechanism A, connected to the semaphore signal; the apparatus in the signal
box B, and the source of electric current C.
The signal operating apparatus A is composed of an electromotor m whose shaft
carries a worms and whose field magnet windings are divided into two parts of
which the one or other has a current passing through it, corresponding to the
direction in which the armature is required to turn; also, a worm wheel r on whose
shaft is mounted loose a T shaped lever and with which wheel the above
mentioned worm gears; also, three contact levers c d and b of which the latter is

page_text: connected by rod. w with the lever t; and lastly, of the semaphore signal arm
which is connected by rod w¹ with the lever t.
The semaphore arm is provided with a device which always tends to bring the
arm from the "line clear" to the horizontal or "danger" position I as at Fig. 1.
The action of this apparatus will be readily understood from the several
liagrams.
The lever t carries an electromagnet whose armature can oscillate on a pivot
on the lever t.
The armature is extended beyond the pivot and terminates in a hook which, on
the attraction of the armature by the electromagnet, engages with the teeth of the
worm wheel r.
On the lever t are furthermore two insulated contact brushes f1f2 which bear
upon the current supply contacts and 2 and serve to convey the current, by
means of leads shewn in dotted lines, to the electromagnet that oscillates with the
lever t.
The circuit closing and breaking levers b c and d rest upon their contacts while
the signal arm is in the position I.
The lever b, whose stud i is insulated, performs, together with the lever t, all the
movements imparted to the signal arm.
The levers c and d which are held in their normal position by means of a spring,
are moved by the insulated stud i away from their contacts shortly after the
commencement of the movement of the signal arm into the "line clear" position,
this being effected in such manner that according to the direction of motion of the
levert either c is so moved and lever d remains stationary, or lever d is moved
and lever c remains stationary.
C
The signalman's apparatus B, consists of a double reversing switch g which can
be moved at will into any desired position, and of four wire coils with iron cores
which are connected diagonally and form two electromagnetsk and o.
The armature n which can oscillate between their poles and is provided with an
indicating disc, lies, during the passage of a current either against the poles of the
electromagnet o or against those of k, while when the circuit is broken, the
armature is brought by a weight n' into the middle position.
In the position of the signal arm shewn at Fig. 1 it is in the position of rest
namely at "danger."
The switch g of the signalman's apparatus lies on the contacts 1 and 4 and the
indicator armature is attracted by the poles of the electromagnet k through which
the current is passing and which has a suitable amount of resistance.
The course of the current will be readily seen on the drawings, both for this
and the ensuing operations, by the arrows marked on the circuits.
For the movement of the signal arın, for example into the position II, the
following operations take place.
The switch g is brought into the position in which it lies upon the contacts 1
and 3 (as shewn at Fig. 2). The ensuing current causes the armature of the
electromotor to commence to move the actuating gear, and at the same time
causes the electromagnet x, which is in shunt to the motor armature_circuit, to
attract its armature. By the latter operation the lever t is geared with the
wheel by the engagement of the hook with the teeth thereof so that 'r will now
carry round and this will move the semaphore arın towards II. The indicator
armaturen will then be attracted by the poles of the electromaguet o whose windings
have only a small resistance.
The contact lever b will slide on its contact during the actuation of the signal
arm, and the stud i of the lever b will, soon after the commencement of motion,
move the lever d, through which no current now flows, from off its notch.
As soon as the signal arm has reached its correct angular position, the lever b
will also be separated from its contact as at Fig. 3. By thus breaking this
circuit connecting this lever with one of the brushes on the commutator of the
motor, the latter will be brought to a standstill.

page_text: The current now only passes through the electromagnet coils c, which have a
suitably high resistance, through the field magnet windings of m and through the
electromagnet coils o, whose poles hold the attracted indicator armature. The
entire actuating apparatus is thus at rest with the signal arm in the "line clear"
position II. For moving back the signal arm the switch g is again so placed that
it is on the contacts 1 and 4 as at Fig. 4. When this has been done the current will
be interrupted in the whole of the circuits, and consequently also in the circuit
leading to the electromagnet x.
The disengaging spring of now draws the coupling hook out of the teeth
of the wheel r, so that the levert becomes disengaged from the wheel r, and the
signal arm can then be moved by gravity back into the normal ("danger”)
position.
Shortly before the signal arm reaches its normal position, the contact lever d
being released by lever will again touch its contact, and will thereby put the
conductor to the electromagnet & in circuit. The indicator armature, which during
the complete breaking of the circuit will have moved into the middle position as at
Fig. 4 will be attracted by the electromagnet k as at Fig. 1 and will thereby indicate
that the signal arm is actually in the "danger" position again.
For setting the signal arm in the position III, the same operations take place as
above described, the only difference being that the switch g is moved so as to bring
those windings of the motor field magnets into circuit which cause the motor
armature to revolve in the opposite direction, and in place of the contact lever d
the lever c is moved away from its contact, as shewn at Fig. 5.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
"
1. Apparatus for working semaphore signals by means of electric currents
wherein a toothed wheel r is connected to the actuating levert by means of an
electro magnetic coupling device x 1, when the circuit of the electro motor m is closed,
such coupling being maintained until the circuit of the coupling electro magnet a
is broken for the purpose of automatically bringing the signal arm to the "danger
position, while the armature circuit of the motor is broken, so as to stop the
motor's action when the signal arm is in the "line clear" position, by means
of a circuit breaker actuated by the signal arm and lever t substantially as
described.
2. In the electrical apparatus for working semaphore signals referred to in the
first claim, the arrangement whereby the rotation of the electromotor in the one
direction or the other is effected by means of two of three circuits and a double
reversing switch g in the signalman's box, the position of such switch being made
to determine the flow of the current through one or other of two oppositely acting
field magnet windings of the motor, while the third circuit, which has no current
during the movement of the signal arm, receives a current by means of one of the
contact levers e or d as soon as the armature circuit of the motor is broken, and
thus causes the indicator apparatus ko to indicate the position of the signal arm
substantially as described.
3. In apparatus for working semaphore signals by electric currents, the com-
bination, with the semaphore arm, of a levert capable of connection by an electro-
magnetic catch x with the gearing of an electromotor m, so that when so engaged
by the action of the electric current which actuates the motor, the latter moves
the semaphore arm into the "line clear" position, while when the catch is discon-
nected from the motor gear by the cessation of the current that works the motor,
the semaphore arm is free to move by gravity into the "danger" position,
substantially as described.
4. In apparatus for working semaphore signals by electric currents the com-
bination, with the semaphore arm of an electromotor m, a lever t connected to the
semaphore arm and having an electro magnet catch adapted to connect it to the

page_text: motor gearing, a double hand switch g for making and breaking the electric circuits
operating the motor and electro magnetic catch and contact levers b c d operated by
the motion of the semaphore arm for automatically breaking the said circuits when
the semaphore arm is in the "line clear" position, substantially as described.
Dated this 2nd day of August 1894.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for Applicants.