Patent · US Expired

Circuit arrangement for the busy indication of track sections of a model railway

US5467946A · kind A · utility

3Cited by
12References
6Claims
0Family size

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateOct 11, 1994
Grant dateNov 21, 1995
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 11, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA63H2019/243
  • WIPO fieldFurniture, games
  • WIPO sectorOther fields

Abstract

The invention refers to a circuit for the busy indication of track sections (1, 2, 3, 4) electrically isolated from each other of a model railway system digitally controlled by a control center (Z). After a controlled digital receiver (E) of an engine determines its own address code with the help of a decoding device, it provides a busy signal via a signal generator (8) to the assigned busy indicator (BM3). To simplify the circuit considerably and to be able to do without the the RF-signal generators so far used in the engine and corresponding RF-receivers of the busy indicator, the signal generator of each engine (A, B) comprises a d.c. source providing a busy signal of a given polarity corresponding to the engine direction on the track as the busy signal to the busy indicator (BM3). Each busy indicator (BM3) comprises a direct voltage comparator (20) which can measure the busy signal received in zero-volt measurement gaps of the control signal and thus makes it possible to assign the engine designation to a given track section as well as the position of the engine on the track.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.