US854300A - Vacuum-tube electric apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED MAY 2l D. Mol?. MOORE. VACUUM TUBE BLEGTRIG'APPARATUS.

APPLIGATION FILED FEB. 7, 1906.

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No. 854,300. PATENTED MAY 21, 1907.

D. MOP. MOORE.

VACUUM TUBE ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

APPLIoA'rIoN FILED rms. v, 1906.

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F I /l /Nl/ENTR AnaB/V515 UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEroE.

DANIEL MCEARLAN MOORE, or NEWARK, NEwJERsEY, AssiGNoR To vMOORE ELECTRICAL COMPANY TION OF NEW YORK.

, or NEW YORK, N. Y.A ooRroEA- vAcuuwl-TUBE ELECTRIC #inname/wus.

specification of Letters Intent. l

` Patented may 21, i907.4

Application filed February 7, 1906. Serial No. 299,886.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that'I, DANIEL MCFARLAN MOORE, a citizen of the United States, and a residentof Newark, in the county of' Essex tube or vapor .electric lamps, vvacuum or fers X-ray tubes, vacuum oscllvapor recti lographs, wireless telegraph receivers i -and other devices which are provided with suitable electric terminalsjwhereby.electric en-- ergy may be passed through the gaseous contents of the tube for an purpos'eand which' 4generally may be classi ed under the head of vacuum tubes.

'The object of myinvention is to provide means whereby vthe gaseous tension or condition' within the tube may be automaticallykept uniform or constant by the operation of a valve which regulates the liow of a gas or vapor to the tube and is opened to supply more gas when the vaccum within the tube,

gets higher or the condition or quality of the gas therein changes for any reason, as for in stance, by the action of the'electric energy upon the gaseous contents.

The invention consists in thenovel comy bination of devices comprising a valve chamber closed by a spring dlaphragmV and a valve -acted upon by said diaphragm and also by a core or other movableportion of an electromagnet whose power varies with changesin the electrical resistance of the gas or vapor in the tube due to changes of gas or vapor tension.

I have shown my'invention as carried out by an organization or combination in-which the vacuumtube is operated by alternating currents and the valve is actuated by'4 changes in the magnetic condition of a transformer, the secondary of which supplies energy to the tube.` The invention, however,

may be carried out in connection with tubes operated .by direct currents, an electromagnet of pro er kind being used and being connected wit the circuit lof thetube so as i to feel the effect of -anychange in resistance between the terminals thereof. l

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a partial side elevation and vertical section of `the transformer and valve together with a portion'of th'e vacuum tube. Y' Fig. 2is a general diagram of circuits and apparatus.

I have shown my invention and described:

the same :as applied to a vacuum tube lamp,

although, it is likewise `applicable t'o other vacuum tubes.-

i 1- indicates the'v vacuum tube lamp and 2 .the `energy transferring electrodes or termianais thereof through which energy ,is conveyed to the gaseous contents of the tube from the secondary 3. of the transformer,l the primary 4 of which .is connected to suitable constantpotential alternating current mains 5 as shown in the diagram. Theenergy may be transferred tothe tube by either external or internal electrodes as well understoodin the art. The transformer is `preferably of the shell type, although, it would be within my invention to use other types orlforms of transformer. Air or other gas is su plied 'to the tube in regulated quantity to eep the gas tensionconstant through the tube 6 vof which there may be as many applied to the tube 1 and at such points as may4 be found convenient in practice, the iiow of gas through said tube being .controlled by a valve connection to them' or by separate valves as desired.` l

My present invention is designed more particularly to afford means-whereby a gas may be supplied to the tube from aftank or gas holder and for this purpose' I employ the construction of valve now to be described4 in whichthere is a valve chamber closed by a metallic or spring diaphragm, which spring diaphragm cooperates with 4the weight of the movable core of .the transformer or other movable mass. of iron subject to changes in the magnetic condition of the transformer to keep the valve closed. v l

8 shows the valve casing or chamber hav- 'ing inserted at its bottom .the erforated plug-7 bored centrally and tapered) at its upper end Where it forms a valve seatfor a lock or other shaped piece 9 consisting pref- IOO erably of vulcanized rubber. The plug or.

tened by a washer'11 to the end offa head 13` carrying block 9. The valve chamber or casing is suitably supported by the depending arms or brackets 14 attached to the transformer body. The core or portion of the core 15 of said transformer is made mov- `able and comprises a bundle of wires or laminae and has4 the head 13 suitably fastened to it. The wei ht of the core assisted by the spring of the (Iiaphragm 10 normally keeps the valve closed. Leading from the valve chamber is a tube 16 which is preferably a flexible tube and is coupled' as shown to tube 6. Connected to the plug 7is a tube y17 which may be joined to a tank or cylinder ofthe gas used in the vacuum tube. Obviously the gas may pass in either direction, fi. e., from tube 17 to tube 16 or from tube 16 to tube 17 through the valve. In the latter case, the connections to the tank and tube ,will be'simply reversed.

