US2759086A

US2759086A - Induction heating apparatus

Info

Publication number: US2759086A
Application number: US384812A
Authority: US
Inventors: Theodore W Kalbow; Lester O Reichelt
Original assignee: Western Electric Co Inc
Current assignee: AT&T Corp
Priority date: 1953-10-08
Filing date: 1953-10-08
Publication date: 1956-08-14
Anticipated expiration: 1973-08-14

Description

Aug. 14, 1956 w ow ET AL 2,759,086

INDUCTION HEATING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 8, 1953 A 770 EMF! Aug. 14, 1956 W, ow ET AL 2,759,086

INDUCTION HEATING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 8, 1953 7 3 WWW M 5 c m My s A L w W 6 z ,N v 6 2 States Paten rnnucrrosr HEATING APPARATUS Theodore W. Kalhow, Chicago, Elk, and Lester 0. Reichelt, St. Paul, Minn, assignors to Western Electric ilompany, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corpora tion of New York Application Uctober 8, 1953, Serial No. 384,812

8 Ciaims. ((Zl. 219--1.43)

This invention relates to induction heating apparatus and more particularly to a sectional induction heating coil structure and mechanism for positioning the coil.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a sectional induction heating coil structure having movable coil elements and supporting conductors therefore provided with cooperating portions for establishing a good electrical connection therebetween.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an adjustable coil supporting mechanism for positioning the coil in a predetermined operative position relative to the work.

One type of apparatus illustrating certain features of the invention may include a split induction heating coil having two sections which are pivotally mounted at one end to the upper end of a pair of elongated, vertically disposed connector members for movement from an open position to a closed position encircling a portion of the article to be heated and in which closed position the other ends of the coil sections engage each other and have means for releasably clamping them together. Adjacent the pivoted ends, the coil sections each have a pair of diverging surfaces which engage conforming diverging surfaces formed on the upper ends of the connector members and cooperate therewith for establishing a good electrical connection and for limiting the movement of the coil section to their predetermined closed position. The lower ends of the elongated connector members are connected to terminals of a high frequency current source and to an adjustable plate which is connected to the upper end of three turn buckles which in turn are arranged in triangular relation to each other and have their lower ends supported on a stationary frame whereby in response to adjusting the turnbuckles, the adjustable plate may be tilted to impart lateral movement to the upper ends of the connector members and the coil to accurately position said coil relative to a predetermined vertical axis along which the article to be heated is raised to operative position.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description thereof and the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional elevational view of an induction heating apparatus;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the induction heating coil forming a portion of the apparatus;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the induction heating coil and a portion of the structure associated therewith;

Figs. 4 and 5 are vertical sectional views taken on the lines 4-4 and 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of a portion of the coil supporting and adjusting mechanism of the apparatus looking in the direction of arrows 66 on Fig. 1; and

Fig. 7 is a plan sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 1.

The present apparatus is designed to heat electronic tubes ltl of the magnetron type to effect the brazing of a component 11 to a component 12 thereof. The juncture of the components 11 and 12 is positioned within the induction heating coil 15 and has a ring of brazing material (not shown) interposed therebetween to effect the bonding of the components during the brazing operation. The tube 10 is supported in a holder 17 mounted on the upper end of a piston 18, which is movable within a stationary cylinder 19 of a hydraulic actuator for raising the holder 17 from a lower position for loading and up: loading the tube lit therein to an upper position as shown in Fig. 1 for supporting the tube in operative position within the induction heating coil 15. An annular table 21 supported on the upper end of the stationary cylinder 19 is adapted to cooperate with a vertically movable cylindrical glass housing 22 to form a chamber enclosing the coil 15 and the tube 10 and into which a brazing gas may be flowed prior to the brazing operation. The housing 22 has means connected at its upper end for raising and lowering it.

