US1538432A - Shuttle feed stem head - Google Patents

Description

May' 19, 192,5 1,533,432

J. 5, HIGGINS-r SHUTTLE FEED STEM HEAD g INVENTOR qo//fv a. wam/vs ATTORNEY Patented. May' 19, 1925.

yUNITED STAT-Es PATENT l OFFICE;

JOHN JOSEPH HIGGINS, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW'JERSEY, .ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGi- HOUSE LAMP COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

SHUTTLE FEED STEM HEAD..

Application filed September 5, 1922. Serial No. 586,072.

To all who-my t may concern.'

lle it known that I, JOHN J osrlri-r HIGGINS, a citizen of the. United States, and a resident of East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented av new and useful Improvement in Shuttle Feed Stem Heads, of. which the following is a specification. l

This invention relates to the manufac-` ture of electric incandescent lamps and more particularly to apparatus for making lamp stems. y

An object ofthe invention is to provide a device in which the several parts of a stem sembled.

Another object is to provide mechanism adapted to be adjusted to facilitate the disposition of stem parts in a stem-making ma* chine. y

A further object is to provide mechanism which may be actuated by the operator in such manner, as to reduce Ithe number of manual 4operations heretofore necessary in z5 jthe assembly of stem parts. a

Stems for electric incandescent lamps include a plurality of work parts which have been consolidated through the agency ofheat and pressure. These work parts include a flare tube, an arbor and two leading-in wires and. in lamps of the tipless type, an ,additional part termed an exhaust tube.

Machines for manufacturing lamp stems are well known in the art and usually com 35. prise` individually, a central hub suitablyf.

mounted on a base and provi-ded with arms terminating: in hubs in which stem heads` are mounted rotatably.

. In the present invention, Uhwever, lthe4 40 stem heads are rigidly secured 'at the ends of the arms, since it has been found advantageous to 'operate with non-rotating heads, thus avoiding' thcnecessity of providingr means for permitting! the rotation of the heads when positioned for the assembly of work parts. Means are. however. provided for effecting the intermittent rotation of the spider, the usual indexing' mechanism being employed to stop the conveyor temporarily at given stations ythroughout its path of movement.

During the quiescent periods of the conveyor. the stem parts are assembled in one of the heads, during which time heat is being may be conveniently and expeditiously asvapplied locallyto 'the assembled parts in other heads. Certain portions ofthe work are thus rendered plastic fora subsequent pressing operation which is performed by jaws suitably provided for this purpose. The several parts of the stem are thus pressed into consolidation.

During the constructionl of stems for lamps of the tipless type, a current of air is direc-ted down the exhaust tube while the lower portion thereof is being heated for union with the other portions. The air is under pressure and effects a puncture in-the wall of the tube for the purpose of affording communication with the interior during the exhaust of the bulb withwhich the ster is incorporated.

`Most of the above described apparatus as, for instance, the conveyor and other cooper# ating .machine elements, are well known in the art and, therefore, are not illustrated. The outline given, howeve1`will afford a. more complete understanding of the present invention which ,consists in an improved form of head for making lan-1p stems.

My improvement in stem-making machines consists in the provision of a reciprocable member or shuttle which is disposed on the vertical axis of the head. The head may be of the usual type havingl an upper pair of jaws for securing an exhaust tube and a lower pair of jaws for securing a flare tube, 4The Jaws are operable not``pnly to secure the work parts, but to eenterthem with respect to the axial line of the head.

` My improved work-holder or shuttle consists of a central spindle upon which is mounted a sleeve 4and cap slidable in a suitable bearing. The cap is provided with a seat for a Hare tube and an aperture is provided within the shuttle for the reception of an arbor. Pockets are also provided and `suitably located to receive the ends of leading-in wires. The shuttle is movable vertically within the head and may be thrust upwardly to such positionas would make it convenient for an operator to insert the arbor, seat the flare tube and properly posi* tion the leading-in wires, after which the shuttle may automatically move downwardly within the head until the Hare tube is positioned ina given relation to the lower pair of jaws, at which time these jaws may be caused to grip the Hare tube, and a .con-

improved support, an operator will havel free access to properly and expeditiously dispose the work parts without the exercise of any unusual amount of caution to avoid projecting or heated parts of the stem head.