' In the operation of the apparatus, the transformer supplies, through its high tension secondary', energy suitable for rendering the gaseous contents of tube 1 luminous, andso long as the adjusted tension of gas or air in the tube is maintained, the valve will lremain seated. As is well known, there is a 'critical tension or degree of vacuum in the tube at which the resistance to the passage of yelectric energy through the gas from one electrode to the other of the tube is at its lowest.

If thevacuum increased beyond this critical point, 'the resistance increases and the 'current falls. tube below the degree of vapor or gas tension at which the resistance and current change from a decreasing value of resistance and increasing value of current to an increasing value of resistance and decreasing value of current, but .for economy the degree of vacuum should be maintained as near as ossible to the point Where the resistance is least, ,though sufficiently below such point to avoid the vpossibilityof changes of tension extendlin Vover to the degree where the resistance wi l increase with an increase of the vacuum.

When then the tension orcondition within the tube changes so as to lower the resistancev to the passage of the alternating currents from the secondary through the tube, more energy is taken from the mains, the

`magnetic condition of .the transformer changes and an increased pull is exerted upon the core 15 sufficient to overcome the gra'vity of the same and the action of diaphragm 10 so thatv the valve will be momentarily and slightly o ened. This will permit a small amount o air or other gas to enter the tube 6 I or regulated quantities.

It is preferable to operate the and flow to the vacuum tube, thus restoring the gaseous tension or condition therein, whereupon the resistance Within the same will rise slightly and the valve will thereupon be permitted to close. By the repeated actions of the valve taking place as changes in the condition of the tube 1 require, a practically constant gaseous condition within the tube will be maintained through the feeding of the gas into the same inminute, adjusted As will be seen, my invention enables me to dispense with the use of separate regulating magnets independent of the transformer which is the arrangement described in another application for p atent filed by me, whereby I combine in one instrument both the means for supplying energy to` the tube and the means for regulating the tension of the gas to which lthe energy is supplied.

In the foregoin description and in the claims a pended, Ile term gas is to be understoo as includinl the aeriform condition of any, solid or liquic and commonly known as vapor.

The vcombination of a. vacuum4 tube, a

transformer and a valve controlling the feed in the magnetic condition of the transformer is not claimed herein as this organization of devices is claimed inmy co-pending applicationfor patent )Sled Feb. .7th, 1906, S. N. 299,885.

While I have referred herein to the use of a tank ,in connection with the valve and vacuum tube, the same organization isdescribed in my application for patent iled Apr. 2nd, 1906, S. N. 309,283 and therefore no claim is made thereto in thepresent appli.- cation.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination of a vacuum tube, a valve chamber closed by a spring diaphragm, a valve acted upon by said diaphragm in a direction to kee the valve closed and means responsive to c anges in the gaseous condi-y tion within the tube for lifting4 thevalve.-

2. The combination of a vacuum tube, a valve controlling the ksupply of a gas to said tube, a valve chamber closed by a spring diaphragm which is connected to the valve and tends to keep the same closed and a transformer supplying energy to the tube .and'having a movable core connected with the valve and adapted to open the'same by an increase in the magnetic pull on said core.

3. The combination of a vacuum tube, a valve controlling the supply of a gas to said tube, a valve chamber closed by a spring diaphragm tendin to keep the valve closed, 'a transformer an( means responsive to changes in the magnetic condition thereof for actuating the valve to open the same and admit gas to the tube.

' l1. The combination of a vacuum tube, a

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Signed at New York 'in the county of New York and State of New York this 22d day of January'A. D. 1906.

valve Controlling the supply ofy gas to said tube, a valve chamber, a. spring diaphragm closing the chamber and connected to the valve, and an actuating electro magnet oper- DANIEL MCFARLAN MOORE. 5 ating on the dialphragm and valve in response Witnesses:

to changes in t e electrical resistance of the C. F. TISCHNER,` Jr.,|

gas or vapor Within the v acuum tube. LILLIAN BLOND.

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