US2700120A - Electric system - Google Patents

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US2700120A
US2700120A US732113A US73211347A US2700120A US 2700120 A US2700120 A US 2700120A US 732113 A US732113 A US 732113A US 73211347 A US73211347 A US 73211347A US 2700120 A US2700120 A US 2700120A
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condenser
discharge
voltage
spark gap
transformer
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US732113A
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Kenneth J Germeshausen
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
    • H05B41/00—Circuit arrangements or apparatus for igniting or operating discharge lamps
    • H05B41/14—Circuit arrangements
    • H05B41/30—Circuit arrangements in which the lamp is fed by pulses, e.g. flash lamp

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  • An object of the present invention therefore, to provide 'a new and' .improved electricisystern. of Ithe above'- d'escribed character embodying;a.twoelectrode gaseousdischarge device.
  • Another object is to provide a new and'improved ash-producing system ofj'thefabove-described character embodyinga flash. .device unprovided .with a: starting; or controlelectrode.
  • Afurther 'object' i'sto provide. a. newv and improved. condenser-discharge, circuit .ofthe above-.describedSchar.- ⁇ acter lavinga three-electrode triggeringoparkgap; gaseous-discharge device in. serieszwith' the. gaseousrdisch'arge. tube.
  • Another .Objectisto provide anew.-and.improved. yelectric-.system of. thev above-described ⁇ character in..which ⁇ the discharge. .of a condenser -through a two-electrode gasa cous-discharge device is under the .control offa. threeelectrode spark gap.
  • Another object stills to reduce theexpense ot vsystems of the above-'described character.
  • the condenserl 1I rnay be charged to a' voltagetor.
  • The'three electrodes ofthe sparklgap gaseous-dischargev device vare shown comprising two principal electrodes 104 and 106-1and a start ⁇ ing,';triggering or'control electrode 150.
  • l'nair, ⁇ the distancebetween the principal electrodes 10.4 tand" 1(1'6 may be, say, .il/1g toA of' an inch.
  • the spark gapl willfthen bezof vervlowimpedance compared to the .severalfohms impedance of .'typical.fash.. lamps;
  • the directfcurrent source 1i will. charge the condenser .11 through the impedance 12 .without :any of. its energy traversing thatspace.. A. difference of potentialwill therefore besestablished between. the spark-gapelec- ⁇ trodes 104 and 106 during thechargingofnthe condenser 11 before each Hash.
  • the impedance.12.should-be'de signed sutiiciently large so that, afterthe: creation.of. the spark between the principal electrodes. 104 and..106,. further current ow between. them..will be. prevented.
  • T he-i1npedance 1-2 should,.ho.wever,v befsmall'. enough to permit of the condenser 11 becoming recharged. with'energy from the 4direct-current source l0 .in'tirnefor the next. tiash.
  • Fig...1 the principal: electrodes 104 and 1416 are shownconnected. in the con. denser-discharge. circuit,.. in series; with. .the flashlamp. 18
  • the secondary winding. 15 of. a triggering v.transformer 14 is shown ⁇ connected to .the startingelectrode 15.0...
  • A. high-voltagepulse is designed to be impressed .mornen.. tarily upon the.sec'ondaryfwinding 15 at asuitable time,A intorderto impress a high-potentialstimulus .or chargeon the triggering electrode 151B. ⁇
  • spark-gap electrodes .104 and 106 becomingtherebyrendered cone ducting, byionizati'on, a high-voltage low-energy spark willfijumpacross between the principal sparkfgapfelect'rodes' 1(14. and. 106.
  • Thel condenser 40 may be charged from any desired direct-current source, such as a bleeder resistor.
  • bleederresistor is shown rcomprising two resistor sections 81'and; 82 connected inlseries across the battery 10 to constitute ⁇ V a. voltage divider for adjusting ⁇ the voltageon.. the.Y condenser 40 ⁇ .
  • the trigger tube 1 should be of a type capable of passing high-peak currents. It may, for example, be of the normally non-conducting cold-cathode gaseous-discharge type illustrated and described in Letters Patent 2,185,189, 2,202,166 and 2,201,167, issued January 2 and May 2l, 1940. It may comprise an evacuated glass envelope filled with a suitable gas, such as neon, or any of the noble gases, such as argon or helium.
  • the tube 1 is shown containing several electrodes, namely, a solid cold cathode 2, an anode or plate 5, and one or more grids 4. As explained in the said Letters Patent, the source of the electrons is a bright cathode spot on the surface of the cathode 2.
  • the moment of discharge of the condenser 40 through the primary winding 13 is controlled by the potential on the grid 4 of the trigger tube 1.
  • An impedance 24, illustrated as a resistor, is shown connected between the cathode 2 and the grid 4, in parallel with terminals 20.
  • This impedance which may be on the order of a megohm, is low compared to the leakage resistance across the lamp 18 when it is non-conducting, but high compared to the impedance of the lamp 18. when it is ionized.
  • the lamp dimensions and the gas pressure such that the breakdown voltage of the flashtube 18 shall be appreciably greater than the voltage to which the discharge condenser 11 is charged, say, several times as great. It has been found that the lamp 18 then converts a greater proportion of the energy in the condenser 11 into useful light.