The component 11 of the magnetron tube 10 has an end portion 23 which is larger than the juncture of the components 11 and 12 being brazed and in order to permit the movement of the magnetron to its operative or brazing position Within the coil 15 the coil is made in two sections which are disposed in their open position during the upward movement of the magnetron and are moved to their closed position after the magnetron has reached its brazing position.

The induction heating coil 15 comprises a pair of metal elements or sections 25 (Fig. 2) supported on the upper ends of a pair of vertically disposed metal connector members 26 insulated from each other by a strip of insulation 27 and having lugs 28 at their lower ends connected to terminals 29 of a high frequency current generating device 30. The coil elements 25 are pivotally mounted at their rear ends for oscillatable movement about pins 31 to and from an open position (not shown) and a closed position shown in Fig. 2. The coil elements 25 are in the form of elongated flat plates of irregular shape having recesses 32 adjacent the forward ends thereof which recesses cooperate to form an opening for receiving portions of the components 11 and 12 of the magnetron tube 10 therein. The forward end portions of the coil elements 25 have V-shaped convex and concave surfaces 33-34 adapted to engage each other in closed position, and the ends of the coil elements are adapted to be releaseably held in tight engagement with each other by a clamping member 35 pivotally connected to one of the coil elements at 36 and having a threaded clamping member 37 adjustably mounted thereon and engageable with the other coil element for clamping the forward ends of the elements together.

The coil elements 25 are spaced apart from each other except at their forward ends and the rear portions there of are provided with flat lower surfaces 42 which engage and are supported by the upper surfaces 43 of the connector members 26 for horizontal oscillatable movement thereon about the pins 31 which fit within cylindrical apertures in the coil elements. Adjacent the pivot pins 28 and extending forwardly therefrom, the coil elements 25 are provided with flat sloping surfaces 44 in diverging relation to the surfaces 42 thereof, which surfaces 44 are adapted to engage conforming sloping surfaces 4-6 formed on the lower side of a pair of blocks 47.

The blocks 47 each have a pair of apertures 4-8 for receiving a pivot pin 31 and a second pin 49. The

pins

31 and 49 are adjustably mounted in the upper portion of counterbored threaded apertures 50 in the upper ends of the connector members 26 and have lower threaded portions engaging the threaded lower portions of the apertures 5d. Heads 51 formed on the

pins

31 and 49 have flat portions 52, by means of which the pins may be rotated and have shoulders 53 engageable with the flat upper surface of the blocks 47. Slots extending inwardly from the end portions of the block 4-7 and intersecting the apertures 48 therein form bifurcations 56 which may be moved toward each other by screws 57'' passing through one of the bifurcations and threadedly engaging the other for clamping the pins 31. and 49 to the block 47 in adjusted position.

Recesses 58 in the coil elements 25 provide clearance for the pins 49 and permit free oscillatable movement of the coil elements to and from their open and closed positions. With the coil elements 25 in their closed position (Fig. 2), the adjustable pins 31 and 4'9 re adjusted to position the blocks 47, with the sloping surfaces 46 thereof in tight engagement with the sloping surfaces 44 of the coil elements 25, after which the screws 56 are tightened to securely clamp the

pins

31 and 49 in fixed position. The surfaces 46 of the blocks 47 and the surfaces 43 of the connector members 26 are in converging relation to each other and conform to and are engagement with the

surfaces

44 and 12, respective ly, of the coil elements 23 and serve to establish a tight electrical connection between the terminal connector members 26 and the coil elements 25. The arrangement of the pairs of converging conforming surfaces on the coil elements 25 and on the blocks 47 and connector elements 26 readily permits the movement of the coil sections 25 to and from their open and closed position.

