US2645680A - Pulse distributor, including electric discharge devices - Google Patents

Pulse distributor, including electric discharge devices Download PDF

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Publication number
US2645680A
US2645680A US777818A US77781847A US2645680A US 2645680 A US2645680 A US 2645680A US 777818 A US777818 A US 777818A US 77781847 A US77781847 A US 77781847A US 2645680 A US2645680 A US 2645680A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
pulse
pulses
gap
gaps
tube
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
US777818A
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English (en)
Inventor
Reeves Alec Harley
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International Standard Electric Corp
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International Standard Electric Corp
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Publication date
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04Q—SELECTING
    • H04Q11/00—Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems
    • H04Q11/04—Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems for time-division multiplexing
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J17/00—Gas-filled discharge tubes with solid cathode
    • H01J17/38—Cold-cathode tubes
    • H01J17/48—Cold-cathode tubes with more than one cathode or anode, e.g. sequence-discharge tube, counting tube, dekatron
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H03—ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
    • H03K—PULSE TECHNIQUE
    • H03K5/00—Manipulating of pulses not covered by one of the other main groups of this subclass
    • H03K5/15—Arrangements in which pulses are delivered at different times at several outputs, i.e. pulse distributors
    • H03K5/15013—Arrangements in which pulses are delivered at different times at several outputs, i.e. pulse distributors with more than two outputs
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04J—MULTIPLEX COMMUNICATION
    • H04J3/00—Time-division multiplex systems
    • H04J3/02—Details
    • H04J3/04—Distributors combined with modulators or demodulators
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04J—MULTIPLEX COMMUNICATION
    • H04J3/00—Time-division multiplex systems
    • H04J3/02—Details
    • H04J3/04—Distributors combined with modulators or demodulators
    • H04J3/042—Distributors with electron or gas discharge tubes
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J2893/00—Discharge tubes and lamps
    • H01J2893/007—Sequential discharge tubes

