US1464322A - Radio receiving method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 7, 11923.. 1,464,322

' F. A. KOLSTER RADIO RECEIVING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed Nov. 26 1920 INVEN TOR.

4 A TTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 7, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK A. KOLSTER, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD T0 CORNELIUS D. EHRET, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

RADIO RECEIVING METHOD AND APPARATUS.

Application filed November 26, 1920. Serial No. 426,504.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, FREDERICK A. Kons'rnn, a citizen of the United States,.residing at Washington, District of Columbia, have invented new and useful Radio Receiving Methods and Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. My invention relates to a method of and apparatus for receiving signals represented in transmission by undamped elect'ro-radi- I ant energy waves.

In accordance with my invention, un-

damped signal waves are received and made audible in a telephone receiver or the like by employment of a source of fluctuating or alternating current of audible frequency, the telephone being coupled to the circuits of integrating, rectifying or equivalent detectors, the couplings and circuit'arrangements being such that when no signal is being received there is no response by the telephone, and when a signal isfreceived', energy from the source of fluctuating or alternating.

current affects the telephone receiver to duce an audible response.

My invention resides in the method and apparatus hereinafter described and claimed. For an illustration of some of the forms my invention may take, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig.1 is a diagrammatic view of receiv ing apparatus embodying my invention and suitable for carrying out my method.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of a modification.

Referring to Fig. 1, R is a receiving an tenna or other absorbing structure which, in the example illustrated, is connected to earth or counter-capacity E through the tuning inductance L and the primary P of an oscillation transformer whose secondary S is included in a circuit tuned by the variable condenser C. It is preferred that the secondary S, particularly when the detector structure is of the thermionic or audion type, shall have very high inductance so that the potentials of its opposite ends at any inmionic devices A and A are related to the opposite ends of the inductance or secondary S. I

The audion A comprises the plate or anode a, the grid 9 and the electron-emitting body or incandescent filament the latter traversed by current from t e battery 6, the magnitude of the filament current being adjustable by the variable resistance 0. The grid 9 is-connected through the grid condenser K with one terminal of the secondary S, a high resistance d connected to the grid g and filament 7 serving as a grid leak.

The parts of the audion A and associated connections are similar'to those described connection with'device A. One terminal of the grid 9? is connected through grid condenser K with the opposite terminal of the secondary S, and there may be employed a grid leak d.

of a transformer whose secondary is 8 The secondaries s and s are connected in series with each other and with the telephone receiver T'.

Common to the anode circuits of the audions is the secondary s of an audio frequency transformer in circuit with wh se' primary p is any suitable source S of fuctuating or alternating current of frequency equal to or corresponding with the fr quency of the note which it is desired shall be produced in the telephone T.

When. no signal is being received, the source S will cause impression upon the circuit of the telephone T of a current which would produce a response thereby if it were not for the fact that the couplings p, s and 0 8 produced, by suitable winding or mode of connection, equal and opposite effects upon the circuit of the telephone T. ccordingly, when no signal is being received, the source S has no effect upon the telephone T.

When, however, undamped signal waves are received, the circuit S C being attuned thereto, as well as the antenna circuit, op

osite ends of the inductance or secondary g will attain widely different potentials, the potential of the grid g rising, for example, while the potential of the grid g falls. The current in one anode circuit therefore greatly increases while the other greatly dimin-" ishes, and .accordingly the net effect of the couplings p, s and 71 s is no longer zero, and there is transferred to the circuit of the telephone T current which causes its re-- sponse evidenced by the production of a sound whose frequency is equal to or corresponds with the frequency of the current delivered by the source S In Fig. 2 the arrangement is substantially the same as that in Fig. 1, except that the anode circuits of the audions A and A are separate and distinct, and the source S is coupled to both anode circuits through the transformers 27, 25 In this case, however, the action is similar to that described in connection with Fig. 1 in that when no signal is being received there is no response by the telephone T, and when a signal is received, the telephone T produces a note whose frequency is equal to or corresponds with the frequency of the current delivered by the source S As well understood in the radio art, the received energy of radio frequency may be amplified, as by a plurality of stages of radio frequency thermionic amplifiers,whose output circuit is coupled to the above mentioned inductance or secondary S. Similarly, the coupling secondaries s and s 'may deliver to the input circuit of audio frequency amplifying apparatus, as a plurality of stages of audio frequency thermionic amplifiers, in whose output circuit the telephone T may be connected.

W hat I claim is:

1. The method of rendering undamped waves of radio frequency intelligible as signals of audio frequency independent of thefrequency of said waves, which consists in subjecting detector input circuits to the received energy, subjecting the output circuits to a source of current of audible frequency, and subjectin a. signal translating instrument to equal and opposite effects of said output circuits when no signal is received and to a current when a signal is received, of frequency independent of the frequency of the received waves and corresponding with the frequency of said source of current.

2. Apparatus for rendering undamped waves of radio frequency intelligible as signals of audio frequency independent of the frequency of said waves comprising a plurality of devices having input and output circuits, means for subjecting the input circuits to the received energy, a signal translating instrument having equal and opposite couplings to the output circuits when no signal is received, and a source of current of audiblefrequency associated with the output circuits. I

3. Apparatus for rendering undamped waves of radio frequency intelligible as signals of audio frequency independent of the frequency of said waves comprising a plurality of thermionic devices each comprising an anode, cathode and grid, means for changing the. potentials of said grids in opposite senses by received energy, a signal translating instrument, a coupling between the same and each of the anode circuits, and a source of current of audible frequency associated with the anode circuits, said couplings producing equal and opposite effects upon said signal translating instrument when no signal is received and effecting in the circuit of said signal translating instrument when a signal is received a current of frequency independent of the frequency of said waves and corresponding with the frequency of said source.

4. Apparatus for rendering undamped waves of radio frequency intelligible as signals of audio frequency independent of the frequency of said Waves comprising a plurality of thermionic devices each comprising an anode, cathode and grid, means for changing the potentials of said grids in opposite senses by received energy, a signal translating instrument, a coupling between the same and each of the anode circuits, and

a source of current of audible frequency associated with the anode circuits, said couplings producing equal and opposite effects upon said signal translating instrument when no signal is received and effecting in the circuit of said signal translating instrument when a signal is received a current of frequency independent of the frequency of said waves and corresponding with the frequency of said source, said anode circuits being in part in common.

5. Apparatus for rendering" undamped waves of radio frequency intelligible as sig nals of audio frequency independent of the frequency of said waves comprising aplu v rality of thermionic devices each comprising an anode, cathode and grid, atuned circuit comprising inductance and capacity, the inductance of said circuit being relatively large with respect to the capacity, connections from said grids to opposite terminals of said inductance, a signal translating instrument, couplings between the same and neeegeee the anode circuits of seioi thermionic devices, and e souroe of current of audible frequency associated With said thermionic devices, said couplingsproducing equal and 5 opposite effects upon seid signel rrenslsrt ing instrument when no signal is received and producing thereln when a signal is reof the frequent:

oeived a, current of frequency independent of said Waves and correspending with i; e frequency of said source.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature this 26th day of November, 1920.

FREDERICK A. KULSTER.

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