04/846466

06/05/1973

07/31/1969

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Shapiro, Nelson H. (Rockville, MD)

, Field Milton M. (Alexandria, VA)

445/67

140/71.600, 445/32

H01K3/00; H01J9/48

29/25.2,241,25.19,25.11,470.1,605 313/318,315,317,316 65/154,139 242/1.1,13 43/20,27.4,26.2 140/71.5,71.6

2402882	Combination rod handle and reel	June 1946	Garr
2409098	Fishing rod and reel assembly	October 1946	Benson
3045381	Fishing float or lure	July 1962	Martin
3295016	Manufacture of electric incandescent lamps	December 1966	Ayres et al.
3454053	COILED FILAMENT FORMING APPARATUS	July 1969	Miklos et al.

Lanham, Charles W.

Davie J. W.

The invention claimed is

1. Apparatus for providing filaments or the like in tubular envelopes, which comprises an envelope carriage, means for feeding envelopes seriatim to said envelope carriage, a threading tube, means for feeding wire through said threading tube, means for moving said carriage toward said tube and causing the envelope carried thereby to be threaded over said tube, and means for grasping wire which has been fed through said tube.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, said tube having supports adjacent to its opposite ends, the support closest to said carriage being movably mounted to permit it to move out of the way as said envelope is threaded over said tube.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, said grasping means comprising a clamp having a pair of jaws for gripping an end of wire projecting from said envelope, means for causing said clamp to move toward said envelope, and means for closing said jaws to clamp the projecting wire end.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3, further comprising means for moving said carriage away from said tube enough to engage the envelope with the projecting wire end and to re-orient said wire end toward said clamp before said jaws are closed.

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3, further comprising means for moving said clamp away from said envelope to draw wire through said envelope.

6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3, further comprising a coil winder having means for winding a coil between said clamp and said envelope.

7. Apparatus in accordance with claim 6, said coil winder having a retractable mandrel and means for extending said mandrel past said wire before the winding of said coil.

8. Apparatus in accordance with claim 7, said clamp having means for opening the jaws thereof before the winding of said coil.

9. Apparatus in accordance with claim 7, said coil winder having means for gripping the wire after the wire passes said mandrel.

10. Apparatus in accordance with claim 9, said gripping means comprising a hook and means for extending said hook to engage said wire and for retracting said hook to grip said wire.

11. Apparatus in accordance with claim 10, further comprising retractable wire guide means between said mandrel and said hook and means for extending said wire guide means to engage said wire when said mandrel is extended.

12. Apparatus in accordance with claim 9, said coil winder further comprising means for turning said gripping means about the axis of said mandrel.

13. Apparatus in accordance with claim 9, further comprising means for separating the coil from the wire gripped by said gripping means.

14. Apparatus in accordance with claim 13, said separating means comprising means for burning said wire.

15. Apparatus in accordance with claim 14, said burning means comprising means for passing a current through a portion of said wire.

16. Apparatus in accordance with claim 13, further comprising means for moving said carriage away from said threading tube for drawing said coil into said envelope.

17. Apparatus in accordance with claim 16, further comprising means for separating said coil from the wire extending from said threading tube.

18. Apparatus in accordance with claim 17, the last-mentioned separating means comprising means for burning said wire.

19. Apparatus in accordance with claim 18, said burning means comprising a pair of electrodes adapted to engage said wire and means for passing a current between said electrodes through said wire.

20. Apparatus in accordance with claim 18, further comprising means for engaging the wire end projecting from said threading tube and reorienting said end transversely of the threading tube.

21. Apparatus in accordance with claim 13, further comprising means for removing an envelope with a coil therein from said carriage.

22. Apparatus in accordance with claim 21, the last-mentioned means comprising an incline and means for raising the upper end of said incline beneath the envelope on said carriage and lifting the same therefrom.

23. Apparatus in accordance with claim 13, further comprising vacuum cleaning means for removing wire pieces from said gripping means.

24. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2, said means for feeding envelopes to said carriage comprising a gravity-feed magazine.

25. Apparatus in accordance with claim 24, said magazine having a dispenser at the bottom thereof for dispensing the lowermost envelope therefrom.

26. Apparatus in accordance with claim 25, said carriage having notches for receiving the envelope thereon, and said dispenser being located above said notches.

27. Apparatus in accordance with claim 26, further comprising guide means for guiding envelopes from said dispenser to said notches.

