US3241093A

US3241093A - Mounting arrangement for a high voltage electron tube

Info

Publication number: US3241093A
Application number: US169486A
Authority: US
Inventors: Deck Harold
Original assignee: COMPONENTS FOR RES Inc
Current assignee: COMPONENTS FOR RES Inc
Priority date: 1962-01-29
Filing date: 1962-01-29
Publication date: 1966-03-15
Anticipated expiration: 1983-03-15

Description

March 15 1966 H. DEQK MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR A HIGH VOLTAGE ELECTRON TUBE Filed Jan 29, 1962 INVENTOI? HAROLD DECK I I'E EH |||l| I 24% 2e PATENT AGENT United States Patent 3,241,093 MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR A HIGH VOLTAGE ELECTRON TUBE Harold Deck, San Jose, Calif., assignor to Components for Research, Inc., Palo Alto, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Jan. 29, 1962, Ser. No. 169,486 3 Claims. (Cl. 336-407) The present invention relates generally to the installation of electron tubes, and more particularly to a mounting arrangement for high voltage electron tubes wherein the high voltages may appear both at the anode and cathode of the tube.

Both the installation and subsequent maintenance of electron tubes which operate at relatively high potentials (e.g., thirty kilovolts) are complicated by the necessity for avoiding the possibility of voltage breakdown between the various elements of the entire circuit. For example, in the installation of a conventional high voltage rectifier tube, it is not only necessary that a filament transformer be utilized to isolate the high voltages applied to the tube from the source of filament voltage but it is additionally necessary to mount such filament transformer within a bath of insulating oil to enhance insulation of the high voltages which exist between the primary and secondary windings of the filament transformer. Obviously, a container for the oil bath is requisite and such container in turn presents the necessity for the employment of suitable bushings which not only provide electrical insulation but a mechanical seal as well. Not only is such initial installation of the high voltage rectifier and its associated circuitry rendered extremely complex and tedious, but subsequent maintenance is also difiicult and time-consuming.

Accordingly, it is the general object of the present invention to provide a mounting arrangement for high voltage electron tubes that is not only effective to avoid breakdown at the high operating potentials, but simplifies both installation and maintenance.

More particularly, it is a significant feature of the invention to provide a mounting arrangement for an electron tube that embodies a solid insulator which not only isolates the various circuit components between which high potentials exist but also functions as a base for the electron tube socket to thus provide a unitary mounting arrangement.

Additionally, it is a feature of the present invention to provide a mounting arrangement for an electron tube which embodies a solid insulator within which a filament transformer can be embedded to more effectively preclude voltage breakdown between the primary and secondary windings of such transformer.

Furthermore, it is a feature of the present invention to provide a mounting arrangement for a high voltage electron tube that not only houses the filament transformer and provides a mounting for the base of the electron tube, but also incorporates terminals which facilitate connection of the appropriate external circuitry.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a unitary mounting arrangement for a high voltage electron tube that is relatively compact and inexpensive and can readily be transported and installed.

These as well as additional objects and features of the invention will become more apparent from a perusal of the following description of the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a mounting arrangement for a high voltage electron tube in accordance with the present invention, portions of the structure being broken away to illustrate interior details of the arrangement, and

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1.

With initial reference to FIG. 1, the mounting arrangement for a high voltage electron tube constituting one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in its normal upright disposition wherein a slightly tapered but generally cylindrical insulator 10 is disposed between a first annular conductor 12 at its lower end and a second annular conductor 14 at its top or upper end.

The unit is preferably formed by vacuum casting of an epoxy resin to form the insulator 10 between the two

annular conductors

12, 14. As shown, the casting is formed about a suitable filament transformer 16 so that such transformer is completely embedded in the interior of the insulator. Such filament transformer 16 is shown only in outline since it is of more or less conventional nature, but it will be appreciated that the excellent insulating properties of the epoxy casting will effectively isolate the primary and

secondary windings

16a, 16b, of the transformer to preclude voltage breakdown therebetween. The wire leads 18, 20 from the primary winding 16a of the transformer 16 extend downwardly through the insulator 10 and through the opening formed in the central portion of the lower annular conductor 12 and then laterally outwardly through another insulator 22 to suitable terminals 24, 26 which enable connection of a filament voltage source (not shown) thereto. A fiat metallic plate 28 is located at the lowermost end of the structure to facilitate mounting of the entire unit and to simultaneously provide an electrical ground connection.

