US3018007A - Transfer apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 23, 1962 w. J. WILLIAMS ETAL.

TRANSFER APPARATUS Original Filed May 5, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIGB.

INV ENTOR5 Jan. 23, 1962 W. J` WILLIAMS ETAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan- 23, 1962 w. J. WILLIAMS ETAL 3,018,007

TRANSFER APPARATUS Original Filed May 5. 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Jan. 23, 1952 3 Claims. (Cl. 214-1) The present invention relates to transfer apparatus for a duplex high-speed automatic article-fabricating machine and, more particularly, to a machine for lehring an incandescent-lamp bulb having its interior surface coated with a finely divided light-scattering material, such as silica, and for sealing-in a lament mount to such lehred bulb. The subject application is a divisional application of U.S. application Serial No. 733,077, filed May 5, 1958, by William I. Williams et al.

Heretofore incandescent lamps, discharge devices and electronic tubes have been manufactured by a group of conventional turret-type machines comprising generally a mounting machine, a sealing-in and exhausting machine and a `basing machine. Specifically, in the manufacture of incandescent lamps, a machine (of the type shown in U.S. Patent No. 2,811,131, issued October 29, 1957, to S. A. Lopenslsi) has been provided for electrostatically coating the lamp bulbs with silica and for lehring such coated bulbs to remove water vapor therefrom. These conventional machines transfer the work pieces or subassemblies from work station to work station either intermittently, as by indexing, or continuously. Because of their rotating motion and their relatively large weight, such conventional machines are limited by the factors of momentum and inertia to index speeds of about 1500 indexes per hour and production rates of about 1500 units per hour. Due to the stresses produced in these conventional machines during their operation and the limits of current engineering materials this production figure represents the maximum production rate for a group of such machines. With the industry contemplating production rates of 6000 units per hour it is essential that a new arrangement of the lamp manufacturing group be formulated and that new types of fabricating machines be substituted for the conventional turret-type ndexing machines.

After the electrostatically coated bulbs `are lehred on the conventional coating machine of the type Shown in the above-mentioned U.S. Patent No. 2,811,131, at a temperature which may vary from about 400 C. up to the strain point of the glass (which is about 480 C.) to remove substantially all of the moisture contained therein, the Abulbs are transferred to a conventional sealing-in and exhausting machine. Such transfer from the electrostatic coating machine to the sealing-in portion of the sealing-in and exhaust machine presently requires from -11 seconds and permits the lehred silica-coated bulbs to cool sufficiently whereby the silica coating absorbs moisture with occasional deleterious effect on the quality of the finished silica-coated incandescent lamps.

Hence, to eliminate moisture absorption by the silica coating by reducing the transfer time and at the same time to obtain these higher production rates, it has been found necessary to provi-de a separate and novel articlefabricating machine of the type shown in copending U.S. application, Serial No. 732,858, led May 5, 1958, by Hugo Bauer et al. and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, for the silica-coating of the incandescent lamp bulbs. ln addition, i t has been found desirable to combine the lehring operation with the sealing-in operation on a novel duplex lehring and sealing-in machine of the present invention, thereby reducing the transfer time from the lehring operation to the sealing-in operation to 5 6 seconds with attendant improved quality of the resultant silica-coated incandescent lamps produced thereby.

yIt is the general object 0f the present invention to avoid and overcome the foregoing and other diiculties and objections to prior art practices by the provision of transfer apparatus for a duplex article-fabricating inachine which is capable of producing as many as 6000 units per hour.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of transfer apparatus for a duplex lehring and sealing-in machine which transfer apparatus is operable to transfer the lehred silica-coated bulbs from the lehring line to the sealing-in line with sufficient rapidity as to prevent substantial cooling of such lehred silica-coated bulbs and attendant detrimental absorption of moisture by such silica coating.