28. Apparatus for winding wire and the like, comprising a winding head having a retractable mandrel and having a retractable means for gripping wire extending past said mandrel, said winding head having means for moving said mandrel outwardly of the head to project the mandrel to engage wire which passes the mandrel for winding of the wire thereon and means for moving said mandrel into said head to withdraw the mandrel from the wound wire, said winding head having means for extending said gripping means from the head to engage the wire which passes the projecting mandrel and having means for moving said gripping means toward said head to grip the wire, and means for rotating said head about the axis of said mandrel to wind the wire about the mandrel.

29. Apparatus in accordance with claim 28, said winding head further comprising a retractable wire guide and means for extending said guide from said head to engage wire between said mandrel and said gripping means.

30. Apparatus in accordance with claim 29, further comprising means for applying a voltage between said mandrel and said guide sufficient to burn through the wire therebetween.

31. Apparatus in accordance with claim 28, further comprising means for holding said winding head in a predetermined orientation after rotation thereof.

32. Apparatus for providing filaments in tubular lamp envelopes, which comprises a magazine for receiving envelopes therein, a carriage for supporting an envelope thereon, dispensing means for transferring an envelope from said magazine to said carriage, a filament threading tube, a filament wire supply for feeding wire through said tube, means for moving said carriage toward said tube and threading the envelope thereon over said tube, clamp means movable toward said envelope to engage a wire end projecting therefrom and movable away from said envelope to draw wire through the envelope, filament winding means for engaging the wire between said envelope and said clamp means and winding a filament coil therefrom, means for separating a coil from the winding means, means for moving the envelope away from said tube to draw the coil into the envelope, means for separating the coil from the wire extending from the tube, and means for unloading an envelope with a filament therein from said carriage.

33. Apparatus in accordance with claim 32, further comprising a plurality of motor driven cams, and a plurality of cam followers coupling said cams to the aforementioned means for operating the same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the manufacture of incandescent lamps and the like, especially small lamps, such as microminiature, having axial geometry.

The microminiature incandescent lamps described in the applicant's prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,040,204; 3,193,906; and 3,226,218, meet the need for very small, low-current indicator lamps which are compatible in size with today's microminiature electronic circuitry. Although axial lamps of this type are now being manufactured, they are relatively expensive because of the requirement for hand labor and specialized techniques. Jigging is necessary in order to position and align the parts during assembly. Heat-sealing the lamps within a vacuum environment, such as that produced in a bell jar, is inconvenient and results in somewhat reduced efficiency and shortened life-time because of the trapping within the lamp envelope of gases liberated by the molten glass of the envelope at the time of sealing.

Other types of small incandescent lamps currently being manufactured do not require plainstaking jigging and the inconvenience of bell jar sealing and are consequently less expensive. However, these lamps of a more conventional design usually have both leads projecting from the same end of the envelope and employ a glass tabulation for evacuating the envelope. This single-ended construction, as well as the need for protecting the tipped-off end of the glass tabulation with a metal cap or potting material, makes even the smallest of these lamps very much larger than the axial lamps of the applicant's above-mentioned prior patents. In addition, the conventional lamps suffer from reduction in efficiency and life-time brought about by the evolution of gas during the final tip-off of the glass tabulation.

The lamp described in applicant's copending application Ser. No. 563,844, filed July 8, 1966 for "Miniature Incandescent Lamps and the Like Methods of Making the Same", now U.S. Pat. No. 3,505,556, has the desirable characteristics of the lamps of the applicant's prior patents, yet avoids the need for expensive hand jigging and bell jar evacuating. The improved lamp has an envelope that is formed of a thin-wall glass sleeve central section with its ends heat-sealed to metal terminal sleeves and has a filament that is inserted into the envelope axially and engaged by the metal terminal sleeves, which are pinched off in cold-welding operations to seal the envelope.

The applicant's copending application Ser. No. 760,852, filed Sept. 19, 1968, for "Miniature Incandescent Lamp and Apparatus and Method for Making the Same", now U.S. Pat. No. 3,578,429, describes an improved axial-geometry lamp, with a helical filament drawn into the envelope under tension, and describes automatic apparatus for forming the lamp envelopes and semi-automatic apparatus for forming and inserting the lamp filaments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A principal object of the present invention is to provide improved apparatus and methods for forming and inserting filaments into axial-geometry lamps of the type set forth above.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide methods and apparatus for forming and inserting lamp filaments in axial-geometry lamp envelopes completely automatically.

