US2760409A - Base scraping apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 28, 1956 2. w. MlKLds 2,760,409

BASE SCRAPING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 29, 1952 T-i.l ix 1% 22 I6 O so 23 7 a 26 9 47 qb v 37 I I H 43 4/ If 3 5/ 4 I I QB 36 p 5 37 b 39 byMCT His Attorney United States Patent 6 BASE SCRAPING APPARATUS Zoltan W. Miklos, University Heights, Ohio, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application February 29, 1952, Serial No. 274,126

3 Claims. (Cl. 9024) My invention relates to apparatus for basing electric lamps, discharge devices and the like, and more particularly to apparatus for removing the excess solder used in connecting leads to the metal shells of bases.

An object of my invention is to provide apparatus for scraping oh the excess solder projecting beyond the periphery of the metal shell of the base of an electrical device so that said device canbe readily inserted and removed from a socket. The apparatus is especially concerned with the removal of solder from the metal shell of a base which must be either pushed or screwed into a relatively closely fitting barrel or sleeve and wherein any excess solder projecting from said base may prevent it from entering into the socket or being easily removed therefrom should the base be forced into the socket. One type of incandescent lamp made defective by a very small amount of projecting solder is a very small lamp. used in conjunction with airplane instruments, which lamp is inserted bulb-foremost into a socket and which has. no appreciable protruding portion enabling it to be securely grasped and pulled from the socket.

Another object of my invention is to provide base. scraping apparatus suited to automatic operation. in. high speed basing apparatus, and toa clamping device for retaining the lamp in position inthe holding means, there.- for during the scraping operation. To this end, means are; provided; for advancing a knife, preferably conforming to the shape of. the shell of the base, to a position inclose proximity or directly: into contact with the base shell, as desired, when a lamp is presented at a Work static-n occupied by said scraping apparatus and for'moving the. knife along the-base to effect the scraping thereof The base clamping-device in association with the scraping; mechanism is comprised of: non-reversible means movable against the end of the base to locate it longitudinally in the basing apparatus: and: prevent itfi'om being forced therefrom by the scraping mechanism during its interval of. operation.

Still other objects. and advantages of my invention will appear from the: following detailed description of a species thereof and from the accompanying drawing.

In the; drawing, Fig; 1- is. a. perspective view of base scraping and clamping apparatus: comprising my invention at the time of its arrangement at operative relation to a lamp retained by basing apparatus and with a portion brokentherefrom. to; show enclosed actuating means; and- Fig. 2 is. a perspective view. on alarger scale of said lamp and: the end ofthe scraping knife of said apparatus at; the time the said knife; is. advancing toengagement therewith.

The scraping. and clamping apparatus; shown in the: drawing is.located at one. work station along; the path of movement of the lamp. carrier of automatic. basing apparatus and completes acycle. of operation each time a lamp 1 is positioned at said work station by one. of: a succession of indexing motions of said carrier.. Thelamp; 1- is held in aninverted. (base up) position on a vertical axis by a head 2 at the periphery of the turret 3 com- 'ice prising the carrier and is located below a portion of the clamping apparatus 4 overhanging the. course of movement thereof and opposite the scraping apparatus. 5 located radially outward from said turret 3' and said path. Relatively no lateral displacement of the lamp 1 can occur when the cycle of operation of the apparatus is initiated as the bulb 6 thereof is almost completely contained in a pocket in the holder 7 of. the head 2 and asthe base 8 thereof isalmost completely surrounded by the fixed jaws 9 and 10 of said head 2. Vertical movement of the lamp 1, on the other hand, is possible at this moment since neither the base 8. or the bulb. 6 are gripped and the latter is, so small as to allow it to pass upward between the jaws. 9 and 10 should an upward movement of the lampl. beinitiated.

The first operation of the apparatus provides for the clamping of the base 8 of the lamp 1 in the head 2 by the apparatus 4 and efiects this clamping operation by lowering the end of. the stud 11 into engagement with the contact 12 at the center of the insulation button 13 at the end of the base 8. The stud 11 is, in eflEect, a

part of and has the same movement as arm 14 intowhich it is screwed. and which is located within an open longitudinal channel in: the body 15 of the clamping apparatus; and said. stud 11 is carried down against the base 8 by a rocking or pivotal movement of said arm 14. about the pivot pin 16 bridging said channel. The pressure of engagementof the stud 11 against the base 8 is sufficient to force said base 8 down into the head 2" to the extent that the flange 17 at the upper end' of the metal baseshell 18' seats firmly against the top surface of the jaws 9 and 10 of the head 2- and has the efiect of correcting any tilting of said base 8 which might interfere with; the proper scrapinglof the shell 18.