Definitions

  • This invention relates to pulse distributors of the type which distribute individual pulses in a pulse train between a number of individual circuits.
  • the object of the invention is to apply novel means to this purpose.
  • the invention consists of l a pulse'distributor comprising a plurality of gaseous electric discharge gaps adapted ;to fire in succession in' a predetermined order in response to incoming pulses of electrical energy applied in common to the said gaps and individual circuit being connectedto each gap for the transmission of an outgoing pulse when the associated gap fires in response to an incoming pulse.
  • the invention consists of a pulse distributor comprising a cold cathode gaseous discharge tube having a plurality of gaps adapted to fire in succession in a predetermined order in response to incoming pulses of electrical energy applied in common to the said gaps, an individual circuit being connected to each gap for-the transmission of an outgoing pulse each time the associated gap fires in response toan incoming pulse.
  • Fig. 1 is a circuit diagram of a simple form of distributor, using a multi-gap gaseous discharge tube, suitable for distributing the individual pulses of a train of pulses amongst a number of individual circuits.
  • Fig. 2 is a circuit diagram of a more elaborate form of distributor performing function analogous to those of the distributor illustrated in Fig. 1.
  • Fig. 3 is a c'ircuitdiagram of a distributor suitable ,for generating a repeated pulse train, each pulse of a train being'under the control .of an individual circuit.
  • Tubes'oi this type are described in specification -No. 763,655 filedJuly 25,1947of Reeves 25 8 Claims. (01. 17915) there wouldbe no guarantee that the starting gap scription thereof will now be given.
  • cold cathode gaseous discharge tubes having a number of discharge gaps which fire in succession in a predetermined order, on application of pulses to the said gaps in common, due to ionisationbf an unfiredgap caused by the discharge in an ad joining fired gap.
  • a first pulse applied to the tube will fire only a predetermined gap called the starting gapand various alternative measures to ensure this include the closer spacing of the electrodes of the starting gap in comparison with the other gaps, a bias potential applied to the starting gap only,
  • a pilot gap adjoining the starting gap, causing this gap to be permanently ionised.
  • a limit is set to the permissable frequency of pulse repetition by the need for a time interval between pulses, long enough to allow the gaps to become deionised (except the starting gap when a pilot gap is provided as previously described) If gaps (except aforesaid) remained ionised,
  • This effect consists of a rise in the voltage required to fire a gap, which follows an extinguished discharge in that gap. when certain electrode materials and gasses are used in the construction thereof.
  • tubes possessing this feature are supplied with pulses to their gaps, in common, and with no constant discharge-maintaining potential, a gap once fired, will ionise the adjacent unfired gap and extinguish at the end of the pulse which firedit.
  • the next pulse will fire the ionised adjacent unfired gap but will not refire the extinguishedgap owing to the said rise in its critical firing voltage, it being arranged that the pulse amplitude is below such critical voltage.
  • the various cathodes are separately led out of the tube and each is externally connected through an individual resistance and transformer in series to a common connection leading to the negative .pole of battery I4. Only one such resistance and transformer l5 and I8 respectively are nected to the secondary winding of the transformer.
  • a correspondin 7 A small bias may be applied to the starting gapto male quite sure that the sequence starts with that gap in cycles afer the first but this bias must not be large enough to leave the starting gap permanently discharging. It is also an advantage to insert a relatively'large resistanceload in series with one of the common pulse feed connections to the gaps so that immediately on the firing of one gap, the increased voltage drop in the re sistance makes it impossible for another gap to fire from the same pulse; p Y,
  • a gaseous discharge tube I has a common anode 2 consisting of a straight bar or strip" and a series of individual cathodes in the form' of rods or strips at right angles to the anode and spaced therefrom at one end of each cathode,
  • the tube illustrated having ten cathodes and ten gaps 3, 4, 5, 6, I, 8,
  • Anode! is connected through an impedance shown in the drawing terminal 19 being con- All cathodes are connected to similar individual circuits.
  • the potential applied to the gaps of the tubes by battery i4 is such that it cannot by itself initiate a discharge in any of the gaps but is sufficient to maintain a discharge, once initiated.
