US2715991A - Material dispensing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 23, 1955 G. A. FRANK ET AL MATERIAL DISPENSING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 50, 1952 M/VE/VTOPS G. A. FRANK 5);]. J. FRY

A T TOP/V5) Aug. 23, 1955 5. A. FRANK ET AL 2,715,991

MATERIAL DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 30, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG-4 /N 5 N TORS G. A. FRANK J. J. FRY

mmi-X A r Tom/Er United States Patent MATERIAL DISPENSING APPARATUS Gerard A. Frank, Allentown, and John 3. Fry, Bethlehem,

Pa., assignors to Western Electric ompany, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 30, 1952, Serial No. 268,992

1 Claim. (Cl. 226-96) This invention relates to material dispensing apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for depositing measured amounts of radium in lamps.

In the manufacture of certain types of lamps, it is necessary that small quantities of radium compounds be deposited in the lamp bulbs. During the manufacture of this type of lamp, it was found that a conventional hypodermic syringe could be used in dispensing a solution of the radium or material in the lamp bulbs. However, the hypodermic syringe alone was not satisfactory in that the quantities of the solution dispensed could not be controlled with sufiicient accuracy.

An object of the invention is to provide a material dispensing apparatus which is simple in structure, automatic in operation, and highly efiicient in dispensing measured quantities of material.

With this and other objects in view, the invention comprises a material dispensing apparatus including a container for the material having an outlet at one end while the other end is open to receive a plunger movable in the container against the material. The plunger, normally urged upwardly, engages an element which moves it downwardly like distances intermittently to cause measured quantities of the material to be forced through the outlet of the container.

More specifically, the apparatus includes a threaded shaft rotatable in one direction only and connected to the element to move the plunger. The driving means for the shaft includes a solenoid operated driving member to rock a driven member between variable limits while a uni-directional clutch assures rotary motion of the shaft in one direction, a similar clutch holding the threaded shaft against reverse movement.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is an isometric view of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the driving means and the driving clutch;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the driving means and the holding clutch; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the connecting element for moving the plunger.

Referring now to the drawings, attention is first directed to Fig. 1 which illustrates a base 11 supporting a turret 11 having holders 12 for articles 14 such as lamp bulbs disposed at spaced positions about the turret to be moved successively into a receiving position. A main support or column 16 extends vertically from the base with horizontal members 17 and 18 mounted thereon at spaced positions. The member 18 has a groove 19 in one end thereof to removably support a container 20, which in the present embodiment of the invention, is the cylindrical portion of a hypodermic syringe with a hollow needle 21 at the outlet or lower end thereof. As illustrated in Fig. 1, suitable means may be associated with the turret moving means whereby the article or lamp bulb 14 at the receiving position may 2,715,991 Patented Aug. 23, 1955 be raised so that the outlet 21 will be positioned within the bulb or article prior to the dispensing of a measured amount of material from the container. A guide 22 carried by the member 18 is positioned to guide the article in its vertical movement to receive its measured quantity of material. A latch 23, carried by the member 18, may be moved through the assistance of a handle 24 into and out of the position shown in Fig. 1, to removably secure the container to the member 18. A plunger 26 extending into the open end of the container 20 is normally urged upwardly by a spring 27 to engage the lower surface of an element 30.

The element 30 is supported by a bracket 31 including an apertured portion 32 positioned to slide vertically on the column 16. The element 30 has a reduced portion 33 with a threaded groove 34 therein, Fig. 4. An auxiliary portion 35 of the element 30 is hinged at 36 to the reduced portion 33 and provided with a threaded groove 37 to cooperate with the threaded groove 34 in forming a threaded aperture. A threaded shaft 40 extending from the member 17 through the member 18 and a bracket 41, mounted near the upper end of the column i6, is held against axial movement by collars 42 adjacent the member 18 and a handwheel 43 mounted on the upper end thereof adjacent the bracket 41. When the auxiliary portion 35 of the element 30 is in its closed position, shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the threads of the grooves 34 and 37 inter-engage the threads of the shaft 40 which, in the present embodiment of the invention, are left hand threads so that rotary motions imparted to the threaded shaft in a counterclockwise direction will cause downward movement of the element 30. A spring pressed plunger 46, carried by the element 30, is positioned to engage a bevelled surface 47 of the element 35 to normally urge the auxiliary member into intimate engagement with the threaded shaft. A handle 48 mounted on the outer end of the plunger 46, permits the operator to release the auxiliary member to disconnect the element 30 from the threaded shaft by moving the plunger out- Wardly.