The stud- 11 and. the.- arm 14 are normally retained at a raised position above the base 8 by the contraction force of a helical spring. 19- located Within adjoining cavities in said arm114- and the body 15 of the apparatus and connected between pins in saidarm 14 and said body 15. The downward movement of the stud 11 and the arm 14- results when the slide20, in contiguous slideways: of the. body 15 behind the. cover plate 21, is moved toward said arm 14 and by SO'dOlHgj advances the wedge shaped end 22-: thereof as far as possible into the space above the shoe 23 pivoted ona pin 24 extending across the bifurcated end. of said arm 14. The force with which the. Wedge end 22 ofthe: slide 20. is introduced and, accordingly, the pressurev with which stud 1-1- presses: against the base 8, isdetermined by the resilience of the two springs 2525- connecting; ear-s at the endof the slide 20 to the opposite ends of the cross pin 26 of the operating. means of the apparatus; The strength of these springs 2525 is such: that the cross pin 26 is held: tightly against the right end (.Fig. 1') of the cross slot. 27 for most of themotion of the operating arm 28 which extends down into a central opening in the slide 20; however, the springs 25 allow the cross pin 26,v which is held by the operating arm 28-, to advance in the. cross slot. 27 when the operating force is excessive. Corresponding and somewhat longer clearance slots (not shown) in the opposed sidewalls of the body 15 of theapparatus avoid any interference with the fullzrnovement'.

of the crosspin26.

The time interval of, operationiofthe apparatusiedetermined by operating.- means. (not shown): actuated. by: the

basing machine in the. manner of. other apparatusin-comoination therewith and like said other apparatus is causedto occur at a correspondinginterval. after a. lamp 1- has been advanced to the Work station before. the. present. apparatus. The. operating means effects. vertical actuation of the, rod 30 connected to the arm- 31 on the opposite end of the shaft 32 from the operating. arm 23, and,

causes said arm 28 to turn with said shaft 32 which is supported by the upstanding support lug 33 of the body 15 of the apparatus. This completes the operations of the clamping apparatus prior to the scraping of the base, and the operation is reversed after said scraping has occurred. Throughout the period of operation, the body 15 of the apparatus remains at a fixed position determined by its attachment to the overhanging arm 34, only partially shown, of the frame of the basing machine.

The next operation to occur is that of the scraping apparatus, which apparatus advances the end of a knife 35 to engagement with the directly opposing portion of the metal outer shell 18 of the base 8. The knife 35 is attached to a slide 36 within ways behind the retaining plates 3737 in the body 38 of the scraping apparatus and is advanced toward the base 3 by a rocking or pivoting motion of a lever 39 pivoted at 4% to the body 38 and moving the slide 38 by means of pin 41. This advancing operation of the knife 35 is under the control of the main operating apparatus of the basing machine which presently effects an upward movement in the connecting rod 42, which motion is terminated when the end of the adjustable stop screw 43 on the lever 39 bears against the end of the body 38. A spring 44 connected between posts on the lever 39 and a portion of the body 38 serves to absorb the freedom of movement in the operation means so as to give more accurate control thereof.

The knife 35 engages an exposed portion of the base shell 18 in alignment with the space between the tips of the jaws 9 and 10 of the head 2 and at the elevation of the lower end of said base shell 18 inasmuch as the vertical column 45, which is the supporting means for the body 38, is then at a corresponding position. This position of the knife 35 places the sharp edge 46 thereof, formed by the upper and the curved end surfaces thereof, at a position below the solder 47 filling a triangular indenture in the base shell 18 and holding one of the leads 48 of the lamp 1, and permits said edge 46, which has a shape conforming to the curvature of the base shell 18, to scrape the excess protruding portion of the solder 47 from the base 8 by an upward movement thereof. The solder 47, in combination with the base shown, is the means of attaching the end of the lead 48, extending through a slit 4-9 in the base shell 18 at the edge of the indenture, to said base shell 18. Because of the small size of the parts, it is difiicult to prevent the solder from protruding beyond said base shell 18.

The upward scraping movement of the knife 35 is initiated by a corresponding movement of the body 38 under the control of the operating apparatus (not shown) of the basing machine engaging and sliding the support column 45 upward in the frame portion 54), and lifts the entire scraping apparatus sufliciently for the knife to pass over the entire vertical extent of the solder filling 47.

The connecting rod 42 also follows the upward movement I of the body 38 so that the knife 35 does not pull back from the base shell 18. The upward force applied to the base 3 is relatively great during the scraping movement of the knife 35; however, no movement can occur in said base 8 as the angularity of the matching faces of the shoe 23 and wedge 22 is such that the upward pressure of arm 14 and shoe 23 can not force the wedge 22 and slide 28 back from its position thereabove. The cycle of operation of the apparatus is completed upon retraction of the knife 35 from the base 8 and lowering of the body 38.

After the clamping and scraping apparatus 4 and 5 have separated from the lamp 1, the lamp can be pushed from the head 2 of the basing machine by an upward movement of the push rod 51 which extends through a vertical hole in the holder 7 below the bulb 6. Means are also provided in combination with the clamping apparatus for preventing the stud holding arm 1 and the wedge portion 22 of the slide 20 from advancing beyond a limit of operation in event of the absence of a lamp 1 from the head 2, said means being in the pin 52 extending across the bottom opening in the body 15 and blocking movement of the stud holding arm 14.

While I have described a preferred form of apparatus comprising my invention, 1 do not wish to be limited to the exact structure shown as it will be understood that many modifications of the precise manner in which my invention is carried into effect may be used without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this connection it should be noted that the scraping apparatus could be used separately from the clamping apparatus as for instance, where the base is gripped by the basing machine, see Pagan Patent 1,724,831. lt shouldalso be noted that the scraping apparatus can be adjusted so that the knife 35 does not bear against the base shell 13 and can therefore be used to trim a solder mass located wholly outside the periphery of said base shell 18.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Apparatus for removing excess solder projecting from the flanged cylindrical shell of a base of an electric device comprising holding means encompassing the cylindrical shell with the exception of the solder and the adjacent shell portion for aligning the base with an axis, means for clamping the base in position in the holding means comprising an arm pivoted to one side of the axis and movable generally therealong into engagement with the end of the base and wedge means for moving the arm to seat the shell flange firmly against the holding means, said wedge means being non-reversible by pressure exerted by the base in the scraping operation, a knife located to one side of the axis, means for moving the knife toward the base holding means and into close proximity to said adjacent portion of the base shell at a position displaced axially on the opposite side of the solder from the clamping means and the shell flange, and means for moving the knife axially along the base shell toward said clamping means and said shell flange to scrape the excess solder therefrom.

2. Apparatus for removing excess solder projecting from the flanged cylindrical shell of a base of an elec tric device comprising holding means encompassing the cylindrical shell with the exception of the solder and the adjacent shell portion for aligning the base with an axis, means for clamping the base in position in the holding means comprising an arm pivoted to one side of the axis and movable generally therealong into engagement with the end of the base, and wedge means for moving the arm to cause the pressure of engagement thereof to seat the shell flange firmly against the holding means, said wedge means being non-reversible by pressure exerted by the base in the scraping thereof, a knife having a concave cutting edge conforming with the periphery of the base shell and located to one side of the said axis, means for advancing the knife toward the base holding means and into engagement with the base shell at a position displaced axially on the opposite side of the solder from the clamping means and the shell flange, and means for moving the knife axially along the base shell toward said clamping means and the shell flange to scrape the excess solder therefrom.

3. In combination with a carrier having thereon holders with pockets for accommodating electric lamps and indexing them to successive positions in a fixed path of travel, a clamping mechanism comprising a body portion mounted over said path of travel at one of said positions of the holders and having a downwardly opening horizontal channel in the bottom thereof, an arm mounted longitudinally in said channel for pivotal movement in a vertical plane about one of its ends and having a stud portion extending downwardly from an intermediate portion thereof to be located over a lamp in a holder, spring means connected to said arm to urge it upwardly about its pivot, a shoe member mounted on the end of said arm opposite its pivoted end for pivotal movement in a vertical plane, a slide member mounted in said channel for longitudinal movement therein and in apposition to said arm, said slide member having a wedge-shaped forward end fitting between said shoe member and the upper wall of said channel, and actuating means connected through spring means to said slide to pull the slide forwardly to cause its wedge-shaped end to urge the said shoe downwardly and thereby pivot the arm downwardly to cause its said stud portion to engage the lamp and clamp it in said holder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Behan June 3, 1913 Smith Mar. 25,1919 Holmes June 21, 1921 Sora Feb. 2, 1926 Palucki Feb. 2, 1937 Oppenheim Dec. 17, 1940 King July 16, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Australia Oct. 18, 1938

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