  • vPositive pulses are applied to the anode of the tube through feed condenser Hi from a common busbar l1. 7
  • the pulses from If! consist of repeated trains of l consecutive pulses and the gaps fire in turn from successive pulses until all are fired.
  • the quenching pulse a pulse (hereinafter called the quenching pulse), of
  • the firing pulses which fire the gaps.
  • quenching pulses will oppose battery l4 and reduce the inter-electrode potential-to that which produces the requiredspeed of deionisa- "be some variation in the output as between the different transformers and where this is important, a differentiating network maybe introduced so that only the inception of the discharge is recorded.
  • the individual pulses from the busbar may carry modulation of .some kind, and it has been found that, with pulse rates such that a gap fires at rates up to about 1000 times per second, and; its corresponding firing pulse is modulated at some frequency, a low frequency transformer will give an output consisting substantially of such modulating frequency, the pulses component being lost in' the transformer, and this irrespectiveof the different discharge duration of the difier'ent cathodes.
  • the cathodes of the tube have separate individual circuits as before, though here two of them are shown (those of the first and last cathodes) and one consists of resistance I and transformer 'a gate to permit the passage of one pulse in each cycle of a continuous pulse sequence, and to dea continuousconducting path and may be made through condensers for instance. It is possible to separate the gate and busbar circuits from the modulate that pulse, where it is-modulated, give an output at the modulating frequency. 7
  • the associated gap of the tube provides the gating impulse.
  • the discharges in the tube are controlled by pulses from a master pulse generator 45 WhlCh is synchronized with the pulses from the busbar 46 and, in certain circumstances, both may be derived from a common source, though it only necessary to have a distinctive feature 1n one pulse of the pulse trains from the busbar (such as the quenching pulse on ll in Fig. 1 for 1nstance) to enable a separate pulsegenerator 45 i to be kept in step with the pulses from the busbar.
  • Eachgate device has a condenser 25 and a resistance 26 which improve the pulse shape delivered by the associated cathode transformer and also decouple the transformer circuit from the busbar.
  • the busbar is also connected to each gate device through an individual condenser 34 and resistance 35 whichare generally chosen so as not to alter the wave form of the busbar pulses.
  • Outlets to gate devices associated with intermediate gaps of the tube are indicated by the arrows 31, 38, 39, '40, .42, and 44, these gate devices and the details of the cathode circuits of y the associated tube gaps being omitted to simplify the drawing.
  • each gate device there is a closed circuit consisting of a rectifier 21, the primary winding of a low frequency transformer 36, a battery 3 I and a and 28.
  • Rectifier 2'! is normally 'biassed to cut ofi by Pulses from the busbar are of positive polarity tending to open the rectifier but being of insufficient amplitude to do so by themselves.
  • the pulse from 26 added from the pulse from 35 is sufii- It is arranged that the pulsefrom a cathode slightly leads the corresponding pulse from the busbar and only on the inception of the latter, is
  • the busbarpulse may be modulated in time or duration, but the tube pulse has constant timing, so that theperiod during which. the rectifier is open commences at the varying time of the busbar pulse and ends with the constant trailing edge of the tube pulse, so that a pulse flows in the closed circuitmodulated in duration in conformity with time of duration modulation the fundamental and lower harmoniesof the pulse repetition frequency of the pulses in the closed circuit.
  • Time or duration modulation of the busbar pulses in either case appears as duration modulation of the pulses in the closed circuit. This modulation can be regarded as a variation in the on-off ratio of these pulses and it is well known that a variation of this ratio varies the amplitude of thefundamental component of the pulse-waveform.
  • the transformer used is preferably one with a frequency characteristic such that it attenuates the harmonies more than this fundamental, and
  • the differences consist of the addition of a transformer 4'! in series in the gate device, closed circuit and the substitution in place of the connection through 34 and 35 from the busbar of a connection through condenser 49 and resistance 48, from a saw tooth pulse shaper 50 which modifies the pulses of the master pulse generator 45, to saw tooth waveform.
  • the busbar is connected to the secondary of transformer 41.
  • a modulating frequency is applied to terminals 36 instead of being taken therefrom.
