Patent GB-833690-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to the manufacture of photographic flash lamps
IPC: F21K5/08
Filed: 1957-01-02
Abstract: 833,690. Filling photographic flash lamps. SYLVANIA ELECTRIC PRODUCTS Inc. Jan. 2, 1957 [Jan. 31, 1956], No. 237/57. Class 9(2) [Also in Group XXX] Apparatus for filling photographic flash lamps with combustible foil comprises tubes 16, 18 which feed the foil cut by mechanism 10 to venturi assemblies 12, 14, Fig. 3. The assembly 14 consists of an element 24 having a through passage 26 into which opens the tube 18 and a nozzle 30 fitted on a pipe 34 supplying gas, e.g. air, under pressure, to blow the foil fed through tube 18 through an outlet pipe 28 into a funnel 36. Gas supplied by a pipe 42 then blows the foil through an outlet 40 longer than the outlet 28. The foil then enters a funnel 50 mounted on the hollow shaft 52 of a motor 54, a nozzle 56 being mounted on the other end of the shaft by means of a chuck 58 so that the foil passes from the shaft into a bulb 1 above the nozzle 56. Similar Venturi assemblies feed foil into a bulb 3. The bulbs 1, 3 are fed by endles chain conveyers 68, 72 respectively, to the filling position, each chain being provided with a plurality of bulb holders. Each conveyer is provided with a device for orientating the bulbs by means of a pair of jaws 77, which are caused to open and close around the bulb neck by the motion transmitted from a roller 79 riding on a cam 81 attached to a shaft 76. The motor 54 is mounted on a clamp 74 attached to the shaft 76, which provides means to move the nozzle 56 to and from the delivery position. Shaft 76 extends through a housing 78 and is prevented from rotating by a clamp 82 attached to its lower end and slotted to ride on a guide bar 86 depending from the housing 78. Clamp 82 is connected by linkage to one end of a cam arm 92 pivoted on a shaft 94, the other end of arm 92 having a cam follower spring- pressed against cam 100 mounted on cam shaft 102. Similar mechanism for bulb 3 is driven by a shaft 103, the cam shafts 102, 103 having a common drive (not shown). Motors 54 are connected to a source of electrical energy by leads 106 in circuit with a spring 112 in an insulated housing 110, a conducting rod 114 mounted in a cover 116 slidable on housing 110, and a wire 118 taken through an opening in the cover 116. Cover 116 is connected by a bracket 122 to a cap 124 slidable on the housing 78 and attached to the shaft 76, so that the cover 116 reciprocates with the motor 54. Air enters the apparatus through a fede pipe 126 passing into a filter 128 and from there to four pressure regulators 130 connected by pipes 132 to air valves 134 from which depend mercury switches 140. Each switch has a roller 142 riding on a cam 144 mounted on. a shaft 146. Feed lines 150 from valves 134 are clamped to a bar 154, two of the feed lines being connected by the flexible tubes 34 to venturis 12, 14, while the other two feed lines communicates with flexible pipes 42. Shaft 146 is rotated in synchronism with the movement 8 shafts 76 to open valves 134 and blow foil into the bulbs 1. Nozzle 56 preferably has a side delivery opening so that as it rotates the foil is distributed evenly in the bulb. As the nozzle 56 of one feed mechanism is withdrawn from bulb 1, the nozzle 56a enters bulb 3.