Briefly stated by way of example, the invention is concerned with forming and inserting filaments into the envelopes of microminiature incandescent lamps of axial geometry, the lamp envelope having a thin-wall tubular construction with a light-transmissive intermediate section and opposite conductive end sections sealed to the intermediate section prior to assembly of the envelope with a filament. Lamp envelopes are stacked in a hopper or magazine and are fed one at a time to an envelope carriage. The envelope carriage is then moved to thread a length of filament wire from a suitable supply through the envelope. A clamp then engages the tip of the filament wire projecting from the envelope and draws the wire to a filament winding assembly, where the end of the wire is gripped, and a winding mandrel and wire guide are extended. The winding assembly then rotates to form a helical filament coil. After the coil is wound, it is burned off from the winding head electrically, and the envelope carriage is moved in a reverse direction to draw the filament coil into the envelope. The filament wire between the envelope and wire supply is then burned to separate the coil from the supply, and the assembled filament and envelope are then unloaded from the carriage. Subsequent envelope-filament units are formed in the same manner. The assembled envelope-filament units may then be evacuated and pinched off to form completed lamps as described in the aforesaid copending applications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred and exemplary embodiments, and wherein:

FIGS. 1-12 are diagrammatic views illustrating steps in a filament forming and inserting method of the invention;

FIG. 13 is a plan view of a filament winding and inserting apparatus in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating an envelope magazine and dispenser;

FIG. 15 is a horizontal sectional view illustrating the envelope dispenser;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view illustrating a detail of the envelope dispenser;

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary front elevation view of the envelope dispenser;

FIG. 18 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating an envelope carriage and carriage unloader;

FIG. 19 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a wire clamp unit;

FIG. 20 is a fragmentary side elevation view of the wire clamp;

FIG. 21 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the wire clamp;

FIG. 22 is a fragmentary side elevation view, partly in section, illustrating the mechanism for operating the clamp;

FIG. 23 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 23--23 of FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 is a series of diagrammatic vertical sectional views illustrating the operation of the envelope dispenser of the invention;

FIG. 25 is a combined block and schematic diagram of an operating circuit employed in the invention;

FIG. 26 is a plan view of a filament wire tensioning and threading assembly;

FIG. 27 is a side elevation view of the assembly of FIG. 26;

FIG. 28 is an end elevation view of the wire tensioning and threading assembly;

FIG. 29 is a fragmentary perspective view of a V-guide, wire bender, and burn-off unit;

FIG. 30 is a "pie" diagram illustrating the allocation of operating time to different operations performed in accordance with the invention;

FIGS. 31-37 are side elevation views of cams employed to operate different portions of the apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 38 is a plan view of a filament winding assembly of the invention;

FIG. 39 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a filament winding head of the invention;

FIG. 40 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating details of the winding head;

FIG. 41 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a mechanism for positioning the winding assembly;

FIG. 42 is a perspective view illustrating a vacuum cleaning assembly employed to remove wire scraps; and

FIG. 43 is a fragmentary side elevation view, partly in section, of the vacuum cleaning assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings, preferred steps and components of the invention will first be described with reference to the diagrammatic showings in FIGS. 1-12. The lamp envelope 10, having axial geometry, may be constructed as set forth in the aforesaid copending applications, to wit, the envelope may have a main, intermediate or central section 12, preferably of thin-wall glass or ceramic tubing of circular cross-section, and a pair of ends sections 14 and 16, preferably metal tubing of circular cross-section. For example, the glass section may be formed of 7052 or lead glass, while the metal sections may be formed of Alloy 52, Korvar or platinum. The metal sections extend from opposite ends of the glass section in alignment and are hermetically sealed to the ends of the glass tubing by glass-to-metal seals. A typical envelope for a microminiature incandescent lamp may have a central section 0.06 inch long with 0.0225 inch O.D. and 3 mil wall thickness and end sections 0.375 inch long with 0.0145 inch O.D. and 0.005 inch I.D. The filament for this lamp, which will be referred to in greater detail hereinafter, may comprise 16 turns of 0.00025 inch Tungsten wire wound on a 0.004 inch diameter mandrel, for example. As set forth hereinafter, the filament coil is stretched longitudinally as it is inserted into the envelope, and filament turns at each end of the coil engage the metal terminals 14 and 16 of the envelope. In addition to the envelope, the parts illustrated in FIG. 1 include a rotatably supported spool 18 of filament wire 19, a stainless steel threading tube 20 projecting from a support 22, a V-guide 24 for the stainless steel tube, a carriage 26 including V-guides 28, 30 and 32 for positioning the envelope 10 and a funnel 34 to assist threading, and a clamp 36 having an upper jaw 38 and a lower jaw 40.

