US2078112A

US2078112A - Vacuum relay

Info

Publication number: US2078112A
Application number: US44470A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wologdin Valentin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1934-04-20
Filing date: 1935-10-10
Publication date: 1937-04-20
Anticipated expiration: 1954-04-20
Also published as: GB447578A; FR800420A

Description

April 2U, 1937. VWOLQGDIN VACUUM RELAY Filed 001'). l0, 1955 IlllL the formation of space charges.

Patented Apr. 20, 1937 PATENT OFFICE VACUUM RELAY Valentin Wologdin, Leningrad, Union of Socialist Soviet Republics Application October 10, 1935, Serial No. 44,470. In Union of Socialist Soviet Republics April 20,

1 Claim.

In known electronic valves or relays the transfer of the current is effected by means of electrons.

This fact involves many inconveniences due to Among these inconveniences may be mentioned the considerable resistance of a cathodic tube so that it is necessary to operate at high potential differences; for the same reason it is diicult to construct a tube for large outputs and to provide for the conducting away of heat, and the like. Moreover, the eiiciency of the installation in which a cathodic tube is employed, at low tensions and with a good utilization of the device,

cannot be made sufficiently high; for that reason such tubes are not used in heavy currents practice.

For compensating the space charges created by the electrons attempts have been made to use for this purpose the heavy positive ions of mercury or of some noble gases. These attempts gave as their result the ionic tubes, which are, however, used in very narrow limits on account of the unfavorable properties of the heavy ions which act in a destructive manner when they strike against the electrodes, although this method is quite efficient as regards the reduction of the Voltage drop in the tube.

The object of this invention is to realize the 0 compensation of the space charges created by the electrons in such a manner that all advantageous consequences of this compensation are obtained without those undesirable conditions which make the use of positive ions inconvenient in prac- The compensation of the space charges according to the invention is effected by means of the positrons.

For this purpose in a vacuum discharge tube, in which the cathode produces the emission of 40 negative electrons (as is usual in such devices),

the anode is not made passive as regards the emission but is capable of emitting positrons which have the same charge and mass as the electron but with the opposite sign of the charge.

In this case when there exists a potential difference between the anode and cathode, and when the anode has thepositive sign, a current will result which will be formed owing to the movement of the electrons from the cathode to- 50 wards the anode, and at the same time there will exist a current in the same direction owing to the movement of the positrons from the anode towards the cathode. Thus in the space between (Cl. Z50-27.5)

by bombarding the anode with thorium emanations.

As the result of the application of this invention it is possible to reduce the potential drop in the tube to a quite small value, thus permitting to increase the output of each unit up to very great values, and since the efficiency of the systems provided with this tube will be high even at low voltages, it will be possible to use the tubes with positrons also in heavy current practice.

As regards the constructional characteristics, it is possible to provide for the control of the current, besides the grid at the cathode, a further grid at the anode which will influence the positively charged positrons.

In the accompanying drawing is diagrammatically shown by way of example a form of embodiment of the discharge vacuum tube according to the invention.

In the drawing I designates the glass bulb of the tube, Z-the incandescent cathode, 3the grid for the control of electrons emitted by the cathode, ll-the grid for the control of positrons emitted by the anode, 5-the anode, which emits the positrons, G-the material for bombarding the anode in order to stimulate the emission of positrons by the anode.

Besides the described effect it is possible also to utilize the presence of the positrons for influencing other parameters of the cathodic tube required by the working conditions, such as the steepness of the characteristic curve, the amplication factor and the like.

I claim:

A vacuum electric discharge tube comprising a cathode for producing electronic emission, a grid which controls said electronic emission, and an anode which emits positrons and a grid for the control of positrons, whereby the space charges created by the negative electrons are partially or wholly compensated by positrons emitted from the anode.

VALENTIN WOLOGDIN.