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US2104533A - Method and means for controlling gas-filled tubes - Google Patents

Method and means for controlling gas-filled tubes Download PDF

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Publication number
US2104533A
US2104533A US714036A US71403634A US2104533A US 2104533 A US2104533 A US 2104533A US 714036 A US714036 A US 714036A US 71403634 A US71403634 A US 71403634A US 2104533 A US2104533 A US 2104533A
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control
voltage
electrodes
phase
discharge
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US714036A
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English (en)
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Kramolin Leon Ladislaus Von
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02M—APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF
    • H02M1/00—Details of apparatus for conversion
    • H02M1/02—Circuits specially adapted for the generation of grid-control or igniter-control voltages for discharge tubes incorporated in static converters
    • H02M1/04—Circuits specially adapted for the generation of grid-control or igniter-control voltages for discharge tubes incorporated in static converters for tubes with grid control
    • H02M1/042—Circuits specially adapted for the generation of grid-control or igniter-control voltages for discharge tubes incorporated in static converters for tubes with grid control wherein the phase of the control voltage is adjustable with reference to the AC voltage

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a new method for controlling gas or vapour-discharge tubes by controlling auxiliary electrodes to effect a change in the energy supplied from a particular discharge device to a load. Furthermore, by my improved method all other problems may be solved the solution of which is otherwise possible by variable phase-shifting in connection with control electrodes for instance for purposes of frequency transformation or phase compensation and so on.
  • a phase-shifter or a similar body is used for shifting the phase of the potential effective at the control electrodes relatively to the potential of the main electrode for control purposes during the operation. But such a phase-shifter is an expensive part of the apparatus particularly in the case of relatively small apparatus.
  • This invention relates to a method and means for dispensing with a variable phase-shifter.
  • my invention in its simplest form provides an ordinary variable resistance which may be constructed like a potentiometer for radio purposes consisting essentially of a strip of insulating material bent to circular shape, on which is coiled a resistance wire engaged by two sliding contacts.
  • Fig. l is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of my invention
  • Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the phase relation of certain voltage waves
  • Fig. 3 is a diagram representing another form of my invention
  • Fig. 4 shows a voltage-varying device
  • Fig. 5 illustrates another device for regulating the control volt age or potential.
  • d is a discharge device which contains an anode e and a cathode 1, these two constituting a pair of main electrodes.
  • the cathode is assumed as a hot electrode, but the heating circuit has been omitted for the sake of clearness.
  • a mercury cathode may be used likewise, and the discharge device can be constructed in any well-known or approved manner.
  • the discharge device can be filled with gases or vapours or mixtures of gases and vapours, for instance mercury vapour and rare gases.
  • two control electrodes 9 and c are suitably placed between the main electrodes, that is to say, between the anode and the cathode.
  • the two control electrodes may be put relatively near together.
  • the point a I connect any load or current-consuming device, with the point b an alternating current circuit.
  • a transformer tr Parallel to the rectifier constituted by the discharge device d, a transformer tr is shunted producing the control potential. But it is also possible to dispense with such a transformer and to branch the control potential or voltage ed the alternating supply directly.
  • the secondary winding of the transformer is connected with two parallel circuits, one of these circuits being loaded inductively by a choke h and the other capacitively by a condenser Therefore in these two circuits or branches phase displacements appear with such an effect that the voltage wave in the one branch will run ahead of, and in the other branch lag behind, the voltage wave of the main electrode.
  • the branch containing thel condnser 2', as well as in the branch containiix vhe choke h there is included one half of the resistance is which is bent to an- H nular or circular form.
  • the middle point of the resistance is connected with the secondary of the control transformer tr.
  • the control transformer tr is connected with the cathode f over a suitable tap which may be adjustable.
  • a bias battery VB may be inserted which supplies a constant negative or positive direct potential to the grids g and 0. But that is not necessary under all circumstances.
  • the phase displacement between control voltages effected by the branch 2' and by the branch It should be about between and 45 degrees, for instance about sixty degrees.
  • the grids or control electrodes 0 and g are electrically connected with two contacts mounted at the ends of a lever or contact device Z and arranged for sliding engagement with the resistance 7c as the said device turns about its central axis.