An envelope 10 drops into the V-guides 28, 30 and 32 of carriage 26 as shown in FIG. 1, the envelope dropping so that the glass central section 12 is just to the left of V-guide 30. Next, the carriage 26 moves to the left, as shown in FIG. 2, and the threading tube 20 enters the tapered opening of the funnel 34, bending back the end 42 of the filament wire 19. The envelope 10 is threaded onto the stainless steel tube 20, and as the carriage moves farther to the left, the V-guide 24, which is pivotally mounted, moves out of the way as indicated. Finally the carriage reaches the fully threaded position illustrated in FIG. 3, with end 42 of the wire projecting from the right end of the envelope 10 but bent back along the threading tube. The clamp 36 moves to the left as shown in FIG. 3. The carriage 26 moves slightly to the right in a reverse movement, as shown in FIG. 4, causing the end 42 of the filament wire to project essentially straight from the envelope between the jaws 38 and 40 of the clamp, which come together and grip the filament wire.

As shown in FIG. 5, the clamp 36 then moves to the right, pulling filament wire from the spool 18 through the envelope (arrow a). A hook 44 is then projected from a filament winding head 46 (arrow b) and passes under and hooks the wire. As shown in FIG. 6, the hook then retracts (arrow a) to grip the wire upon the winding head, and clamp 36 opens (arrow b).

As shown in FIG. 7, a mandrel 48 is then extended from the winding head 46 beneath the wire, and a guide 50 is extended from the winding head to engage the wire between the hook 44 and the mandrel 48. The winding head 46 then rotates about the axis of the mandrel 48 forming a coil of wire 52 as shown in FIG. 8. After the number of turns desired has been wound, the winding head is stopped in its initial position, as shown in FIG. 9, and the mandrel and guide are retracted. However, just before retraction of the mandrel and guide, a current is passed between the mandrel and guide through the intervening wire, burning the wire and separating the filament coil 52 from the end of wire 42 held by the hook 44. The filament coil 52 then hangs freely.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the carriage 26 returns to the right, pulling the filament coil 52 into the envelope. Since the outer diameter of the filament coil is slightly greater than the inner diameter of the end sleeves 14 and 16 of the envelope, the filament coil is stretched longitudinally and reduced in diameter as it is pulled into the envelope. The V-guide 24 returns to its initial position as the carriage moves to the right.

As shown in FIG. 11, a current is passed between a pair of electrodes 54 and 56, which engage the wire between the envelope and the stainless steel tube 20, burning through the wire and separating the filament from the wire supply. At the same time the leading end 42' of the wire to be used for the next filament is bent transversely by a bending element 58 engaging the wire. Finally, the finished envelope-filament unit is unloaded from the carriage as indicated in FIG. 12. Successive envelope-filament units are manufactured in the same manner. The incandescent lamps may be completed as set forth in the aforesaid copending applications, by evacuating and pinch-off operations. Preferred apparatus for performing the functions illustrated in FIGS. 1-12 will now be described in greater detail.

Referring to FIG. 13, the arrangement of the spool 18 of filament wire 19, the threading tube 20 and its support 22, the V-guide 24, the carriage 26, the clamp 36, the winding head 46, the electrodes 54 and 56, and the wire bender 58 are essentially as shown in the diagrammatic views of FIGS. 1-12. The envelopes are stacked in a magazine 60.

Referring to FIGS. 14-17, the envelopes are inserted into the magazine 60 through a slot 62 at the top of the magazine, which is the entrance to a channel shaped like the envelopes and just large enough to permit the envelopes to fall through the channel freely. The lowermost envelope in the magazine rests upon a table 64 (FIGS. 15 and 17) which is notched at 66 to receive the central section of the envelope. The end sleeves of the envelope bridge a pair of notches 68. Beneath the magazine is a dispenser mechanism comprising a thin plate 70 with a pair of U-shaped notches 72 which receive the end sleeves of the envelope and a central notch 74 which receives the central section of the envelope. As shown in FIG. 17 plate 70 rests in a recess of the table 64. Plate 70 has a pair of cantilevered L-shaped feet 76 depending therefrom and having horizontal portions spaced from the lower surface of the plate. The feet are received within the grooves 68.