  • the time at which the rectifier opens will of course be influenced by the contribution to the total voltage across the rectifier, of the modulating wave from 36, and the leading edge of the resulting pulse in the closed circuit, will be modu-' lated in time at the modulating frequency.
  • the output of 41 applied to the busbar will tend to be differentiated by the transformer 41 to produce a pulse at the beginning of the closed circuit pulse and a pulse of opposite polarity at the end of the closed circuit pulse. If it is necessary to modify this wave form either to reshape the first pulse in the busbar or to eliminate the reverse pulse following'it, or both, a single pulse shaping circuit on the busbar can perform this function for all pulses, and separate pulse shaping circuits for all gate devices are unnecessary.
  • the former provides a means of taking repeating trains of pulses from a common source (the busbar) and distributing them amongst various individual outlets (connected to terminals 36 of the various gate devices associated with various vidualpulse in pulse trains applied-to the busbar.
  • Such devices may be used in a communication system enabling several physical channels to communicate with a corresponding number of physical channels, over a common connecting link (the busbar with or without intermediate apparatus) on a time division pulse multiplex basis.
  • a system of this nature is described wherein physical circuits are connected to scanned elements of a distributor, on the scanning element of which, the various physical channels are represented by individual pulses in a repeating pulse train. After passing through linefinder circuits and selection circuits, the common output appears again on the scanning member of a second distributor whose scanned elements are connected to individual physical channels.
  • the devices illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 could be used in the role of the distributors mentioned in that specification.
  • Tubes of the type described having the memory elfect may be used with advantage in the embodiments described and have the advantage, since each gapof the tube extinguishes, at
  • Such an equivalent may be simply devised by applying a saw tooth pulse sequence, such as that derived from 50 in Fig. 3, to the pulse feed condenser l6 in Fig. 1, in place of the pulses from the busbar.
  • a transformer capable of passing pulses would then be substituted for l8, with its primary winding in series with the cathodec'ircuit; and its secondary connected to the busbar'through suitable decoupling components to prevent interaction amongst the transformers associated with other cathodes, similarly connected to the busbar.
  • Modulation could be impressed upon the pulses applied to the busbar by the use of low frequency transformers, one in series with each cathode circuit, the modulating signals being applied to the primaries of these transformers.
  • the interelectrode potential across each gap reaches the critical value at which the gap will fire, at some time during the rising voltage of the saw tooth pulse applied to the gap, the exact instant of firing being determined by the modulating voltage in the secondary of the said low frequency transformer which according to its instantaneous value will delay or accelerate the attainment of the critical firing potential of the gap.
  • a pulse distributor comprising an envelope, a plurality of electric gaseous discharge gaps each gap including two electrodes one of which is parallel, each pulse firing a successive gap, and a separate utilization device connected in series with each gap. 7
  • a pulse distributor according to claim 1, further comprising a local pulse generator synchronized with the pulses applied to the gaps, and coupled to said gaps, 'a plurality of gate circuits each associated with a separate one of said gaps and adapted to give an output only when a pulse derived from the firing of the associated gap coincides with said local pulses.
  • a pulse distributor according to claim 7 further including a sawtooth pulse shaper associated with said .local pulse generator and actuated thereby, means for impressing an intelligence signal on each of said gate circuits for combination with the sawtooth pulses, each of said gaps being adapted to fire when the sawtooth and intelligence signals together reach a predetermined amplitude and to cease firing at the end of each sawtooth pulse whereby variable width output ALEC HARLEY REEVES.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Nonlinear Science (AREA)
  • Other Investigation Or Analysis Of Materials By Electrical Means (AREA)
  • Fire Alarms (AREA)
  • Electrotherapy Devices (AREA)
  • Inverter Devices (AREA)
US777818A 1946-10-03 1947-10-03 Pulse distributor, including electric discharge devices Expired - Lifetime US2645680A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB275283X 1946-10-03