The invention will be more clearly understood by a reading of the 'following description and reference to the accompanying drawings in which,-

Fig. 1 1s a view, in elevation, of a stem head, partly in section, and showing the improved work-supporting shuttle;

' I4 ig. 2 is a side view ofthe parts shown in Fig. 1, a portion of the head being brokenv away to more clearly illustrate other parts; Y 1 y 30 Fig. 3 is an enlarged viewv of the upper portion of the shuttle, partly broken away; y Fig. 4 is a. transverse sectionof the shuttha taken on line IV-IV of Fig. 73;

FigiY 5 is a`- plan view of Fig. "1',"'showing 35- the upper jaws in their open positions, the top` late being removed. 41g. 6 isl a transverse section of a head taken on line VI-VI of Fig. 1;' and,

Fig. 7 is a' detail sectional view of a modilied form of the upper end ofthe shuttle constructed to receive and properly align an arbor having a button. l v

The several work parts which are to be consolidate-d to form a stem are indicated inthe drawigindotted lines and comprise a lare'tube 10, arbor 11, leading-in wires 12 and exhaust `tube 13. ln .the preferred embodiment of the invention,`an arbor is employed without a. button formed thereon, but the arbor may be provided-r with a button by later operations as, for instance,`

when applied to a. button-forming and support-wire-inserting machine such as that shown in the copendinv application of H. D Madden and J. ,Jr iggins, Serial No.

556,957, tiled April 27, 1922, combined hutton making and inserting machine. and assigned to the lVestinghouse VLamp C omany.

i It desirable, however, arbors 14,n having "buttons-already formed thereon may be employed, in which case, a modified form-of the work support may be used, an example of which is illustrated in Fig. i' of the draw- 05 ing and will be later more fully described.

The stein head to which my improvement is applied may comprise a standard 15 (Fig. 1) having a stud 16 integral therewith and adapted to be secured by .a pin 17, in a hub 18 of an arm 19 which may be one of a plurality of arms of a conveyor; the

conveyor being moved intermittently in the usual manner to progress the head from sta- `tion to station, in accordance with the 28 mounted in a. casing Aor jaw-guide 29 u which is secured to the upper en'd of the bearing m'embers 23iind 24. The spindle 26 is rotatable in the bearing member 24 and may be actuated to operate a lower pair of flare-tube gripping jaws 1n a casing 30,

said jaws being similar to `the above tioned jaws 27 and 28.-

` -1 A more detailed description of the operation of these jaws and their functions., will be given later. .f Suitably positioned between theV upper ends of the supporting members 21farld 22 'and integral therewith', is a bearing or guide -33 in which the work support'or shuttle 3a. which carries the stem parts may be slidably disposed. The lower portion of the shuttle, which consists of a guide rod 35, extends downwardly and through an axiallydisposed aperture in the stud 16. Thus, the

`shuttle may be reciprooated verticall"y`1 within the head and upon the vertical axis thereof. The shuttle is held from rotation by a pin A31 which extends through the upper portion of the stud 16 and engages a longitudinal slot 32 provided in the rod 35.

The shuttle 34 may comprise the aforementioned guide rod havingl a sleeve 3G fastened adjacent the upper end thereof, over which is rmly secured a. cap or thimble 37. The rod 35 extends above the thimble 37 and is provided throughout the greater part of its length witha groove 3S in which an adjustable stop member 39 is disposed. This member may normally be secured in a given position by a set screw 41 and is adjusted, with respect to the upper end of the `groove 38, to provide a. space of a given length for the reception of the arbor 11.