  • the saturable transformer 114 is shown comprising primary and secondary inductance windings 113 and 115. One end of the winding 113 is connected to one end of the winding 115 at a common terminal 21. The other end of the winding 115 is shown connected to the anode 7 of the lamp 18. The other end of the winding 113 is shown connected to the cathode 9 of the lamp 18 through a condenser 140, shown connected in parallel with the impedance 23. The voltages of both the primary and secondary windings 113 and 115 of the transformer 114 are thus connected in series circuit with the flashtube 18.
  • the secondary winding 115 of the transformer 114 is series-connected in the condenser-discharge circuit. It is desirable. in order to attain high eiciency and a discharge time that shall not be too long, that its impedance be low with respect to the impedance of the lamp 1S at the time of discharge of the condenser 11. For a reasonable discharge current in the tube 1. on the other hand. it is desirable that the impedance of the primary winding 113 be reasonably high at the time that the triggering impulse is applied to the primary winding 113 and prior to the discharge of the condenser 11.
  • charge of the condenser 11 may be attained by providing the transformer 114 with an iron core that saturates at the time when the main condenser 11 discharges through the transformer in response to the production of the triggering voltage across the secondary winding 115. It is because of the saturable character of the core of the transformer 114 that a low impedance is offered to the discharge of the condenser 11l through the discharge circuit including the gaseous-discharge device 18.
  • the permissible saturated inductance of the secondary winding 115 of the transformer 114 may be computed from the wellknown equations governing the transient behavior of a series-discharge circuit of resistance, inductance and capacitance.
  • the impedance of a typical ashlamp 18, for example, 30 centimeters long and 4 millimeters inside diameter, and filled with Xenon at 10 centimeters pressure of mercury, may be 3 or 4 ohms.
  • a typical condenser 11 may be of l0 microfarads capacity. The transient in the series-condenser discharge circuit comprising the condenser 11, the secondary winding 115, the spark gap and the lamp 1S will depend on the relative proportions of the resistance, the inductance and the capacitance.
  • the saturated inductance of the secondary winding 115 of the transformer 114 may be as great as 40 microhenries without seriously affecting the duration of the flash or the peak current in the condenser-discharge circuit. If the resistive component of the impedance of the secondary winding 115 is low compared to 4 ohms, the efficiency will still be good, and the operation will be comparable to the operation that takes place without the transformer 114. Under the above conditions, the operation will be satisfactory so long as where L is the inductance of the condenser-discharge circuit, R is its resistance, and C is its capacitance. In most practical cases, it is permissible to tolerate even the relation:
  • a typical transformer 114 may have a closed iron core of 0.094 square inch cross section and 4 inches effective length, and may be constituted of a good grade On this core may be wound a secondary winding 115 of 50 turns and a primary winding 113 of 5 turns.
  • the inductance of the primary winding 113 may be of the order of 0.20 microhenry, and that of the secondary winding 115 of the order of 20 microhenries.
  • the saturated inductance of 20 microhenries for the secondary winding 115 is well below the value 40 microhenries before referred to.
  • the inductance When the iron core is not saturated, the inductance may be 100 times as great, corresponding to a primary-winding inductance of 20 microhenries.. Since ordinary cable has an inductance on the order of 0.2 microhenry per foot, this value is large enough so as not to. introduce troubles due to the impedance of the lead wires.
  • the principal spark-gap electrode 104 is also connected to the terminal 19, and the other side of the condenser 11 is connected to the terminal 21 of the saturable transformer.
  • the main-discharge capacitor 11 is charged from the directcurrent source 10, not only through the current-limiting impedance 12, as in the system of Fig. 1, but also through the saturable-transformer winding 113 and the impedance 23.
  • the starting electrode is shown in Fig. 2 as energized, in order to impress a high-potential stimulus or charge therein, by the secondary winding 38 of a highratio triggering transformer 36, which may be of the spark-coil type.
  • the primary winding 74 is shown connected in series with the cathode 2.
  • the small trip condenser 40 discharges through the primary winding 74 of the transformer 36, in series with the trigger tube 1, and the moment of discharge of the condenser 40 through the primary winding 74 is controlled by the potential on the grid 4 of the trigger tube 1.
  • a high-voltage pulse becomes thereupon momentarily transmitted through the transformer 36 to the spark-gap electrode 150, which affects lioni/lation of the gas between the spark-gap elecsamonzo tcondenser.1'40.
  • the ⁇ condenser- 140..may be oftheiorder ⁇ 'of:0..1 microfarad compared to v1I)rmic'rofara'ds ⁇ for the fcondenser -11. Thisprevents any appreciable; ⁇ portion of "thefenergysin the condenser 11-frombeing dissipatedJin the series circuit-comprisingthe.condenser 11, the transformer, primarywinding "1'13,the”con'denser 140, and the Atriggeredtspark,.gap.
  • the voltages of both the primary and secondary windings 113 and 115 of the transformer 114 are in series circuit with the ashtube 18.
  • the lamp 18 will break down and become conducting if the total applied voltage is sufficient in magnitude.
  • the main-discharge condenser 11 will then discharge through the spark gap, the ash-lamp 18 and the secondary winding 115 of the transformer 114.
  • the impedance 23 Since the impedance 23 is essentially in parallel with the flash lamp 18, its value should be relatively high compared to the impedance of the lamp 18 during the time that the condenser 11 is discharging into the ash lamp 18. O11 the other hand, the impedance 23 should not be too large, as this would tend to prolong the time required to recharge the condenser 11.
