US3895709A - Metal mercury capsule - Google Patents

Metal mercury capsule Download PDF

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Publication number
US3895709A
US3895709A US355178A US35517873A US3895709A US 3895709 A US3895709 A US 3895709A US 355178 A US355178 A US 355178A US 35517873 A US35517873 A US 35517873A US 3895709 A US3895709 A US 3895709A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
mercury
capsule
central portion
portions
walls
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US355178A
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English (en)
Inventor
George J Przybylek
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Unisys Corp
Original Assignee
Burroughs Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Burroughs Corp filed Critical Burroughs Corp
Priority to US355178A priority Critical patent/US3895709A/en
Priority to GB784574A priority patent/GB1417357A/en
Priority to FR7410312A priority patent/FR2227625A1/fr
Priority to DE2440355*A priority patent/DE2440355A1/de
Priority to DE2416388A priority patent/DE2416388A1/de
Priority to NL7405043A priority patent/NL7405043A/xx
Priority to BE143182A priority patent/BE813692A/fr
Priority to JP49042644A priority patent/JPS5016475A/ja
Priority to US05/540,050 priority patent/US3944869A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3895709A publication Critical patent/US3895709A/en
Assigned to BURROUGHS CORPORATION reassignment BURROUGHS CORPORATION MERGER (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). DELAWARE EFFECTIVE MAY 30, 1982. Assignors: BURROUGHS CORPORATION A CORP OF MI (MERGED INTO), BURROUGHS DELAWARE INCORPORATED A DE CORP. (CHANGED TO)
Assigned to UNISYS CORPORATION reassignment UNISYS CORPORATION MERGER (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: BURROUGHS CORPORATION
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J17/00—Gas-filled discharge tubes with solid cathode
    • H01J17/02—Details
    • H01J17/22—Means for obtaining or maintaining the desired pressure within the tube
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B23P—METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; COMBINED OPERATIONS; UNIVERSAL MACHINE TOOLS
    • B23P15/00—Making specific metal objects by operations not covered by a single other subclass or a group in this subclass