Plate 70 with the attached feet 76 is reciprocated beneath the magazine by a push rod 78. A collar 80 fixed to the push rod compresses a coil spring 82 surrounding the rod as the dispenser plate is extended, the spring being employed to retract the dispenser plate. Push rod 78 is moved in a plate-extending direction, as shown in FIG. 14, by a lever 84 fixed to a shaft 86 pivotally supported on a riser 88, the shaft being provided at its lower end with a lever 90 fixed thereto. Lever 90 is turned by a cam follower rod 92 which presses upon a leaf spring 94 projecting from lever 90. Ordinarily leaf spring 94 is stiff enough to turn lever 90, but in the event of jamming, leaf spring 94 deflects without turning lever 90.

As shown in FIG. 24 at a, the lowermost envelope 10 rests within the dispenser plate 70 upon the table 64. When the dispenser plate is extended, the lowermost envelope moves with it and drops off of the table 64 onto the feet 76 as shown at b. When the dispenser plate retracts, the envelope cannot retract with it, because it is held by the upper extremity of the front face of the table, and when the feet 76 are retracted, the envelope drops as shown at c and engages an incline 96.

The incline 96 is secured to the carriage 26 as shown in FIG. 18. The incline is notched at 98 to accommodate V-guide 30 and the central section of the falling envelope. The envelope V-guides 28, 30, and 32 previously described may clearly be seen in FIG. 18. The top of the guide 30 is bent slightly toward guide 32 to ensure that the envelope central section falls to the left of guide 30.

Carriage 26 is supported for reciprocation upon a pair of horizontal guide rails 100 mounted upon the frame 102 as shown in FIG. 13. The frame (and all other components of the apparatus) are supported on a base 104. As shown in FIG. 18, the carriage also carries an unloader mechanism comprising an incline 103 pivotally supported upon the carriage at 105. The upper portion of incline 103 is notched out to accommodate the V-guides 28, 30 and 32 and has upwardly extending arms 106 projecting into slots 108 of incline 96, so that when the unloader 103 is tilted about the axis of its pivot 105, the upper end of the unloader incline rises, engages the envelope supported upon the V-guides of the carriage, lifts the envelope, and causes the envelope to slide down the incline 102 to a receptacle (not shown).

The raising of the incline 103 is accomplished by the action of a push rod 110 supported for vertical reciprocating movement upon carriage 26 beneath the incline 103. The upper end of the push rod 110 is engageable with the underside of incline 103, while the lower end is moved upwardly by a lever 112 upon a rod 114 supported upon the frame 102. The opposite end of rod 114 has a crank arm 116 fixed thereto and is actuated by a cam 118 (the drive of which will be later described). Cam 118 has a ramp 120 which engages carnk arm 116 and moves it downwardly to turn the lever 112 at the opposite end of shaft 114 upwardly. A plate 122 projects from the trailing end of ramp 120 and "kicks" crank 116 to ensure that the envelope is dislodged and sent on its way down the incline 103. Shaft 114 is returned to its rest position by a return spring (not shown), and incline 103 returns to its rest position under the influence of gravity.

FIGS. 19-23 illustrate the clamp assembly 36. Jaws 38 and 40 are supported for vertical reciprocative movement upon a pair of pins 124 extending between upper and lower plates 126 and 128 of the clamp support block 130. The clamp support block 130 is reciprocatively mounted upon the same guide rails 100 which support the carriage 26. Compression springs 132 surrounding the pins 124 above jaw 38 and below jaw 40 urge the jaws together. A rectangular cam 134 at the end of a shaft 136 is received within semicircular recesses 138 of the jaws. When the cam 134 is arranged with its major axis vertical as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the jaws are forced apart. When the cam 134 is turned ninety degrees so that its major axis is horizontal, the jaws come together under the action of springs 132. The jaws are provided with interlocking tongue 140 and groove 142 to grip the wire therebetween. Rod 136 for operating the clamp has a telescoping section 144 with a conventional sliding pin and slot configuration so that the rod may be elongated or shortened and still transmit torque from four crank arms 146 arranged 90° apart. The crank arms are actuated by pins 148 and 150 of cam 118 (see FIG. 33). Each time a pin engages one of the crank arms, the clamp is opened or closed.

Carriage 26 is moved to the left in FIG. 13 by a cam follower rod 152 having its left end fixed to the carriage. The cam follower rod passes through spaced portions 154 and 156 of the frame 102 and carries a collar 158 which compresses a spring 160 for returning the rod and the carriage to the right. The cam follower rod 152 has a yoke 162 at its right end provided with a roller 164 which engages the periphery of a cam 166. Cam 166, cam 118 previously described, and other cams which will be referred to hereinafter, are fixed to a cam shaft 168 driven by a pulley 170 from a belt 172, which is in turn driven by a pulley 174 on the shaft of an electric motor 176.

The clamp assembly 36 is moved to the left by a cam follower rod 178, which is moved to the left by a cam 180 and returned to the right by a return spring 182 in the same manner as cam follower rod 152.

The stainless steel threading rod 20 and its support 22 are shown in greater detail in FIGS. 26-28. The support 22 comprises blocks 182 and 184, which are screwed together to grip the stainless steel rod 20 in a bore, and is mounted upon a pair of parallel rails 186. The rails are in turn supported upon blocks 188 and 190 which project upwardly from a plate 192. Normally the stainless steel tube 20 is positioned at the right end of plate 192 as shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, being held there by a light latch including a projection 194 from support 22 and a leaf spring 196 fixed to a post 188. However, in the remote event that the stainless steel tube 20 fails to thread properly into the funnel 34 or the envelope, the stainless steel tube will move to the left along rails 186 under the pressure exerted by the envelope carriage, and no damage will be done.

Plate 192 is supported upon four springs 198 through which screws 200 pass into a base 202. Screws 200 may be adjusted to align the stainless steel tube 20 in a vertical direction with respect to the funnel 34. Horizontal adjustment of the alignment is provided by screws 204 which are threaded through posts 206 of base 202 and engage the opposite sides of plate 192.

Tension upon the wire 19 withdrawn from the spool may be applied and adjusted by means of a pair of rubber blocks 207 engaging opposite sides of the wire and mounted upon post 190. Screws 208 threaded in post 190 engage the blocks for adjusting the drag upon the wire and hence the wire tension.

FIG. 29 illustrates the V-guide 24, electrodes 54 and 56, and wire bender 58 in greater detail. V-guide 24 is supported upon a lever 210 pivotally mounted at 212 upon a block 214. The lever is recessed into the top of the block and has a tension spring 216 stretched between the right end of the lever and the lower portion of block 214. Thus the V-guide 24 may be turned counterclockwise about its pivot 212 in FIG. 29 and may be returned clockwise under the influence of spring 216. Elements 54, 56 and 58 are supported upon the front face of block 124 by means of a leaf spring 218. The leaf spring is secured to the lower portion of block 214, and its rear surface is engaged by a push rod 220 passing through block 214 and a post 222. A lever 224 pivoted at 226 upon a block 228 is turned about its pivot by a cam follower rod 230, causing push rod 220 to flex spring 218 in order to move elements 54, 56 and 58 toward the wire passing in front of these elements. An additional return spring 232 is provided to retract push rod 220. Cam follower rod 230 (see FIG. 13) is moved to the left by a cam 234. This cam also has an abutment 236 for operating a microswitch 238 for controlling the application of current to the burn-off electrodes 54 and 56. The electrodes are thin pieces of metal insulated from each other and connected by loose wires (not shown) to the burn-off circuit which will be described hereinafter.

The remaining cams illustrated in FIG. 13 include cam 240 which moves cam follower rod 92 to the left to operate the dispenser as described in connection with FIG. 14. Rod 92 is returned to the right by a spring 242. A further cam, 244, moves a cam follower rod 246 to the left against the bias of a return spring 248. Rod 246 operates the hook 44 of the winder head, as will be described. Still another cam, 250, moves a cam follower rod 252 to the left for extending the mandrel 48 and wire guide 50, as will be described.