Diverging surfaces 63 formed on the rear end portions of the coil sections 25 are engageable with the strip of insulating material 2'7 and serve as stops to limit the outward movement of the coil sections 25 to their open position. The diverging surfaces 4-2 and 4-4 of the coil elements 25 and the conforming

cooperating surfaces

43 and 46 on opposite sides of a vertical central plane through the center of the coil and the strip 27 are disposed in opposite directions and are arranged to stop the movement of the coil elements in a predetermined closed position. The upper portions of the rear ends of the coil elements are cut away at 61 to provide clearance for the movement of the end portions of the coil elements under the blocks 4-7 during the traverse of the coil elements to and from open and closed positions, and in addition thereto portions of the lower faces of the blocks 47 engage the surfaces 61 of the coil sections and hold them against vertical movement when the coil sections 25 are in open position and thereby prevent tilting movement of the coil sections.

It will be understood that the pins 31. and 4-9 may be adjusted to vary the position of the blocks 47 to accommodate coil sections 25 of various thicknesses.

The connector elements 26 are secured to each other at their upper ends and to the strip of insulating material 27 therebetween by a stud 65 extending through apertures in the members 26 and sheet 27 and through a bushing 67 of insulating material and through washers 68 of insulating material fitting in the counterbored ends of the apertures, and a pair of lock nuts 7 threadedly engaging the opposite ends of the stud. At the lower end thereof, the connector members 26 are secured to each other and the strip of insulating material 27 by a pair of studs 72, which pass through apertures in the members 26 and through bushings 73 of insulating material therein and through apertures in a pair of brackets or lugs '75 extending upwardly from a block '76 of insulating material on opposite sides of the members 26. Washers 7'7 and loci; nuts 78 threadedly engaging the opposite ends of the studs and the lugs 75 serve to lock the elements in tightly assembled relation to each other.

The block 76 of insulating material is secured to an adjustable plate 80 by a pair of bolts 31 mounted in spaced relation to each other on opposite sides of a plane passing through the strip of insulation 27. A portion of the plate 80 extends laterally from the block 76 and under the terminals 29 of the high frequency current generating device 38 and has a bolt 82 extending downwardly therefrom in said plane through the strip 27 and in lateral spaced relation to the pair of bolts 81. The bolts 81 and E32 are secured to the plate 89 by lock nuts 83 mounted on the threaded lower end of the bolts, which also threadedly engage sleeves 86 and lock nuts 87. Bolts 83, fixed to a base plate 39, have their upwardly extending end portions threadedly engaging the sleeves 3-6 and loci; nuts i The

bolts

81, 82, and 88 and the sleeves 86 and

loclt nuts

37 and 89 associated therewith form threaded adjusting members or turnbuckles 91 which are disposed in triangular relation one to another and may be manipulated to tilt the adjustable plate Si) and laterally adjust the upper end of the connector members 26 and the coil l5 thereon to accurately position the coil and the opening therein in a predetermined position of alignment relative to the components 11 and 12 of the magnetron tube It The base plate 39 is supported on a block 93 and is secured thereto by a pair of bolts 94 which pass through apertures 95 in the base plate and engage threaded apertures in the block 93. The apertures 95 in the base plate are large enough to permit a limited horizontal movement of the plate on the block 93. The block 93 is secured to a rigid channel iron frame member 98 by a plurality of screws 99 and forms a rigid stationary support for supporting the base plate 89, the adjustable plate 243 and the connector members 27 and the coil 15 carried thereby. The channel member 98 is part of a frame encircling the device 30 and is supported by legs or other suitable means in spaced relation to the floor or a base (not shown) on which the current generating device 38 and the cylinder 19 are also mounted. The laterally projecting lugs 23 on the connector members 26 are secured to the terminals 29 on the current generating device 39 by a plurality of bolts lllll passing through the lugs 28 and the terminal 29 and into threaded engagement with the blocks 1G2 below the terminals. A plurality of cooperating wedge members 103 of insulating material are mounted on the adjustable plate 80 in engagement with the blocks 102 to support the terminals 29 form a relatively rigid connection between the terminals and the plate.