An aperture for the retention of an arbor being thus povided, the length thereof may be varied by an adjustment of the stop member 39 to accommodate and properly position arbors of different lengths in accordance with the type of lamp in which the stem is to be used.

For the proper disposition of the leadingin wires 12, the guide-rod 35 is provided with additional longitudinal grooves 42 and 43 at opposite sides thereof, each of these grooves being spaced approximately 90 about the axis of the guidefrod 35, from the groove 38. The grooves are of shallow varykthe length ofl the apertures in which the leading-iii wires are inserted, such apertures being commonly termed pockets. It will thus be seen that various lengths of leading-in wires lmay be inserted and their relative position with respect to the arbor may be changed in vaccordance with the construction of the particular type of lamp in which the stem is to be used. rlhe upper surface 48 of the cap 437 is suitably formed to constitute a seat for the end of a Hare tube 10, when applied to` the shuttle and disposed over the end of the guide rod It will thus be evident that the arbor, flare tube and leading-in wires may be applied to the shuttle preparatory to their final relative positions when assembled for consolidation. The loading of the head with these stem part-s is therefore greatly facilitated since the` shuttle -may be moved to its upper position as shown in Fig. 1 and the several stein parts may be disposed thereon .and between the jaw 27 and 28 which are open while the head is iii, the 4loading position.l During the disposition of the stem parts,

' 'the shuttle is heldin itsupper position by reason 'ofthe engagement of its lowerend i9 with a cam surface 5l.

A spring 52 is disposed hetweenffafcollar 533 secured to the guide-rod 35, and the lower endof the stiid-i16 and yserves to normally urge the shuttle@ downwardly to litslowevi' position. The` shuttle may be permitted to fall by reason of its weight, if desired,A the spring, however, being provided to give a more positive action.

`VAs' the stein head is moved by the con- -veyou and the cam surface 51 moves the tween the upper surface of the arms 56 and 57 and collars 61 and 62 which are secured to the bearing members 23 and 24, respectively. v l

One end of the spring 58 is secured to the arm 56 and the other end is secured to the collar 61, thus, as the arm is moved, the spring is placed under'tension and its recovery serves to close the jaws; the spring 59 is similarlyattached with a like resultant action since the upper and lower jaws, inountedin jaw-carriers 29 and 80, respectively, are similar. A description of the upper jaws and-'actuating mechanism as shown in F ig. will answer for both.

As the spindle is loscillated, a toothed segment member 63,` secu1ed at` the upper end of the spindle, is also oscillated. One side 64 of the segment engages a rack 65 on an arm 66 `secured to the jaw 28 while the other side' 67 engages a rack 68 secured to the 27. The jaws are slidable in thc lcasing 29 between guides 7l and 72. It will thus be seen that a iiiovement'or oscillation of the cranks or arms 456 and 57 will cause an opening and .closing of the jaws and that the cam surfaces 5st' and 55 may be positioned to open the jaws and subsequently release them fo'rclosure through .the action of the springs 58 and 59.

'After the iare tube, arbor and leading-iii andthe head is moved with the conveyor, the cam surface 51 permits theshuttle to drop when it 4reaches a. predetermined position,to,bring the flare tubeto the desired location, as indicated in Fig. 2, the arm 57 2*" is' perniittedvto move by reason of the re ceding'` cam surface 55 and the lower jaws thusclose upon and secure the Hare tube. The shuttle, however, continues to move downwardly to its lowest position at which it is stopped by the engagement of a collar 78' secured to the guide-rod 35, .with ,the upper portion of the casting which is inte, gral with the stud 16. The operator, at

wires have been positioned on the shuttle the flare tube 10 in such position-that it either rests upon, or is positioned slightly above, the upper end of the arbor 11, the in sertion of the 'exhaust tube being accom; plished just as the cam surface recedes to permitthe closure of the jaws 27 and 28 the upper jaw carrier or `casing 29.' v

