US3068548A

US3068548A - Method for installing electrodes

Info

Publication number: US3068548A
Application number: US849286A
Authority: US
Inventors: Rudolf C Hergenrother; Alvin S Luftman; Carleton E Sawyer; Daniel D Duggan
Original assignee: Raytheon Co
Current assignee: Raytheon Co
Priority date: 1959-10-28
Filing date: 1959-10-28
Publication date: 1962-12-18
Anticipated expiration: 1979-12-18

Description

Dec. 18, 1962 R. C. HERGENROTHER ETAL METHOD FOR INSTALLING ELECTRODES Filed 001;. 28, 1959 mvsmons RUDOLF c. HERGENROTHER ALVIN s. LUFTMAN CARLETON E. SAWYER DANIEL D. DUGGAN M/MM ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,068,548 METHGD FOR INSTALLING ELECTRODES Rudolf C. Hergenrother, West Newton, Alvin S. Luftman, Natick, Carleton E. Sawyer, Acton, and Daniel D. Duggan, Watertown, Mass, assignors to Raytheon Company, Lexington, Mass, a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 28, 1959, Ser. No. 849,286 8 Claims. (Cl. 2925.16)

This invention relates to methods for installing electrode structures in a bulb and, more particularly, to a method of installation whereby electrodes are properly aligned with each other and with the bulb and are perpendicular to the bulb axis. The invention is suitable, for example, for installing the storage, collector and screen grids in the one-gun storage tube described in US. Patent 2,661,442 to I. A. Buckbee or the storage, decelerating and accelerating electrodes in the one-gun storage tube described in application #517,830 of R. C. Hergenrother now Patent No. 2,922,071 issued January 19, 1960, or the screens in a two-gun storage tube such as described in the January-February 1959 issue of Electronic Progress published by Raytbeon Company, Waltham, Massachusetts.

In the past such electrodes or screens have been installed or mounted in a glass bulb by first annealing small metal buttons or Valkert Stampings to the walls of the glass bulb at positions located externally from the bulb, then, after aquadaging the bulb, inserting each electrode separately and Welding each to conductive support pins which are passed through thebuttons. This prior method has resulted in unsatisfactory orientation of the electrodes relative to each other and improper centering of the electrodes on the bulb axis with the result that the axes of the electrodes are not collimated with beams from electron guns located axially in the bulb and uniformity of production is less than desired. These unsatisfactory results are primarily attributed to the improper location of the buttons and distortion of the electrodes as they are individually and separately welded inside the bulb to the support pins. Furthermore, even when the buttons are properly located it is difiicult to center each electrode on the bulb axis and to subsequently weld it in place. There fore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for installing electrodes in a bulb whereby certain unsatisfactory results or prior methods, mentioned above, are avoided.

It is another object to provide a method for installing a plurality of electrodes in a bulb whereby proper orientation of electrodes with respect to each other is insured.

It is another object to provide such a method whereby said buttons are precisely fixed to the bulb and properly orientated electrodes are fixed to saidbuttons producing an electrode structure in a bulb disposed perpendicular to the axis of said bulb.

It is a feature of the present invention to install a plurality of electrodes in aglass bulb by first inserting an alignment jig into said bulb coaxial therewith, said jig being indexed adjacent to said bulb, fastening buttons to said bulb at said index points, removing said jig, inserting said electrodes into said bulb, inserting support pins through said buttons and into suitable alignment holes or depressions in said electrodes and welding said support pins to said buttons. i

It is another feature to drill alignmentholes in a plurality of electrodes and then assemble the electrodes forming a rigid structure before insertion into the bulb.

It is another teature to drill the alignment holes in each of the electrodes and then to assemble the electrodes with said alignment holes orientated in a predetermined manner and to locate said indexes on said jig in an identical manner so that buttons aligned with said indexes will also be aligned with said alignment holes.

Other objects and features of the present invention will be more apparent from the following specific description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view showing the jig inserted in the bulb and buttons aligned with index holes in said jig;

FIG. 2 depicts a button with an index pin through its center; 1

FIG. 3 shows a plurality of electrodes such as employed in a typical storage tube;

FIG. 4 shows an assembly of said electrodes;

FIG. 5 is. an enlarged view of one end of said jig showing the relative orientation of index holes; and

FIG. 6 shows the electrode assembly installed in said bulb and supported by support pins which are welded to the buttons.

Turning first to FIG. 1 there is shown what is substantially the first step in the assembly of an electrode structure in a glass bulb. The glass bulb 1 is preferably of the type employed for constructing storage tubes and has an elongated neck of constant diameter at one end and is open at the other end. A jig 2 with padding rings 3 and 4 attached to the cylindrical portion thereof is inserted into the glass bulb. The cylindrical portion of the jig is somewhat smaller than the inside diameter of the bulb neck, but fits snugly therein and is spaced from the bulb neck by rings 3 and 4.

The neck end of the bulb butts against a plate 5 to which the jig is attached and thereby establishes the longitudinal position of the jig relative to the glass bulb. This plate 5 is fixed to the end of the jig 2 after the jig is inserted in the glass bulb.

At the other end of the jig there are a numberof protuberances which might, for example, extend from the jig in an axial manner as shown. Index holes such as 7 and 8 are drilled at predetermined points on these protuberances and directly axially with the bulb and the jig. The location of these index holes will be described later with reference to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5.

Next, metallic buttons such as 9 and 10 each having an index pin through its center such as index pins Hand 12 are inserted into

holes

13 and 14 cut in glas's bulb 1 which are directly opposite index holes 7 and 8, respectively. The buttons 9 and 10 are inserted so that the index pins fit into index holes 7 and 8, thereby securely supporting and aligning buttons 9 and 10 with the holes; Once aligned and supported in this manner, the buttons are annealed to the surface of the glass bulb forming a vacuum seal therewith.

Turning next to FIG. 3 there are shown three rin'g'electrodes which might, for example, be the screen 15, the storage 16 and the collector 17 grids in storage tubes such as described in the first mentioned reference.

Perpendicular holes

18, 19 and 20 aredrilled in each of the elec-, trodes as shown in FIG. 3 and are spaced identically in each electrode. Any number of such holes may be drilled, but for purposes of example only three such. are shown in each electrode.

Radial alignment holes

21, 22

and 23 are also drilled in each of the electrodes at different points on each so that when the electrodes are stacked one upon another and the holes denoted 18, 19 and 20 in each of the electrodes are all in line, the

alignment holes

21, 22 and 23 will be disposed with respect to each other in a predetermined manner. For example, these alignment holes might be disposed at 120 radial degrees from each other.

The rings shown inVFIG. 3 are assembled as shown in FIG. 4. They are spaced from each other by ceramic spacers such as spacers 24 and 25 and fastened together

pins

26, 27 and 28 inserted through the

holes

18, 19 and 20, respectively.

Pins

26, 27 and 28 are preferably sheathed in a ceramic material to prevent short circuiting the electrodes to each other. Only two of the alignment 7

holes

21, 22 and 23, shown in FIG. 3, are shown in FIG. 4.

It should be noted that the alignment holes are drilled radially with respect to the electrodes on lines perpendicular to the axis of the electrodes. Consequently, upon assembly in the manner described above, the alignment holes will be displaced radially as Well as axially with respect to each other, the radial displacement being 120 degrees apart and the axial displacement as represented by dimensions AB and BC in FIG. 4. The dimension AB is the axial displacement of alignment hole 23 from alignment hole 22 and the dimension BC is the axial displacement of the hole 21 from the hole 22. These dimensions also determine the orientation of the index holes, such as 7 and 8, which are drilled in the protuberances, on jig 2 as shown in FIG. 5. Index holes 7 and 8 might, for example,

match holes

22 and 23 in the storage and collector electrodes and are, consequently, located axially with respect to each other on

circumferential center lines

29 and 30 shown in FIG. 5, while alignment hole 21 in the screen electrode is located on centerline 31 in an opposite protuberance.

When the buttons are annealed to the glass tube 1 their index pins, such as pins 11 and 12, are removed. Next the base plate is removed from jig 2 and the jig is removed from the bulb leaving the bulb with buttons precisely located and annealed in its surface forming air-tight seals therewith. 7

: Next, the assembly of electrodes, shown in FIG. 4, is

' inserted in the large end of bulb 1 substantially coaxial with the bulb and support pins of the same diameter as the pins and machined at one end to fit into the alignment holes are inserted in each of the buttons and into the

alignment holes

21, 22 and 23 thereby supporting the electrodes and providing electrical leads thereto.

