Electronic alertness control

• US 3,177,481 A
• Filed: 08/10/1961
• Issued: 04/06/1965
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1961
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ivan L. Joy, Laurence D. Long, Troy H. Bickerstaff, Walter L. More
• Original Assignee: Ivan L. Joy, Laurence D. Long, Troy H. Bickerstaff, Walter L. More
• Inventors: Joy, Ivan L., Long, Laurence D., More, Walter L., Bickerstaff, Troy H.
• Application Number:
  US04/130,632
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• US Class Current: 246/167.00R
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/02 Dead-man's devices

Claims

1. AN ELECTRONIC SAFETY CIRCUIT FOR REGULATING A CONTROL DEVICE THAT MONITORS VIGILANCE OF AN OPERATOR TO HIS CONTROL FUNCTION AT A STATION THAT IS EQUIPPED WITH CONTROL EQUIPMENT AND THAT IS EQUIPPED WITH A SUPPORT FOR LOCATING THE OPERATOR IN PROPER RELATIONSHIP TO SUCH CONTROL EQUIPMENT, SAID CONTROL DEVICE INCLUDING OPERATING MEANS FOR REGULATING OPERATION OF SAFETY EQUIPMENT FOR SAID STATION, SAID ELECTRONIC SAFETY CIRCUIT INCLUDING A TRANSMITTER OF ALTERNATING CURRENT ENERGY, SENSING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO ALTERNATING CURRENT ENERGY FLOW IN SAID CIRCUIT AND CONNECTED TO ACTUATE SAID OPERATING MEANS, AND ALTERNATING CURRENT ENERGY COUPLING ELEMENTS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID SUPPORT AND TO SAID CONTROL EQUIPMENT TO COACT IN DEFINING AN ALTERNATING CURRENT TRANSMISSION LINK THROUGH THE OPERATOR WHEN THE OPERATOR IS IN PROXIMITY CONCURRENTLY TO SAID SUPPORT AND SAID CONTROL EQUIPMENT SUCH THAT ALTERNATING CURRENT ENERGY GLOW IN SAID CIRCUIT IS ACCOMPLISHED BY ENERGY COUPLING THROUGH SAID LINK IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE POSITIONAL RELATIONSHIP OF THE OPERATOR BETWEEN SAID SUPPORT AND SAID CONTROL EQUIPMENT.

2. AN ELECTRONIC SAFETY CIRCUIT FOR REGULATING A CONTROL DEVICE THAT MONITORS VIGILANCE OF AN OPERATOR TO HIS CONTROL FUNCTION AT A STATION THAT IS EQUIPPED WITH CONTROL EQUIPMENT AND THAT IS EQUIPPED WITH A SUPPORT FOR LOCATING THE OPERATOR IN PROPER RELATIONSHIP TO SUCH CONTROL EQUIPMENT, SAID CONTROL DEVICE INCLUDING RESETTABLE MEANS CONTINUOUSLY OPERABLE FOR GENERATING A TIMING CYCLE, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID RESETTABLE MEANS UPON GENERATION OF A COMPLETE TIMING CYCLE THEREBY FOR AUTOMATICALLY OPERATING SAFETY EQUIPMENT FOR SAID STATION AND MEANS RESTORING THE RESETTABLE MEANS TO RECYCLE THE DEVICE, SAID ELECTRONIC SAFETY CIRCUIT INCLUDING A TRANSMITTER OF ALTERNATING CURRENT ENERGY, SENSING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO ALTERNATING CURRENT ENERGY FLOW IN SAID CIRCUIT AND CONNECTED TO ACUTATE SAID RESTORING MEANS, AND ALTERNATING CURRENT ENERGY COUPLING ELEMENTS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID SUPPORT AND TO SAID CONTROL EQUIPMENT TO COACT IN DEFINING AN ALTERNATING CURRENT TRANSMISSION LINK THROUGH THE OPERATOR WHEN THE OPERATOR IS IN PROXIMITY CONCURRENTLY TO SAID SUPPORT AND SAID CONTROL EQUIPMENT SUCH THAT ALTERNATING CURRENT ENERGY FLOW IN SAID CIRCUIT IS ACCOMPLISHED BY ENERGY COUPLING THROUGH SAID LINK IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE POSITIONAL RELATIONSHIP OF THE OPERATOR BETWEEN SAID SUPPORT AND SAID CONTROL EQUIPMENT, SAID ALTERNATING CURRENT ENERGY SENSING MEANS BEING CONNECTED IN SAID CIRCUIT TO RESPOND TO A PREDETERMINED CHANGE IN THE ENERGY FLOW THROUGH SAID LINK AND HAVING MEANS CONNECTED TO ACTUATE SAID RESTORING MEANS UPON ANY CHANGE IN THE POSITIONAL RELATIONSHIP OF THE OPERATOR THAT PRODUCES SAID PREDETERMINED ENERGY CHANGE.

9. APPARATUS FOR MONITORING THE VIGILANCE TO HIS CONTROL FUNCTION OF AN OPERATOR OF CONTROL EQUIPMENT AND COMPRIDING A RESETTABLE TIMER CONTINUOUSLY OPERABLE FOR GENERATING A TIMING CYCLE, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO GENERATION OF A COMPLETE TIMING CYCLE BY SAID TIMER FOR AUTOMATICALLY OPEATING SAFETY EQUIPMENT, A RESETTABLE WARNING DEVICE CONNECTED TO RESPOND SHORTLY PRIOR TO COMPLETION OF A TIMING CYCLE, MEANS FOR SENSING MOVEMENTS OF THE OPERATOR INCIDENT TO PERFORMANCE OF HIS CONTROL FUNCTION, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE LAST NAMED SENSING MEANS FOR RESETTING TIMER AND WARNING DEVICE FOR EACH OPERATOR MOVEMENT SENSED THEREBY, A RESETTABLE GENERATING DEVICE CONNECTED TO OPERATE CONCURRENTLY WITH SAID WARNING DEVICE TO PRODUCE AN OUTPUT SIGNAL RESPECTATIVE OF THE RESPONSE TIME OF THE OPERATOR, A STORAGE CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO RECEIVE SUCCESSIVE OUTPUT SIGNALS FROM SAID GENERATING DEVICE AND INCLUDING MEANS FOR STORING AND AVERAGING SUCH OUTPUT SIGNALS TO PROVIDE A SIGNAL FACTOR REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OVER-ALL RESPONSE EFFICIENCY OF THE OPERATOR, AND A COMPARISON CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO RECEIVE AND COMPARE SAID SIGNAL FACTOR WITH EACH CURRENT OUTPUT SIGNAL FROM SAID CHARGING SIGNAL GENERATING DEVICE FOR INDICATING ANY DECREASE IN THE RESPONSE EFFICIENCY OF THE OPERATOR.