US 4,046,342 AGranted

Wayside signaling system for railroad cab signals and speed control

AssigneeWestinghouse Air Brake Company

InventorKenneth J. Buzzard

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Abstract

A transmitter and a receiver are located at each junction location between adjoining track sections along a stretch of track for transmitting and receiving cab signal or speed control commands through wire loops laid in a preselected pattern parallel to and between the rails of each section. Train carried apparatus is selectively reponsive to the speed commands and to the pattern of the wire loops to control the movement of the train in the established direction through the stretch. A distinct directional frequency is transmitted from the selected entrance end of the stretch, when a train movement is desired, and is repeated at each wayside location through the wire loops to the exit end. The directional frequency reception at each location activates a filter output to selectively enable gating elements to connect the associated transmitter and receiver to the adjoining section loops in accordance with the desired traffic direction. The speed command transmission is selected in accordance with the advance traffic conditions. If the immediate advance section is occupied by a train, a restricted speed command is transmitted in the principal loop of the approach section but no command is applied to a second loop at the exit end which causes the train to halt prior to entering the next section. This prevents the overrun of sections by a following train and the inadvertent reception of a higher speed command intended for the preceding train.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A wayside signaling arrangement for a stretch of railroad track for controlling train carried cab signal apparatus on trains traversing the stretch in either direction, said stretch divided into a plurality of sections between station locations, comprising in combination,

a. a plurality of wire loops laid between the rails of each section and positioned in a predetermined pattern to inductively couple with said train carried apparatus to transmit cab signal commands thereto,
b. a cab signal command transmitter means at each junction location between adjoining sections selectively coupled to the wire loops in an adjoining approach section, in accordance with the established traffic direction, for transmitting cab signal commands selected in accordance with advance traffic conditions,
c. a receiver means at each junction location, selectively coupled to the wire loops in an adjoining advance section in accordance with the established traffic direction and always to the section loops other than those to which the associated transmitter means is coupled, for receiving the cab signal command transmitted by the transmitter means at the next junction in advance,
d. cab signal command selection means at each location coupled between the associated receiver and transmitter means and responsive to the cab signal commands received by said associated receiver means from the advance section loops for activating said associated transmitter means to transmit a cab signal command into the approach section loops in accordance with the advance traffic conditions represented by the received cab signal commands, and
e. traffic direction register means at each junction location coupled to the loops in each adjoining section and responsive to the reception of a unique signal from one approach direction loop for registering the established traffic direction,
f. said traffic direction register means responsive to the registration of a traffic direction for enabling the coupling of the associated transmitter and receiver means to the correct loop pattern in accordance with the traffic direction established.

3 more elements

In a wayside signaling arrangement for controlling train carried cab signal and speed control apparatus on trains traversing a stretch of railroad track in either direction, said stretch divided into a plurality of track sections, each with a predetermined pattern of wire loops laid between the rails in inductive relationship with the train carried apparatus to transfer signal commands thereto, at each junction location between adjoining sections, the combination comprising,

a. a transmitter means at times coupled for transmitting cab signal commands over approach section loops selected in accordance with the established traffic direction,
b. receiver means at times coupled to advance section loops selected in accordance with the established traffic direction for receiving the cab signal command transmitted from the next junction location in advance,
c. a traffic registry means coupled to the loops of each adjoining section and responsive to a distinct traffic signal received from a selected end of said stretch for registering the established traffic direction,
d. a gated coupling means controlled by said traffic registry means for selectively coupling the associated transmitter means and receiver means to the approach and advance section loops, respectively, in accordance with the registered traffic direction,
e. a cab signal command selection means coupled to the associated transmitter and receiver means and responsive to the cab signal commands received from the advance section loops for activating the associated transmitter means to transmit cab signal commands into the approach section loops in accordance with advance traffic conditions.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.