Retractable registration pin apparatus
US5702213A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 24, 1996 |
| Grant date | Dec 30, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 24, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T409/308624
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A retractable registration pin to be used on the tooling plate of a printed wire board drilling machine for alignment of PWB panels on the tooling plate for drilling. In the instant invention, a soft plug which receives a registration pin is mounted on a spline shaft. The bottom of the ball spline shaft is attached to a link which is coupled to a pneumatic cylinder. The pneumatic cylinder is driven by a pneumatic valve which raises and lowers the registration pin on the ball spline assembly. The pneumatic cylinder may either fully retract the registration pin to a position below the surface of the tooling plate, or fully extend the ball spline shaft so that the upper surface of the soft plug holding the registration pin, is parallel to and lies in the same plane as the upper surface of the tooling plate. When the registration pin is in the raised position, work panels may be placed over the registration pin until a suitable number have been prepared for drilling. If the registration pin protrudes above the surface of the upper work panel work piece, a pneumatic valve is opened allowing the pneumatic cylinder to be opened to the atmosphere and the spindle of the machine tool may be …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.