DEVICE FOR CONNECTING PLASMA DISPLAY PANELS TO A PLANT FOR MAKING VACUUM AND SUCCESSIVE FILLING WITH IONIZABLE NOBLE GASES

摘要

A device for automatically connecting a vacuum and gas filling plant to a glazen plasma display panel (P), the panel having a glazen tubular appendix communicating with a chamber inside it. The device comprises: a supporting plane on the panel (P), a tubular body (18) communicating with the vacuum and gas filling plant capable of performing an axial translational motion away from and towards the supporting plane in a direction at right angles thereto and coaxially with the tubular appendix to become engaged in an airtight manner with it, means (9) for centring the tubular appendix with respect to the tubular body comprising a centring element with a substantially V-shaped seating at one of its ends the bisector of the seating being intersected by the axis of the tubular body (18), capable of performing a translational motion away from and towards the tubular appendix in a direction at right angles to its axis to make it become engaged in the V-shaped seating. At the end of the run of the centring element towards the tubular appendix the axis of the latter will likewise come to intersect the bisector of the V-shaped seating. In front of the tubular bod and coaxially with it there is provided a heating unit capable of causing the local melting of the material in proximity of the root of the tubular appendix, the detachment of the appendix and the sealed closure of the chamber.