US2252645A - Apparatus for producing constant current - Google Patents

Apparatus for producing constant current Download PDF

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Publication number
US2252645A
US2252645A US271580A US27158039A US2252645A US 2252645 A US2252645 A US 2252645A US 271580 A US271580 A US 271580A US 27158039 A US27158039 A US 27158039A US 2252645 A US2252645 A US 2252645A
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Prior art keywords
tube
current
coil
circuit
cathode
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US271580A
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Rougvie James Ferguson
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AT&T Corp
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American Telephone and Telegraph Co Inc
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Priority to US271580A priority Critical patent/US2252645A/en
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    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04MTELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M19/00Current supply arrangements for telephone systems
    • H04M19/001Current supply source at the exchanger providing current to substations
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01JELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J17/00Gas-filled discharge tubes with solid cathode
    • H01J17/02Details
    • H01J17/14Magnetic means for controlling the discharge

Definitions

  • the load circuit may,
  • One of the objects of this invention is, therefore, to obtain a substantiallyconstant direct current from a gas tube circuit connected to a source of potential supplying direct current to a load circuit of varying impedance. This is accomplished by surrounding the tube with an electromagnet through the winding of which flows the current to be controlled.
  • the grid electrode G: of the tube V is also maintained at a positive potential with respect to the cathode K by means of a battery Ba, the grid electrode G2 being connected to the cathode by a circuit including a meter M2 in addition to the, battery B3.
  • the anode P of the tube V is connected to the cathode K by means of a circuit including a coil L, a load circuit or resistor R1, a meter Ma and a battery B4, all arranged in series relationship.
  • a resistor R2 may, if desired, be comiectedjn shunt with the coil L. l
  • the coil L is represented schematically in Fig. 1 immediately above the gas tube V, but this coil may be wound in the form of a toroid or doughnut about the envelope enclosing the electrodes of the tube.
  • the axis of the coil will coincide with the vertical axis of the tube.
  • the coil L is shown in Fig. 2 positioned about the envelope of the tube V, but cut away in part so as to illustrate that it is located closely adjacent to the envelope of the tube and about its electrodes, the axis of the coil being coincident with the vertical axis of tube V.
  • the gas discharge tube V may be, for example, of the RK-lOO type, but other gas tube structures having coacting magnetic fields may beemployed in the practice of this invention to obtain a substantially constant direct current under varying conditions of load.
  • the coil L may be composed of a plurality of turns of copper wire of smaller diameter, if desired, thereby dispensing with the use of any shunt resistor such as R2.
  • the anode current as measured by the meter 1% varied from between 43 to 50 milliamperes.
  • the current flowing in the circuit of the grid (32, as measured by meter M2, varied between 150 and 350 -milliamperes.
  • the circuit may be connected, for example, to any one of a plurality of telephone loop circuits of considerably different impedances without introducing any substantial change in the current flow therethrough.
  • Apparatus for supplying substantially constant direct current to a device having an impedance which may be varied over a large range comprising a gas discharge tube including an anode, a cathode and two grid electrodes, a toroidal electromagnetic coil in close proximity to but outside the envelope of the tube and having its axis coincident with the axis of the envelope, said coil impressing a magnetic field upon all or the electrodes of the tube, a source of voltage connected in series with the coil and the anode and cathode electrodes of the tube as well as with said device, and means for applying predetermined positive voltages to said grid electrodes with respect to said cathode.
  • a gas discharge tube having a plurality of electrodes including an anode, two grid electrodes, and a cathode, a source of potential, a variable impedance device, means for continuously applying predetermined positive potentials to said grid electrodes, means for transmitting substantially constant direct current from said source through the anode and cathode path of said tube and through said impedance device, said latter means comprisin a toroidal electromagnet the axis of which coincides with the axis of the tube, said electromagnet being positioned in close proximity to but outside the envelope of the tube, the coil of said electromagnet being connected between said source and said device, the magnetic component of said electromagnet being coaxial with the axis of the tube.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Physical Or Chemical Processes And Apparatus (AREA)

