US2479164A - Electric glow discharge lamp - Google Patents

Electric glow discharge lamp Download PDF

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Publication number
US2479164A
US2479164A US726603A US72660347A US2479164A US 2479164 A US2479164 A US 2479164A US 726603 A US726603 A US 726603A US 72660347 A US72660347 A US 72660347A US 2479164 A US2479164 A US 2479164A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
lamp
cathode
anodes
discharge lamp
glow discharge
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US726603A
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English (en)
Inventor
George E Inman
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
General Electric Co
Original Assignee
General Electric Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority to FR961959D priority Critical patent/FR961959A/fr
Application filed by General Electric Co filed Critical General Electric Co
Priority to US726603A priority patent/US2479164A/en
Priority to GB3287/48A priority patent/GB644409A/en
Priority to ES0182063A priority patent/ES182063A1/es
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US2479164A publication Critical patent/US2479164A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J61/00—Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
    • H01J61/02—Details
    • H01J61/04—Electrodes; Screens; Shields
    • H01J61/06—Main electrodes
    • H01J61/067—Main electrodes for low-pressure discharge lamps
    • H01J61/0672—Main electrodes for low-pressure discharge lamps characterised by the construction of the electrode

Definitions

  • An object of my invention is the provision of a full-waverectifying lamp of the cathodic glow type having a cathode and two anodes so constructed and arranged that the anodes surround the cathode but do not obstruct appreciably the radiation of the glow discharge which comes from the space surrounding the cathode.
  • Another object is to produce a lamp having the advantage of greater freedom from blackening than is the case with other constructions heretoforey used.
  • Another advantage of lamps constructed in 'accordance with my invention is the virtual elimination of radio interference.
  • Still another advantage is that long life can be obtained in a short bulb type lamp without; changing the arc characteristics, because the hot spot can travel along the relatively long cathode, as the emissive coating is used up, without changing the spacing between the cathode and the anodes.
  • Fig. 1 is an elevation of a singleended lamp comprising my invention, together with a diagram of a suitable circuit therefor, and Fig. 2 is a similar view of a double-ended lamp and circuit.
  • the lamp comprises a glass bulb I containing a suitable ionizable medium such as a gas like argon or neon, or a vaporizable metal like mercury, or mixtures thereof.
  • the bulb I also contains a thermionic cathode 2 which is preferably arranged axially on a pair of surrounding coiled wire anodes 3, 4 arranged in the form of a double helix.
  • the said cathode 2 may consist of a coiled or coiled-coil lament of tungsten with a loose overwind of finer tungsten wire, and activated with a suitable electron emissive coating, such as alkaline earth oxides.
  • the cathode 2 is mounted on the ends of lead-in wires 5, 6 and the anodes 3, 4 are mpunted on leads 1,.
  • the said leads 5, 6, 1, 8 being sealed through a stem 9 at the end of the bulb I and being arranged in the four corners of a square at the upper end of said stem.
  • the anodes 3, 4 are made up of spirals of wire such as nickel or aluminum.
  • the two spirals are fitted together so that they exhibit a cylindrical form but do not touch each other.
  • a slmple way of making such a double helix of definite well-defined shape is to hold a piece of straight wire at its center portion and wind spirals simultaneously from the two ends in a jig or Winder.
  • the connecting piece of wire can then be cut out 2 after the two ends have been mounted on the lamp stem 9.
  • an insulating member such as a bead of glass Il. This might be done rst if desired.
  • the size of the anode wire and the number of turns and the diameter of the spirals all depend upon the current used and the gas or vapor pressure which is desirable. In the case of an ionizable atmosphere of mercury with 4 mm. of argon gas and a current of .3 ampere, spirals made of two turns of 20 mil wire with a diameter of l/2 inch are suitable. This means that there isa total of four turns in the double anode, and the length of the anode is in the neighborhood of l/2 to 1%, inch.
  • the distance between the two anode wires be not appreciably less than the distance between either one of the wires and the cathode. Suitable dimensions are a spacing of l approximately 1/4 inch between the anodes, and
  • the construction described above provides a small alternating current, single-ended lamp which permits easy starting and allows the radiation from the glow surrounding the cathode to be readily emitted beyond the anodes.
  • Two special adaptations of this lamp are as a fluorescent lamp or a germicidal lamp.
  • the interior surface of the bulb I may be coated with a suitable phosphor which is excited by the short wave ultraviolet radiations emitted by a lamp containing mercury vapor.
  • the bulb I is made of a special glass which transmits those ultraviolet radiations.
  • a lamp of the type described herein has much greater freedom from blackening than other constructions heretofore used. Also, the amount of radiation from the lamp is approximately uniform in all directions, thereby causing no obstruction in any one or two directions as would be the case if two anode plates were used.
  • the spirals also provide a large anode area which is desirable. Furthermore, the uniform anode placement insures that the same hot spot is efiective through both half cycles; consequently with no shift of the hot spot, radio interference is practically eliminated. This etlect is further insured by the fact that the two spiral anodes form a sort of screen around the cathode which tends to minimize any slight amount of interference which might remain.
  • the anodes 3, I are connected. through their leads 1, 8, to the terminals II, I2 oi' a suitable source of current supply.
  • the cathode 2 is connected, through its leads 5, B, to respective ends of a pair of choke coils I3, I4 which have their opposite ends connected to the terminals II, I2.
  • the current supply source I I, I2 may have a potential of 60 volts, while the lamp operates at a current of about 300 milliamperes at a voltage of about 15 volts.
  • the choke coils I3. I4 serve alternately as stabalizing impedance for the discharge between cathode 2 and anodes 4 and 3 respectively.
  • the lamp shown in Fig. 2 is essentially the same as that shown in Fig. 1 except that it is of the double-ended type having a stem 9 at each end thereof. Corresponding parts of the lamp shown in Fig. 2 have been numbered the same as their counterparts in Fig. 1 with the addition of a prime to the numeral.
  • the auxiliary apparatus shown in Fig. 2 includes a transformer the primary I5 of which is connected to the terminals IB. I'I of a source of supply which may be a commercial 11S-volt 60-cycle line.
  • the anode leads 1 and 8' are connected to suitable taps on the primary I5.
  • the cathode leads 5' and 6' are connected to the ends of the secondary I8 which has a connection I9 between its mid-point and the mid-point of the primary I5.
  • a gaseous electric discharge lamp of fullwave rectifying type comprising a sealed envelope containing an ionizable medium, a thermionic activated cathode in said envelope, and a pair of coiled wire anodes surrounding said cathode and arranged in the form of a double helix, the distance between said anodes being not appreciably less than the distance between either of said anodes and said cathode, said anodes being exposed directly to said cathode along straight lines therebetween.

Landscapes

  • Discharge Lamp (AREA)
  • Discharge Lamps And Accessories Thereof (AREA)
US726603A 1947-02-05 1947-02-05 Electric glow discharge lamp Expired - Lifetime US2479164A (en)

Priority Applications (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR961959D FR961959A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1947-02-05
US726603A US2479164A (en) 1947-02-05 1947-02-05 Electric glow discharge lamp
GB3287/48A GB644409A (en) 1947-02-05 1948-02-04 Improvements in electric discharge lamps
ES0182063A ES182063A1 (es) 1947-02-05 1948-02-04 MEJORAS INTRODUCIDAS EN LAS LáMPARAS ELÉCTRICAS DE DESCARGA EN GAS

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US726603A US2479164A (en) 1947-02-05 1947-02-05 Electric glow discharge lamp

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US2479164A true US2479164A (en) 1949-08-16

Family

ID=24919272

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US726603A Expired - Lifetime US2479164A (en) 1947-02-05 1947-02-05 Electric glow discharge lamp

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US2479164A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
ES (1) ES182063A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
FR (1) FR961959A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
GB (1) GB644409A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2623191A (en) * 1947-03-20 1952-12-23 Int Standard Electric Corp Electric discharge tube
US2719932A (en) * 1947-01-15 1955-10-04 Gen Electric Soft glass ultraviolet discharge lamp
US2864024A (en) * 1954-11-16 1958-12-09 Philips Corp Glow-discharge tube
US3067355A (en) * 1960-03-16 1962-12-04 Burroughs Corp Indicator tube
US4204137A (en) * 1976-07-19 1980-05-20 Thorn Electrical Industries Limited Fluorescent lamp with refractory metal electrode supports and glass flare seal structure
US4297617A (en) * 1980-03-24 1981-10-27 Galaspie Charles E Light producing device

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1675350A (en) * 1921-02-09 1928-07-03 Philips Nv Electric gas-filled glow-discharge device
US2984469A (en) * 1958-04-25 1961-05-16 Goodman Mfg Co Tensioning means for trimmer chain of boring type miner

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1675350A (en) * 1921-02-09 1928-07-03 Philips Nv Electric gas-filled glow-discharge device
US2984469A (en) * 1958-04-25 1961-05-16 Goodman Mfg Co Tensioning means for trimmer chain of boring type miner

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2719932A (en) * 1947-01-15 1955-10-04 Gen Electric Soft glass ultraviolet discharge lamp
US2623191A (en) * 1947-03-20 1952-12-23 Int Standard Electric Corp Electric discharge tube
US2864024A (en) * 1954-11-16 1958-12-09 Philips Corp Glow-discharge tube
US3067355A (en) * 1960-03-16 1962-12-04 Burroughs Corp Indicator tube
US4204137A (en) * 1976-07-19 1980-05-20 Thorn Electrical Industries Limited Fluorescent lamp with refractory metal electrode supports and glass flare seal structure
US4297617A (en) * 1980-03-24 1981-10-27 Galaspie Charles E Light producing device

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB644409A (en) 1950-10-11
ES182063A1 (es) 1948-03-01
FR961959A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1950-05-26

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