Definitions

  • a mercury capsule comprises a mercury-filled metal tube, of measured capacity, having closed ends, each of which includes end portions which are cold welded and resistance welded to form an hermetic seal and intermediate portions, which are crimped closed. The length of the intermediate crimped portions of each capsule is designed to permit the mercury within the capsule to expand and stress the lightly crimped'portions, during processing operations of a device in which a capsule is mounted, without opening the hermetically sealed end portions of each capsule.
  • NIXIE tubes have used mercury vapor along with the normal inert gas content to minimize cathode sputtering.
  • a NIXIE tube comprises a relatively large bulb or envelope in which is mounted a stack of glow cathodes in the form of characters.
  • Mercury is usually introduced in such a device from a glass capsule which is disposed within the tube envelope and contains a ball of mercury. To release the mercury, the capsule is heated to cause the mercury to expand and break the glass.
  • a display panel generally comprises a thin, flat envelope including a base plate and a face plate.
  • the base plate carries various electrodes including groups of glow cathodes, and the face plate carries the associated anodes for the groups of cathodes.
  • the base plate and face plate are sealed together with a close spacing between them. Due to their construction, their gas volume, and the nature of their electrodes, display panels have a relatively strict requirement with respect to the quantity of mercury provided. However, glass capsules cannotbe made in mass production so that they uniformly include the same measured quantity of mercury.
  • the glass capsule cannot be mounted within the tube envelope, so it is mounted in a glass tubulation secured to the base plate of the panel and communicating with the interior of the panel through a hole in the base plate.
  • the tubulation is used to evacuate the panel and to introduce, the desired gas filling and mercury vapor. While thisarrangement works well, the tubulation represents an item of expense which is considerable when millions of panels are manufactured, and it complicates processing of panels; In addition, the tubulation is fragile and is easily broken.
  • a mercury capsule embodying the invention includes a mercury-containing portion, a lightly closed portion on either side thereof, and hermetically-sealed end portions.
  • FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the panel shown in FIG. 4 including a mercury capsule
  • a mercury capsule 10 embodying the invention is made of metal and includes a central chamber -12 which is filled with mercury 14. On either side,of the central chamber, the capsule has closed portions 16 made up of lightly crimped portions 50 and, adjacent to portions 50, the ends 40 which are hermetically sealed so that the capsule is gas-tight.
  • metal mercury capsules 10 are made from a metal tube 20 (FIG. 2) of titanium, iron, or the like, of generally circular cross-section, and having an outside diameterof about 20 mils and an inside diameter of about 10 mils.
  • Mercury is poured into the tube 20 at one end, and, when the tube is filled, as indicated by the flow of inercury from the opposite end, one end is lightly crimped.
  • light crimps are formed in the wall of the tube at suitable spaced locations 30 along the tube to form individual capsules (FIG. 3), each of which-is completely filled with-a measured quantity. of mercury.
  • the central portions 31 of the crimped portions .30 of the tube 20 a're ti'ghtly crimped and deformed to, in effectyform a cold weld.
  • This cold welding operation is performed at-such a pressure thata favorable resistance is formed, the resistance 'being optimal for a subsequent resistance welding operation.
  • the cold welded regions are resistance welded to form hermetic seals which form theends 40 of the individual capsules 10 which are formed when the tube 20 is broken up into the individual capsules 10 in any suitable manner.
  • the portion 50 of capsule 10 between the resistance weld seal area 40 and the central mercury-containing portion 12 is the portion which is lightly crimped but is not cold welded or resistance welded, for a purpose to be described.
  • a panel of this type illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, includes, briefly, an insulating base plate 70, on which are supported a plurality of groups of cathode glow segments and their associated conductors and other structural elements (not shown).
  • the panel also includes an insulating face plate spaced from and sealed to the base plate and carrying on its inner surface a transparent conductive anode for each group of cathodes 80.
  • tubulation 92 (shown in dash lines) normally used in such panels and secured to the base plate, is not required in panel 68.
  • the capsule 10 is mounted at one end of the panel between the base plate 70 and face plate 90 and in close, heat-receiving relationship to the seal area between the base plate and face plate.
  • the capsule is secured in place in any suitable manner.
  • relatively high temperatures are used, particularly during the making of the hermetic seal between the base plate and face plate which comprise the envelope of the display panel.
  • the heat which is applied causes the mercury in the capsule to expand. Because of the capsule construction, the expanding mercury can open the lightly crimped portions 50, if necessary; however, it does not affect the hermetically sealed end portions 40.
  • a laser beam is used to drill a small hole in the capsule 10 to permit mercury vapor to escape therefrom into the gas atmosphere of the panel.
  • a mercury capsule, according to the invention, used for providing mercury in display panels used in calculators, is of the order of 0.4 inch in overall length, the central mercury-containing portion is of the order of 0.2 inch in length, and the adjacent crimped portions are 0.1 inch in length, with the hermetically sealed end portions thereof being about 0.05 inch in length.
  • Such capsules contain 6 mg. of mercury.
  • Glass capsules of the prior art are perhaps five to six times larger than the metal capsule of the invention, and their mercury content varies from about 3 to about 8 mg. of mercury.
  • One immediately apparent advantage of the invention is that no tubulation is required and a panel can be baked out, filled with gas, and sealed in an oven. This simplifies the assembly operation and eliminates both the cost of the tubulation and the costs of handling the tubulation.
  • Another advantage of the invention is that the small hole drilled in the metal mercury capsule does not permit globules of mercury to escape and enter the panel and cause problems.v Still another important advantage is that each capsule made according to the invention includes the same measured quantity of mercury.
  • a mercury capsule comprising a tubular metal member having a central portion which contains a quantity of mercury to be released therefrom to obtain its vapor, flattened end portions of said member being bonded in intimate face-to-face contact with each other at both ends of said member to provide a hermetic seal for said capsule, and intermediate closed portions between said bonded end portions and said central portion, said intermediate portions being formed of the walls of said tubular member lightly crimped together to contain the mercury liquid in said central portion, said intermediate portions being openable under elevated mercury vapor pressure at which said hermetically sealed closed end portions are not openable whereby said capsule can be exposed to heat without being ruptured and without permitting mercury to escape.
  • a mercury capsule comprising v a metal tube of generally circular cross-section having an undeformed central portion and closed end portions closing both ends of said central portion, said central portion containing a quantity of mercury which is vaporizable and is adapted to be released from said container and into a surrounding atmosphere, said end portions each including a first portion extending from immediately adjacent to said central portion at'both ends thereof, and a second tightly closed, heremetically sealed portion extending from each of said lightly closed sections to the opposite ends of said capsule, said first portion being formed of the walls of said tube being lightly crimped together in face-to-face ,contact, and said second portion being formed of the walls of said tube being tightly and hermetically pressed together in face-to-face contact, said first portion being openable and the walls thereof being capable of being spread apart by mercury vapor at a mercury vapor pressure at which the second portion is not openable and the walls thereof cannot be spread apart.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Devices For Indicating Variable Information By Combining Individual Elements (AREA)
  • Liquid Crystal (AREA)
  • Manufacture Of Electron Tubes, Discharge Lamp Vessels, Lead-In Wires, And The Like (AREA)
US355178A 1973-04-27 1973-04-27 Metal mercury capsule Expired - Lifetime US3895709A (en)

