Ultrasonic soldering system

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY PERFORMING SOLDERING OPERATIONS ON SUCCESSIVE CHASSIS, COMPRISING: (A) A CONVEYOR FOR TRANSPORTING SAID CHASSIS IN A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL DISPOSITION WITH THE SOLDERABLE UNDERSIDE OF THE CHASSIS ACCESSIBLE; (B) A TROUGH-LIKE, OPEN-TOP SOLDER BATH CONTAINER DISPOSED BELOW AND SPACED FROM SAID CHASSIS UNDERSIDE, (B1) SAID CONTAINER HAVING A BOTTOM WALL WHICH IN TURN HAS, IN ORDER IN THE DIRECTION OF THE CONVEYOR PATH, A FIRST END PORTION, A MIDDLE PORTION, AND A SECOND END PORTION, (B2) SAID MIDDLE PORTION BEING FORMED TO RISE ABOVE SAID END PORTIONS, THE RISE BEING PROVIDED ON BOTH THE EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR SURFACES OF THE BOTTOM WALL SO AS TO FORM IN SAID EXTERIOR SURFACE A HOLLOW, AND SO AS TO CONSTITUTE, INTERIORLY OF SAID CONTAINER, EACH OF SAID END PORTIONS A BOTTOM FOR A DEPENDENT CAVITY FOR SAID CONTAINER, (B3) THE CONTAINER, HOLLOW, AND CAVITIES EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO SAID CONVEYOR PATH, OVER A LENGTH WHICH AS A MINIMUM SUBSTANTIALLY SPANS THE WIDTH OF SOLDERABLE CHASSIS, (B4) SAID CONTAINER BEING NORMALLY FILLED TO AN INTERFACE LEVEL WHICH IS ABOVE THE PEAK OF SAID RISE, (C) A PAIR OF OPPOSITELY ROTATING PADDLE WHEELS, EACH DISPOSED WITHIN A RESPECTIVE CONTAINER-CAVITY AND AXIALLY EXTENDING THEREWITHIN IN SAID TRANSVERSE DIRECTION OVER A LENGTH WHICH AS A MINIMUM SUBSTANTIALLY SPANS THE SOLDERABLE CHASSIS WIDTH, FOR URGING SOLDER TOWARDS THE SAID PEAK, THE URGING ACTION OF BOTH PADDLE WHEELS FORMING A STANDING WAVE-CREST OF SOLDER ABOVE SAID PEAK, SAID WAVE-CREST RISING FROM SAID INTERFACE TO ENGAGE A CONVEYED CHASSIS UNDERSIDE TO SOLDER THE SAME, AND BEING APPROXIMATELY COEXTENSIVE IN SAID TRANSVERSE DIRECTION WITH SAID PADDLE WHEELS; (D) AND AN ULTRASONIC TRANSDUCER MEANS EXTENDING WITHIN SAID HOLLOW OVER A LENGTH WHICH AS A MINIMUM SUBSTANTIALLY SPANS THE SOLDERABLE CHASSIS WIDTH TO DIRECT ULTRASONIC ENERGY AT THE CHASSIS PORTION THEN BEING SOLDERED FOR SUBSTANTIALLY SIMULTANEOUSLY CLEANING SUCH PORTION.