The aforesaid objects of the present invention and other objects which will become apparent as the description proceeds are achieved by providing transfer apparatus for a duplex-lehring and sealing-in machine and for transferring articles from a first movable member disposed in one piane of movement to a second movable member disposed in another plane of movement, said transfer apparatus comprising pick-up means operable to move into registry with an article on said first movable member and to remove said article therefrom, said pickup means being further operable to move said article from the one plane of movement of said first movable member to the other plane of movement of such second movable member and into registry with said second movable member and to deposit said article on said second movable member.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a vertical-sectional View of the transfer unit of the present invention for transferring lehred silicacoated bulbs from the lehring conveyor to the sealing-in conveyor, which shows one of the transfer heads just closed about a lehred silica-coated bulb on the lehring conveyor and the other transfer head just opened after depositing a lehred silica-coated bulb on the sealing-in conveyor.

FIG. 2 is `an enlarged fragmentary vertical-sectional view of the closed transfer head of the transfer unit, as viewed in FlG. l, and showing the details of the operating mechanism for the pick-up jaws of such head and the mechanism for vertically reciprocating such transfer heads.

FiG. 3 is a fragmentary side-elevational view, partially in section, of the operating mechanism for the pick-up jaws shown in FIG. l, and taken along the line IIl-III of FlG. 2 and looking in the direction the arrows.

Fifi 4 is a horizontal-sectional view of the transfer unit along the line lV-IV of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 5 is a view showing the drive means for the sealing-in conveyor and the drive means for the other transfer device for transferring sealed-in lamps from the sealing-in conveyor to the exhaust machine, such transfer device being shown in the down position ready to remove a sealed-in lamp from the sealing-in conveyor and to deposit another sealed-in lamp in the exhaust machine.

Although the principles of the transfer apparatus of the present invention are broadly applicable to a duplex article-fabricating machine, the transfer apparatus of the present invention is particularly adapted for use in conjunction with apparatus for the lehring of silica-coated bulbs and the sealing-in of filament mounts to such lehred silica-coated bulbs, and hence it has so been illustrated and will be so described.

With specific reference to the form of the invention illustrated in the drawings, and referring particularly to FIG. 4, it will be noted that it is extremely essential for the production of a quality silica-coated lamp that the silica-coated bulbs 22, which are raised to a temperature of 425 450 C. by the lehring oven, not shown, be transferred by the transfer unit 36 from station 22' on the lehring conveyor 31 (FIG. l) to station Ia' on the sealing-in conveyor 38 as rapidly as possible, so that the temperature of such heated silica-coated bulbs (during such transfer) will not fall below 350 C. be-

vfore such bulbs reach the sealing-in fires (not shown) and the heating fires (not shown), thereby eliminating the possibility of the lehred silica-coated bulbs 22 reabsorbing moisture during such transfer. The five indexes of the lehring and sealing-in machine required to accomplish this (consuming 5 1.2 or 6.0 seconds) includes the index to the station before station 22', an idle station on the lehring conveyor 32; the 4index to station 22' where the transfer unit 36 picks up the lehred silica-coated bulb 22;

ltwo indexes required for such transfer unit 36 to move through position C (FIG. 4) and into registry with a sealing head 37 at station Ia' (FIG. 4) to deposit the lehred silica-coated bulb 22 over a filament mount on such sealing head 37; and the index to the station after lstation 1a, where the lehred silica-coated bulb 22 enters sealing fires (not shown) and heating fires (not shown).

Transfer unit This transfer unit 36 (FIGS. 1-4) is operative to transfer a lehred silica-coated bulb 22 from the transfer station 22' on the lehring conveyor 32 to the bulb-receiving station 1a on the sealing-in conveyor 38.

This transfer unit 36 is pro-vided with a rotatable sleevelike body 258 (FIGS. 1 through 4) of generally rectangular cross-section and mounted on a rod 260 depending from a yoke 262 (FIG. 1) and having its lower end secured in a bracket 263 on the bottom cover plate 80 (FIG. 5). The yoke 262 is supported on mount rods 254 and 266 having their lower portions upstanding from brackets 267 on the table 58 and a projecting portion of the bracket 158, respectively.

The transfer unit 36 is provided with four transfer heads 270 quadrantally disposed on the body 258 (FIG. 4). For the purpose of reciprocably mounting an upper casting 272 of each transfer head 270 (FIGS. 1 and 2) with respect to the body 258, a dove-tail slide portion 274 of`such upper casting 272 is slidably fitted into a l suitable guide in the body 258 (FIGS. 1 and 2). To provide means for slidably mounting a lower casting 276 of Veach transfer head 270, -a hollow sleeve 278 having a lower collar 279, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, depends from vthe upper casting 272, and the lower casting 276 is s-lidable on the lower portions of such hollow sleeve 278.

