Patent GB-452900-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to apparatus for feeding lengths of wire
IPC: B65G47/14
Filed: 1935-12-20
Abstract: 452,900. Feeding wires singly from bundles. BRITISH THOMSON-HOUSTON CO., Ltd., Crown House, Aldwych, London. Dec. 20, 1935, No. 35372. Convention date, Dec. 29, 1934. [Class 142 (ii)] Apparatus for feeding lengths of wire, more particularly for making electric incandescent lamp stems and similar articles, comprises a hopper for containing a quantity of wires, a pair of jaws mounted above a portion of the hopper, one jaw being provided with a groove in one face thereof parallel to the axis of the wires in the hopper and only large enough to hold one wire, the other jaw being movable relatively to the grooved jaw, means being provided for raising the hopper so that the grooved jaw is thrust into the wires therein and the wire located in the groove is gripped by movement of the second jaw, after which the hopper is lowered away from the jaws which carry the wire to a delivery position, then separate to release the wire, and return to their position above a portion of the hopper. In the example, the hoppers and jaws are duplicated, so that a pair of leading-in wires can be picked up simultaneously and, when released, drop through funnels 49, Fig. 1, and guide-tubes 62 into flexible outlet tips which direct them into wire-holders 60, 61 of a stem-making machine. One hopper 11 and its associated' devices are shown in Fig. 1. The wire lengths are arranged parallel to one another in the hopper, which is mounted on an arm of a lever 13 pivoted on a rod 14. A roller 15 at the end of the lever co-operates with a cam 16 on a shaft 17 to lift the hopper, the roller being held against the cam by a spring 18. The hopper is provided with an internal plate which guides the wires downwardly to a lateral open lip 22, Fig. 4, from which a single wire is taken by the pick-up jaws 20, 21 when the hopper is lifted. The jaw 20 of each pair is attached directly to a slider 23, Fig. 3, mounted on rods 24, 25 which are inclined from the frame 19, and the jaws 21 are each attached to a rod 26 carried by the slider and are located within a groove in their coacting jaw 20. The rods 26 are connected by links 31, 31<1> to levers<1> 29, 29<1> which are mounted on pins 30, 301 on the slider 23, the outer ends of the levers being connected by a spring 32 which urges the jaws to their closed position. Normally the jaws are held open by the pressure of a strip 33 which is mounted on a block 36 and bears against rollers 34 on pins 35 carried by arms of the levers 29, 29<1>. The block 36 is connected to a rod 37 slidably mounted in the slider 23 and connected to a chain 38 passing around a sprocket 39 pinned to the shaft 17. When the shaft 17 is rotated clockwise the hoppers are lifted and simultaneously a spring 40, Fig. 3, positioned between block 36 and a lug on the slider, is allowed to disengage the strip 33 from the rollers 35, so that the jaw 21 can move outwardly and sidewardly and grip a wire 10 located within a groove in jaw 20, as shown in Fig. 4. Immediately afterwards the hoppers are lowered away from the jaws, and the shaft 17 is rotated further to drive the slider 23 upwardly on the rods 24, 25 until the rollers 34 strike the end of a metal strip 47, thus causing the jaws to open and release the wires. An oscillating rake 51 is provided to loosen wires which tend to stick in the jaws and also to prevent somersaulting of a released wire. The released wire passes down the funnel 49 and into the flare 59 and one of the wire holders 60, 61. As shown the wire is guided into holder 60 by means of a guide tube 62, which is telescopically mounted on the bottom tube of the funnel, the guide tube being moved downwardly by means of a rack bar 44 driven by the sprocket 43 which simultaneously moves the slider 23 upwardly. The guide tube 62 is pivotally mounted on a block 65 provided with an arm carrying a roller 69 which moves over a cam rod 70. Automatic means for controlling the machine so that it is operated as long as there are stems in course of manufacture, comprises a pivotally mounted vertical rod 72 with a lateral arm 75 at its lower end to engage a flare 59 as the stem head takes a position before it, the rod 72 being thereby swung so that a collar 76 at its upper end is moved to one side of an arm 77 on lever 13, which is thus allowed to rock. In the absence of a flare the collar 76 is not moved and the hopper is prevented from moving upwardly to the pick-up jaws.