  • the three-electrode spark gap isolates the ashtube 18 from the high directcurrent potentials of the condenser 11, except at the instant of Hash.
  • these high-potential elements may be completely enclosed at some distance from the lamp 18, the operator may be fully protected from these high potentials, except at the moment of discharge.
  • the enclosure, not shown, for these high-potential elements may be rendered sound-proof, in order to render the operation of the spark gap inaudible.
  • An electric system having, in combination, a gaseous-discharge device, a condenser, means for charging the condenser, a saturable-core inductor, a spark gap, a discharge circuit for the condenser including the gaseousdischarge device, the inductor and the spark gap connected in series, and means for impressing a voltage upon the spark gap of magnitude suflicient to cause the spark gap to become conducting, thereby impressing a voltage upon the inductor such that, when added to the charge on the condenser, it will exceed the magnitude of the breakdown voltage of the gaseous-discharge device, thereby to enable the condenser to discharge through the discharge circuit.
  • a flash-producing system having, in combination, a ash device, a condenser, means for charging the condenser, a saturable-core inductor, a spark gap, a discharge circuit for the condenser including the ash device, the inductor and the spark gap, and means for impressing a voltage upon the spark gap of magnitude suicient to cause the spark gap to become conducting, thereby impressing a voltage upon the inductor such that, when added to the charge on the condenser, it will exceed the magnitude of the break-down voltage of the flash device, thereby to enable the condenser to discharge through the discharge circuit in order to produce a flash.
  • An electric system having, in combination, a gaseous-discharge device, a condenser, means for charging the condenser, a saturable-core transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, a spark gap, a discharge circuit for the condenser including the gaseousdischarge device, one of the windings of the transformer and the spark gap connected in series, and means for irnpressing a voltage upon the spark gap of magnitude sufcient to cause the spark gap to become conducting, thereby impressing a voltage upon the other winding to cause a voltage to appear on the said one winding of magnitude such that, when added to the charge on the condenser, it will exceed the magnitude of the break-down voltage of the gaseous-discharge device, thereby to enable the condenser to discharge through the discharge circuit.
  • a hash-producing system having, in combination, a ash device, a condenser, means for charging the condenser, a saturable-core transformer having a primary -windin-gzandzassecondaryawinding,aesparlqgap,zaadischarge circuitlforA ,the'lcondensera including thefrash.- devicefnonec of the windings of the transformerfand theffsparkrgap, and means for impressing a voltage upon the spark gap of magnitude rsuicient .to f cause i the :spark ,-gap -:to become conducting, .thereby .impressing-.a voltageupon the other winding to cause ⁇ avoltage toappearv on*the said winding oftma'gnitude.
  • An electric system having, in combination, a gaseous-discharge device, a condenser, means for charging the condenser, a saturable-core inductor, a three-electrode spark gap, a discharge circuit for the condenser including the gaseous-discharge device, the inductor and two of the electrodes of the spark gap, and means for impressing a voltage upon the third electrode of the spark gap of magnitude sufficient to cause the spark gap to become conducting, thereby impressing a voltage upon the inductor such that, when added to the charge on the condenser, it will exceed the magnitude of the break-down voltage of the gaseous-discharge device, thereby to enable the condenser to discharge through the discharge circuit.
  • An electric system having, in combination, a gaseous-discharge device, a condenser, means for charging the condenser, a saturable-core transformer, a threeelectrode spark gap, a discharge circuit for the condenser including the gaseous-discharge device, the transformer and two of the electrodes of the spark gap, and means for impressing a voltage upon the third electrode of the spark gap of magnitude suicient to cause the spark gap to become conducting, thereby impressing a voltage upon the inductor such that, when added to the charge on the condenser, it will exceed the magnitude of the break-down voltage of the gaseous-discharge device, thereby to enable the condenser to discharge through the discharge circuit.
  • An electric system having, in combination, a gaseous-discharge device having two electrodes, a condenser, means for charging the condenser, a saturable-core transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding each having two ends, one end of one of the windings being connected to one end of the other winding, the other end of the said one winding being connected to one of the electrodes of the discharge device, the other end of the said other winding being connected to the other electrode of the discharge device, a three-electrode spark gap, a discharge circuit for the condenser including the gascous-discharge device, one of the windings of the transformer and two of the electrodes of the spark gap, and means for impressing a voltage upon the third electrode of the spark gap of magnitude suicient to cause the spark gap to become conducting, thereby impressing a voltage upon the inductor such that, when added to the charge on the condenser, it will exceed the magnitude of the break-down voltage of the gaseous-d
  • An electric system having, in combination, a gascous-discharge device, a condenser, means for charging the condenser, a saturable-core inductor, a three-electrode spark gap, a discharge circuit for the condenser including the gaseous-discharge device, the inductor and two of the electrodes of the spark gap, and means comprising a gridcontrolled rectifier for impressing a voltage upon the third electrode of the spark gap of magnitude suicient to cause the spark gap to become conducting, thereby impressing a voltage upon the inductor such that, when added to the charge on the condenser, it will exceed the magnitude of the break-down voltage on the gaseousdischarge device, thereby to enable the condenser to discharge through the discharge circuit.
