US2032137A - Uniformly controllable gas or vapor discharge valve - Google Patents

Description

Feb 25 1936. E LUBCKE 2,032,137

UNIFORMLY CONTROLLABLE GAS OR VAPOR DISCHARGE VALVE Filed Oct. 26, 1933 v T R WITNESSES: O

Patented Feb. 25, I936 UNETED STATES PATENT ()FFICE UNIFORMLY CONTROLLABLE GAS OR VAPOR DISCHARGE VALVE Application October 26, 1933, Serial No. 695,245 In Germany October 2'7, 1932 2 Claims.

My invention relates to a uniformly controllable gas or vapor discharge valve.

It is known in the art to design gas or vapor discharge valves in the manner that a hot cathode, which is, for instance, indirectly heated, is surrounded by a pot-like control grid arranged concentrically with respect to the hot cathode, the control grid in turn being likewise concentrically surrounded by a pot-like anode.

In discharge valves of the above character two control grids are provided according to the invention between the hot cathode forming the electron emitting source and the anode of the discharge path to be influenced, the control grids being disposed in series in the same discharge path.

With such an arrangement it is possible to attain a considerably stronger influence of the electron and ion-current than in the case of the valves hitherto known. The controllability of the valves for the non-uniform control is improved and at the same time it is possible to employ a valve of the same design for uniform control. The uniform control is very favorably influenced as to a saving in heat of the total discharge path by the mutual enclosure of the electrodes. Further, by the arrangement of the electrodes according to the invention it is possible by properly spacing the electrodes to control at will the discharge valves uniformly or non-uniformly by electrically isolating or connecting the grids disposed between the hot cathode and the anode as well as to pass from one method of control to another method of control by simply changing over the grids. There are amplifying valves which are provided with a liquid mercury cathode, and in which a grid is inserted directly in the discharge path emitting from the cathode. A valve operated according to the invention differs from such amplifying valves in that it is provided with an indirectly heated cathode, further in that the electrode is designed and arranged in the manner that the cathode is almost completely surrounded by the grids and the latter by the anode of the amplifier. The discharge valve according to the present invention corresponds to the known gas or vapor discharge valves with concentric arrangement of the electrodes and particularly also to non-uniformly controlled valves only as to the manner how the electrodes are designed and arranged, but it differs in that the known non-uniformly controlled valves with hot cathodes only have a single grid between the hot cathode and the anode.

In the accompanying drawing an embodiment of my invention is shown in diagrammatic form.

The invisible hot cathode is completely surrounded by a cylindrical radiation sheath I having a plurality of perforations. The emitting surfaces of the hot cathode are so arranged that the emission occurs chiefly perpendicularly to the axis of the valve. A grid-shaped electrode is arranged concentrically with respect to the hot cathode and is closed by an end plate 3. The electrode 2 is surrounded by the grid 4 which is designed in the same manner, but may consist of a small-meshed grid. The control grid 4 is likewise closed by an end plate 5. The anode 6 forms the outer enclosure for the other electrodes and is not provided with any particular end plate as the grids surrounded by the enclosure. Both end plates 3 and 5 of the grid electrodes serve to prevent an undesirable heat radiation from the discharge path and to protect the fusing points of the electrode supports and energy supply leads. The single electrodes are held firmly in position and insulated from one another in a well-known manner (not shown). The single electrode supports which may serve at the same time as energy supply leads are brought out singly from the glass tube 7. It is preferable to design the heating element for the indirect heating of the cathode in the manner that it may be also connected directly to a D. C. supply circuit of at least a voltage of 110 V. Furthermore, it is convenient to electrically insulate the electron emitting part of the cathode from the heating circuit.

In the case of a non-uniform control an ion as well as an electron-discharge is attained between the hot cathode within the radiating sheath I and the anode 6. To this end, for instance, the grid electrodes 2 and 4 are electrically connected with each other. The grid 4 may, however, be also electrically connected with the anode 6 and employed therewith as anodes of the discharge path. If desired, a resistance may be inserted between the grid 5 acting in this case as preanode and the anode 6 proper. The methods hitherto proposed for the control of gas filled types of tubes may also be applied to the discharge valves according to the invention.

In valves which are designed for non-uniform control it is preferable to make the distance of both grids 2 and 4 approximately equal to the mean free path length of the ions in accordance with the vapor pressure prevailing in the valves. Further, it is also preferable to dimension the distance of the grid 4 from the anode in the same manner. The distances between the grid and the anode may vary from the mean free path length to the double amount thereof.

The valve above-described has besides the increased controllability in the case of the nonuniform control the advantage that may be controlled uniformly. In the case of the uniform control the discharge valve is connected election may be employed to advantage for naviga- V tion. The discharge valves may replace the rotary converters which could be hitherto only employed for supplying signalling elements, gyro- .compasses, Water sound systems and the like with energy.

' I claim as my invention:

1. A discharge device comprising an indirectly heated cathode, a. grid member surrounding said indirectly heated cathode member, a second grid 2 v Q g '7 go's-2,13%

member surrounding said first grid member and an anode surrounding said second grid member, a gaseous medium, said device having a container wall sealing said medium about said electrodes, the openings in said second grid member being smaller than the openings insaid first grid member, said first grid member being spaced from said second grid member a distance of the order, of the free-mean path of an ion of said gaseous medium. n

2. A discharge device comprising an indirectly heated cathode, a grid member surrounding said.

indirectly heated cathode member, a second grid member surrounding said first grid member and an anode surrounding said second grid member, a gaseous medium, said device having 'a container wall sealing said medium. about said electrodes, the openings in said second grid member being smaller than the openings in said first grid member, said first gridmember ,beingrspaced from said second grid member a distance of the order of the freer-mean path of an ion of said gaseous medium and said second grid member spaced from said anode a distance of the order of the free-mean path of an ion of said gaseous medium.

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