  • the discharge tube operates like a controlled gas-filled discharge tube which has only one grid controlled by a control voltage on the phase position of which is determined essentially by the choke element h. If the contact device I is in any intermediate position, the phase position determined by the two grids g and 0 will likewise have an intermediate value and it will be evident that in this manner a regulation can be achieved which enables me to generate at the grids a resultant control field which is changeable at will relatively to the main discharge as regards phase. In this case the changeable phase-displacement of the resulting field takes place in the tube itself. It is not necessary to use a phase shifter outside the tube.
  • a special phase shifter is not necessary for the tube as only voltages of a constant phase position are impressed upon the control grids and only the magnitude of control voltage is changed, but not its phase position.
  • a simple resistance is sufficient for changing the voltage value. Therefore by a simple and cheap regulating resistance, for instance a potentiometer such as used for radio purposes, a regulation can be achieved which in its effect issimilar to a regulation effected by a phase shifter with the difference that much simpler elements may be employed.
  • it is not absolutely necessary to use a transformer tr as the control voltages can also be branched directly off the main conductor.
  • the symmetry of the phase position of the two control electrodes g and c relatively to the phase of the main discharge which symmetry is desirable for the carrying out of my improved method, can be achieved by suitable formation of the secondary winding of the transformer tr and placing such transformer at an appropriate point of the main transformer particularly if the main transformer is a polyphase transformer.
  • any desired phase position can be attained so that then even if an ohmic resistance is employed instead of i or h it is possible to insure that the phase of the voltage on the one control electrode will lag behind the phase of the main discharge by the same amount that the phase of the voltage on the other control electrode runs ahead of the phase of the main discharge.
  • absolute symmetry is not necessary.
  • the control electrodes g and 0 should be put relatively near together, if the voltages on that part of It which is in the branch including the condenser i correspond approximately to the voltage of that part of k which is in the branch including the choke h.
  • the grids g and 0 may be placed quite close together, that is, they may be arranged in the same plane, with the rods of the one grid between the rods of the other grid.
  • I may use as control electrodes, not only grids projecting into the discharge space but also metal parts fastened to the tube outside, for instance sleeves surrounding the tube in a well-known manner.
  • an interior control grid can be combined with a control grid located outside the tube and so on. In the latter case, if uniform regulation is desired, it is preferable to choose the control voltages at the different grids as above described in such a manner that they will be proportional to their amplification factor.
  • the whole regulating arrangement in its simplest form consists of one condenser i and of some ohmic resistances two of which are combined to form a regulating resistance similar to a potentiometer.
  • the only change which this simplification requires as compared with the use of a special phase-shifter is the provision of a second grid; this, however, will not involve any appreciable increase in the cost of manufacture, in View of the highly developed skill now available in the making of glass apparatus. Even with large discharge devices constructed of metal the introduction of an additional electrode does not present any particular difiiculty.
  • Fig. 2 shows the phase position of the main discharge (dotted) relatively to the dash and dash-dotted curves representing the voltages on the two control electrodes when the lever l is in a horizontal position, i. e. the voltages on g and 0 have the same value.
  • These two voltages combined form, within the tube, a control field which has in this case the same phase position as the main discharge.
  • an effective control field results which has about the form of the curve indicated by the solid line in Fig. 2, i. e. a field which is shifted toward the side of the dash-dotted curve.
  • Fig. 3 shows an arrangement with a two-way rectifier which will be readily understood from the above description.
  • a cathode I have here chosen a mercury cathode 1, but any other suitable type of cathode may be used, for instance active self-heating electrodes, etc.
  • a control resistance 70 W for each of the two anodes e, e a control resistance 70 W, respectively, is provided in this case and the tube control levers Z and l are connected by a common shaft.
  • This construction therefore has three main electrodes, which might be described as forming two pairs, the cathode I being common to both pairs.
  • Figs. 1 and 2 arexsuflicient and a further improvement of. the controlcan be achievedas indicated in Fig. 1 by adding a special biasbattery VB or. applying some other constant or variable direct voltage to the control grids g and c, in addition to the alternating. voltages mentioned. In this mannerseifects can be achievedwhich are similar ,to the control with three control: grids which are connected to three branches diifering from.
  • phaseshifted branches can be obtained either by the provision of artificial phases, for instance resistances, condensers and self-inductance's, or they can be branched off a.
  • main transformer directly if in this: main transformer there is a rotating field, as is always the case with polyphase current. If sucha polyphase transformer employed, all phase-shifting arrangements may be dispensed with and the regulating arrangement is confined exclusively to the grids and the regulating resistances, for instance such as indicated at k, k k with their levers Z, 1 1 respectively.
