Method and apparatus for crackoff and neck sealing of cathode ray tube funnels
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorLance P. Muir
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for cracking off glass attached to, or comprising a portion of, the constricted end (neck) of the glass funnel component of a glass cathode ray tube and thereafter sealing a replacement glass neck component to the funnel component. A gauge and sensor mechanism are used to produce a signal representative of the location of a defined plane through the funnel. This signal is sent to a central processing unit which controls the apparatus so that the cracking off of the old neck and subsequent sealing of the new neck take place at that defined plane. In this way, the individual method steps are integrated into an automated process.
Claims20
An apparatus for attaching a glass neck to a glass funnel of a cathode ray tube, comprising:
- a frame;
- a support platform attached to said frame for supporting a glass funnel component;
- a gauge attached to said frame for determining a reference location on said funnel component, at least one of said gauge or said support platform being movable toward the other;
- a chuck attached to said frame for supporting a glass neck component,
- a sensor for providing a signal when a funnel is appropriately positioned in said gauge;
- and
- a system controller for receiving said signal and using said signal to control movement of said apparatus to effectively attach sale glass neck component to said glass funnel.
An apparatus for repairing cathode ray tube funnels, comprising:
- a frame;
- a support means attached to said frame for supporting a glass funnel component having an existing neck section attached thereto;
- a gauging means attached to said frame for determining a reference location on said funnel component, at least one of said gauging means or said support platform being movable toward the other, said gauging means providing a signal representative of said location;
- crackoff means for cracking off said existing neck section of said funnel at a defined plane;
- a chuck attached to said frame for supporting a new glass neck component,
- at least one burner means for heating said neck component and funnel to connect said new neck component to said funnel, and
- control means for receiving said signal and using said signal to move said gauging means toward said support means to gauge said funnel, moving said funnel to said crackoff means to crackoff the existing neck section of said funnel, and cooperatively moving said chuck and said support means to attach said glass neck component to said glass funnel.
A method for cracking off a portion of the neck of a glass funnel component of a glass cathode ray tube at a specifically defined plane and thereafter sealing a replacement neck component to said funnel component comprising:
- providing a frame, and a support means attached to said frame for supporting a glass funnel component having an existing neck section;
- providing a gauging means attached to said frame for determining a reference location on said funnel component;
- providing a crackoff means on said frame for cracking off said existing neck section;
- providing a chuck attached to said frame for supporting a replacement glass neck component;
- providing at least one burner means attached to said frame for attaching said replacement glass neck component to said glass funnel;
- determining the location of a crackoff plane said determining step comprising moving one of said gauge means or said support means toward one another to gauge said funnel to determine the location of a reference plane;
- controlling movement of said apparatus using a system controller, said system controller using said location information to:
- move said funnel to said crackoff means to crackoff said existing neck section at a crackoff plane;
- move said support means and said chuck to position said reference plane and said neck component adjacent said burner means;
- and then
- activate said burner means to heat and join said replacement neck component to said funnel at said crackoff plane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.