The filament winder assembly is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 38-40. Cam follower rod 246 engages a lever arm 254 urged against the cam follower rod by a leaf spring 256 (extending from a frame post). Lever arm 254 is fixed to the lower end of a shaft 258 which turns about a vertical axis on a support 260 and has a further lever arm 262 fixed to its upper end. Lever arm 262 engages a pin 264 which projects from the winding head. As shown in FIG. 40, pin 264 is fixed to a collar 266 upon a shaft 268 reciprocatively mounted in a bore 270 of the winding head. A return spring 272 retracts shaft 268. The free end of shaft 268 is provided with the hook 44 (see FIG. 39), the hook having a sloping front face to engage the wire, so that the hook may slip under the wire and the wire may drop down behind the hook and be drawn toward the winder head when the hook retracts. The rear face of the hook is received within a mating well 274 (as shown in FIG. 40) for gripping the wire. The well has a tapered entrance as shown.

The mandrel 48 is a small diameter rod which passes through a guide tube 276 fixed to the front plate 278 of the winder head. The rear portion of the mandrel is held within a mounting tube 280 which is wedged in a slot 282 of a rod 284 by a pin 286. Rod 284 is a plunger reciprocatively supported in a bore 288 of a shaft 290. Rod 284 is urged by a spring (not shown) to extend the mandrel to the position shown in FIG. 40, the spring being compressed within the bore 288 behind the rod. Wire guide 50 is a plate fixed to rod 284 with intervening insulation 292 and passing through an opening 294 in the front plate 278 of the winder head.

As shown in FIG. 38, shaft 290, which supports the winder head, is in turn rotatably supported upon a pair of posts 296 and 298 extending upwardly from the base of the apparatus. The shaft is conductive and is engaged by a contact brush 300, and a conductive ring 302 supported upon the shaft by means of an insulating sleeve 304 is engaged by a contact brush 306. The contact brushes are connected to a source of electric energy which will be referred to more fully hereinafter. A wire 308 extends from slip ring 302, and passes through a hole 310 in shaft 290 and then through a longitudinal bore in the shaft of the wire guide 50 as shown in FIG. 39. It is thus possible to apply a voltage between the wire guide 50 and the mandrel 48, which is electrically connected to shaft 290.

Shaft 290 is turned by a pulley 312 fixed to an extension shaft 313. As shown in FIG. 13, pulley 312 is driven by a belt 314, which is driven by a pulley 316 fixed to the shaft of an electric motor 318. Extension shaft 313 of shaft 290 is rotatably supported upon a frame member 320. Shaft 313 with the pulley 312 fixed thereto is also supported for axial reciprocative movement relative to support 320 and relative to shaft 290. The forward end of shaft 313 is fixed to rod 284 (FIG. 40) which reciprocates within shaft 290. The rearward end of shaft 313 has a pair of spaced collars 322 and 323 fixed thereto. The shaft passes freely through a slot in a lever 324 between the collars. Lever 324 is urged to the position illustrated in FIG. 38 by a push rod 326 reciprocatively mounted in a bore of a support member 328 and urged toward lever 324 by a compression spring 330. Lever 324 is fixed to the upper end of a shaft 332, which is rotatably supported for movement about a vertical axis upon a frame member 334. The lower end of shaft 332 is fixed to a lever 336, the forward end of which is engaged by the cam follower rod 252.

When the cam follower rod 252 is moved by cam 250, it turns lever 336, turning lever 324 away from collar 323, which permits shaft 313 and rod 284 (FIG. 40) to move forward under the force of the spring behind rod 284 in the bore 288 as previously described, so as to extend the mandrel and the wire guide. When cam 250 no longer moves cam follower rod 252, spring 330 (which is stronger than the mandrel extending spring) turns lever 324 in the opposite direction, engaging the lever with collar 323 and retracting the mandrel and wire guide.

As shown in FIG. 13, cam follower rod 252 has a collar 338 fixed thereto for engaging the actuator arm 340 of a microswitch 342 for a purpose to be described hereinafter.

FIG. 41 illustrates a mechanism for ensuring the proper positioning of the winder head when at rest. This mechanism comprises a pin 344 projecting from the rear surface of pulley 312 and engageable in a notch 346 defined between the end of a lever 348 and a latch 350. Lever 348 is pivoted at 352 upon a frame plate 354 (mounted above the mechanism shown behind pulley 312 in FIG. 38). Fixed to lever 348 is an arm 356 from which latch 350 is pivotally supported at 358. Lever 348 is moved to the left in FIG. 41 by a tension spring 360 one end of which is fixed to a post 362 and the other end of which is fixed to arm 356. Latch 350 is biased to the position shown in FIG. 41 by a tension spring 364, one end of which is fixed to lever 348 and the other end of which is fixed to the trailing end of the latch.