  • a Hash-producing system having, in combination, a gaseous-discharge flash device, a condenser, means for charging the condenser, a saturable-core inductor, a threeelectrode spark gap, a discharge circuit for the condenser including the flash device, the inductor and two of the electrodes of the spark gap, and means comprising a gridcontrolled rectifier for impressing a voltage upon the third electrode of the spark gap of magnitude suicient to cause the spark gap to become conducting, thereby impressing a voltage upon the inductor such that, when added to the charge on the condenser, it will exceed the magnitude References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Swart Oct. 26, 1937 Edwards Jan.

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Jan. 18, 1955 K. J. GERMEsHAUsEN 2,700,120
` ELECTRIC SYSTEM Filed March s. 1947 'I'III" /V VE N TOR #mwN/1 .z GMMEJHAc/ffa/ EilECT-C SYSTEM Kenne-eth1; Germeshausen; Newton Centen'Mss.
Applicntiomliarch 3, llll, SeriallNo: `72'2",113.
9 Claimsf. @LSH- 18% The .present invention, though having -ields of.. more general.; usefulness.Y in electric. systems, is...par1ticularly related tosystems inzwhieh 'a flash. condenser. is: discharged. through; the gaseous-'mediumy of a. gaseous-discharge de'- vice forv suchf Apurposes asto producefa.single..flash.or.a-l repetitionof flashes in. flash-photography ,and stroboscopic work...
The most ecientzliash-producers: ot: thenabovefdescribed character in: use: :today embodwashlamps-- com-.- monly called, ashtubes, .provided with-.notonly an anode electrode. andacathode Aelectrode betweenwhich Vto send' the.1tlash.producing .current..througl1=.the gaseousfmedium, hut.also..a high-voltage. starting, control .ort trigger .-.elec.. trodez. The necessity-4 for.y employing .the trigger electrodeintroduces complexities and increases-.the` sizeo the gaseous-discharge device,` but the proposals that have heretofore been made for eliminating it have not been satisfactory.
An object of the present invention, therefore, to provide 'a new and' .improved electricisystern. of Ithe above'- d'escribed character embodying;a.twoelectrode gaseousdischarge device.
Another object is to provide a new and'improved ash-producing system ofj'thefabove-described character embodyinga flash. .device unprovided .with a: starting; or controlelectrode.
Afurther 'object' i'sto provide. a. newv and improved. condenser-discharge, circuit .ofthe above-.describedSchar.-` acter lavinga three-electrode triggeringoparkgap; gaseous-discharge device in. serieszwith' the. gaseousrdisch'arge. tube.
Another .Objectisto provide anew.-and.improved. yelectric-.system of. thev above-described` character in..which` the discharge. .of a condenser -through a two-electrode gasa cous-discharge device is under the .control offa. threeelectrode spark gap.
Another object stills to reduce theexpense ot vsystems of the above-'described character.
Otherand further objects. will be explained hereinf` after; and will be particularl'yp'ointed outiinxthe. appended claims.
The invention will'now be more fullyV explained.. in connection with the accompanying drawings, in. which Figgl'is azdiagrammatif.:V view of circuits' and apparatus arranged and? constructed according to one Aembodiment of the invention; and Fig., .2 is asimilar view of a lmodica tion:
A .main-discharge flash condenser or capacitor. 11,. shownA .charged from .a direct-current source, ,illustrated as 4al battery 19;. throughv a` current-Limitingcharging; impeda'nce 12,4 is. showntseriesconnected Lin a discharge cir.- cuit'tothe anode electrode 7` 'and the cathodeelectr'odet 9 of a normally .non-conductingtwo-electrode gaseous' dischargedevice, such'as 'a space-'discharge'.ashtube or shl'amprl..` The condenserl 1I rnay be charged to a' voltagetor. from'ZOOf to 2000'volts.; The'ashes -are pro# ducedby" dischargingihecondenser 11, after itLhas. become charged, throughlthe dischargecircuit and through the gaseous medium of thelamp `18,l between `the .anode 7'-'and the cathode 9."
The'three electrodes ofthe sparklgap gaseous-dischargev device vare shown comprising two principal electrodes 104 and 106-1and a start`ing,';triggering or'control electrode 150. l'nair, `the distancebetween the principal electrodes 10.4 tand" 1(1'6 may be, say, .il/1g toA of' an inch. The spark gapl willfthen bezof vervlowimpedance compared to the .severalfohms impedance of .'typical.fash.. lamps;
2.. As the energylost in the spark gapitself .is negligible; this insures that the .energy shallbe dissipatedin the ashlamp18..
One of the terminals of the condenser llfis connected permanently to.one of. thev electrodes of thegaseousfdischargev device 18,. the otherterminalofthercondenser 11. is connected permanently tonne. of..the.principal electirodes of. the sparklgap, and theother. electrodeoffthe: gaseous-.discharge device 13.is connected permanently toy the other principal electrodel ot. the .spark..gap..l
Because .of the. dielectric properties. of the normally deionized air inthe space between the spark-gap electrodes. 1041-.and 1,06, the directfcurrent source 1i) will. charge the condenser .11 through the impedance 12 .without :any of. its energy traversing thatspace.. A. difference of potentialwill therefore besestablished between. the spark-gapelec-` trodes 104 and 106 during thechargingofnthe condenser 11 before each Hash. The impedance.12.should-be'de signed sutiiciently large so that, afterthe: creation.of. the spark between the principal electrodes. 104 and..106,. further current ow between. them..will be. prevented. untilV after the air of the. spark .gap sha-ll haVeagan. become. deionized. T he-i1npedance 1-2 should,.ho.wever,v befsmall'. enough to permit of the condenser 11 becoming recharged. with'energy from the 4direct-current source l0 .in'tirnefor the next. tiash.