After the parts are properly assembled, the head is carried into position for the local heating of the parts by means of suitable tires 7l which are indicated in dotted lines iii Fig. 2. A After the parts havebeen suit# ably heated, pressure is applied to the heated portion, for which purpose a pair of` press aws and 76 are-pivotally mounted on Apins 77 and 78 that are suitably disesed in bearinvs on o) osite sides of the standard 15. The jaws 75 and 76 are also provided with oifnset portions or arms 81 and 82, respectively, which are connected this point, inserts the exhaust tubefl into :l-m,

by links 83 and 8-1 to push- rods 85 and 86 which, in turn, are secured toa cross-head S7. The push- rods 85 and 86 are guided in bearings S8 and 89, and the cross-head 87 is movable longitudinally of the stud 16. A reciprocation of the cross-head will, therefore, effect a transmission of motion to the jaws and 7,6.

The jawsv are normally .maintained in open position by the expansive action of a spring 91 disposed between the cross-head and the lower side of the hub 18 and may be actuated in theusual manner, as, for instance, b v the lever arm 92 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 which illustrates,- diagrammatically, a lifting member which may make contact with. the 'set screw 93 of the crosshead 87l and lift `it in opposition to the spring 91 for the purpose of closing the jaws 75 and 7 6 to press the heated portion of the stem parts.

Where it is desirable to use an arbor having a button formed thereon, the upper end of the guide rod 35 may, as shown in Fig. 7 be provided with a resilient member 94 which maymake contact at one side of the arbor and hold it firmlykagainst aboss. or

enlarged portion 95 of the guide to maintain the axial line of the arbor and that of av guide-rod 35 in coincidence.

In operation, the head moves with the conveyor toward an operator at which time the shuttle is raised to the loading position, and the ca m surfacesili and' 55 actuate the lever farms 56 and 57 to open both the upper and the lower pairs of jaws.- The operator then has free access to the upper end of the shuttle and inserts an arbor 11 into the aperture provided. A flare tube is then placed over the upper end of the guide-rod and seated on the surface 4S ofthe cap 37, and leading-in wires are properly positioned by insertion into their respective' pockets. The

head is then permitted to move in its path with the conveyor and, as the head advances, the shuttle drops, carrying the positioned stem parts.

Before the parts reach the lower position of the shuttle, however, the lower pairs of jaws carried in the aw-carrier 30 close upon -the Hare tube land secure it. At 'the same time, the shuttle continues its downward` movement until it reaches its lowest position which brings the upper end of the arbor 11 in proper relation to the lower end ofthe flare tube. During this movement, the head has not advanced suiiiciently to be out of reach, and the operator inserts an exhaust tube which is subsequently gripped by the upper jaws carried in the jaw-carrier 29 and maintained in proper relation to the ar` bor and the flare tube. The head may be then advanced to the position at which the fires 74 render the portions of the flare tube, arbor and exhaust tube suitably plastic, at

Viteaeaa which time the head is in operative relation to any suitable mechanism, such as the lever 92, which may make contact with the set screw 93, thus moving the cross-head upwardly and causing the jaws 75 and 76 to` ycompress and consolidate the .glass-stem -it is not a part of the present invention, has

not been illustrated.

The head may then be advanced until it again reaches fa'position convenient to an operator, at which time the jaws automatically open and the shuttle moves upwardly to bring the stem in position for convenient removal and to permit of rapid and easy reloading.

Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown and described, it is to be understood that other modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit andv scope of the appended claims.

' What is claimed is:

1.' A stem head comprising a reciprocable member, means carried by said member for supporting stem parts and means for moving said member to a position for the convenient positioning of said parts.

2. A stem head comprising a movable 'member axially disposed within said head,

a work-part support carried by said member and means for moving'said member axially of said head to locate said support in a position convenient for the disposition of said -part on said support.

ice

3. A stem head comprising amember sli'dably associated with .said head, lamp part supporting means carried by said member and means for moving said member to position said supporting means for the convenient positioning of lamp parts thereon.

4. A stem head comprising a reciprocable member axially disposed within the head, means carried by said member for supporting a plurality of lamp parts and means for moving said member to change the relative positions of said member having lamp parts supported thereon and said head.

5. A stem head comprising` a slidable member, a seat carried by said *member to' receive a flare tube, an aperture in said member to receive an arbor and means for moving said member to position to facili- Vtate the positioning of said tube and arbor actuating said shuttle to-i position the same for the disposition of said' stem parts thereon.

,7. A stem head comprising 'ashuttle, said.,A shuttle having a seat fora flare tube, au

aperture for an arbor and pockets for leading-iii Wires, and means for: moving said .shuttle to a given position with respect to' saidA head for 'the convenient disposition of 'bly of the said arbor and flare tube.

9. A stem head comprising a sliiittle'riiov-4 yable in said head, means carried by said shuttle for supporting a `flare tube and an said-tube, arbor and Wires.

8. A stem head having means for 'supporting an exhaust tube, a shuttle movablydisposed in said head for carrying an arbor and flare tube, and means for .moving the shuttle to position forthe convenient assemarbor, means `for gripping said fiare tube and means formoving said, shuttle to posi.-l

given relation tion an end of said arbor in a to an end of said flare tube. 10. A stem head comprising a shuttle movable in said head, means carried by said shuttle for supporting a fiare tube and an arbor, means for grippirg said Hare tube and ineans'fornioving said shuttle to positionaii end of said arbor ina given relation y to an en df said flare tube, and means for supporting `an exhaust tube ina given relation to said arbor.

11. A stein head having a pair offtube? gripping jaws, a shuttle associated there- `with, said shuttle having a seat for a flare f tube, and an aperture for vanarbor and means for actuating said shuttle lto position said tube for eng'agement with, said jaws and means `tor operating said jaws to engage said tube. l

12. -A stem head having a shuttle for carrying several parts of 'a stem, said shuttlev having'asso'ciated therewith a seat for sup-- porting a flare tube, an aperture `to' receivev .an arbor, and pocketsior the reception of leading-in Wires, means forrnoving saidshuttle vin'one direction for the positioningofsaid'flare, arborand wires, -means for moving the shuttle in an opposite direction to a given position, means for gripping said flare, means .for continuingtlie movement of said shuttleto effect theremoval of said flare' from said seat to position one end of said flare in a said arbor.

given relation to an end of i 13. vA stem head having a shuttle for cari'yiiigseveral parts of a stem, said Shuttle Y liavingassociated therewith a. seat for supporting `a flare tube, an aperture to receive lanvarbor, and pockets for the reception of leading-in Wires, means for moving said shuttle in one direction for the disposition of said Bare, arbor and'wires, means for moving the lshuttle in an opposite directionto a givenposition, means for gripping said flare,- means foifcoiitiniiing the movement ofsaid shuttle to effect the removal of said lare'fr'om said seat to osition one end Cf said flare in agivenre ation to an end of said arbor, and meansfor supporting an exhaust tube in a flare and arbor.-

14. A stem head comprising areciprocable member adapted' to support a plural-- means for releasing said parts.

ity of lamp parts, means for moving said member to position saidpartsv in a given relation, means for gripping said parts to maintain them in desired relative positions,

given relation to said memberto position the said parts in given lrelation to each other, means for gripping and holding the parts for consolidation and 16'; A stein Vhead comprising a recipioj `cable memberadapted to support a pluralmeans for rendering plastic a portion of plastic portion to consolidate said parts'.

17. A ste'm head comprising a reciprocable member adapted to support a plurality of .lamp parts, means for moving said said parts and means for compressing said member to position said parts in a given relation, means for gripping said parts to maintain them in desired relative positions,V

means for rendering plastic a portion of said parts, means -for lcompressing said plastic portionv toconsolidate said partsfand means fory releasing said parts 'after consolidation.

In 'testimony ivhereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this first day of September, 1922.

JoHN JOSEPH HIGGINS.

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