  • This invention of course is not restricted to changing the voltage at the electrodes by resistances of the potentiometer type, but any other suitable means for changing the voltages at the electrodes will be within the scope of the invention.
  • the salient feature of my invention lies in the fact that in a construction employing a plurality of control electrodes for each pair of main electrodes, the individual control electrodes are supplied with voltages having a substantially constant phase-displacement relatively to each other and that only the magnitude of the voltage applied to the individual control electrodes is changed for the purpose of regulation.
  • These control electrodes can be arranged at any desired places of a discharge tube and the tube can be equipped with main and control electrodes of any suitable type. For instance all the main electrodes may, according to conditions, become either an anode or a cathode.
  • the method of regulation described in this specification can be employed to cause the individual main electrodes to change from functioning as cathodes, to the anode function, or vice versa, according to the requirements of each particular case.
  • Fig. 4 shows an arrangement which may be substituted for the potentiometer resistances k, W, k and their levers or voltage-dividers I, Z and Z respectively of Figs. 1 and 3 respectively, as a means for changing the voltage.
  • m designates a discharge tube of any suitable insulating material bent to substantially circular shape. Two electrodes n and o are sealed in at the ends of this tube. Besides, the tube contains a filling of mercury q and a third lead-in wire or electrode 1:- projecting into the filling. The space above the mercury can be filled either with any suitable gas or with a vapor, for instance mercury vapor.
  • the voltages in the left half, or viceversa If with the two. halves I connect the two control. electrodes of a tube constructed according. to Fig. 1, the voltages will be changed according to theifilling of the tube and such an arrangement can be used for. regulating the voltage in a main tube.
  • the electrodes in the tube m may be active and the discharge in the tube may be either a glowdischarge -or an arc discharge as in both cases the operating voltage depends on the pressure. More particularly, an arc discharge affords the possibility of varying the voltage within wide limits depending upon the pressure, and an arrangement according to Fig. 4 has the further advantage that the voltage is independent in a high degree of the current flowing through the arrangement so that a constant control voltage will be available even with varying supply voltages.
  • FIG. 5 A further arrangement for regulating the control voltage is illustrated in Fig. 5.
  • a container for the gas or vapor for the gas or vapor, a set of main electrodes in said container and two control electrodes per anode of said set, means for supplying to said control electrodes alternating voltages of constant phase relatively to the anode voltages, and means for increasing .the amplitude of the alternating voltage supplied to one of said control electrodes and for simultaneously decreasing the amplitude of the alternating voltage supplied to the other control electrode.
  • control electrodes are connected with control circuits which also include discharge tubes, and in which means are provided for influencing said tubes to vary the amplitude of the said alternating voltage.
  • control electrodes are connected with control circuits which also'include discharge tubes, and in which means are provided for changing the emission of said discharge tubes and thereby varying the amplitude of the said alternating voltage.
  • a container for the gas or vapor for the gas or vapor, a set of main electrodes'in said container and a plurality of control electrodes per anode of said set, control circuits connected with said control electrodes and including means for supplying alternating voltages to said electrodes and also including discharge tubes, and means for influencing said tubes to vary the amplitude of such alternating voltages.
  • a container for the gas or vapor for the gas or vapor, a set of main electrodes in said container and a plurality of control electrodes per anode of said set, control circuits connected'with said control electrodes and including means for supplying alternating voltages to said electrodes and also including discharge tubes, and'r'neans for changing the emission of said discharge tubes and thereby varying the amplitude of such alternating voltages.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Measuring Oxygen Concentration In Cells (AREA)
  • Plasma Technology (AREA)
US714036A 1933-03-07 1934-03-05 Method and means for controlling gas-filled tubes Expired - Lifetime US2104533A (en)

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Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE427137X 1933-03-07

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US2104533A true US2104533A (en) 1938-01-04

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US (1) US2104533A (fr)
FR (1) FR769730A (fr)
GB (1) GB427137A (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2614621A (en) * 1947-09-08 1952-10-21 Robertshaw Fulton Controls Co Safety control system for electrically operated heating means

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2614621A (en) * 1947-09-08 1952-10-21 Robertshaw Fulton Controls Co Safety control system for electrically operated heating means

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB427137A (en) 1935-04-16
FR769730A (fr) 1934-08-31

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