GB955152A - Electron tube assembly apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

955,152. Assembling electron tubes. RADIO CORPORATION OF AMERICA. Oct. 5, 1960 [Nov. 4, 1959], No. 34212/60. Heading H1J. [Also in Division B8] Apparatus for handling electron tube parts which include a flange with a central opening and a tubular element which can be received therein, during assembly of the tube, comprises a rod having a tapered tip, a cylindrical portion to fit into the tubular element and means for retaining the flange and the tubular element on the rod during manipulation. The electron tube comprises an envelope 12, Fig. 1, sealed to the metal coated periphery of a ceramic disc 14, having a plurality of openings with metal coated walls in which are sealed lead-in wires 20-28 and support wires 30, 32. The electrode elements comprise a cathode support sleeve 38 on which is telescoped a tubular member 56 having an emitting coating, a tubular grid 40 and a tubular anode 42. A heater 58 for heating the cathode is fitted in the sleeve 38. The electrode elements are each provided with a flange 44, 46, 48 engaging the lead-in and support wires, at least three wires being provided for each flange. A machine for assembling the components comprises three side-by-side discs 116, 118, 120, Fig. 3, each having a ring of wells 122 to receive the components and carried by a common support 140 which can be reciprocated to bring the sets of wells beneath three pick-up rods 62, 64, 66, and a bar 164 carrying three jigs into which the components are deposited from the rods. The dials are each advanced one step during each reciprocation of the support 140 by means of one-way clutches, to bring a fresh well beneath each pick-up rod. The jigs are moved forward on the bar 164 between successive loadings by a manually operated bar 170 having spaced V-blocks 178 with lateral extensions 184 for engaging the jigs so that each jig is brought successively into position to receive a component from each of the pick-up rods, a new jig being added to the bar 164 at each loading and a fully loaded jig removed. The wells on the three dials and the pick-up rods associated with each dial are of decreasing sizes for holding and picking up the different sized components. The pick-up rods comprise a stem 72, Fig. 7, having a straight sided portion 102 of less diameter and a still smaller tip 100, and are fitted with stripping collars 78 pressed downwards by light springs 110 and held in lowered position by magnets 86 on the machine and magnets 84 on the stripper assembly. The strippers are actuated by a manually operated sleeve 88 biased in an upward direction by a spring 96. The jigs consist of a cylindrical outer wall 196 closed at the bottom from which two concentric thin cylinders 202, 204 project upwards to receive the smaller components. The portions 102 may have surface recesses connected to a suction line or holes through which wires may be extended to hold the components during transfer.