Railway vehicle safety shunt system
OwnerGaetano D. Brooksinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A railway vehicle safety shunt system includes a pair of axle-mounted rail wheels having outer circumferential surfaces that engage the upper surfaces of the rails, respectively, radially outwardly flange portions that engage the lateral portions of the rails, respectively, and adjacent end surfaces that are respectively engaged by a pair of spring-biased wire brushes arranged parallel with the axis of rotation of the associated rail wheel. The brushes are electrically connected by a shunt conductor, thereby to present an indication of the location of the railway vehicle at a remote vehicle position monitoring and dispatching station.
Claims11
A railway vehicle adapted for transport upon a pair of parallel rails connected with a position monitoring and dispatching control system, comprising:
- (a) a vehicle chassis;
- (b) a pair of rail wheels at least partially supporting said chassis for transport along said rails, said rail wheels having adjacent end surfaces, each of said rail wheels being rotatable about an axle connected with said chassis;
- (c) a pair of brush support means connected with said chassis between said rail wheels and adjacent the adjacent end surfaces thereof, respectively, each of said brush support means including:
- (1) an hollow outer housing having a longitudinal axis parallel with the axis of rotation of the associated wheel, said outer housing having an open first end adjacent the associated rail wheel;
- and
- (2) an inner support member mounted for longitudinal displacement within said outer housing first end, said inner support member having a first end adjacent the associated rail wheel;
- (d) a pair of electrically conductive brush means carried by said inner support member first ends, respectively, each of said brush means extending longitudinally toward the associated rail wheel and having an end extremity arranged for engagement with the adjacent end surface of the associated wheel;
- (e) spring means biasing said inner support members axially outwardly apart in first directions relative to their respective outer housings toward extended positions in which the extremities of said brush means are in electrical engagement with the adjacent end surfaces of the associated rail wheels, respectively;
- and
- (f) shunt conductor means electrically connecting said brush means, thereby to establish a shunt across the rails engaged by the respective rail wheels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.