Normally pin 344 is held within notch 346, immobilizing the pulley 312, and hence the winder head, in the proper position. When the mandrel is extended, however, pulley 312 moves forwardly with the mandrel, withdrawing pin 344 from notch 346 and permitting the pulley to turn. As will be seen hereinafter, the mandrel is retracted while the pulley is coasting. Thus the pulley (which is turning clockwise in FIG. 41) moves rearwardly and the pin 344 on the coasting pulley engages latch 350, depressing the latch and permitting the pin to enter the notch 346 and to come to rest against the end of lever 348. The kinetic energy is absorbed by movement of arm 348 toward a post 366, which limits the movement of the lever 348. Spring 360 then returns the mechanism to the position shown in FIG. 41.

The operating cams are illustrated more fully in FIGS. 31-37. The cams are shown in their relative positions when fixed to the cam shaft. Referring to FIG. 31, portion 368 urges carriage 26 to the left, as indicated in FIG. 2, while portion 370 permits the carriage to move slightly to the right, as indicated in FIG. 4. Portion 372 permits the carriage to return fully to the right, as indicated in FIG. 10.

Referring to FIG. 32, portion 374 moves the clamp 36 to the left, as indicated in FIG. 3, while portion 376 permits the clamp to return to the right, as indicated in FIG. 5.

Referring to FIG. 33, cam ramp 120 operates the carriage unloader 103, as indicated in FIG. 12. Pin 148 closes the clamp 36 (FIG. 4), while pin 150 opens the clamp (FIG. 6).

Referring to FIG. 34, portion 378 extends the hook 44 for vacuum cleaning (to be described) while portion 380 permits the hook to retract thereafter. Portion 382 extends the hook to grab the wire (FIG. 5), while portion 384 permits the hook to retract to grip the wire (FIG. 6).

Referring to FIG. 35, portion 386 advances the dispenser plate, while portion 388 permits the dispenser plate to retract.

Referring to FIG. 36, portion 390 extends the burn-off electrodes 54 and 56 (FIG. 11), while portion 392 permits the electrodes to retract. Abutment 236 operates the microswitch 238 for the burn-off electrodes 54 and 56.

Referring to FIG. 37, portion 394 extends the mandrel and wire guide (FIG. 7), while portion 396 permits the mandrel and wire guide to retract (FIG. 9).

The electric operating circuit for the apparatus of the invention is shown in FIG. 25. The main supply lines 398 and 400 may be energized by 110 volts AC. The master OFF-ON switch is shown at 402. Cam motor 176 is normally energized through switch 342 (the normal position of which is shown in FIG. 25). When switch 342 is moved to its alternate position by cam 250 (FIG. 13), the cam motor de-energized, and the filament winding motor 318 is energized. Also energized at this time is a time delay relay circuit 404. At the end of a predetermined (adjustable) time delay, the time delay relay circuit closes switches 406 and 408. Switch 406 completes a circuit to cam motor 176 through conductor 410, starting the cam motor again, and switch 408 completes a circuit to the burn-off transformer 412, which produces a 6 volt output for application to the burn-off elements. Restarting of cam motor 176 returns switch 342 to the position illustrated in FIG. 25, de-energizing the winding motor 318, which coasts until the pulley is captured as described in conjunction with FIG. 41. De-energization of the time delay circuit 404 re-opens switches 406 and 408. Switch 238 closes to apply power to the burn-off transformer 412 for the second burn-off operation when switch 238 is actuated by cam 234.

The allocation of portions of the operating cycle to the different operations described is shown in FIG. 30.

It is desirable that the scrap wire ends held by the hook 44 after burn-off of the coiled filament therefrom be removed. Accordingly, a vacuum cleaning operation may be employed as shown in FIGS. 42 and 43. Block 414 reciprocates with the clamp support block 130 and has a groove 416 which may ride over the hook 44, block 414 having a cut-out 418 for receiving the frontal portion of the winder head. Groove 416 is connected to internal passages 420 in block 414 which mate with a vertical passage 422 in a block 424 fixed beneath the winder head. When block 414 is moved (to the left in FIG. 13) so as to mate with block 424, vacuum is applied to groove 416 through passages 420 and 422 and a tube 426 (FIG. 43) connected to a vacuum pump (not shown). At this time the hook 44 is extended (as mentioned previously) to permit the scrap wire end to be released and sucked away from the hook and into a disposal receptacle (not shown).

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes can be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention.