US2004585A - Gaseous electric discharge device - Google Patents

Description

June 11, 1935. M. PIRANI ET AL 2,004,585

GASEOUS ELECTRIC DISCHARGE DEVICE Filed April 4, 1932 I l 9 1s 16 18 10 INVENTORS ATTORNEY Patented June 11, 1935 GASEOUS ELECTRIG DISC Marcello lPirani, Berlin-Wilmersdorf, Hans Ewest,

. Berlin, and Georg Gaidies, Berlin-Pankow,

Germany, assignors to General Electric Gomn'any, a corporation of New York Application April 4, 1932, Serial No. scares In Germany April 15, 1931 It is now known in the art that the starting of aseous electric discharge devices is facilitated by the arrangement of an auxiliary electrode in the region of the main discharge supporting electrodein such manner that an electric discharge takes place between them which ionizes the gaseous filling to facilitate the starting of the main discharge in the device. The object of the present invention is to make the starting of gaseous electric discharge devices equipped with auxiliary electrodes more positive and quicker than has been the case heretofore. Still further objects and advantages attaching to the invention and to its use and operation will be apparent to those skilled inithe art from the following particular description and from the appended claims.

In accordance with this object the invention comprises, in one embodiment thereof, one or more electrically conducting members in the container of an electric discharge device extending along the discharge path between the main discharge supporting electrodes. One end of each of said members is at a distance from one 30 of said electrodes equal to, or, preferably, less than the striking distance of the potential applied to said device. The striking distance is here defined as the maximum distance at which an electric discharge will strike between two discharge supporting bodies at a given potential. Each of said members is connected through a resistance to the main discharge supporting electrode opposite that to which it is in close proximity; the electrically conducting members thus act as auxiliary electrodes. Said members are arranged inphysically parallel relation with respect to each other and are separated a distance less than the striking distance of the potential applied thereto. When current of suitable potential is applied to theterminals of the device three discharges are struck one between each of the main discharge supporting electrodes and the end of the auxiliary electrode .in close proximity thereto and one between the auxiliary electrodes themselves so that a multiplicity of discharges occur along the length of the discharge path between the main discharge supporting electrodes to cause a quick and heavy ionization of the gaseous filling in the. container electrical conductors. named conductor are at a like distance from said of the device and the device is started into operation positively and quickly.

In another embodiment of the invention theelectrical conductors extend only part way along the discharge path and another electrical con- 5; ductor is arranged parallel thereto and at a distance therefrom less than the striking distance of the potential applied to said'first mentioned The ends of said'second electrodes. Said last named electrical conductor is not connected into the circuit. In this embodiment four auxiliary discharges are struck along the discharge path between said main discharge supporting electrodes, one between each of said main electrodes and said second named discharge electricalconductor and one between each of said first named conductors and said. second named conductor. This embodiment of the invention is used with greater poten- 2o tials than the embodiment described above.

In the drawing accompanying and forming part of this specification two embodiments ofthe invention are illustrated in which Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of one embodiment of the new and novel gaseous electric discharge device, the circuit therefore being shown schematically and Fig. 2 is a similar view of another embodiment of the invention.

Like numbers denote like parts in both figures.

Referring to Fig. 1 the new and novel electric discharge device comprises a container i filled with the usual discharge conducting atmosphere such as gases, gas mixtures, vapors, or a gas vapor mixture, said atmosphere is, for example, neon. Electrodes 3 are provided at each end of said container l, and the in-leads 5 thereof are sealed into pinch-parts d of stems 2. Said inleads 5 are connected to the terminals l' of an .40 alternating current source of 110 or 220 volts usual in commerce, by leads 6. The usual ballast resistance 8 is connected into one of the leads 6.

Two conducting members 9 and iii arcsealed in said pinch parts 4 at opposite ends of the container i, said members extend along the discharge path'between said electrodes 3 and the interior end of each of said members 9 and it are at a distance from one of said electrodes 3 less than the striking distance of the potential applied 5 to the device. Said members 9 and i0 are arranged in parallel positions in said container l-= and the distance between'them is less than" the striking distance of the potential applied thereto.

