Amp LLC

The Whitaker Corporation

Leo V Schuppert, Jr

Richard V Spong

Kerry Joseph Stakem

Edward J Paukovits, Jr

Phillip E Loomis

Karl H Letsch

Hung Thai Nguyen

George D Reuss

Mark F Jackson

Bruce C Longenecker

Edwin Camsell

George Bonifanti

A tool for inserting electrical sockets (4) mounted on a carrier strip (2) into holes in a circuit board (80) has a socket guide (14) which is indexable to accommodate different sockets each having one of several possible known lengths. The tool includes a body (12) and a carrier strip advancing mechanism (42, 44, 46) operable on the carrier strip to feed the sockets to a feed station (52) in a vertical orientation. A ram (20) is movable through the feed station along a path between a first position above the feed station and a second position below the feed station to drive one of the sockets from the carrier strip to an insertion station. A guide tube (24) connected to the body below the feed station defines a tubular bore (26) through which the ram passes for guiding the socket driven by the ram from the carrier strip to the insertion station. The socket guide (14) is disposed between the feed station and the guide tube and guides the socket driven by the ram from the feed station to the guide tube. The socket guide has several portions each having an upwardly facing surface (17) defining a plane and a guide hole (18) extending through the socket guide perpendicular to the plane.

Socket insertion tool having indexable socket guide

Apparatus for feeding electronic components from a tube magazine to a pick up station comprises first and second column assemblies which support the tube magazines in a horizontal attitude. One tube is supported in a feeding position and the components are fed therefrom by a flexible tape. After the one tube has been emptied, it is dropped onto an endless belt conveyer which carries the empty tube axially from the apparatus. Automatic tube supports are disclosed for supporting an inventory of filled tubes and for delivering a filled tube to the feeding position after an empty tube has been ejected. The apparatus is relatively narrow so that a plurality of identical apparatus can be placed side by side against each other on a production line.

Apparatus for feeding articles from tube magazines

An eyelet (64) for securing a first member (22) to a second member (12) through aligned apertures (28,30) includes a tubular shank portion (66), an inverted portion (68) at a first end of the shank portion and a generally cup-shaped portion (70) at a second end of the shank portion remote from the first end. The cup-shaped portion (70) remains outside the apertures (28,30) when the eyelet (64) is inserted therethrough and has its sidewall (76) formed with an interference portion. A tool (94) for use with the eyelet includes a plunger (82) surrounded by and slidably received in a collet (84) which is longitudinally divided into a plurality of segments. At the end of each of the collet segments there is a grip head (96) having an outer surface shaped complemental to the inner surface of the sidewall (76) of the cup-shaped portion of the eyelet. A first camming surface (98) on the plunger and a second camming surface (100) on the interior of each of the collet segments are arranged so that as the plunger is extended out of the collet the collet is radially expanded. Thus, the grip heads engage the inner surface of the sidewall of the cup-shaped portion of the eyelet and cooperate with the interference portion of the sidewall so that the eyelet is gripped by the tool both radially and longitudinally.

Top activated eyelet and tool for use therewith

Component feeder for feeding comonents (8) from a tube magazine (2) comprises a pusher (44) on the end of a flexible steel tape (48) which extends from a tape housing (52). A filled tube (2) is supported on retractable pins (30, 30') in alignment with the pusher (44) and in alignment with a pickup station. The tape (48) is fed by feed rolls (50) so that the pusher (44) moves through the tube magazine (2) and feeds the components (8) along a guide track (36) to the pickup station. When the tube supported on pins (30, 30') is empty, the pusher (44) is retracted to its housing, the pins (30, 30') are retracted, and the empty tube falls on a conveyor belt (88) which carries it from the machine. A full tube (2) is then dropped onto the pins (30, 30') by a further pair of pins (32, 32') and (34, 34') which are moved between extended and retracted positions to control the movement of the filled tube which is supplied from an inventory of filled tubes supported on the pins (32, 32').

A robotic pick up head for use in picking up electrical connectors (25 and 27) having top actuated rivets (176) and being of different lengths, placing them on a circuit board (19) and setting the rivets (176) to secure the connectors (25 or 27) to the board (19), comprises a body (28) having a top plate (30) for connection to the Z axis shaft (18) of a pick and place robot (2). Opposed piston and cylinder drive units (70 and 72) in the body (28) drive a toggle linkage (50, 54) to drive plungers (142) of riveting tools (26), first to cause the tools (26) to grip the rivets (176) when a connector (25 or 27) is to be picked up and then to set the rivets (176) when they have been inserted into holes (H) in the board (19), to secure the connector thereto. The riveting tools (26) are carried by tool holders (90 96) one of which is slidable along a rail (88) on the body (28), by a further piston and cylinder drive unit (103), between two end positions to adjust the spacing between the riveting tools (26) for connector length.

Pick up head

Apparatus for inserting components into a workpiece comprises a rotary disc cam having first and second communicating endless superposed, cam tracks for receiving a cam follower connected to a tool holder carrying a component insertion tool. Rotation of the disc cam drives to the tool through a component inserting stroke and a return stroke. Over tool driving lobes thereof, the cam tracks are offset from each other radially of the axis of rotation of the disc cam. The cam follower is carried by a slide in the tool holder, the slide being connected to a drive unit which is actuable selectively to move the slide between a first position in which the cam follower is engaged in one of the cam tracks and a second position in which it is engaged in the other. By virtue of the offset of the cam tracks, the component is inserted more deeply into workpiece in the second position of the slide than in the first.

Workpiece insertion depth adjustment means

Apparatus for severing components for example, electrical posts, from a strip of such components and for inserting each severed component into a workpiece, for example, a circuit board, comprises a row of strip feed units, each for feeding a different strip of components towards strip severing and component insertion means. The row of units can be shifted lengthwise thereof to align a selected one of the units, at a time, with the severing and insertion means, in accordance with a component insertion program, the insertion means is adjustable, also according to the program to insert the components to selected depths.

Component insertion apparatus

Apparatus for severing components from a strip of components and for inserting the severed components one by one into a work piece, comprises means for feeding the strip of components incrementally to a component severing station, means for severing the leading component from the strip at the severing station and an insertion tool for inserting the severed leading component into the work piece; all driven by a stepping motor through step down transmission means acting on a main cam shaft. A disc cam on the shaft has on opposite faces cam tracks receiving cam followers connected to the insertion tool and the severing means, the feeding means being driven through a barrel cam on the shaft. An electronic control unit monitors the angular position of the shaft.

Growing community of inventors

York, PA, United States of America

Leo V Schuppert, Jr