Referringnow more particularly to Fig..1,; the principal: electrodes 104 and 1416 are shownconnected. in the con. denser-discharge. circuit,.. in series; with. .the flashlamp. 18 The. principal..electrode 41G4- is shown...connected=.to the. anodel 7, and the principal electrode 106 to afterminal-19 connecting one' side of the condenser 11. to the. current? limiting impedance. 12.
The secondary winding. 15 of. a triggering v.transformer 14 is shown` connected to .the startingelectrode 15.0... A. high-voltagepulseis designed to be impressed .mornen.. tarily upon the.sec'ondaryfwinding 15 at asuitable time,A intorderto impress a high-potentialstimulus .or chargeon the triggering electrode 151B.` The air in the'vicinity .ofthe startingelectrode 150, between. the. principal.. spark-gap electrodes .104 and 106, becomingtherebyrendered cone ducting, byionizati'on, a high-voltage low-energy spark willfijumpacross between the principal sparkfgapfelect'rodes' 1(14. and. 106.
Upon the spark gap becoming thus ionized, the .voltage of .the .condenser 11/becomes impressed across thelamp 181 If the lamp 1S is so designed that. its-.,breakdown. voltage shall be less. than the voltage to which. the con-.- denser.11 hasbeen charged, the lamp 18 will be renderedconducting. Upon the.1amp-18 becomingtthus. conduct ing the .condenser 11 will suddently discharge there. through', between.` the anode .7 and the cathode 9..-
'Ih'e necessarily highpealedischarge currents are thus eirctive'ly` controlled. by a .simple inexpensive triggeringA three-electrode spark gap, Asthe additional high-voltage triggerelectrodethat is customarily/.employed with. gaseous-discharge ashlamps is unnecessary according to the present invention the'connections. become simplilied, and. itil becomes possible to Aemploy a gaseous-discharge device 18 of smaller size..
The momentary'voltage pulse for triggering the spark gapmaybeind'uced in the secondary winding 15 by sup-l plyinga corresponding voltage. pulse for energizingthe prnnarywinding 13 ofthe transformer. 14. This may -be effected. in any desired. way, as by discharging, a. small.. tripjcondenser. 40.' through the primary winding 13, in series Withfa. normally non-conducting trigger tube 1,-
bywvayof lead wires 30 and 31. Because of thenormallyl non-conducting character of the trigger. tube 1, it provides a'normall'yopen switching device. Theimpedanceof the lead wires 30 and.31 which may be fairlyllong, should not be tooVv great compared to the irnpedanceof. the-pri marvwin'dinglS'. The condenserlt'may be of the order ot''Ofl microfarad, compared. to the order of 10 microf'arads for the condenser 11."k
Thel condenser 40 may be charged from any desired direct-current source, such as a bleeder resistor.. bleederresistor is shown rcomprising two resistor sections 81'and; 82 connected inlseries across the battery 10 to constitute`V a. voltage divider for adjusting` the voltageon.. the.Y condenser 40`. Thev freeterminalofthe resistor 81..
The
is connected to the terminal 19, at one side of the condenser 11, and the free terminal of the resistor 82 is connected to the other side of the condenser 11.
The trigger tube 1 should be of a type capable of passing high-peak currents. It may, for example, be of the normally non-conducting cold-cathode gaseous-discharge type illustrated and described in Letters Patent 2,185,189, 2,202,166 and 2,201,167, issued January 2 and May 2l, 1940. It may comprise an evacuated glass envelope filled with a suitable gas, such as neon, or any of the noble gases, such as argon or helium. The tube 1 is shown containing several electrodes, namely, a solid cold cathode 2, an anode or plate 5, and one or more grids 4. As explained in the said Letters Patent, the source of the electrons is a bright cathode spot on the surface of the cathode 2. The moment of discharge of the condenser 40 through the primary winding 13 is controlled by the potential on the grid 4 of the trigger tube 1. An impedance 24, illustrated as a resistor, is shown connected between the cathode 2 and the grid 4, in parallel with terminals 20.
When it is desired to trigger the flashes of the lamp 18, a potential is applied to the control-grid electrode 4 through the terminals 20. This results in closing the said normally open switching device, and triggers the tube 1 to enable the trip condenser 40 to discharge therethrough and through the primary winding 13. The voltage and the power necessary to effect this result depend upon the design of the particular tube 1 employed.
A high impedance 23. shunted across the flashlamp 18. insures that there saall be no voltage across the lamp 18 until the spark gap is triggered. This impedance, which may be on the order of a megohm, is low compared to the leakage resistance across the lamp 18 when it is non-conducting, but high compared to the impedance of the lamp 18. when it is ionized.
It is desirable to have the lamp dimensions and the gas pressure such that the breakdown voltage of the flashtube 18 shall be appreciably greater than the voltage to which the discharge condenser 11 is charged, say, several times as great. It has been found that the lamp 18 then converts a greater proportion of the energy in the condenser 11 into useful light.
