US2414604A - Terminal assembly - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 21, 1947. F. A. NEWCOMBE TERMINAL ASSEMBLY Filed April 10, 1944 Pitta/.6 Bra/ma INVENTOR FT. AEWCaMBfi BY MW ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 21, 1941 UNITED. STATES PATENT orncs TERMINAL ASSEMBLY Frank A. Newcombe, Nutley, N. J., assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsv burgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 10, 1944, Serial No. 530,437 6 Claims. (01. 113-324) as used for the "sealed-beam lamps, by replacing the copper wire ring, previously used for uniting the terminal post and lead-in element to the glass-connecting nickel-iron or Ko var" ferrule or skirt, which serves to make a sealing conin elevation, on the line VI-VI of Figure 4, in

the direction of the arrows.

Figure 7 is a sectional view, with parts in elevation, on the line VII-VII of Figure 4, in the direction of the arrows.

In accordance with previous practice the parts making up a terminal assembly for a Mazda sealed-beam lamp or one of those of that general type, one embodiment of which is described in the Wright Patent No. 2,148,314, designated as No. 4030, consist of a steel post having a collar adjacent one end, a nickel-iron or Kovar ferrule or skirt, the main portion of which is subnection with the glass of the envelope, by a thin sheet-copper eyelet conforming with the surfaces of the parts to be connected, thereby not only economizing in the use of metal for connecting said'parts, but avoiding shrinkage by making it unnecessary for the parts being connected to move an appreciable distance while the brazing operation is being performed.

A further object of my invention is to improve on the method of connecting the parts of the terminal assembly for sealed-beam" lamps by substituting, for the slow hand assembly and large fuel consumption in the method formerly used, a quick rotary method whereby the parts are separately fed to a conveyor which quickly brazes them one by one by small amounts of electrical energy while enclosed in at protecting manifold.

Other objects and advantages of the invention, relating to the particular arrangement and construction of the various parts, will become apparent as-the description proceeds.

In the drawing: 7

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a Mazda sealed-beam" lamp which may embody my.

. invention. I

Figure 2 is an enlarged elevational view of one of the terminal assemblies manufactured in accordance with my invention.

Figure 3 is an exploded view of the parts of said assembly before connecting.

Figure 4 is a plan of a conveyor which may be used for connecting the parts of the assembly.

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view, with parts in elevation, on the line V-'V of Figure '4, in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 6 is .a vertical sectional view, with parts stantially frusto-conical, the inner portion vof which, however, is bent at an angle thereto, leaving a short frusto-conical neck portion, reentrant with respect to the main portion, apertured to receive the post up to its collar, and presenting a surface conforming with that of said collar. Kovar is a nickel-cobalt-iron alloy, more speciflcally defined in the Lempert et a1. Patent No.

2,279,831. In a preferred embodiment both surfaces are frusto-conical or extend at an acute angle to the axis of the post.

A small ring of copper, made from mil wire, was used as a brazing medium between the post and ferrule. In the actual brazing operation the ferrule was placed on aplate, the copper ring set on top of the ferrule, and the post inserted in the hole so that its shoulder rests on top of the copper ring. The entire unit was then heated. In order to effect a proper brazing connection, the post had to slip down from .04 to .05 inch. In actual practice, many of the posts fail to move the required distance, with the result that the assembly was unsatisfactory for use.

In accordance with my invention, and referring to the drawing in detail, I substitute an eyelet li cut from copper sheet desirably from about .003 to .006 inch thick and pressed to the hollow frusto-conical shape illustrated in Fig. 3, so that it conforms not only with the frusto-conical surface i2 on the collar i3 of the contact post and lead-in conductor H, but also with the opposed surface lb of the reentrant frusto-conical hollow apertured collar or hub portion [6 on the ferrule or-skirt member ll, the body of which, as will be observed, is generally frusto-conical although having a slight longitudinal curvature,

These parts, illustrated as separate in Figure 3, are shown connected in Figure 2 forming a terminal assembly l8, three of which are used for the double filament sealed-beam lamp i9 illustrated in Figure 1, as will be understood. 7

By substituting the eyelet ii for a ring of copskirt 11, as illustrated in the same figure.

per more about five times as heavy, not only is a corresponding saving efiected in metal used.

but the motion during brazing of the parts is reduced to a negligible amount. thereby in ulin! that imperfections occurring during the operation are substantially eliminated.

In accordance with a preferred method of uniting the parts of the assembly, I use a rotary head machine 28 which may be similar to the staking machine 88 illustrated in Figure 3 of the Makenny application, Serial No. 516,014, filed December 29, 1943, and owned by the assignee of the present application. This machine has a rotary conveyor 2| which indexes its assembly-receiving pockets, preferably moving from one position to the next every two seconds.

The pockets which receive the parts of the assembly for brazing them together, each comprises an insulative plate 22 fitting in a corresponding pocket or cavity 28 .in the top of the conveyor 2| receiving an annular or modified hollow cylindrical electrode plate member 24, preferably formed of durable material such as a molybdenum alloy and desirably held in place by means of an annular insulative member 25. The portions 22 and 25 may, in turn be connected to conveyor 2| by screws or'the like42.

In each aperture 26 through the conveyor 21, is a, spring chuck 2'! which has fingers 28 rotatably mounted on a pivot shaft 48 fixed to said conveyor, resilientlyurged together by spring 42, and which grip the lower end of a terminal post l4, when inserted from the dotted line positionto the full line position illustrated in Figure 5, there-.

the

' byholding collar portion l2 thereof in firm engagementwith an, eyelet Ii previously appliedv to the collar portion IS on a ferrule or skirt i1 resting on the electrode 24. The upper portion of. the electrode 24 is desirably tapered to conform with the ferrule so that when one of the 'latter is nested thereover, its lower edge is held above the insulative member 25.

The operation of the machine illustrated in Figures 4 to '7, inclusive, is desirably as follows:

At position 28, in Fig. 4, the ferrule or skirt members are placed one ata time each time the machine indexes, each with its lower edge portion centered by fitting overan electrode 24, as illustrated in Figure 5. At position 88, eyelets II, or posts I4 each with an associated eyelet i I, are fitted, each to an already-positioned ferrule or At position 3|, post members l4, if not fed at position 30, are each moved down through registering apertures in a positioned eyelet and skirt assembly, so that the lower end portions are each gripped between fingers 28 to hold the parts in full line position, as illustrated in said Figure 5, if such did not occur at position 38.

The placing of the parts may be effected automatically or by hand. As an alternative, the skirt-eyelet-post elements may be nested, and then fed to the machine, automatically or by hand, at one position.

After position 3|, the nested or assembled parts move with the conveyor 2| into manifold 82 where they are protected by reducing or inert gas fed thereto as through pipe 88.

In position 34 and while still in said manifold,

trlcal energy is passed between 'eaid plunger 88 r and the supporting electrode 24, thereby softening or melting the eyelet II between the resiliently pressed parts of the contact assembly, so that it serves to braze the post i4 to the skirt portion II, In order to avoid heating more than necessary of the post 14, the electrode 85 is desirably formed with a downwardly-opening pocket 48 allowing'enough clearance, around-the received upper portion 4i of the post l4, so that its lower surface 44 engages the upper surface of the collar l8 of the post l4.

The next few positions on the conveyor allow for cooling of the connected parts. In position 45 the brazed parts are withdrawn, byhand, or automatically as by means of a pair of fingers 88 gripping th upperend portion 4! of the post l4 and removing the complete terminal assembly from the'machine, against the holding action of 2 the spring-actuated fingers 28.

As an alternative, the brazing may be affected 5 upper electrode 35 from engagement with the post i4. Such a method avoidsthe necessity for the hold-down fingers 28, as well as the protective atmosphere and its manifold 82 during brazing,

because the-parts are actually brazed together while being resiliently held in place by the upper electrode, and the time during which they are exposed to the atmosphere while hot is so short that no undesirable oxidation-occurs.

From the foregoing disclosure it will be seen that I have not only provided for a more economical construction of the terminal assembly, but also for an improved method for effecting such assembly, and eliminated the necessity for one operator. By the method formerly used two op- 4o erators were employed, one for assembling the parts and one for attending to the furnace, whereas in accordance with my invention one operator only is needed to attend the machine. By virtue V of the special form of the electrodes only small parts of the associated p ts and ferrules are directly heated by passage of the brazing current.

Although a preferred embodiment of my invention has been disclosed, it will be understood that modifications may be made within the and scope of the appended claims.

7 I claim: 7 Y 1. A terminal assembly for electrical devices comprising a contact prong and lead-in element formed as an elongated metal conductor with a collar adjacent one end, a generally frusto-conical hollow thin metal skirt member receiving said conductor in a central aperture, with its inner edge portion turned at an angle thereto and presenting a surface conforming with the adjacent to surface of said collar, and a thin sheet-metal eye-.

let sandwiched'between said surfaces and serving to hold the parts in assembled .relationship.

' 2. A terminal assembly for electrical devices comprising a steel contact prong and lead-in eleoa ment formed with a collar adjacent one end, a

generally frusto-conical hollow thin nickel-cobalt-iron skirt member receiving the portion of said element remote from said collar in a central aperture, with its inner edge portion turned 70. at an angle thereto and presenting a surface conforming with the adjacent surface of said collar, Q

and a thin sheet-copper eyelet sandwiched between said surfaces and fused to hold the parts in assembled relationship.

3. A'terminal assemblyfor' pirit electrical devices" v comprising a contact prong and a lead-in element formed as an elongated metal conductor with a collar adjacent one end, that portion of said collar facing the remote end of said conductor being formed with a frusto-conical surface, a generally frusto-conical hollow thin-metal skirt member receiving the collar-remote end portion of said conductor in a central aperture,

with its inner edge portion turned at an angle thereto to conform with the adjacent frusto member receiving said collar-remote end portion in a central aperture, with its inner edge portion turned at an angle thereto and presenting a frusto-conical surface conforming with the adjacent surface of said collar, and a thin sheet-copper frusto-conical eyelet sandwiched between said surfaces and fused to hold the parts in assembled relationship.

5. A terminal assembly for electrical devices comprising a contact prong and lead-in element formed as an elongated metal conductor with a collar adjacent one end, a thin hollow metal skirt member through a central aperture in which said conductor passes, the inner edge portion of said skirt member being disposed at an angle thereto and having a surface conforming with the adjacent surface of said collar, and a sheet metal eyelet of material from about .003 to .006 inch thickrsandwiched between said surfaces and serving to hold the parts in assembled relationship.

6. A terminal assembly for electrical devices comprising a steel contact prong and lead-in element formed .with a collar adjacent one end, a thin hollow flaring skirt member formed of a nickel-cobalt-iron' alloy'and through a central aperture in which extends a portion of said element remote from said collar with its inner edge portion extending at an angle thereto, and having a surface conforming with the adjacent surface of said collar, and a sheet copper eyelet of material from about .003 to .006 inch thick sandwiched between said surfaces and fused to hold the parts in assembled relationship.

FRANK A. NEWCOMBE.

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