Publications (1)

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US2645680A true US2645680A (en) 1953-07-14

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ID=10261053

Family Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US777817A Expired - Lifetime US2505006A (en) 1946-10-03 1947-10-03 Gaseous discharge device
US777818A Expired - Lifetime US2645680A (en) 1946-10-03 1947-10-03 Pulse distributor, including electric discharge devices

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US777817A Expired - Lifetime US2505006A (en) 1946-10-03 1947-10-03 Gaseous discharge device

Country Status (6)

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US (2) US2505006A (xx)
BE (2) BE479962A (xx)
CH (2) CH275283A (xx)
FR (3) FR58461E (xx)
GB (2) GB665819A (xx)
NL (2) NL78125C (xx)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2848647A (en) * 1954-06-23 1958-08-19 Burroughs Corp Multiplexing system
US2917717A (en) * 1955-02-04 1959-12-15 Ericsson Telefon Ab L M Modulator for amplitude modulating a pulse train
US2919436A (en) * 1956-03-15 1959-12-29 Burroughs Corp Multiplex measuring device
US2920142A (en) * 1955-06-06 1960-01-05 Itt Pulse communication system

Families Citing this family (12)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
NL104371C (xx) * 1948-06-11
US2687496A (en) * 1949-07-15 1954-08-24 Ibm Gaseous discharge register
US2575517A (en) * 1950-01-21 1951-11-20 Northrop Aircraft Inc Glow tube counting circuit
US2679978A (en) * 1950-01-25 1954-06-01 Nat Res Dev Pulse scaling system
US2646523A (en) * 1950-01-28 1953-07-21 Bell Telephone Labor Inc Multicathode gaseous discharge device
US2675504A (en) * 1950-03-31 1954-04-13 Ibm Gaseous discharge register
US2641725A (en) * 1950-06-30 1953-06-09 Int Standard Electric Corp Electronic discharge tube
US2723365A (en) * 1950-12-01 1955-11-08 Northrop Aircraft Inc Sectional read-out tube and circuit
US2740921A (en) * 1950-12-12 1956-04-03 Int Standard Electric Corp Electric discharge tubes and circuits therefor
US2685049A (en) * 1951-10-31 1954-07-27 Ibm Coincidence circuit
DE1041078B (de) * 1955-09-07 1958-10-16 Albert Jefferies Baggott Schaltungsanordnung zur Speicherung und Weitergabe von Impulsen
NL7208319A (xx) * 1972-06-17 1973-12-19

Citations (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE550856C (de) * 1929-03-07 1932-05-23 Otto Von Bronk Vorrichtung zur elektrischen Bilduebertragung
US2375830A (en) * 1942-03-31 1945-05-15 Raytheon Mfg Co Device for producing successive electrical impulses
US2404920A (en) * 1940-09-27 1946-07-30 Research Corp Electronic discharge apparatus
US2427533A (en) * 1943-12-31 1947-09-16 Research Corp Electronic switching device
US2432608A (en) * 1941-03-28 1947-12-16 Ncr Co Multianode, gas-filled discharge device
US2433343A (en) * 1942-03-12 1947-12-30 Int Standard Electric Corp Multichannel electrical communication system
US2443407A (en) * 1947-06-18 1948-06-15 Jr Nathaniel B Walcs Gaseous discharge device
US2465355A (en) * 1943-01-27 1949-03-29 George W Cook Wave analyzer
US2466467A (en) * 1943-02-25 1949-04-05 Ncr Co Communication system
US2575370A (en) * 1949-06-25 1951-11-20 Bell Telephone Labor Inc Cold cathode gaseous discharge device

Patent Citations (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE550856C (de) * 1929-03-07 1932-05-23 Otto Von Bronk Vorrichtung zur elektrischen Bilduebertragung
US2404920A (en) * 1940-09-27 1946-07-30 Research Corp Electronic discharge apparatus
US2432608A (en) * 1941-03-28 1947-12-16 Ncr Co Multianode, gas-filled discharge device
US2433343A (en) * 1942-03-12 1947-12-30 Int Standard Electric Corp Multichannel electrical communication system
US2375830A (en) * 1942-03-31 1945-05-15 Raytheon Mfg Co Device for producing successive electrical impulses
US2465355A (en) * 1943-01-27 1949-03-29 George W Cook Wave analyzer
US2466467A (en) * 1943-02-25 1949-04-05 Ncr Co Communication system
US2427533A (en) * 1943-12-31 1947-09-16 Research Corp Electronic switching device
US2443407A (en) * 1947-06-18 1948-06-15 Jr Nathaniel B Walcs Gaseous discharge device
US2575370A (en) * 1949-06-25 1951-11-20 Bell Telephone Labor Inc Cold cathode gaseous discharge device

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2848647A (en) * 1954-06-23 1958-08-19 Burroughs Corp Multiplexing system
US2917717A (en) * 1955-02-04 1959-12-15 Ericsson Telefon Ab L M Modulator for amplitude modulating a pulse train
US2920142A (en) * 1955-06-06 1960-01-05 Itt Pulse communication system
US2919436A (en) * 1956-03-15 1959-12-29 Burroughs Corp Multiplex measuring device

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR58460E (fr) 1953-11-30
NL78125C (xx)
CH275283A (de) 1951-05-15
GB666394A (en) 1952-02-13
NL78124C (xx)
FR957838A (xx) 1950-02-25
BE479962A (xx)
BE479961A (xx)
CH283214A (de) 1952-05-31
GB665819A (en) 1952-01-30
US2505006A (en) 1950-04-25
FR58461E (fr) 1953-11-30

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