US3810540A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Component sorting and segregating system
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1972-10-10
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Granted: 1974-05-14
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Expires: 1992-10-10
Abstract
Abstract A transport mechanism having a wheel with uniformly spaced radial peripheral slots adapted to engage the axial leads of diode components transports the diodes, one in each set of peripheral slots from a supply bin past a polarity sensing station which registers the polarity of the diode in the slot and controls a drop gravity gate mechanism subsequent to the polarity sensing station to drop diodes of a given polarity and retain in the slots those diodes of the opposite polarity until the retained diode reaches a subsequent discharge station which includes a physical reversing path between the discharge station and the ultimate delivery point for all diodes whereby diodes delivered from both the drop station and the discharge station are delivered to a common delivery point with uniform polarity orientation.
Inventors
- 👤 M Georges
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 08:58
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01R; G01R31/00; G01R31/26; G01R31/2601; B; B07; B07C; B07C5/00; B07C5/34; B07C5/344; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S209/00; Y10S209/924
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
180 words
Apparatus for inspecting axial contact electronic components comprising: means for entraining, retaining and transporting said components on a continuous inspection path with the contact axes of said components parallel to each other and transverse to said path, said path having a pick-up point for entraining said components and an exit point where said components are discharged from said path with means normally operative for retaining said components on said path between said pick-up point and said exit point; means for making electric contact with the axial contacts of said components at a test station located on said path; means for discharging said components at a discharge station at said exit point; selectively operable means for discharging components entrained on the transporting means at an intermediate discharge station on said path located between said means for making electric contact and said exit point; and means responsive to an electric characteristic of each of said components detected during said electric contact for controlling said selectively operable means in timed relation to the arrival of the respective component at said intermediate discharge station.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
180 words
Apparatus for inspecting axial contact electronic components comprising: means for entraining, retaining and transporting said components on a continuous inspection path with the contact axes of said components parallel to each other and transverse to said path, said path having a pick-up point for entraining said components and an exit point where said components are discharged from said path with means normally operative for retaining said components on said path between said pick-up point and said exit point; means for making electric contact with the axial contacts of said components at a test station located on said path; means for discharging said components at a discharge station at said exit point; selectively operable means for discharging components entrained on the transporting means at an intermediate discharge station on said path located between said means for making electric contact and said exit point; and means responsive to an electric characteristic of each of said components detected during said electric contact for controlling said selectively operable means in timed relation to the arrival of the respective component at said intermediate discharge station.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
61 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said characteristic detected is the polarity of said component and including: means for conveying components discharged from each of said discharge points to a common delivery station; and means interposed between one of said discharge points and said common delivery station for reversing the physical orientation of components discharged from said one discharge point.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
Apparatus according to claim 2 in which the means for reversing comprises a curved tube through which the component slides.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
166 words
Apparatus for inspecting elongated components having axial leads comprising: an input feed tower for receiving said components and stacking a plurality of said components in a uniform pile; a transport wheel having a plurality of opposed pairs of radial slots and mounted for rotation in relation to said input feed tower to pick one of said components from said pile in each of said opposed pairs and carrying said components around the peripheral path of said wheel; a pair of electric contacts on opposite sides of said wheel arranged to contact said axial leads; retaining ring sectors concentric with said wheel for retaining said components in said slots said sectors having a drop slot in the bottom large enough to permit a component to drop therethrough; a horizontally slidable bridging member for selectively opening and closing said drop slot; a two position actuator for operating said bridging member to opening or closing position; and a control circuit operatively connected between said electric contacts and said actuator.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
166 words
Apparatus for inspecting elongated components having axial leads comprising: an input feed tower for receiving said components and stacking a plurality of said components in a uniform pile; a transport wheel having a plurality of opposed pairs of radial slots and mounted for rotation in relation to said input feed tower to pick one of said components from said pile in each of said opposed pairs and carrying said components around the peripheral path of said wheel; a pair of electric contacts on opposite sides of said wheel arranged to contact said axial leads; retaining ring sectors concentric with said wheel for retaining said components in said slots said sectors having a drop slot in the bottom large enough to permit a component to drop therethrough; a horizontally slidable bridging member for selectively opening and closing said drop slot; a two position actuator for operating said bridging member to opening or closing position; and a control circuit operatively connected between said electric contacts and said actuator.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