The lower casting 276 is normally biased into abutting engagement with the upper casting 272 (FIG. l) by tension springs 280 extending therebetween and resilient means are provided for engaging the dome of a lehred bulb 22. Such means may comprise a cup 282 mounted on the lower end of a rod 283 reciprocable in the hollow 278 (FIGS. 1 and 2) is prevented by a roller 288 carried vthereby and which rides in a vertical slot provided in the Y'slide portion 274 of the upper casting 272. Bulb-gripping means for each of the transfer heads 270, is provided in the form'of three fingers 292V which are pivoted on projections of the collar 279 on the hollow sleeve 278. Such bulb-gripping fingers 292 are operated by movement of the lower casting 276, through rollers 2% amxed thereto which engage a cam surface 298 at the end of casting 276, as viewed in FIG. 2, with such rollers 296 being biased into engagement with the cam surface 298 by a circular compression spring 299.

In order to index the transfer heads 270, in counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 4) every 1.2 seconds in synchronism with the sealing-in conveyor 38, an indexing mechanism (not shown) is provided for the transfer unit 36, which indexing mechanism is identical to an indexing mechanism 300 (FIG. 5) for the transfer unit 35, and which mechanism 300 is driven from the vertical shaft 152 (FIG. 5) of the indexing mechanism for the sealing-in conveyor 38. Although the indexing mechanism for the transfer unit 36 (FIGS. 1-4) is not shown, its construction and operation can be clearly understood from a consideration of the identical indexing mechanism 300 for the transfer unit 35.

Indexing mechanism As shown in FIG. 5, a gear 302 on the vertical shaft 252 of the indexing mechanism 140 for the sealing-in conveyor 38 is connected by a gear train 303 to a gear 304 (FIGS. 1 and 5) secured to the body 258 of the transfer unit 35. Y

Thus, every 1.2 seconds, the counterclockwise rotation (FIG. 5) of the Vertical shaft 152 by the indexing mechanism 140 for the sealing-in conveyor 38 is transmitted through the above-described gear train 303 to cause 90 counterclockwise rotation of the gear 304 on the body 258 of the transfer unit 35 with attendant 90 rotation of the transfer heads 270 (FIG. 4).

Referring again to the transfer unit 36 (FIGS. 1-4) it will be understood that when a transfer head 270 is indexed, for example, into registry with a lehring head 31 at station 22' (FIG. l) of the lehring conveyor 32, such transfer head 270 is in the up position with the lo-wer casting 276 in abutting engagement with the upper casting 272 and the bulb-gripping fingers 2.92 are then in their open position. At station 22' a roller 32? (FIGS. 1 and 2) on the upper casting 272 engages a yoke 322 of the reciprocating mechanism 324 for the transfer head 270 (FIG. 2). Such reciprocating mechanism 324 lowers the transfer head 270 a distance d to the solid-line position shown in FIG. 1 and causes the bulb-gripping fingers 292 to close about the lehred silicacoated bulb 22 on the lehring head 3ft at station 22.

Reciprocating mechanism for transfer head at station 22' The reciprocating mechanism 324 for the transfer head 270 is mounted on a bracket 326 (FIG. l) carried by the mount rod 266 (FIG. 1) of the machine frame. The yoke 322 is affixed to a first operating slide 328 (FIG. 2) reciprocally movable on the bracket 326 which causes like movement of the transfer head 270, with this first operating slide 328 frictionally engaging a second operating slide 330 also movable in a guide on the bracket 326, for operating the bulb-gripping fingers 292. These operating slides 328 and 330 are reciprocated by an operating lever 332 (FIGS. 2 and 4) connected to the lower end, as viewed in FIG. 2, of the second operating slide 330 and such operating lever 332 is affixed to a horizontal shaft 334 (FIG. 4) journalled in bearings 336 projecting from the brackets 326. A lever 338 on the left-hand end of the horizontal shaft 334, as viewed in FIGS. l and 4, is in turn joined by a connecting rod 340 to one end of a lever 342 pivoted at on a bracket 346 affixed to the table 58 (FIG. l). A link 348 connects the other end ofthe lever 342 with a bell-crank lever 350 also pivoted at 352 to the bracket 346, which bellcrank lever 350 has its roller carrying end in engagement with a box cam 354 on the aforementioned shaft 230 (FlG. 1).