Description

Aug. 12, 1941. J RQUGVIE 2,252,645
APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CONSTANT CURRENT Filed May is, 1959 INVENTOR I Bowyve BY ATTORNEY tube devices employed cult. The load circuit may,
a the invention given Patented'Aug. 12, 1941 James Ferguson Bougvie, Belmont, Mass., as.-
slgnor C mp a to American Telephone and Telegraph corporation of New York Application May 3, 1939, Serial No. 271,580
This invention relates to gas discharge tube devices and to circuits therefor. More particularly, this invention relates to gas discharge tubes which are positioned within magnetic fields, as well as to circuits utilizing the features of such devices. Still more particularly, this invention relates to magnetically controlled gas discharge for the production of substantially constant currents.
In my copending application, Serial No. 271,579, filed of even date, there is shown and described one form of gas discharge tube device which is arranged for the production of rectified current of substantially constant amplitude to be supplied to a load circuit attached thereto. The control of the rectified current is obtained-by applying to the grid electrode of the gas discharge device a voltage which varies in accordance with changes in impedance in the attached load cirfor example, be any one of a plurality of different telephone loop circuits having widely varying impedances, but the direct current supplied to all of these loop circuits will be substantially the same.
The present application discloses a gas-filled tube which, however, does not act as a rectifier of alternating current. The electrodes of the tube are surrounded by an annular electromagnet having its axis concentric with that of the tube. The electromagnet is supplied with current which is the same as. that supplied to the attached load circuit. The magnetic field acts to maintain the current flow through the circuit substantially constant and practically independent of variations in the impedance of the load circuit.
One of the objects of this invention is, therefore, to obtain a substantiallyconstant direct current from a gas tube circuit connected to a source of potential supplying direct current to a load circuit of varying impedance. This is accomplished by surrounding the tube with an electromagnet through the winding of which flows the current to be controlled. v
This object as well as further features of this invention will be better understood from thedetailed description hereinafter following when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 represents one embodiment of merely for the purpose of illustration, and Fig. 2 illustrates in perspective a portion of the electromagnetically controlled gas discharge tube which is an essential part of this invention.
Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawin the refer- 'ence character V designates a gas discharge tube comprising a plate or anode P, two grid electrodes G1 and Ga, a cathode K and a heater H. The heater H is supplied with the necessary heating current by means of a; battery B1. The grid G1 is maintained at a positive potential with respect' to the cathode K by means of a battery 32, the circuit interconnecting the grid G1 with the cathode K including, in addition to the battery B2, a meter M1. The grid electrode G: of the tube V is also maintained at a positive potential with respect to the cathode K by means of a battery Ba, the grid electrode G2 being connected to the cathode by a circuit including a meter M2 in addition to the, battery B3. The anode P of the tube V is connected to the cathode K by means of a circuit including a coil L, a load circuit or resistor R1, a meter Ma and a battery B4, all arranged in series relationship. A resistor R2 may, if desired, be comiectedjn shunt with the coil L. l
The coil L is represented schematically in Fig. 1 immediately above the gas tube V, but this coil may be wound in the form of a toroid or doughnut about the envelope enclosing the electrodes of the tube. The axis of the coil will coincide with the vertical axis of the tube. The coil L is shown in Fig. 2 positioned about the envelope of the tube V, but cut away in part so as to illustrate that it is located closely adjacent to the envelope of the tube and about its electrodes, the axis of the coil being coincident with the vertical axis of tube V.
The resistor R1 of Fig. 1 may be any device or circuit having an impedance which may vary I from zero or from some negligible value to a very large value. A telephone loop circuit is one suitable form of impedance device, such a circuit or device being shown and described in the copending application above referred to. The object of the invention is, in the circuit arrangement of the copending application, to provide an apparatus for producing direct current of substantially constant magnitude which maybe utilized, for example, for supplying telephone loop circuits with direct current required for telephone purposes, a constant direct current being essential for efficient telephone communication.
The gas discharge tube V may be, for example, of the RK-lOO type, but other gas tube structures having coacting magnetic fields may beemployed in the practice of this invention to obtain a substantially constant direct current under varying conditions of load. The coil L may be composed of a plurality of turns of copper wire of smaller diameter, if desired, thereby dispensing with the use of any shunt resistor such as R2.