The coil 15 and the connector members 26 are provided with passageways 119 and 112 which are interconnected by suitable conduits 115 through which coolant is circulated to cool the coil and the connector members during the brazing operation.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the two elements 25 of the coil 15 are readily moved to and from open and closed positions and that the movable diverging surfaces 4-2 and 44 on the coil sections cooperate with the stationary

diverging surfaces

43 and 46 on the

members

26 and 47 to accurately stop the coil elements in their closed position and also establish a good electrical connection between the connector members 26 and the coil elements while the forward end portions of the coil elements are clamped in tight engagement with each other by the clamping member 37 it will also be seen that the plate 89 may be adjusted on the block d3 to roughly align the core relative to the magnetron and that by adjusting the turnbuckles 91 the plate 89 and the connector elements 26 may be tilted to obtain a fine lateral adjustment of the coil 15 for accurately aligning the opening therein with respect to the components 11 and 12 of the magnetron tube 10.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of this invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. An inductor for a high frequency induction heating apparatus comprising a pair of adjacent connector members connectible to a source of high frequency current, a pair of movable coil elements, means pivotally supporting said coil elements at one end thereof on sa1d connector members for movement to and from closed and open positions, said coil elements being shaped to encircle an article to be heated when in said closed position and having conforming surfaces on the other ends thereof engageable with each other, means at said other ends of said coil elements for releasably securing said ends together in tight engagement with each other, said coil elements each having a pair of diverging surfaces ad acent said one end, and means on said connector members forming conforming diverging surfaces engageable with the converging surfaces on said coil elements and forming Wedging contacts therewith when said elements are in closed position to establish a tight electrical connection between the terminal connecting members and the coil elements.

2. An inductor for high frequency induction heating comprising a pair of adjacent connector members connectible to a source of high frequency current and hav ing fiat coplanar supporting surfaces thereon, apair of movable coil elements, means pivotally supporting said coil elements at one end thereof on said connector members for movement on said flat surfaces thereof to and from closed and open positions, said coil elements being shaped to encircle an article to be heated when in said closed position and having conforming surfaces on the other ends thereof engageable with each other, means at said other ends of said coil elements for releasably securing said ends together in tight engagement with each other, said coil elements each having a flat surface engagea-ble with the fiat surfaces of said connector members and having a sloping surface in diverging relation to said flat surface, and means on said connector members having sloping surfaces engageable with the sloping surfaces on said coil elements when said elements are in closed position to stop the coil elements in a predetermined closed position and in cooperation with said fiat surfaces on said connector elements to form a wedging engagement with the coil elements for establishing a tight electrical connection between the connector members and the coil elements.

3. An inductor for a high frequency induction heating apparatus comprising a pair of connector members connectible to a source of high frequency current and having fiat coplanar supporting surfaces thereon, a pair of movable coil elements having fiat surfaces engageable with the flat surfaces of said connector members and having sloping surfaces in diverging relation to said flat surfaces to form wedge portions on said elements, means pivotally supporting said coil elements at one end thereof on the flat surfaces of said terminal members for movement to and from closed and open positions, said coil elements having portions shaped to encircle an article to be heated when in said closed position and having conforming surfaces on the other ends thereof engageable with each other, means at said other ends of said coil elements for releasably securing said ends together in tight engagement with each other, a pair of blocks having sloping surfaces, and adjustable means for fixedly supporting said blocks on said connector members with the sloping surfaces on the blocks in spaced and diverging relation to said flat surfaces on the connector members and in positions to engage the sloping surfaces on said coil elements and stop the movement thereof in a predetermined closed position, the sloping and iiat surfaces of the wedge portions of said elements on said coil eiements cooperating with the fiat and sloping surfaces on said connector members and said blocks for establishing a wedging engagement therewith and a good electrical connection between the connector members and the coil elements.

4. In an induction heating apparatus, the combination of a pair of adjacent elongated connector members having means at their lower ends connectible to a source of high frequency current, means for securing said members in spaced and insulated relation to each other for movement together, a coil having ends supported on the upper ends of the connector members and electrically connected thereto and having an opening for receiving therein in a predetermined position an article to be heated, an adjustable plate, means for securing the lower ends of the connector members onto said plate in insulated relation thereto for supporting the connector members and the coil thereon, a stationary base plate, and means comprising three individually adjustable devices interconnecting said plates and arranged in spaced and triangular relation to each other for adjustably supporting the adjustable piate and operable to effect the adjustment of the connector members and the coil carried thereby.

5. In an induction heating apparatus, the combination of a pair of adjacent elongated connector members having means at their lower ends connectible to a source of high frequency current, means for securing said members in spaced and insulated relation to each other for move ment together, a coil having end portions supported on the upper ends of the connector members and electrically connected thereto and having an opening for receiving therein in a predetermined position an article to be heated, an adjustable plate, means for securing said lower ends of the connector members onto said adjustable plate in insulated relation thereto for supporting the connector members and the coil thereon, a stationary base plate, means comprising three turnbuckle devices interconnecting said plates and arranged in spaced and triangular relation to one another for adjustably supporting the adjustable plate and operable to effect the adjusting of the connector members and the coil carried thereby.

6. In an induction heating apparatus, the combination of a pair of adjacent elongated supporting and terminal connector members having means at their lower ends connectible to a source of high frequency current, means for securing said members in spaced and insulated relation to each other for movement together, a coil extending laterally from one end of the connector members and having end portions supported on and electrically connected to said connector members and having an opening for receiving therein in a predetermined position an article to be heated, an adjustable plate, means for securing the other ends of the connector members onto said plate in insulated relation thereto for supporting the members and the coil thereon, a stationary base plate, three threaded members fixed to and extending from said adjustable plate in spaced and triangular relation to each other, three threaded members fixed to and extending from said base plate in alignment with said threaded members on said adjustable plate, and rotatable threaded sleeves threadedly engaging the threaded members on said plates for tilting said adjustable plate relative to said base plate to effect the adjustment of said coil and for supporting said adjustable plate in adjusted position.

7. In an induction heating apparatus, the combination of a pair of adjacent elongated connector members having means at their lower ends connectible to a source of high frequency current, means for securing said members in spaced and insulated relation to each other for movement together, a coil having end portions supported on the upper ends of the connector members and electrically connected thereto and having an opening for receiving therein in a predetermined position an article to be heated, a first plate, means for securing one end of the connector members to said first plate in insulated relation thereto for supporting the members and the coil thereon, a second plate, a stationary frame member for supporting the second plate thereon for limited horizontal movement, means for receiving said second plate in adjusted position on said stationary frame member,

and means comprising three individually adjustable threaded devices interconnecting said plates'for adjustably supporting the first plate and operable to etfect the adjusting of the connector members and the coil carried thereby.

8. An inductor for high frequency induction heating comprising a pair of coil elements, a pair of members connected to the ends of said coil elements for supporting them, means pivotally mounting one of said coil elements on one of said supporting members-for movement to and from closed and open positions relative to the other coil element, said coil elements being shaped to encircle an article to be heated when in closed position and having surfaces at the other ends thereof engageable with each other, means at said other ends of said coil elements for releasably securing said ends in tight engagement with each other, said movable coil element having a wedge shaped portion with a pair of diverging fiat surfaces at said one end thereof, and means on said one supporting member forming diverging surfaces conforming to and cngageable with me converging surfaces on said coil element when said element is in closed position to establish a tight electrical connection between the supporting member and the coil element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,313,591 Ulrey July 7, 1931 2,293,049 Denneen et a1 Aug. 18, 1942 2,343,889 Denneen et a1 Mar. 14, 1944 2,481,008 Gagliardi et a1 Sept. 6, 1949 2,537,289 Van Embden Jan. 9, 1951'