The counterclockwise rotation of the box cam 354, as viewed in FIG. 1, is transmitted through the abovedescribed conventional linkage to the operating lever 332 to cause downward movement of the operating slides 330 and 328. Such downward movement of the first operating slide 32S carrying the yoke 322 causes the roller 321i) engaging the yoke 322 to also move downwardly with attendant corresponding movement of the transfer head 274D. The first operating slide 323 moves downwardly with the operating slide 33t) a distance d (FGS. 1 and 3) until such rst operating slide 32S engages an adjustable stop 356 (FIG. 3) atiixed by means of a plate to the lower portions of the bracket 326. In this down position of the transfer head 27d, the bulb-gripping ngers 292 are juxtaposed about a lehred silica-coated bulb 22 on the lehring head 3l and the cup 232 has resiliently engaged the dome of such bulb 22, such as shown by the position of the transfer head 27% above the sealing-in head 37 in FIG. 1.

The continued downward movement of the second operating slide 336, a distance db FiG. 3 (caused by the continued rotation of the operating lever 332, in clockwise direction about the horizontal shaft 334, as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 4,) causes a cam 358 (FIGS. 2 and 3) carried by the second operating slide 33t) to engage a roller 363 of a mechanism for opening and closing the bulb-gripping fingers 292. Such roller 36@ is carried by a common pivot 362 for links 364 and 366, which are also individually pivoted at 36S on the upper casting 272 and the lower casting 276 (FiG. 2). Engagement of the cam 353 with the roller 26d moves the links 36d and 366 to the left from the dotted-line position shown in FIG. 3, to the dash-line position indicated therein, with attendant movement of the lower casting 276 away from the upper casting 272 (against the action of spring 236). This movement of the lower casting 276 causes its cam surface 298 to move the rollers 296 on the bulb-gripping fingers 292 outwardly with resultant closure of such fingers 292 about the lehred silicacoated bulb 22 on the lehring head 3l at station 22.

The box cam 354 (through the above-described conventional linkage) then reverses the direction of rotation of the operating lever 332 causing the second operating slide 33t to move upwardly the distance db as viewed in FlG. 3, and to engage a stop 372 carried by the rst operating slide 328. The operating slide 328 and 33h thereafter move upwardly together (along with the now yloaded transfer head 270) the aforesaid distance "d thereby removing the lehred silicia-coated bulb 22 from the lehring head 3i preparatory for indexing of such now loaded transfer head 276 from a position in registry with a lehring head 31 at station 22' of the lehring conveyor 32 to position C (FIG. 4) by the indexing mechanism (not shown) for the transfer unit 36.

It will be understood that during the upward movement of the second operating slide 333, the cam 353 carried thereby does not engage the roller 36) of the mechanism for operating the bulb-gripping jaws 292, because such roller 36d is out of the path of movement of said cam 353 in the position shown by the dash-lines of FIG. 3, and such jaws remain closed about the lehred silicacoated bulb 22.

As the loaded transfer head 276 lea es station 22' of the lehring conveyor 32, the roller 32d of such transfer head 27@ rolls off the yoke 322 and onto a registering annular stationary descending cam track 374 (FiGS. 1 and 3). This cam track 374 extends from the yoke 322 at station 22, through position C and to a similar yoke 322 of another' reciprocating mechanism 32d for the transfer head 27@ while such head is at station lcz of the sealing-in conveyor 33, with such cam track 37d being utilized to lower the now loaded transfer head 270 from the up position adjacent the lehring conveyor 32 to the up position adjacent the sealing-in conveyor 3S.