In the system of Fig. 1 the breakdown voltage of the lamp 18 must be less than the voltage to which the condenser 11 is charged. In the system of Fig. 2, however, this limitation in lamp design is removed, which permits of the use of a more efficient lamp. In this Fig. 2, the three-electrode spark gap is shown controlling one of the circuits disclosed in application, Serial No. 679,983,
filed June 28, 1946, embodying a saturable transformer 114. The saturable transformer 114 is shown comprising primary and secondary inductance windings 113 and 115. One end of the winding 113 is connected to one end of the winding 115 at a common terminal 21. The other end of the winding 115 is shown connected to the anode 7 of the lamp 18. The other end of the winding 113 is shown connected to the cathode 9 of the lamp 18 through a condenser 140, shown connected in parallel with the impedance 23. The voltages of both the primary and secondary windings 113 and 115 of the transformer 114 are thus connected in series circuit with the flashtube 18.
Since the secondary winding 115 of the transformer 114 is series-connected in the condenser-discharge circuit. it is desirable. in order to attain high eiciency and a discharge time that shall not be too long, that its impedance be low with respect to the impedance of the lamp 1S at the time of discharge of the condenser 11. For a reasonable discharge current in the tube 1. on the other hand. it is desirable that the impedance of the primary winding 113 be reasonably high at the time that the triggering impulse is applied to the primary winding 113 and prior to the discharge of the condenser 11.
With a primary winding the eifective impedance of which is high at the time of the discharge of the condenser 40, moreover, it is possible to arrange that the impedance of the lead wires 30 and 31 to the transformer primary winding 113, which may be fairly long, shall not be too great compared to the impedance of this primary winding 113. The required low impedance of the secondary winding 115, at the time of the discharge of the condenser 11. and the rectuired high impedance of the primary winding 113, at the time that the triggering impulse is applied to the primary winding 113, prior to the disof thin silicon-steel lamlnations.
charge of the condenser 11, may be attained by providing the transformer 114 with an iron core that saturates at the time when the main condenser 11 discharges through the transformer in response to the production of the triggering voltage across the secondary winding 115. It is because of the saturable character of the core of the transformer 114 that a low impedance is offered to the discharge of the condenser 11l through the discharge circuit including the gaseous-discharge device 18. The permissible saturated inductance of the secondary winding 115 of the transformer 114 may be computed from the wellknown equations governing the transient behavior of a series-discharge circuit of resistance, inductance and capacitance.
The impedance of a typical ashlamp 18, for example, 30 centimeters long and 4 millimeters inside diameter, and filled with Xenon at 10 centimeters pressure of mercury, may be 3 or 4 ohms. A typical condenser 11 may be of l0 microfarads capacity. The transient in the series-condenser discharge circuit comprising the condenser 11, the secondary winding 115, the spark gap and the lamp 1S will depend on the relative proportions of the resistance, the inductance and the capacitance.
The saturated inductance of the secondary winding 115 of the transformer 114 may be as great as 40 microhenries without seriously affecting the duration of the flash or the peak current in the condenser-discharge circuit. If the resistive component of the impedance of the secondary winding 115 is low compared to 4 ohms, the efficiency will still be good, and the operation will be comparable to the operation that takes place without the transformer 114. Under the above conditions, the operation will be satisfactory so long as where L is the inductance of the condenser-discharge circuit, R is its resistance, and C is its capacitance. In most practical cases, it is permissible to tolerate even the relation:
A typical transformer 114 may have a closed iron core of 0.094 square inch cross section and 4 inches effective length, and may be constituted of a good grade On this core may be wound a secondary winding 115 of 50 turns and a primary winding 113 of 5 turns. When the iron core is saturated, the inductance of the primary winding 113 may be of the order of 0.20 microhenry, and that of the secondary winding 115 of the order of 20 microhenries. The saturated inductance of 20 microhenries for the secondary winding 115 is well below the value 40 microhenries before referred to. When the iron core is not saturated, the inductance may be 100 times as great, corresponding to a primary-winding inductance of 20 microhenries.. Since ordinary cable has an inductance on the order of 0.2 microhenry per foot, this value is large enough so as not to. introduce troubles due to the impedance of the lead wires.
One side of the condenser 11, as in the system of Fig. 1, is connected to the terminal 19. The principal spark-gap electrode 104, however, is also connected to the terminal 19, and the other side of the condenser 11 is connected to the terminal 21 of the saturable transformer. The main-discharge capacitor 11 is charged from the directcurrent source 10, not only through the current-limiting impedance 12, as in the system of Fig. 1, but also through the saturable-transformer winding 113 and the impedance 23.
The starting electrode is shown in Fig. 2 as energized, in order to impress a high-potential stimulus or charge therein, by the secondary winding 38 of a highratio triggering transformer 36, which may be of the spark-coil type. The primary winding 74 is shown connected in series with the cathode 2.
