Westinghouse Air Brake Company

Charles C Siegling, Iii

John H Corvin

Francis A Launier

A signal processing unit for a controller of a trolley pole switch is disclosed. The trolley pole switch switches the path of travel that an energy collector takes through the switch at a junction of catenaries at which a turn catenary and a straight catenary diverge from the straight catenary. The signal processing unit includes an input stage, a detection stage, turn and straight signal demodulation stages and an output stage. The input stage conditions modulated signals, each of which indicating a request to switch the path of travel through the trolley pole switch to the desired catenary diverging therefrom. The detection stage generates a validation signal if the conditioned modulated signal falls within a predetermined band. If the turn demodulation stage receives a conditioned modulated turn signal from the input stage and the validation signal from the detection stage simultaneously, it generates a low logic signal. If the straight demodulation stage receives a conditioned modulated straight signal from the input stage and the validation signal from the detection stage simultaneously, it generates a low logic signal. If a low logic signal is received from the turn demodulation stage, the output stage energizes a turn relay thereby supplying power to a turn solenoid for switching the path of travel to the turn catenary. If a low logic signal is received from the straight demodulation stage, the output stage energizes a straight relay thereby supplying power to a straight solenoid for switching the path of travel to the straight catenary.

Signal processing unit for a trolley pole switch controller

An electronic controller for controlling a trolley pole switch is disclosed. The trolley pole switch switches the path of travel that an energy collector of a trolley pole takes through the trolley pole switch at a junction of power conduits diverging from the trolley pole switch. The electronic trolley pole switch controller includes a signal processing device and a power controlling device employed in tandem to control the frog solenoids of a trolley pole switch. The signal processing device detects and processes a plurality of modulated signals. Each modulated signal represents a request to switch the path of travel that the energy collector takes through the trolley pole switch to a desired one of the power conduits diverging therefrom. In response to each modulated signal, the signal processing device generates an intermediate command signal indicative of a command to supply power to the appropriate frog solenoid that effects the switch in the path of travel through the trolley pole switch to the desired power conduit. The power controlling device receives the intermediate command signal from the signal processing device and in response thereto supplies power to that frog solenoid. The frog solenoid energizes and therethrough compels the trolley pole switch to switch the path of travel that the energy collector will take through the trolley pole switch to the desired power conduit.

Electronic controller for a trolley pole switch mechanism

A power controlling unit for use with a radio board of a trolley pole switch controller is disclosed. The trolley pole switch has at least one frog for switching the path of travel that an energy collector takes through a junction of catenaries. The power controlling unit includes three reduction stages, a chopper control stage, and two output stages. A first reduction stage reduces power received from one catenary to an initial power level. The chopper control stage outputs two pairs of alternating signals. Controlled by a first pair of alternating signals, a second reduction stage reduces the initial power level to a secondary power level to operate the radio board. As long as it receives the initial power level, the third reduction stage reduces the secondary power level to a primary power level to operate the power controlling unit. Controlled by a second pair of alternating signals and the initial power level, when a turn output stage receives a turn command from the radio board, it switches power from one catenary to a turn solenoid of such frog thereby switching the path of travel that the energy collector will take to a turn catenary. Controlled by the second pair of signals and the initial power level, when a straight output stage receives a straight command from the radio board, it switches power from one catenary to a straight solenoid of such frog thereby switching the path of travel that the energy collector will take to a straight catenary.

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Greenville, SC, United States of America

Charles C Siegling, Iii