Priority Applications (9)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US355178A US3895709A (en) 1973-04-27 1973-04-27 Metal mercury capsule
GB784574A GB1417357A (en) 1973-04-27 1974-02-21 Metal mercury capsule and method of making it
FR7410312A FR2227625A1 (fr) 1973-04-27 1974-03-26
DE2440355*A DE2440355A1 (de) 1973-04-27 1974-04-04 Gasgefuellte anzeigetafel
DE2416388A DE2416388A1 (de) 1973-04-27 1974-04-04 Quecksilberkapsel, insbesondere fuer eine gasgefuellte anzeigetafel, und verfahren zur herstellung der quecksilberkapsel
NL7405043A NL7405043A (fr) 1973-04-27 1974-04-11
BE143182A BE813692A (fr) 1973-04-27 1974-04-12 Capsule a mercure en metal et procede pour sa fabrication
JP49042644A JPS5016475A (fr) 1973-04-27 1974-04-15
US05/540,050 US3944869A (en) 1973-04-27 1975-01-10 Display panel with expansible, metallic capsule containing mercury and method of making said capsule

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US355178A US3895709A (en) 1973-04-27 1973-04-27 Metal mercury capsule

Related Child Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US05/540,050 Division US3944869A (en) 1973-04-27 1975-01-10 Display panel with expansible, metallic capsule containing mercury and method of making said capsule

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3895709A true US3895709A (en) 1975-07-22

Family

ID=23396520

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US355178A Expired - Lifetime US3895709A (en) 1973-04-27 1973-04-27 Metal mercury capsule

Country Status (7)

Country Link
US (1) US3895709A (fr)
JP (1) JPS5016475A (fr)
BE (1) BE813692A (fr)
DE (2) DE2440355A1 (fr)
FR (1) FR2227625A1 (fr)
GB (1) GB1417357A (fr)
NL (1) NL7405043A (fr)

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4009407A (en) * 1974-07-30 1977-02-22 Panel Technology, Inc. Segmented electrode type gas discharge display panel with mercury giver means
US4105889A (en) * 1974-07-30 1978-08-08 Owens-Illinois, Inc. Laser method of introducing mercury to gas discharge display panels
FR2558987A1 (fr) * 1984-01-04 1985-08-02 Gte Prod Corp Procede pour la realisation de capsules contenant une quantite precise d'un materiau
US4754193A (en) * 1985-11-08 1988-06-28 Gte Products Corporation Mercury dispenser for arc discharge lamps
US4823047A (en) * 1987-10-08 1989-04-18 Gte Products Corporation Mercury dispenser for arc discharge lamps
US6739928B2 (en) 2000-09-22 2004-05-25 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Mercury-containing material, method for producing the same and fluorescent lamp using the same
US20070216282A1 (en) * 2006-03-16 2007-09-20 Kiermaier Ludwig P Lamp electrode and method for delivering mercury
US20070216308A1 (en) * 2006-03-16 2007-09-20 Kiermaier Ludwig P Lamp electrode and method for delivering mercury
ITMI20120336A1 (it) * 2012-03-05 2013-09-06 Tecnolux Italia S R L Procedimento per fabbricare lampade fluorescenti a bassa pressione a catodo freddo, e capsula utilizzata in tale procedimento
CN115446560A (zh) * 2022-10-12 2022-12-09 重庆建设工业(集团)有限责任公司 一种大直径薄壁管传动轴的机加工方法