The secondary winding 16b of the transformer 16 includes wire leads 30, 32 that extend upwardly through the insulator 10 and through the central opening in the upper annular conductor 14 for electrical connection to two

terminals

34, 36 of a conventional tube socket, generally indicated at 38 so that filament voltage derived from the secondary of the filament transformer 16 can be applied to the filament of an electron tube which is merely indicated in phantom lines in FIG. 1 and can, of course, be a tube of any selected type. One of the filament terminals 34 is connected to the annular conductor 14 at the top of the insulator and accordingly, this upper annular conductor will be subjected to the high potentials applied to the cathode of the tube. Preferably, as shown, this annular conductor 14 is rounded on its periphery so that no sharp edges will create points of excessive electric field strength.

The structure of the tube socket 38 is conventional and will, of course, vary depending upon the electron tube that is to be mounted and therefore will not be described in detail; but, as best shown in FIG. 2, can be centrally secured in a suitable fashion to the top of the mounting arrangement so that the upper annular conductor 14, which has greater lateral dimensions, will effectively shield all exposed high potential connections to the tube socket or the tube itself from the low potential elements at the lower end of the structure.

Quite obviously, the precise dimensions of the unit and particularly the length of the insulator will vary depending on the potentials to be applied; and moreover, the shape of the entire unit may be varied depending on particular requirements. By way of example, for mounting of a rectifier tube designated as type 8020 and having an inverse peak voltage rating of 40 kilovolts, the insulator 10 will be approximately 9.5 inches in length and the unit can be supported in an air environment. For an extremely high voltage rectifier tube such as type ML 141 having an inverse peak voltage rating of kilovolts, the length of the insulator 10 should be approximately 12 inches and should be immersed in oil. However, because of the preassembled unitary nature of the tubemounting arrangement, as described, initial installation and subsequent maintenance are greatly simplified even under the conditions of oil immersion.

Accordingly, the foregoing description of one embodiment of the invention is to be considered purely as exemplary and not in a limiting sense; and the actual scope of the invention is .to be indicated by reference to the appended claims.

Whatis claimed is:

.1. Mounting arrangement for a high voltage electron tube which comprises a solid insulator having a filament transformer embedded .therein, a first annular conductor at one end of said insulator,conductive means extending through said annular conductor 'into said insulator and connectedto the primary winding of said transformer, a second annular conductor having a rounded contour at the other end vofsaid insulator, atube socket mounted on the side of said second" annular conductor opposite to said transformer and'having filament terminals, and conductive means connected to said filament terminals of said socket and extending through said'annular conductor into said insulator and connected to the secondary Winding of said filament transformer.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,705,559 3/1929 Dubilier 339193 X 1,796,421 3/1931 Apple 336-96 2,279,635 4/1942 Morley 336-105 X 2,971,145 2/1961 Enge 336-208 X OTHER REFERENCES Electronic Design Magazine, May 1955, pp. 31-33. Tele-Tech and Electronic Industries Magazine, July 1956, p. 58.

JOHN F. BURNS, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR A HIGH VOLTAGE ELECTRON TUBE WHICH COMPRISES A SOLID INSULATOR HAVING A FILAMENT TRANSFORMER EMBEDDED THERRIN, A FIRST ANNULAR CONDUCTOR AT ONE END OF SAID INSULATOR, CONDUCTIVE MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID ANNULAR CONDUCTOR INTO SAID INSULATOR AND CONNECTED TO THE PRIMARY WINDING OF SAID TRANSFORMER, A SECOND ANNULAR CONDUCTOR HAVING A ROUNDED CONTOUR AT THE OTHER END OF SAID INSULATOR, A TUBE SOCKET MOUNTED ON THE SIDE OF SAID SECOND ANNULAR CONDUCTOR OPPOSITE SAID TRANSFORMER AND HAVING FILAMENT TERMINALS, AND CONDUCTIVE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID FILAMENT TERMINALS OF SAID SOCKET AND EXTENDING THROUGH SAID ANNULAR CONDUCTOR INTO SAID INSULATOR AND CONNECTED TO THE SECONDARY WINDING OF SAID FILAMENT TRANSFORMER.