In this manner the electrode assembly is precisely orientated and supported inside the glass bulb 1 so that the electrodes are properly spaced from each other and collimated with an electron gun which may be axially disposed in the'nech of the bulb. In FIG. 6 there is shown a view of the electrode assembly installed and supported in this manner by support pins 32, 33 and 34 which fits snugly into

alignment holes

22, 23 and 21.

I The support pins are then externally welded to the buttons thereby adding rigidity to the installation and sealing the support pins and, subsequently, the external part of these support pins are cut ofl leavingonly a suitable part' for attaching to electrical leads. V A

While there-is described above a method for installing an electrode structure in a glass bulb so as to obtain proper spacing of electrodes and collimation with the 7 sunset the bulb, his. to be understood that a difierently What is claimed is:

l. A method for mounting electrodes in a bulb comprising the steps of inserting an alignment jig into said bulb, said jig being indexed at points adjacent to said bulb, fastening support members to the surface of said bulb at said index points, removing said jig, inserting said electrodes into said bulb, inserting support pins through said support members and into suitable depressions in said electrodes and fastening said support pins to said support members.

2. A method for mounting electrodes in a bulb comprising the steps of inserting an alignment jig into said bulb, said jig being indexed at points adjacent to said bulb, fastening metallic discs to the surface of said bulb at said index points, removing said jig, inserting said electrodes into said bulb, inserting support pins through holes in said discs and into suitable depressions in said electrodes and" fastening said pins to said discs.

3. A method for mounting electrodes in a glass bulb comprising the steps of inserting an alignment jig into said bulb, said jig being indexed at points adjacent to said bulb, cutting holes in the surface of said bulb opposite said indexes, inserting metallic discs in said holes opposite said index points, annealing said discs to the surface of said glass bulb, removing said jig, inserting said electrode into said bulb, inserting support pins through said metallic discs and into suitable depressions in said electrodes and fastening said support pins to said discs.

4. A method for mounting electrodes in a glass bulb comprising steps of inserting an alignment jig into said bulb, said jig having radial index holes at points adjacent to said bulb, cutting holes in said glass bulb opposite said index holes, fastening metallicbuttons to said glass bulb at locations axial with said index holes, removing said jig, inserting said electrodes into said bulb, inserting support pins through said buttons and into suitable depressions in said electrodes and welding said support pins to said buttons.

5. A method for mounting electrodes in a bulb comprising the steps of inserting an alignment jig into said bulb, said jig being coaxial with said bulb and indexed at radial points adjacent to said bulb, fastening support discs to said bulb opposite said index points, removing said jig, inserting said electrodes into said bulb, inserting support pins through said discs and into suitable depressions in said eletcrodes and fastening said support pins to said discs,

6. A method for mounting electrodes in a bulb comprising the steps of inserting an alignment jig into said bulb, said jig being coaxial with said bulb and indexed at points adjacent thereto, fastening support members to said bulb opposite said index points, said support members having-index pins through their centers to insure that each of said members'is aligned with an index point before fastening, removing said index pins, removing said jig, inserting said electrodes into said, bulbs, inserting support pins through the centers of said support members and into suitable depressions in said electrodes and fastening said support pins to said support members.

7. A method for mounting a plurality of electrodes in a glass bulb comprising the steps of inserting an alignment jig into said bulb, said jig being coaxial with saidbulb and indexed at points adjacent to the inside surface of said bulb, annealing metal buttons tothe surface of said glass bulb opposite said index points, each of said buttons having an index pin through its center for aligning said button with one of said indexpoints, removing said index pins from said buttons, removing said jig from said glass bulb, inserting said electrodes into said glass .bulb, inserting electrically-conductive support pins through said buttons and into suitable depressions in said electrodes and welding said support pins to said buttons.

8. method for mounting a plurality of electrodes in a glass bulb compiising the steps of assembling sai electrodes, drilling alignment holes in said electrodes, said assembled electrodes forming a rigid structure with a predetermined orientation of said alignment holes, inserting an alignment jig into said bulb, said jig being coaxial with said bulb and having index holes drilling therein disposed with respect to each other in substantially the same manner as said alignment holes are disposed in said electrode structure, annealing metal buttons to said glass bulb, each of said buttons having an index pi: through its center for aligning said button with a different 5 port pins to said buttons.

References in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hughes Feb. 7, 1956 2,876,376 Rienks Mar. 3, 1959