Patents by Inventor Anthony G. Ehrlich

Anthony G. Ehrlich has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5330134
    Abstract: An improved railway cab signal transmitter for transmitting a cab signal onto a pair of rails for reception by a railway vehicle on said rails. A tuning arrangement is connected across the rails to generally resonate with the leaving end impedance bond at a preselected cab signal frequency. The cab signal is coded at the preselected frequency such that the resonant circuit acts in conjunction with the code signal generation to act as a constant current signal source feeding the rails. A reduction in the maximum cab signal rail current is achieved thereby mitigating runby cab signal currents which might be available for reception by following trains. Embodiments of the tuning arrangement use a capacitor on the primary winding of the feed transformer. Other embodiments include inductance in series with a capacitor. Receivers for wayside displays that also use the cab signal current include embodiments having a capacitor or a capacitor/inductor across the wayside receiver transmitter secondary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 19, 1994
    Assignee: Union Switch & Signal Inc.
    Inventor: Anthony G. Ehrlich
  • Patent number: 5263669
    Abstract: A transmitter for transmitting cab signal and track signal currents to a pair of rails includes the circuitry for mitigating runby currents which are not fully shunted by the rail vehicle. High runby currents at the leaving end of a block are reduced by sensing the presence of a railway vehicle in the leaving end of the block. In response to sensing the rail vehicle the cab signal voltage is reduced to a lower level. The lower level and the position at which the railway vehicle is sensed are adjusted so as to permit a lead vehicle to receive at least a minimum cab signal value throughout its journey while assuring that following trains receive less than the minimum cab value required to activate the vehicle based receiver. The train is sensed by the voltage drop across the rails as the train approaches. A relay is used to respond to the presence of the train by applying a lower cab signal to the rails.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1993
    Assignee: Union Switch & Signal Inc.
    Inventor: Anthony G. Ehrlich
  • Patent number: 5219426
    Abstract: The invention provides a single-element coded alternating current railway track circuit which may be adapted to a double-element Phase-Selective configuration. A transmitter, via a transmitter transformer, provides a coded track signal to the track. A receiver transformer having one primary winding and a pair of secondary windings receives the track signal. One of the secondary windings is connected directly across a rectifier.The other secondary winding is connected in series with a secondary winding of a local transformer. This serial combination is electrically connected across another rectifier. A DC code-following relay is electrically connected across a rectified output of the first rectifier via two output terminals. A third output terminal allows substitution of a magnetic stick relay for the code-following relay if a double-element configuration is desired. The primary winding of the local transformer has terminals for connecting an AC source when using the optional double-element configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1993
    Assignee: Union Switch & Signal Inc.
    Inventor: Anthony G. Ehrlich
  • Patent number: 4117529
    Abstract: Two sensor coils are positioned one adjacent each separate gage rail at the track relay end of a dual gage track section in which train detection current flows in the two gage, i.e., other than common, rails in parallel and returns through the common rail to the energy source. The signal induced in each sensor coil by this track circuit current is applied to a separate receiver broadly tuned to the track circuit frequency. The amplified receiver outputs are applied to a comparator unit which generates an output signal only when the inputs from the receivers are substantially equal as a result of equal other rail currents. The comparator output holds energized a broken rail detector relay which releases to indicate a broken rail condition in the other rails when the sensor coil signals differ by a predetermined amount. If possibility of a shunt fault between the other rails exists, the detector arrangement is supplemented by an audio frequency (AF) circuit in the loop formed by the two other rails in parallel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1977
    Date of Patent: September 26, 1978
    Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Company
    Inventors: Donald E. Stark, Anthony G. Ehrlich, Bruno Guillaumin
  • Patent number: 3986691
    Abstract: A frequency selective filter is connected between the track transformer and phase selective unit at the receiving end of a coded phase selective track circuit to reject interfering signals of propulsion current frequency. The series L-C filter comprises a capacitor and a two-winding reactor coil with a resistor permanently connected in series between the two windings. Each winding is tapped to allow a selection of the filter inductance to match track circuit impedance, including impedance bonds and ballast resistance. Taps for short track circuits include the second winding and the resistor to improve signal to noise ratio. Energy for short interlocking track circuits is of a higher frequency, and a special tap on the first winding is selected to enable filter tuning at this other frequency for train detection since basic frequency is still used during code off-time for cab signal control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 1975
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1976
    Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Company
    Inventors: Anthony G. Ehrlich, Crawford E. Staples, Donald E. Stark