In one installation in which the circuit of Fig. 1 was employed the batteries 3:, Ba and B4 had terminal voltages of approximately 13, 3 and 330 volts, respectively. The coil L, which was positioned coaxially about the envelope of the tube V and in proximity to the enclosed electrodes, was composed of approximately 13,200 turns of small gauge copper wire having a resistance approximately 2,524 ohms. The coil L was about two inches long, and had an external diameter of 3% inches and an internal diameter of 2% inches. The'shunting resistor R: was of approximately 818 ohms. The current as measured by the meter M1 was about 50 miliamperes. The current flowing through the meter M: varied in accordance with the resistance in the load device R1. As the load device R1 was changed from a zero resistance to a value of approximately 1,600 ohms, the anode current as measured by the meter 1% varied from between 43 to 50 milliamperes. The current flowing in the circuit of the grid (32, as measured by meter M2, varied between 150 and 350 -milliamperes.
The extremely small variation of anode current above noted, with wide variations in the load impedance R1, is of considerable importance in telephone installations where it is desired to obtain a highly constant direct current. As already stated, the circuit may be connected, for example, to any one of a plurality of telephone loop circuits of considerably different impedances without introducing any substantial change in the current flow therethrough.
It will be understood that the tube referred to and the constants of the various circuit elementshave been given merely for the purpose of illustration. They are not to be construed as limitations upon the invention. It will be understood also that if a larger current is required for use in the load circuit device R1 (or in apparatus or circuits attached thereto), the increased current may be obtained by employing a coil L of lower resistance and otherwise proportioning it to give optimum efiects.
The maintenance of a substantially constant flow of direct current in the anode circuit was attested by the observations already referred to hereinabove. The control of the constancy of the current by the location and geometry or the electromagnet coil L was also determined from the fact that as the coil L was moved further and further away from the envelope of the tube V, the anode current variations were substantially wider, and hence lacked the constancy required for telephone uses. Such currents are of practically no utility for the purposes specified.
While this invention has been shown and described in certain particular arrangements merely for the purpose of illustration, it will be understood that the general principles of this invention may be applied to other and widely varied organizations without departing from the spirit oi. the invention and the scope of the appended claims.
What is claimed is:
1. Apparatus for supplying substantially constant direct current to a device having an impedance which may be varied over a large range, comprising a gas discharge tube including an anode, a cathode and two grid electrodes, a toroidal electromagnetic coil in close proximity to but outside the envelope of the tube and having its axis coincident with the axis of the envelope, said coil impressing a magnetic field upon all or the electrodes of the tube, a source of voltage connected in series with the coil and the anode and cathode electrodes of the tube as well as with said device, and means for applying predetermined positive voltages to said grid electrodes with respect to said cathode.
2. The combination of a gas discharge tube having a plurality of electrodes including an anode, two grid electrodes, and a cathode, a source of potential, a variable impedance device, means for continuously applying predetermined positive potentials to said grid electrodes, means for transmitting substantially constant direct current from said source through the anode and cathode path of said tube and through said impedance device, said latter means comprisin a toroidal electromagnet the axis of which coincides with the axis of the tube, said electromagnet being positioned in close proximity to but outside the envelope of the tube, the coil of said electromagnet being connected between said source and said device, the magnetic component of said electromagnet being coaxial with the axis of the tube.
JAMES FERGUSON ROUGVIE.
US271580A 1939-05-03 1939-05-03 Apparatus for producing constant current Expired - Lifetime US2252645A (en)

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Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2434517A (en) * 1944-05-11 1948-01-13 Westinghouse Electric Corp Method of activating cathodes
US2499443A (en) * 1946-07-27 1950-03-07 Fed Telecomm Lab Inc Wide range amplifier
US2745970A (en) * 1952-01-04 1956-05-15 Schlumberger Well Surv Corp Radioactivity detector
US3327127A (en) * 1964-01-28 1967-06-20 Robert E Pechacek Current control circuit
WO2024107876A3 (en) * 2022-11-15 2024-06-27 Virtus Industries, Inc. Heat exchanger tube with high heat transfer and low pressure drop

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2434517A (en) * 1944-05-11 1948-01-13 Westinghouse Electric Corp Method of activating cathodes
US2499443A (en) * 1946-07-27 1950-03-07 Fed Telecomm Lab Inc Wide range amplifier
US2745970A (en) * 1952-01-04 1956-05-15 Schlumberger Well Surv Corp Radioactivity detector
US3327127A (en) * 1964-01-28 1967-06-20 Robert E Pechacek Current control circuit
WO2024107876A3 (en) * 2022-11-15 2024-06-27 Virtus Industries, Inc. Heat exchanger tube with high heat transfer and low pressure drop

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