Families Citing this family (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS6318123Y2 (fr) * 1977-01-18 1988-05-23
GB2176335B (en) * 1985-06-04 1989-12-06 English Electric Valve Co Ltd Discharge tubes
EP0405712A3 (en) * 1989-06-30 1992-02-05 Diatec Polymers Protonated mannich polymers
CN106002088B (zh) * 2016-05-24 2018-07-06 湖北三江航天红阳机电有限公司 一种翼身融合整体舱段制造方法
CN105904161B (zh) * 2016-05-24 2017-11-24 湖北三江航天红阳机电有限公司 一种双锥菱形钛合金整体舱段制造方法
CN106271444B (zh) * 2016-08-31 2018-08-03 湖北三江航天红阳机电有限公司 陶瓷基复合材料舱段组件的加工方法
CN106239066B (zh) * 2016-08-31 2018-08-03 湖北三江航天红阳机电有限公司 一种舱段工件的加工方法

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1855760A (en) * 1924-02-20 1932-04-26 Forest Radio Telephone & Teleg Electron discharge device
US1934369A (en) * 1931-01-27 1933-11-07 Bell Telephone Labor Inc Electric discharge device
US2322421A (en) * 1938-12-22 1943-06-22 Sylvania Electric Prod Electric discharge lamp

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1855760A (en) * 1924-02-20 1932-04-26 Forest Radio Telephone & Teleg Electron discharge device
US1934369A (en) * 1931-01-27 1933-11-07 Bell Telephone Labor Inc Electric discharge device
US2322421A (en) * 1938-12-22 1943-06-22 Sylvania Electric Prod Electric discharge lamp

Cited By (14)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4009407A (en) * 1974-07-30 1977-02-22 Panel Technology, Inc. Segmented electrode type gas discharge display panel with mercury giver means
US4105889A (en) * 1974-07-30 1978-08-08 Owens-Illinois, Inc. Laser method of introducing mercury to gas discharge display panels
FR2558987A1 (fr) * 1984-01-04 1985-08-02 Gte Prod Corp Procede pour la realisation de capsules contenant une quantite precise d'un materiau
US4596681A (en) * 1984-01-04 1986-06-24 Gte Products Corporation Method of forming capsules containing a precise amount of material
US4754193A (en) * 1985-11-08 1988-06-28 Gte Products Corporation Mercury dispenser for arc discharge lamps
US4823047A (en) * 1987-10-08 1989-04-18 Gte Products Corporation Mercury dispenser for arc discharge lamps
US6739928B2 (en) 2000-09-22 2004-05-25 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Mercury-containing material, method for producing the same and fluorescent lamp using the same
US6787980B2 (en) * 2000-09-22 2004-09-07 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Mercury-containing material, method for producing the same and fluorescent lamp using the same
US20070216282A1 (en) * 2006-03-16 2007-09-20 Kiermaier Ludwig P Lamp electrode and method for delivering mercury
US20070216308A1 (en) * 2006-03-16 2007-09-20 Kiermaier Ludwig P Lamp electrode and method for delivering mercury
US7288882B1 (en) 2006-03-16 2007-10-30 E.G.L. Company Inc. Lamp electrode and method for delivering mercury
ITMI20120336A1 (it) * 2012-03-05 2013-09-06 Tecnolux Italia S R L Procedimento per fabbricare lampade fluorescenti a bassa pressione a catodo freddo, e capsula utilizzata in tale procedimento
CN115446560A (zh) * 2022-10-12 2022-12-09 重庆建设工业(集团)有限责任公司 一种大直径薄壁管传动轴的机加工方法
CN115446560B (zh) * 2022-10-12 2023-08-22 重庆建设工业(集团)有限责任公司 一种大直径薄壁管传动轴的机加工方法

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE2416388A1 (de) 1974-11-14
NL7405043A (fr) 1974-10-29
BE813692A (fr) 1974-07-31
FR2227625A1 (fr) 1974-11-22
GB1417357A (en) 1975-12-10
DE2440355A1 (de) 1975-03-06
JPS5016475A (fr) 1975-02-21

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AS Assignment

Owner name: BURROUGHS CORPORATION

Free format text: MERGER;ASSIGNORS:BURROUGHS CORPORATION A CORP OF MI (MERGED INTO);BURROUGHS DELAWARE INCORPORATEDA DE CORP. (CHANGED TO);REEL/FRAME:004312/0324

Effective date: 19840530

AS Assignment

Owner name: UNISYS CORPORATION, PENNSYLVANIA

Free format text: MERGER;ASSIGNOR:BURROUGHS CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:005012/0501

Effective date: 19880509