As in the system of Fig. 1, the small trip condenser 40 discharges through the primary winding 74 of the transformer 36, in series with the trigger tube 1, and the moment of discharge of the condenser 40 through the primary winding 74 is controlled by the potential on the grid 4 of the trigger tube 1. A high-voltage pulse becomes thereupon momentarily transmitted through the transformer 36 to the spark-gap electrode 150, which affects lioni/lation of the gas between the spark-gap elecsamonzo tcondenser.1'40. ,The `condenser-=140..may be oftheiorder \'of:0..1 microfarad compared to v1I)rmic'rofara'ds `for the fcondenser -11. Thisprevents any appreciable;` portion of "thefenergysin the condenser 11-frombeing dissipatedJin the series circuit-comprisingthe.condenser 11, the transformer, primarywinding "1'13,the"con'denser 140, and the Atriggeredtspark,.gap. .Theevoltageifsurge applied tto the primary `winding `113 .of the .transformer 114produces a high voltage in the secondary winding 115. The voltages of both the primary and secondary windings 113 and 115 of the transformer 114 are in series circuit with the ashtube 18. The lamp 18 will break down and become conducting if the total applied voltage is sufficient in magnitude. The main-discharge condenser 11 will then discharge through the spark gap, the ash-lamp 18 and the secondary winding 115 of the transformer 114.
Since the impedance 23 is essentially in parallel with the flash lamp 18, its value should be relatively high compared to the impedance of the lamp 18 during the time that the condenser 11 is discharging into the ash lamp 18. O11 the other hand, the impedance 23 should not be too large, as this would tend to prolong the time required to recharge the condenser 11.
In the system of both Figs. 1 and 2, the three-electrode spark gap isolates the ashtube 18 from the high directcurrent potentials of the condenser 11, except at the instant of Hash. As these high-potential elements may be completely enclosed at some distance from the lamp 18, the operator may be fully protected from these high potentials, except at the moment of discharge. The enclosure, not shown, for these high-potential elements may be rendered sound-proof, in order to render the operation of the spark gap inaudible.
Further modifications will occur to persons skilled in the art, and all such are considered to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.
What is claimed is:
l. An electric system having, in combination, a gaseous-discharge device, a condenser, means for charging the condenser, a saturable-core inductor, a spark gap, a discharge circuit for the condenser including the gaseousdischarge device, the inductor and the spark gap connected in series, and means for impressing a voltage upon the spark gap of magnitude suflicient to cause the spark gap to become conducting, thereby impressing a voltage upon the inductor such that, when added to the charge on the condenser, it will exceed the magnitude of the breakdown voltage of the gaseous-discharge device, thereby to enable the condenser to discharge through the discharge circuit.
2. A flash-producing system having, in combination, a ash device, a condenser, means for charging the condenser, a saturable-core inductor, a spark gap, a discharge circuit for the condenser including the ash device, the inductor and the spark gap, and means for impressing a voltage upon the spark gap of magnitude suicient to cause the spark gap to become conducting, thereby impressing a voltage upon the inductor such that, when added to the charge on the condenser, it will exceed the magnitude of the break-down voltage of the flash device, thereby to enable the condenser to discharge through the discharge circuit in order to produce a flash.
3. An electric system having, in combination, a gaseous-discharge device, a condenser, means for charging the condenser, a saturable-core transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, a spark gap, a discharge circuit for the condenser including the gaseousdischarge device, one of the windings of the transformer and the spark gap connected in series, and means for irnpressing a voltage upon the spark gap of magnitude sufcient to cause the spark gap to become conducting, thereby impressing a voltage upon the other winding to cause a voltage to appear on the said one winding of magnitude such that, when added to the charge on the condenser, it will exceed the magnitude of the break-down voltage of the gaseous-discharge device, thereby to enable the condenser to discharge through the discharge circuit.
4. A hash-producing system having, in combination, a ash device, a condenser, means for charging the condenser, a saturable-core transformer having a primary -windin-gzandzassecondaryawinding,aesparlqgap,zaadischarge circuitlforA ,the'lcondensera including thefrash.- devicefnonec of the windings of the transformerfand theffsparkrgap, and means for impressing a voltage upon the spark gap of magnitude rsuicient .to f cause i the :spark ,-gap -:to become conducting, .thereby .impressing-.a voltageupon the other winding to cause` avoltage toappearv on*the said winding oftma'gnitude. such.that, whenadded-to the-.chargemn the condenser,..it will exceed the.:magnitude ofzthebreakv'dowdvolta'ge.of the ash device, :thereby tofenablelthe "condenser to discharge through '.the @discharge icircuit i in orderto produce a Hash.
5. An electric system, having, in combination, a gaseous-discharge device, a condenser, means for charging the condenser, a saturable-core inductor, a three-electrode spark gap, a discharge circuit for the condenser including the gaseous-discharge device, the inductor and two of the electrodes of the spark gap, and means for impressing a voltage upon the third electrode of the spark gap of magnitude sufficient to cause the spark gap to become conducting, thereby impressing a voltage upon the inductor such that, when added to the charge on the condenser, it will exceed the magnitude of the break-down voltage of the gaseous-discharge device, thereby to enable the condenser to discharge through the discharge circuit.
6. An electric system having, in combination, a gaseous-discharge device, a condenser, means for charging the condenser, a saturable-core transformer, a threeelectrode spark gap, a discharge circuit for the condenser including the gaseous-discharge device, the transformer and two of the electrodes of the spark gap, and means for impressing a voltage upon the third electrode of the spark gap of magnitude suicient to cause the spark gap to become conducting, thereby impressing a voltage upon the inductor such that, when added to the charge on the condenser, it will exceed the magnitude of the break-down voltage of the gaseous-discharge device, thereby to enable the condenser to discharge through the discharge circuit.
