US1579894A - Oscillation generator - Google Patents

Description

April 6 1926. 1,579,894

H. C. SNOOK OSCILLATION GENERATOR Filed May 31, 1922 Wren/0r: flame/- 675/7004 UNITED STATES Patented Apr.

' PATENT OFFICE.

HOMER C. SNOOK, OF SOUTH ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, 013 NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

OSOILLATION GENERATOR.

Application filed May 31, 1922. Serial- No. 564,844.

. 1'0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOMER C. SNOOK, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at South Orange, in the county of Es sex and State of New Jersey, certain new and useful Improvements in Oscillation Generators, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exactqdescription.

This invention relates to a method of and means for producing electric oscillations by means of an electric discharge device having a divided space current path. V

The present invention is directed to the use of an electric discharge device having a heated cathode or electron emitter and an anode composed of a plurality of independent members. The electron emitter is connected through a source 01 electric energy to the mid-point of a coil, one terminal of which is connected to one-half of the said or an unbalanced condition occur anode members and the other terminal of which is connected to the other half of the anode members. A tuned circuit is associated with said coil. Under normal conditions the current supplied by the space source will divide at the mid-point of the coil and the number of electrons flowing from the heated cathode to each set of anode members will be equal. However, should a disturance in the tuned circuit associated with the coil, an alternating E. M. F. will be impressed upon the coil and disturb the balance whereby the positive potential of one set of anode members will be increased and that of the other decreased in which case a greater set-will be number of electrons will flow to one set of anode members than to the other set. The two sets of anode members are arranged sufliciently close to each other that the more negative condition of one set causes it to act as a control or deflecting electrode, with respect to the other, set thereby magnifying the eflcct produced by the original disturbance. An increase in the amplitude of the oscillations set up in the tuned circuit will result, and produce an increase in the unbalanced effect in the respective discharge paths within the. device, until eventually oscillations of a definite amplitude are generatcd in the tuned circuit.

One object of this invention is the provision of a simple and convenient arrangehave invented.

ment whereby sustained oscillations may be produced from a direct current source. Another object is to provide an arrangement in whiclrthe space potentials impressedupon a plurality of anodes within an electric discharge device may be cyclically varied to control the supply of energy to a frequency determining means associated with the device, whereby sustained oscillations may be generated.

For a complete understanding of the invention and the operation of its several parts, reference may be made to the following description taken in conjunction with the attached drawing in which Fig. 1 shows one apparatus for practicing the invention and Fig. 2 illustrates a slightly different form of electric discharge device which may be substituted for that shown in Fig. 1.

Referring now to Fig. 1 there is shown an electric discharge device comprising an evacuated vessel 1, a cathode 2 and an anode having two closely positioned portions 3 and 4. A source 5 supplies heating current to the cathode or filament 2. The cathode is connected to the anode by a circuit including the space current source 6 and a coil 7 to the mid-point of which the source 6 is connected, while its terminals are connected to the anode portions 3 and 4.

Coupled to the coil 7 is a coil 8 shunted by a con-denser 9 to constitute a tuned circuit, the period of which may be varied by adjusting either the coil 8, condenser 9 or both. The variability of these elements is represented by the arrows applied to them. Coupled to the coil 8 is a coil 10 which may be connected to a load circuit.

Normally the electrons emitted by the cathode 2 will be discharged to the anodes 3 and 4: under the influence of the potential supplied by the source 6 and, since the voltage impressed upon these portions is the same, an equal number of electrons will flow to each. Any change in the voltages impressed upon the anodes 3 and 4 with respect to each other will alter the potentials of their respective circuits relatively to the cathode 2 and hence a larger number of electrons will flow to one anode portion and a lesser number to the other. This will result in a change of current flow through the coil 7 which by virtue of the coupling be.- tween the coils 7 and 8 will be transferred field of the other toward the cathodewhereby each of these electrodes alternately acts as a control or deflecting electrode with respect to the other, thereby magnifying the effect produced by a change in the voltages impressed thereon.

In passing it may be noted that the E. M.

F. produced in the tuned circuit 8--9 by reaction from the coil 7 may be expressed as dI 6=ka where k is a function of a number of factors including the voltage of the battery 6, the geometry of the intra-electrode space, the number of turns in the coil 7, the temperature of the filament 2, the mutual inductance between the coils 7 and 8 and the character of the filament 2.

Referring to Fig. 2 there is shown an electric discharge device comprising an evacuated vessel 11, an electron emitter or cathode 12 and a subdivided anode consisting of a plurality of alternate sections 13 and 14. This device may be substituted for that shown in Fig. 1, the source 5 being connected to the leads 15 and the coil 7 to the leads 16. This design of discharge device is more sensitive than that described with reference to Fig. 1 due to the more intimate association of the sections of the anode. As described above the E. M. F. produced in the tuned circuit 89 by reaction from the coil 7 is dependent upon, among other things, the factor k.

which in turn is a function of the geometry of the intra-electrode space. By employing the anode construction shown in Fig. 2 the factor k is increased, and hence a smaller potential change will produce the same current change in a given length of time than is possible with the device of Fig. 1.

While in the drawing the anodes are shown as flat plates it will be apparent that they may be cylinders surrounding the oathode or a plurality of fiat or curvilinear sections one on each side of the cathode and electrically connectedtogether to constitute a single electrode.

In the preceding description one arrangement for practicing the present-invention has been set forth completely and clearly to disclose the principles involved in its operation. Obviously, this invention is not limited to the arrangement and specfic details described, but only by the scope of the attached claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An oscillation generator comprising a pure electron discharge device having a cathode, a plurality of anodes, means for establishing an electron stream from said cathode to each anode and means coupled to said anodes for varying the potentials impressed thereon, said anodes being so arranged with respect to each other that the one having the more negative potential acts asha control electrode with respect to the ot er.

2. An oscillation generator comprising a pure electron discharge device having a cathode, a plural part anode, .means for impressing a difference in potential between said cathode and anode to establish electron streams between said cathode and said anode parts and means for varying the potentials applied to said anode parts, said anode parts being so closely arranged that the field of each modifies the resultant electric field of the other toward the cathode.

3. An oscillation generator comprising a pure electron discharge device having a cathode, a plurality of anodes, a coil having its terminals connected to different anodes, a source of space current connected to the mid-point of said coil and to said cathode, and a frequency determining means coupled to said coil to supply an alternating potential to said anodes, said anodes beingso arranged with respect to each other that each alternately acts as a control electrode with respect to the other.

4. A method of generating electrical oscillations by means of an arrangement including a pure electron discharge device having a cathode and a pluraligy of closely arranged anodes, said metho comprising establishing electron streams from said cathode D said anodes, alternately varying the pote .tials of said anodes in response to an oscillating current and utilizing the electric field of eachanode to modify the resultant field of the other toward the cathode.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 29th day of May A. D., 1922.

Images