Reciprocating mechanism for transfer head at station Ia Since the mechanism 324' for reciprocating the transfer head 270 (while such transfer head is in registry with a lamp mount on a sealing-in head 37 at station la of the sealing-in conveyor 38) is similar in structure to the reciprocating mechanism 374 it is deemed unnecessary to describe it in detail. Accordingly, it should be sutiicient to say that this additional reciprocating mechanism 324 has its bulb-gripping lingers 292 (FIG. l) operated by a connecting rod 375 extending from a bell-crank lever 376 pivoted at 344 and which lever 376 is connected by a link 378 to a second bell-crank lever 38) pivoted at 352 with the roller carrying end thereof engageable with a box cam 354 (FIG. 1'), on the aforesaid shaft 230. Shortly after the roller 326 on the transfer head 27@ engages the yoke 322 juxtaposed above station 1a, the reciprocating mechanism 324 moves the transfer head 270 and the lehred silica-coated bulb 22 downwardly, as viewed in FIG. 1, a distance D to deposit the lehred bulb 22 on the sealing-in head 37 therebeneath and to again rise to its initial position, with the entire operation of the transfer head 270 at the station ia' above the sealing-in conveyor 38 being identical to that previously described when such transfer head 274i was at station 22' except that the cam 358 moves the roller 366 to the dotted-line position (FIG. 3) to open the fingers 292. Upon completion of its operation at station la the reciprocating mechanism 324' will have raised the empty transfer head 270 upwardly a distance D, so that its roller 320 is then positioned in registry with an ascending stationary elevating cam track 374- (FIG. 3), extending from the yoke 322', at station la through position E again to the yoke 322 at station 22. As the roller 320 rides up the cam track 374 the now empty transfer head 270 is elevated from its up position adjacent station la (during the next two indexes of the transfer unit 36) to its up position at station 22, whereupon the above-described transfer cycle is repeated.

It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that the objects of the present invention have been achieved by the provision of transfer apparatus for a duplex lehring and sealing-in machine which is capable of producing 6000 units per hour. Specifically, the transfer apparatus for the duplex machine is operable to rapidly transfer the lehred silica-coated bulbs from the lehring line to the sealing-in line, thereby preventing substantial cooling of such lehred bulbs which would otherwise result in absorption of moisture by such silica-coating.

While in accordance with the patent statutes one best known embodiment of the invention is illustrated and described in detail, it is to be particularly understood that the invention is not limited thereto or thereby.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for transferring articles from a first movable member disposed in one plane of movement to a second movable member disposed in another plane of movement, comprising a body, an upper casting rotatable with and reciprocable in said body, a pick-up head carried by said upper casting and disposed in a first reference plane, a lower casting reciprocable with respect to said upper casting and said pick-up head and rotatable therewith, operating means connecting said upper casting and said lower casting and operable to reciprocate said lower casting with respect to said upper casting and said pick-up head, said pick-up head being operable by movement of said lower casting with respect to said upper casting to close about an article, means connected to said body for indexing the pick-up head through a plurality of work stations including a pick-up station adjacent said first movable member and a discharge station adjacent said second movable member, cam means disposed between said pick-up station and said discharge station and engageable by said pick-up head during movement of the latter therebetween, said cam means being operable to move said pick-up head from said first reference plane to a second reference plane, a first slide means at such pick-up station engageable by said upper casting, a second slide frictionally engageable with said first slide, a firstl drive means connected to said second slide and operable to cause movement of said pick-up head from said first reference plane and toward said first movable member to juxtapose such pick-up head about an article on said first movable member, a first stop means engageable by said first slide to `prevent further movement of said upper'casting and said pick-up head, said first drive means being further operable to then move said second slide thereby actuating said operating means and causing movement of said lower casting relative to said upper casting to cause attendant securing of such article by such pickup head, and reciprocating means at said discharge station engageable by said upper casting and operable to cause movement of said pick-up head from said second reference plane toward said second movable member with attendant deposition of the article o'n said second movable member, said second reciprocating means being further operable to actuate rsaid operating vmeans and cause said pick-up head to release such article deposited on the second movable member.

