US 4,034,832 AGranted

Pantograph emergency lowering system

AssigneeGeneral Electric Company

InventorCarl B. Lewis

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Abstract

An emergency lowering system for a vehicle mounted pantograph in which lever actuated trip valves are disposed at opposite ends of the pantograph current collector in a position to be actuated in the event that an overhead contact wire tends to slide off and end of the current collector. The trip valves control a relay air valve which is arranged to supply a relatively large volume of high pressure air to a pneumatic jack wherein the jack is connected to lower the pantograph. In a preferred embodiment the emergency lowering system is adapted to supply air at a higher pressure and larger volume than the normal lowering system whereby the pantograph is lowered at a faster rate in an emergency. For use in a train of vehicles the system includes a pressure responsive switch for detecting initiation of an emergency lowering condition and for providing a signal which can be used to effect lowering of all pantographs in the train if any one pantograph experiences an emergency condition.

Claims8

Dependent claims

For use on a traction vehicle having electric propulsion equipment that is powered from a wayside source comprising an elevated electric power contact wire, a pantograph comprising:

a. support means adapted to be mounted on top of the vehicle and movable between extended and retracted positions;
b. a current collector connected to said support means and having an elongated upper contact surface disposed generally transverse to the direction of movement of the vehicle;
c. biasing means on said support means for varying said support means toward its extended position, whereby said collector is raised and said upper contact surface is urged into sliding engagement with the overhead contact wire;
d. counter-biasing means on said support means effective when actuated to move said support means to its retracted position in which said collector is lowered and said upper contact surface is disengaged from the overhead contact wire;
and
e. a pair of automatic actuating means respectively disposed at opposite ends of said upper contact surface, each of said automatic actuating means being responsive to engagement by the overhead contact wire for actuating said counter-biasing means.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.