Railroad color light signals including wind reduction elements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11584409-B2
Application number	US-202117401780-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2021
Priority date	Aug 26, 2020
Publication date	Feb 21, 2023
Grant date	Feb 21, 2023

Abstract

A railroad signal includes a mounting bracket and a signal head, the signal head being mounted to another structure by the mounting bracket, wherein the signal head includes a signal housing, a plurality of signal lights positioned in the signal housing, and a protection device for reducing or eliminating wind forces, the protection device comprising a snow shield and at least one wind guide element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A signal head comprising:
a signal housing,
a plurality of signal lights positioned in the signal housing, and
a protection device for reducing or eliminating wind forces, the protection device comprising
a snow shield, and
at least one wind guide element,

wherein the protection device incorporates the snow shield and the at least one wind guide element, such that the snow shield acts as a wind guide,
wherein the protection device comprises a tapered body and is configured as tunnel visor with a lower cutout, and
wherein the protection device is mounted to a background support structure, and wherein a width of the tapered body reduces in a direction away from the background support structure.

2. The signal head of claim 1 ,
wherein the protection device comprises a rain and/or ice diverter.

3. The railroad signal of claim 1 ,
wherein the protection device comprises metal, plastic, a type of composite material, or a combination thereof.

4. A signal comprising:
a mounting bracket, and
a signal head as claimed in claim 1 , the signal head being mounted to another structure by the mounting bracket.

5. A signal head comprising:
a signal housing,
a plurality of signal lights positioned in the signal housing, and
a protection device for reducing or eliminating wind forces, the protection device comprising
a snow shield, and
at least one wind guide element,

wherein the snow shield is configured as tunnel visor with a lower cutout,
wherein the snow shield is mounted to a background support structure,
wherein the at least one wind guide element comprises a rear wind guide located on a back side of the background support structure, and
wherein the rear wind guide creates an open space between the background support structure and the rear wind guide.

6. The signal head of claim 5 ,
wherein the snow shield comprises multiple openings on side surfaces allowing air to enter or exit.

7. The signal head of claim 6 ,
wherein the background support structure comprises multiple openings, wherein the multiple openings of the snow shield and the multiple openings of the background support structure are aligned.

8. The signal head of claim 5 ,
wherein the rear wind guide comprises upper and lower covers.

9. The signal head of claim 8 ,
wherein the rear wind guide comprises multiple openings allowing air to enter or exit.

10. The signal head of claim 8 ,
wherein the rear wind guide comprises light reduction baffles positioned within an interior of the rear wind guide and configured to block surrounding light.

11. A signal head comprising:
a signal housing,
a plurality of signal lights positioned in the signal housing, and
a protection device for reducing or eliminating wind forces, the protection device comprising
a snow shield, and
at least one wind guide element,

wherein the snow shield is configured as tunnel visor with a lower cutout,
wherein the snow shield is mounted to a background support structure
wherein the at least one wind guide element comprises a front side wind guide mounted to the snow shield, and
wherein the front side wind guide comprises upper and lower covers thereby creating an enclosed front side wind guide.

Assignees

• Siemens Mobility Inc

Inventors

• Fletcher Nathan
• Long Zhenzhong

Classifications

• B61L5/1836 Primary

  using light sources of different colours and separate optical systems · CPC title

• B61L2207/02

  using light-emitting diodes [LEDs] · CPC title

• B61L5/1827 Primary

  using light sources of different colours and a common optical system · CPC title