2. Apparatus for transferringarticles from a first movable rnember disposed in one plane of movement to a second movable member disposed in another plane of movement, comprising a body, an upper casting rotatable with and reciprocable in said body, a pick-up head carried by said upper casting and disposed in a first reference plane, a lower casting reciprocable with respect to said upper casting and said pick-up head and rotatable therewith,'operating means connecting said upper casting and said lower casting and operable to reciprocate said lower casting with respect to said upper casting and said pick-up head, said pick-up head being operable bymovement of said lower casting with respect to said upper casting to close about an article, means connected to said body for indexing the pick-up head through a plurality of work stations including a pick-up station adjacent said first movable member and a discharge station-adjacent sai-d second movable member, cam means disposed between said pick-up station and said discharge station and engageable by said pick-up head during movement of the latter therebetween, said cam means being operable to move said pick-up head from said first reference plane to a second reference plane, a rst slide means at such pick-up station engageable by said upper casting, a second slide frictionally engageable with said first slide, a first drive means connected to said second slide and operable to cause movement of said pick-up head from said first reference plane and toward said rst movable memger to juxtapose such pick-up head about an article on said first movable member, a first stop means engageable by said first slide to prevent further movement of said upper casting and said pick-up head, said first drive means being further operable to then move said second slide, thereby actuating said operating means and causing movement of said lower casting relative to said upper casting to cause attendant securing of such article by such pickup head, a third slide at said discharge station engageable by said upper casting, a fourth slide frictionally engageable with said third slide, and a second drive means connected to said Second slide and operable to cause movement of said pick-up head from said second reference plane and toward said second movable member with attendant deposition of the article on said second movable member, a second stop means engageable by said third slide to prevent further movement of said upper casting and said pick-up head, said second drive means being further operable to then move said fourth slide thereby actuating said operating means and causing said pick-up head to release such article deposited on the second movable member.

3. Apparatus for transferring articles from a first movable member disposed in one plane of movement to a second movable member disposed in another plane of movement, comprising a body, an upper casting rotatable lwith and reciprocable in said body, a pick-up head carried by said upper casting and disposed in a first reference plane, a lower casting reciprocable with respect to said upper casting and said pick-up head and rotatable therewith, operating means connecting said upper casting and said lower casting and operable to reciprocate said lower casting with respect to said upper casting and said pick-up head, gripping means pivote/d on said pick-up head andrengageable by said lower casting, said gripping means being operable by movement of said lower casting with respect to said upper casting to close about an article, means connected to said body for indexing the pick-up head through a plurality of work stations including a pick-up station adjacent said first movable member and a discharge station adjacent said second movable member, cam means disposed between said pick-up station and said discharge station and engageable by said pick-up head during movement of the latter therebetween, said cam means being operable to move said pick-up head from said first reference plane to a 'second reference plane, a first slide at such pick-up station engageable by said upper casting, a second slide frictionally engageable with said first slide, a first drive means connected to said second slide and operable to cause movement of said pick-up head from said first reference piane and toward said first movable member to juxtapose such gripping means "about an article on said first movable member, a first stop means engageable by said first slide to prevent further movement of said upper casting and said pick-up head, said first drive means being further operable to then move said second slide, thereby actuating said operating means and causing movement of said lower casting relative to said upper casting to cause attendant securing of such article by such gripping means, a third slide at said discharge station engageable by said upper casting, a fourth slide frictionally engageable with said third slide, and a second drive means connected to said fourth slide and operable to cause movement of said pick-up head from said second reference plane and toward said second movable member with attendant deposition of the article on said second movable member, a second stop means engageable by said third slide to prevent further movement of said upper casting and said pick-up head, said second drive means being further operable to then move said fourth slide thereby actuating said operating means and causing said gripping means to release such article de- .posited on the second movable member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,654,091 Peiler Dec. 27, 1927 1,808,689 Stenhouse et al June 2, 1931 1,850,151 Kinney Mar. 22, 1932 1,885,377 Robinson Nov. 1, 1932 2,038,518 Badger Apr. 2s, 1936 2,359,433 McNamara Oct. 3, 1944 2,611,493 Nordquist Sept. 23, 1952 2,791,316 Mullan et al. May 7, 1957 2,857,044 Mullan Oct. 1, 1958 y2,915,201 Calehuff Dec. 1, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 192,482 Australia Dec. 15, 1956

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