40 words
Apparatus according to claim 4 and including a first gravity guide located directly beneath said drop slot and a second gravity guide for receiving components which pass said drop slot and are discharged at the end of said guide sectors.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
22 words
Apparatus according to claim 5 in which said first and second gravity guides deposit components passing therethrough to a common delivery station.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
17 words
Apparatus according to claim 6 and including an orientation reversing bend in one of said gravity guides.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
14 words
Apparatus according to claim 7 in which said reversing guide is a curved tube.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
119 words
In an elongated component processing machine for components having axial leads with paths of travel for some of said components to a delivery station where the physical orientation of the component is required to be reversed, the improvement which comprises a curved tube defining a portion of said path of travel with an upper inclined portion open to receive a component which will slide into the closed portion of said tube, the inner diameter and radius of curvature of said closed tube being such that said component can slide around said curve without binding, and an inclined delivery end of said tube from which said component slides with orientation reversed relative to that at the input to said tube.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
119 words
In an elongated component processing machine for components having axial leads with paths of travel for some of said components to a delivery station where the physical orientation of the component is required to be reversed, the improvement which comprises a curved tube defining a portion of said path of travel with an upper inclined portion open to receive a component which will slide into the closed portion of said tube, the inner diameter and radius of curvature of said closed tube being such that said component can slide around said curve without binding, and an inclined delivery end of said tube from which said component slides with orientation reversed relative to that at the input to said tube.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
164 words
Apparatus for inspecting elongated components having axial leads comprising: an input feed tower for receiving said components and stacking a plurality of said components in a uniform pile; a transport wheel having a plurality of opposed pairs of radial slots and mounted for rotation in relation to said input feed tower to pick one of said components from said pile in each of said opposed pairs and carrying said components around the peripheral path of said wheel; a pair of electric contacts on opposite sides of said wheel arranged to contact said axial leads; retaining ring sectors concentric with said wheel for retaining said components in said slots said sectors having a drop slot in the bottom large enough to permit a component to drop therethrough; a gating member for selectively opening and closing said drop slot; a two position actuator for operating said gating member to opening or closing position; and a control circuit operatively connected between said electric contacts and said actuator.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
164 words
Apparatus for inspecting elongated components having axial leads comprising: an input feed tower for receiving said components and stacking a plurality of said components in a uniform pile; a transport wheel having a plurality of opposed pairs of radial slots and mounted for rotation in relation to said input feed tower to pick one of said components from said pile in each of said opposed pairs and carrying said components around the peripheral path of said wheel; a pair of electric contacts on opposite sides of said wheel arranged to contact said axial leads; retaining ring sectors concentric with said wheel for retaining said components in said slots said sectors having a drop slot in the bottom large enough to permit a component to drop therethrough; a gating member for selectively opening and closing said drop slot; a two position actuator for operating said gating member to opening or closing position; and a control circuit operatively connected between said electric contacts and said actuator.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
43 words
Apparatus according to claim 10 in which said components are retained by gravity during initial travel over the top position on said wheel and said retaining ring sectors terminate near the position where gravity would no longer retain said components in said slots.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
77 words
Apparatus according to claim 11 and including finger means mounted adjacent said transport wheel in the region where said ring sectors terminate and projecting toward the top of said wheel, said finger means being radially spaced relative to the bottom of said slots so as to intercept leads on said components which are bent out of axial position a predetermined amount and operative to deflect a component with such bent leads out of entrainment in said slots.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
26 words
Apparatus according to claim 12 in which said finger means include fingers radially positioned both greater than and less than the radial distance of said slots.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
30 words
Apparatus according to claim 11 further characterized by forming the terminated ends of said ring sectors as a downwardly inclined cam surface for deflecting unentrained components away from said wheel.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-05-13 | 1977-11-12 | 1978-05-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-05-13 | 1981-11-12 | 1982-05-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-05-13 | 1985-11-12 | 1986-05-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |