US2827812A - Electrical contact pins straightening device - Google Patents

Description

March 25, 1958 s. GAVURNIK ELECTRICAL CONTACT PINS STRAIGHTENING DEVICE Filed Dec. 19, 1955 him.

IN V EN TOR. Sift/EA! G/l VLUP/Y/K BY A R EY Unite States Patent OfiFice 2,827,812 Patented Mar. 25, 1958 ELECTRICAL CONTACT PINS STRAIGHTENING DEVICE Steven Gavurnik, Gladstone, J., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Burroughs Corporation, a corporation of Michigan Application December 19, 1955, Serial No. 553,969

1 Claim. (Ci. 81-15) This invention relates to a pin straightening device especially adapted to be used for straightening the contact pins which extend from the base of electron discharge tubes, electrical connectors, and similar devices.

As is well known, the contact pins of vacuum tubes and similar devices often become bent during manufacture, handling and use, thus necessitating a pin straightening operation before the tubes can be inserted in their corresponding sockets. In conventional pin straightening devices heretofore known, the operator inserts a damaged tube into the device by hand, such insertion causing a straightening action on the bent contact pins. The removal of the tube from the device is also accomplished by hand, and, since such removal is made difiicult by the pressure and friction exerted on the contact pins by the device, the operator usually imparts a rocking or twisting motion to the tube to make removal easier, rather than lifting the tube straight from the straightening device. Therefore, in many cases, the contact pins on the tube are rebent during this removal operation. If the operator attempts to overcome this difliculty, he is forced to perform a laborious, inefiicient, and time consuming operation, unadapted for mass production industrial techniques.

It is an object of this invention to improve pin straightening devices by providing a novel arrangement which acts to straighten the pins both during insertion and removal.

Another object of this invention is to provide a pin straightener that is simple in its construction and operation, yet admirably adapted for mass production industrial techniques.

Another object of this invention is to improve pin straightening devices for vacuum tubes and the like by eliminating one cause of breakage with a cooperating ejection mechanism as an integral part of the device.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved pin straightening device which prevents pins from being rebent upon removal from the device.

Briefly, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a pin straightening device having a removable metal die. The die is apertured such that it can accommodate the geometrical arrangement of contact pins of an electron discharge tube or similar device. The apertures are chamfered at the top in order to more readily receive and guide the contact pins during insertion of the tube into the device. The apertured die is recessed in a support member in such relation that a cavity is formed between said die and support member. This cavity is preferably made large enough to receive any contact pins that are broken ofi from the tube during the straightening process. The apertured die is also removable from the support member so that the above described cavity may be periodically emptied, and the dies may be changed to enable the operation to be carried out on different geometrical pin arrangements.

Also contained in the support member is an ejecting mechanism to engage the base of the tube and force the tube out of the die in a straight line parallel to the length of the pins. The ejecting means may be actuated by actuating means, such as a lever whose pivot is c0r1 tained in the support member.

A more complete understanding of the operation and features of the invention, together with additional objects thereof, may be gained from a reading of the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a cross section in elevation of a pin straightening device embodying the principles of this invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the device of Fig. 1 showing the relation of certain elements of the combination;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the device of Fig. 1; and

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the device of the present invention.

In the arrangement shown in Figure 1, the device cornprises a base 11 to which is secured a support member 13 by means of a pair of screws 15 passing through the base 11. A pin straightener die 17 is removably secured to the support member 13 by a screw 21.

The die member 17 is preferably made of metal and has a plurality of apertures 23 for receiving and straightening the pins of an electron discharge tube or similar article; these apertures are chamfered at the top so as to facilitate reception of the pins by the apertures. By this means the pins will be guided and forced to enter the apertures, thus causing the pins to become straightened. The die member is recessed, forming a cavity 25 with support member 13, into which broken pins left in the apertures after completion of the straightening process may be forced. This cavity may be emptied periodically by removing the die member 17 from the support member 13.

An aperture 26 is located in the die 17 thru which an ejector means 27 operates. Another aperture 28 extends thru the support member 13 and also journals the ejector means 27. These apertures are aligned axially and act to guide the ejector means 27 in the operation of the device.

The straightening action commenced by inserting the tube pins into the chamfered apertures 23 is maintained during the removal of the pins from the chamfered apertures 23. This continuing straightening action upon the pins is made possible by an ejecting feature of the pin straightening device. The ejector comprises an ejector pin or plunger 27 flared at one end to provide an annular shoulder or collar 31. The ejector pin 27 is movable along an axis parallel to the apertures 23 by means of a handle bar 33 fulcrumed on a pin 35 to engage the shoulder 31, and is retractable by a return spring 37 between the shoulder 31 and a recess 38 in the support member 13. 'The fulcrum pin 35 is removable from the support member 13 by a retaining screw 3) as seen in Fig. 2.

The return spring 37 acts to withdraw the plunger 27 from its displaced position as tubes are ejected. The distance to which the resilient spring 37 withdraws the plunger 27 should be great enough to allow the next set of contact pins to be inserted in the die 17 without hindrance.

Depression by the operator of the handle bar 33 causes the ejector pin 27, actuated by handle bar 33 thru the annular shoulder 31, to be forced upwards. This in turn, by the action of the ejector pin 27 upon the center of the bottom of an electron discharge tube or similar article in the die 17 with contact pins in the apertures 23, forces such tube perpendicularly upward, thereby removing the tube pins from the apertures 23. The

depressionrof the handle bar 33 also causes the return spring 37 to. be compressed against the recess in the support member 13 by action of the annular shoulder 31 such that, when the operator releases the handle bar 33, the handle bar 33 is returned toits normal'position of rest as shown in Fig, 4. a

' The pin' straightener 'mayibe secured to asupporting surface by fastening elements passing through apertures 41 in the base 11.

The present invention may be utilized as either a portable or mounted pin straightening device, enabling it to be, carried due to its small, compact size, or lending itself to hemonnted next to places of obvious use, The design of the device is durable which obviates difficulties in its operation. In addition, thetplunger 27 cooperates with thcstrongest part of the envelope of the inserted tube (for example, the center of the pin configuration), so that individual tubes are less likely to. fail upon removalv By such an arrangement not only does the present invention insure the rapid and positive straightening of contact pins, but an unskilled operator need not exert special caution in using the invention. This results in a material increase in the number of usable tubes produced in less time than with prior known devices.

What is claimed is:

7 An electrical contact pins straightening device comprising a support member, a die mounted in said support member and removably'secured thereto, said die having chamfered' apertures at one end adapted to receive the 2,827,812 a q e 4 pins carried'by the base of an electrical device to be straightened by said die, a cavity formed between said die and said support member, said cavity being of sufficient size to receive any of said contact pins that may be broken off during the straightening process, a cylindrical aperture located centrally in said die and having an axis parallel to the axis of said chamfered straightening apertures, a further aperture in said support member aligned with said cylindrical aperture, an ejecting plunger jou'r naled in and longitudinally movable in said aligned apertures to project one end thereof through said die for applying an ejecting force against the center of the pin carrying base of the electrical device substantially parallel to the axis of the pins, thereby effecting removal oi the electrical device from said die without bending said pins, a manually operable spring-biased lever arm engaging said plunger to move said plunger to its ejecting position,

said lever arm being pivotally mounted on said support ReferencesCited in the file of this patent U b IITED STATES PATENTS 2,413,591 Sturdy Dec. 31, 1946 2,423,038 Merwin June 24, 1947 2,696,746 Hoffman et a1 Dec. 14, 1954

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