The mechanism for imparting like intermittent motions to the threaded shaft, includes an air cylinder 50 supported by the member 18 and having a piston actuable plunger 51, operated in timed relation with the turret so that the driving mechanism for the threaded shaft is operated during the interval of rest of the turret subsequent to the raising of the bulb at the receiving position. The plunger 51 is positioned to engage an arm 52 of a gear segment or driving element 53 urged clockwise by a spring 54 and, through the force of this spring, returned to its starting position after each operation of the plunger 51. The gear segment 53 is interposed between the member 17 and a bearing member 55 extending laterally from the member 18 where it is mounted for rocking movement on a shaft 56. A gear segment or driven member 58 is disposed concentric with the shaft 41 and connected thereto by a uni-directional clutch 59, positioned to impart counterclockwise rotary motions to the shaft. An arm 60 carried by the driven member 58 is positioned to engage an adjustable stop 61, carried by the member 17 to limit the rotary motion imparted to the shaft.

The member 18 houses a uni-directional clutch similar in structure to the clutch 59 but in reverse position to hold the shaft 40 against reverse movement.

Considering now the operation of the apparatus, let it be assumed that the holders 12 are supplied with articles or bulbs 14 and that the turret is moved intermittently to advance the bulbs to the receiving position in alignment with the container 20 where the bulbs will be raised to extend around the outlet 21 of the container prior to the dispensing of the measured amount of material apparatus.

from the container into the bulb. During this interval of rest of the turret, the air cylinder 50 is operated causing its plunger 51 to move the arm 52 a distance limited by the stop 61 causing the gear segment or drive member 53 to. rock the gear segment or driven member 58 and through the clutch 59 rotate the shaft 40 a given distance.

The threaded connection between the shaft 40 and the element 30 will move the element 30 downwardly a givendistance moving the plunger 26 in the container 20 to force a measured quantity of the material through the outlet 21 and .into the raised article or bulb 14. The plunger 51 will return immediately through the, force of the spring 54 moving the drive member 53 and the driven member 58 into their original positions while the clutch 65 holds the threaded .shaft stationary. This operation continues so that during the presentation of the successive articles to the receiving position, like quantities of radium or material are forced through the outlet 21 and into the articles until the container is empty of the material, at which time, a projection 67 carried by the bracket 31 engages a microswitch 68 or other suitable control means to stop operation of the At .this time, the element 30 may be readily disconnected from the shaft 40 by the operator pulling the plunger 46 outwardly, Fig. 4, to free the member 1 '35 allowing the threaded grooves 34 and 37 to be moved freeof the threadedshaft and returned to its uppermost position. The container 20, with its plunger, may be unlatched and removed from the holder or member 18 to'be filled with the material and returned to the apparatus for further dispensing operations.

A material dispensing apparatus comprising a turret having holders to removably support articles driven intermittently to successively position the articles at a receiving position, an element mounted at a fixed position adjacent the receiving position, a hypodermic syringe having a cylindrical receptacle open at the top end for material and a plunger and having a hollow needle at the lower end, means to mount the hypodermic syringe on the element above and in alignment with the receiving position, and means to move the plunger in the receptacle like distances intermittently to force like quantities of the material therefrom through the hollow needle and into the successive articles, and means carried by the element,

and actuable when the receptacle of the hypodermic syringe is empty of the material to stop driving of the turret.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 518,625 Pecht Apr. 24, 1894 1,502,936 Borroughs July 29, 1924 1,663,338 Gagne Mar. 20, 1928 1,851,794 Wilson Mar. 29, 1932

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