GB820067A - Improvements relating to electrical discharge devices and supports therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

820,067. Electric discharge tubes. GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. Oct. 21, 1955 [Oct. 22, 1954], No. 30121/55. Class 39(1). [Also in Group XXXVI] In an electric discharge tube and socket assembly, the tube envelope comprises alternate conducting and insulating annuli bonded together ; the conductive annuli, which have a smaller external diameter than the insulating annuli, act as electrode terminals, and engage each in a respective connector in the socket. The bonding process may be as described in Specifications 813,829 [Group XXXVI] and 820,066. The conductive parts may be of metals such as titanium, zirconium, hafnium, or thorium, which have a gettering effect. In the tube of Fig. 8, the metal envelope parts 63, 66, 69 act as respective terminals for electrodes 62, 65, 68. The cathode 71, which is of the type described in Specifications 820,065 and 820,068 [Group XXXVI] is connected to annulus 72 by a conducting film on the ceramic ring 70. The tube fits bodily into the socket as shown in Fig. 1. The socket comprises a number of metal plates 20, 21, 22, 23, preferably of sheet spring brass. These have respective U-shaped openings 29, 30, 31, 32 which grip the metal envelope parts 34, 35, 36, 37, and the plates are loosely retained in an insulating base 24, 25, 26. The U-shaped openings may have a narrowed entrance, to give a locking action on the tube. The plates may be extended away from the tube as parallel tuned lines, forming a unitary oscillator or tuned circuit structure. The grid plate 21 may be enlarged to act as a shield for grounded grid operation. Some of the metal rings may be of different sizes, with U-shaped plate openings to correspond, so that the tube cannot be incorrectly inserted.