7. An electric system having, in combination, a gaseous-discharge device having two electrodes, a condenser, means for charging the condenser, a saturable-core transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding each having two ends, one end of one of the windings being connected to one end of the other winding, the other end of the said one winding being connected to one of the electrodes of the discharge device, the other end of the said other winding being connected to the other electrode of the discharge device, a three-electrode spark gap, a discharge circuit for the condenser including the gascous-discharge device, one of the windings of the transformer and two of the electrodes of the spark gap, and means for impressing a voltage upon the third electrode of the spark gap of magnitude suicient to cause the spark gap to become conducting, thereby impressing a voltage upon the inductor such that, when added to the charge on the condenser, it will exceed the magnitude of the break-down voltage of the gaseous-discharge device, thereby to enable the condenser to discharge through the discharge circuit.
8. An electric system having, in combination, a gascous-discharge device, a condenser, means for charging the condenser, a saturable-core inductor, a three-electrode spark gap, a discharge circuit for the condenser including the gaseous-discharge device, the inductor and two of the electrodes of the spark gap, and means comprising a gridcontrolled rectifier for impressing a voltage upon the third electrode of the spark gap of magnitude suicient to cause the spark gap to become conducting, thereby impressing a voltage upon the inductor such that, when added to the charge on the condenser, it will exceed the magnitude of the break-down voltage on the gaseousdischarge device, thereby to enable the condenser to discharge through the discharge circuit.
9. A Hash-producing system having, in combination, a gaseous-discharge flash device, a condenser, means for charging the condenser, a saturable-core inductor, a threeelectrode spark gap, a discharge circuit for the condenser including the flash device, the inductor and two of the electrodes of the spark gap, and means comprising a gridcontrolled rectifier for impressing a voltage upon the third electrode of the spark gap of magnitude suicient to cause the spark gap to become conducting, thereby impressing a voltage upon the inductor such that, when added to the charge on the condenser, it will exceed the magnitude References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Swart Oct. 26, 1937 Edwards Jan. 3, 1939 Inman Oct. 31, 1939 10 Edgerton Jan. 9, 1940 Bychinsky Nov. 19, 1940 8 McKesson Mar. 25, 1941 Edgerton Jan. 6, 1942 Perrin May 1, 1945 Back Dec. 25, 1945 Schelleng Dec. 3, 1946 Schockley Mar. 4, 1947 Maxwell Dec. 2, 1947 Rochester Aug. 1, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain June 3, 1925 France Sept. 15, 1941
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Cited By (10)

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US2722631A (en) * 1950-03-15 1955-11-01 Gen Electric Flashtube triggering circuit
US2906924A (en) * 1957-11-02 1959-09-29 Frungel Frank High-frequency spark device
US2931948A (en) * 1956-08-23 1960-04-05 Ford Motor Co Flash producing circuit
US2978611A (en) * 1961-04-04 segall
US3035207A (en) * 1959-01-14 1962-05-15 A E I Lamp And Lighting Compan Circuit arrangement for operating electric discharge lamp
US3066243A (en) * 1959-11-02 1962-11-27 Engelhard Hanovia Inc Starting and operating circuit for high pressure arc lamps
US3087091A (en) * 1958-05-01 1963-04-23 High Voltage Engineering Corp Spark gap switch
US3093770A (en) * 1960-01-08 1963-06-11 Gen Dynamics Corp High energy spark control
US3153175A (en) * 1960-06-29 1964-10-13 Giannini Scient Corp Two stage system for initiating an electric arc
US3505563A (en) * 1965-03-10 1970-04-07 Ass Elect Ind Fluid fuel ignition combustion arrangement

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US2178423A (en) * 1939-10-31 inman
US2222498A (en) * 1940-11-19 Ignition system
GB252779A (en) * 1925-03-03 1926-06-03 Walter John Brown Improvements relating to oscilloscopes
US2186013A (en) * 1934-03-10 1940-01-09 Edgerton Harold Eugene Motion-picture apparatus
US2096865A (en) * 1936-04-16 1937-10-26 American Telephone & Telegraph Resetting circuits for gas-filled tubes
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US2416718A (en) * 1942-10-01 1947-03-04 Bell Telephone Labor Inc Pulse generator
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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2978611A (en) * 1961-04-04 segall
US2722631A (en) * 1950-03-15 1955-11-01 Gen Electric Flashtube triggering circuit
US2931948A (en) * 1956-08-23 1960-04-05 Ford Motor Co Flash producing circuit
US2906924A (en) * 1957-11-02 1959-09-29 Frungel Frank High-frequency spark device
US3087091A (en) * 1958-05-01 1963-04-23 High Voltage Engineering Corp Spark gap switch
US3035207A (en) * 1959-01-14 1962-05-15 A E I Lamp And Lighting Compan Circuit arrangement for operating electric discharge lamp
US3066243A (en) * 1959-11-02 1962-11-27 Engelhard Hanovia Inc Starting and operating circuit for high pressure arc lamps
US3093770A (en) * 1960-01-08 1963-06-11 Gen Dynamics Corp High energy spark control
US3153175A (en) * 1960-06-29 1964-10-13 Giannini Scient Corp Two stage system for initiating an electric arc
US3505563A (en) * 1965-03-10 1970-04-07 Ass Elect Ind Fluid fuel ignition combustion arrangement

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