Each of said conducting members 9 and l 0 is con- 5 nected with one of the electrodes 3through a resistance II or I2 respectively. Said members 9 and II] are supported in said container I by glass to support wires 14, said support wires I4 being fused into the glass walls of said container I.

Upon the application of current to the terminals of the device three glow discharges are struck along the main discharge path, one between-each of the electrodes 3 and the end of the respective'conducting members Bor III 'in close proximity thereto and one between-the electrical conducting members 9 and ,III. The main discharge path is then occupied by a plurality of glow discharges which cause a prolific emission of electrons and ions to ionize the gaseous filling. When the gaseous filling is sufficiently ionized, which takesplace in a fraction of a minute, the main arc discharge is struck between the main electrodes 3.

The main electrodes 3, when desired, are of the self-heating sintered, pressedQmixture ofelectron emitting material and high melting point metal type disclosed in co-pending application Serial No. 377,044, filed July 9, 1929, the inventors being Marcello Pirani and Hans Ewest. A special heating means is used when desired. Or, when.

desired-said electrodes are of the type disclosed in co-pending application Serial No. 447,051, filed April 24, 1930, the inventors being Georg Gaidies and Marcello Pirani. I

The embodiment of the'invention shown in Fig. 2 is inall respects similar to that shown in Fig. 1 except that conductors 9 and III are in linear relation, the ends thereof being separated a greater distance than the striking distance of the potential applied thereto and a third conducting member I6 is arranged insaid container I parallel to said members 9 and I0 and at a distance less than the striking distance of the potential applied to said conductors 9 nd Ill.- The respective ends of conductor I6 areat a distance from said electrodes 3 less than the striking distance of the potential. applied thereto. Said conducting member I6 is not connected into the circuit. Said members 9, III and I6 are supported in said container I by glass beads I1 and metal supports I8 and the ends of said member I6 overlap the ends of said members 9' and I0.

When current is applied to the terminals of the device four glow discharges are struck, one between each of the members 9 and I0 and the member I6, and one between each of the respective ends of said member I6 and each of the electrodes 3; Thus in this embodiment the main discharge path is more quickly and heavily ionized than in theembodiment shown in Fig. 1 due to the greater number of discharges and the electric discharge device is started into operation with greater facility. Further, due to the striking of four glow discharges during the starting operation a higher potential may be used in conjunc tion with this embodiment of the invention, for example, an operating potential 01300 volts is use when desired. When desired a still higher voltage than 300 volts is applied to the electric discharge device and in this case member l6is those ends in close proximity to electrodes 3. beads I3 fused to said conductors 9-and I0 and While we have shown and described particular stood of course that various substitutions, omissions and changes, in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its use and operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the invention, for example, said members9, I U and I6, are, when desired, coated with electron emitting material.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:-

1. An electric discharge device comprising a container, electrodes sealed therein, a gaseous atmosphere therein, and at least one continuous electrically conducting member extending along the discharge path between-said electrodes and coextensive with said path, said member being connected through a resistance with one of said electrodes, the end or said member being located at a distance from the elect-rode opposite that I to which is connected less than the striking discally conducting members extending along the discharge path between said electrodes and in parallel positions, each of said members being connected through a resistance with one of said electrodes, one end of each of said members being adjacent one of said electrodes opposite that to which said member is connected, the distance between said ends and saidelectrodes and the distancebetween said members being less than' the striking distance of the potential applied to said device. v r

3. An electric discharge: device comprising a container, electrodes sealed therein, a gaseous atmosphere therein, and a plurality of electrically conducting members extending along the discharge path between said electrodes, two of said members being mounted substantially inthe same line and one of said members being parallel thereto, each of said first named members being 0011- nected through a resistance with one of said electrodes, the distance between said first named members and said second named member, and the distance between the respective ends of said second named member and said electrodes being less than the striking distance applied to said device.

4. An electric discharge device comprising a of the potential container, main discharge supporting electrodes I sealed therein, a gaseous atmosphere sealed therein, and auxiliary electrodes sealed therein, said auxiliary electrodes extending along the discharge path between said main discharge supporting electrodes, the ends of said auxiliary electrodes overlapping along said path.

MARCEILO PlIRANI. HANS EWEST. GEORG GAIDIES.

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