US1765636A - Electrical vacuum-tube structure - Google Patents

Description

June 24, 1930. L. SUTHERLIN 1,765,636

ELECTRICAL VACUUM TUBE STRUCTURE Filed Dec. 21, 19 23 ii A k i! g l9 I8 I WITNESSES: INVENTCJR W Lee Juffier/m Patented June 24, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LEE SUTHEBLIN, or EAST PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, Ass enoR To WESTING- HOUSE ELECTRIC &MANUFACTUBING' COMPANY, A CORPORATION or PENNSYL- vam ELECTRICAL vACUUM-TURE sTRUCTURR Application filed December 21, 1923. Serial Ito. 682,049.

This invention relates to vacuum-tube de- Vices of the kind used in connection with radio communication. More particularly stated, this invention relates to the supports for the electrodes of such devices.

It is an object of this invention to provide a structure, including the electrodes and their supports, which shall be less sensitive to mechanical disturbance than such structures have been heretofore.

It is a further object of this invention to mechanically connect the. upper ends of the several standards, whereby they may be made to reinforce one another and relative motion between them may be largely prevented.

It is a further object o this invention to provide an elastic holding means for the filament which shall keep it under tension and, at the same time, shall diminish its tendency to move relative to the other electrode.

Heretofore, the upper end of the filament has been held by a spring which is attached to a standard having one or more right-angle bends between the press and the corresponding end of such standard. If the tube is jarred, vibration of this standard will cause an undesirable motion of the upper end of the filament.

It has also been the practice, heretofore, to support the grid and the plate upon standards which are not mechanically connected to anything else above the press and so are free to vibrate.

The present invention, by mechanically connecting together the upper ends of the standards, materially diminishes the relative motion between the electrodes.

The spring for the filament, in one form of the present invention, is connected to the straight part of the standard which holds the upper end of the filament. The former practice of locating the right-angle bend in the standard near the press caused added flexibility which is avoided by the present arrangement.

In another form of the invention, the right-angle bend is still between the press and the spring, but, in this form, the spring is connected to the lower end of the filament,

near the press, where the motion introduced by vibration is necessarily small.

Other objects of the invention and details of the construction will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

gigure 1 illustrates one form of my device an Fig. 2, another form.

The device includes a press 1 in which the several standards are secured in the usual way. One of the standards 2 extends along the surface of the cylindrical anode 3, to which it is secured by spot-welding or in any other desired way. Another standard 4 is outside of the anode 3. This standard has secured thereto, a U-shaped supporting bar 5 which extends lengthwise within the anode 3 and supports the helical grid 6.

Both the standard 2 and the standard 4 are straight wires, parallel throughout their length, and they are secured against relative motion at their lower ends, by the press, and at their upper ends, by a bead 7 into which they are anchored.

Another standard 8, preferably at the other side of thepress from the standard 4., has two right-angle bends, near the top thereof, as shown at 9 and 10. The portion 12 above the bend'lO is parallel to the portion 8 and, therefore, parallel to the standards 2 and 4. This portion is anchored in the bead 7 so that the upper. end of the standard 8 is held against motion relative to the other elements. 1

The filament 13 is supplied, at each end,

with the usual connectors or terminal'members 14 and 15, by means of which it is conductively connected to the supports.

In Fig.1, the conductive connection is by means of a spring 16 secured to the u per terminal piece 14 and to the standar point slightly below the bend 9. The lower terminal piece 15, in this form, is directly connected to a lead or standard 17 in the press.

In the form illustrated in Fig. 2, the upper terminal member 14 is connected directly to the horizontal part of the standard 8. The standard 17, in this form, has twig right- Sata angle bends, as shown at 18 and 19, so that its top is ofiset from the line of the standard 17, which is also the line of the filament 13. From the offset top, a spring 21 extends to the lower terminal member 15.

The springs 16 and 21 are attached by spotwelding or in any other desired way.

The standard 17, because it extends but slightly above the press, cannot move relatively to the other standards, even though the whole structure is in mechanical vibration. The standards 2, 4. and 8, when the tube is in vibration, may move by the parts above the'press flexing, butthe mechanical connection afforded by the head 7 will keep their upper ends in a definite relative position, even though the standards vibrate. The right- angle bends 9 and 10 cannot add flexibility to the standard 8 because they are 'close to the point at which it is anchored in the bead 7. The standards 2 and 4, together with the bead 7, constitute a brace, tending to keep the upper end of the standard 8 still. The spring 16, because it is attached close to the bend 9, is at a point where any motion due to fiexure of the long straight portion of the standard swill be in phase a with the motion of the standards 2 and 4, thus preventing relative motion.

In the form illustrated in Fig. 2, the rightangle bends 18 and 19 in the standard 17 can introduce little flexibility because the bent parts are short and close to the press. The long straight portion of the standard 8 is held from motion by .the bracing afforded by the standards 2 and 4 and the bead 7. The right- angle bends 9 and 10 in this standard, will not cause any undesirable degree of motion in the terminal member 14 because they are close to the bead 7 and also because there is no spring between the terminal member 14 and the standard.

It is, therefore, evident that practically no motion of the filament relative to the grid, or of either of these elements relative to the plate, can take place, even when the tube is subjected to severe mechanical jar.

Although, I have illustrated but two specific forms of the I invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many other forms involving the same principles may be produced and that the details of construotion may be varied through a wide range without departing from the spirit of the invention. I do not intend, therefore, to be limited except as necessitated by the prior art or as indicated in the claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a vacuum tube, a vertical filament, a grid, and an anode, two standards respectively conductively connected to the two ends of said filament, a press in which said first standard joined to said anode, a second standard beside the first and in line with said filament, a third standard on the other side of said firststandard, means extending from said third standard for supporting the grid, "fourth standard on the side of the second standard opposite the first standard, said first, third and fourth standard extending above the top of the anode, an insulating body rigidly securing said three standards together, and conductive connections from the second and fourth standards, respectively, to the filament, one of said connections being aspring acting to hold the filament under tension.

3. In a vacuum tube, a press, an upright standard mounted in said press, a grid, a

grid-supporting means extending laterally from said standard, a plurality of standards mounted in said press spaced from said firstnamed standard in the direction in which said grid-supporting meansextends, a filament, filament-supporting means including a resilient member and laterally extending parts of said last-named standards, said filament-supporting means extending from the filament in the direction away from said firstnamed standard. 4. In a vacuum tube, a, press, electrodes including a linear filament, a standard mounted in said press in line with said filament, a rigid offset in said standard, a spring connection between said filament and said offset, and a structure comprising a plurality of standards rigidly joined-at each end for supporting the other electrodes from said press.

In testimony whereof. I have hereunto subscribed my name this 12th day of December, 1923.

LEE SUTHERLIN.

standards are supported and bracing means comprising two standards extending through

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