US3466491A

US3466491A - Planar spark gap socket

Info

Publication number: US3466491A
Application number: US667798A
Authority: US
Inventors: Richard Alan Momberger
Original assignee: Sylvania Electric Products Inc
Current assignee: GTE Sylvania Inc
Priority date: 1967-09-14
Filing date: 1967-09-14
Publication date: 1969-09-09
Anticipated expiration: 1986-09-09

Description

P 9, 1959 R. A. MOMBERGER 3,466,491

-' I PLANAR SPARK GAP SOCKET Filed Sept. 14, 1967 s i 9 23 w M i 25 INVENTOR.

B? Fig 4 ATTORNEY P/c/mw ,4; Manama I Q United States Patent ware Filed Sept. 14, 1967, Ser. No. 667,798 Int. Cl. H01j /50 US. Cl. 313331 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An electron discharge device spark gap socket includes electrical connectors within a body of electrical insulating material and a support member of electrical insulating material having a plurality of electrical conductors on one surface thereof with each of the conductors contacting an electrical connector and formed to provide a plurality of fixed spark gaps intermediate one of the conductors and the remainder of the conductors.

Background of the invention Numerous types of electron discharge devices, such as television picture tubes for instance, utilize a wide range of potential which must be coupled intermediate thereto and electrical circuitry. This wide range of potential, in the order of 0-25,000 volts, tends to result in undesired arcing within the tube which does not particularly harm the tube but does tend to damage external circuitry coupled thereto.

The prior art suggests several types of discharge device sockets which include a spark gap means for dissipating these undesired potentials. One known spark gap socket includes a wafer of insulating material having apertures therein and disposed intermediate the electrical connectors of the socket and an electrical conducting ring. When the potential on one of the connectors exceeds a predetermined value, arcing to the electrical conducting ring occurs.

In another known type of spark gap socket, a metal ring having a plurality of spaced projections thereon is disposed within the body of the socket with the projections bent toward the electrical connectors of the socket to provide a spark gap therebetween.

Although these and other similar types of spark gap sockets have greatly enhanced the art, it has been found that each has one or more undesirable features such as relatively high cost of materials, labor, and assembly time. Also, each of the known devices is dependent upon the spacing between the electrical connectors and a conductor ring and such spacing is subject to undesired variations due to the tendency of the connectors to become distorted when an electrical conductor is aflixed thereto.

Objects and summary of the invention Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a relatively inexpensive and simple spark gap socket for an electron discharge device. Another object of the invention is to provide a unique spark gap socket wherein the spacing of the spark gap is predetermined and independent of spacing between the electrical conductors of the socket and a potential discharge means.

Briefly, these and other objects are achieved in one aspect of the invention by a support means of electrical insulating material having a plurality of spaced electrical conductors affixed to one surface thereof with each of the electrical conductors contacting one of the connectors of the socket and one of the electrical conductors spaced from each of the remaining electrical conductors.

3,466,491 Patented Sept. 9, 1969 Brief description of the drawings FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the support means of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of an alternative support means applicable to the embodiment of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of another alternative support means applicable to the embodiment of FIG. 1.

Description of the preferred embodiments For a better understanding of the invention, together with other and further objects, advantages, and capabilities thereof, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and appended claims in conjunction with the following description.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a spark gap electron discharge device socket. The socket, in general, compirses two main circular-shaped sections which may be designated a body section 5 and a support section 7 and which are concentrically arranged in a face to face relationship and permanently secured together such as by a stud 9 for instance.

The body section 5 of the spark gap socket, which is preferably of a shape retaining dielectric material such as Bakelite, has a central aperture 11 extending therethrough adapted to receive the base of an electron discharge device. Also, a pair of

surfaces

13 and 15 are formed in substantially normal relationship to each other and a plurality of apertures 17 circumferentially arrayed in spaced relationship extend through the body section 5 intermediate the

surfaces

13 and 15 respectively.

Disposed Within each of the circumferentially spaced apertures 1-7 is an electrical connector 19 having a pinreceiving portion 21 and a wire connecting lug portion 23. The pin-receiving portion 21 faces one planar surface 13 and is formed to receive the terminal pins on the base of an electron discharge device while the wire connecting lug portion 23 faces the other planar surface 15 and is formed for attachment of an electrical conductor 25 thereto.

The support section 7 includes a wafer 27 of electrical insulating material having a plurality of circumferentially arrayed and spaced

electrical conductors

29 and 31 affixed to one surface thereof. For example, ordinary printed circuit board material is especially suitable for use as the wafer 27. The

electrical conductors

29 and 31 are arrayed in a manner such that each of the

conductors

29 and 31 contacts the wire connecting lug portion 23 of one of the electrical connectors 19. Also, one of the conductors 29 is spaced from the remainder of the conductors 31 to provide a spark gap 35 intermediate the one conductor 29 and the remainder of the conductors 31.

As can be more readily seen in FIG. 2, the

electrical conductors

29 and 31 of the support section 7 are circumferentially spaced and arrayed on the wafer of insulating material 27. Also, each of the

electrical conductors

29 and 31 is vertically aligned with one of the electrical connectors 19 of FIG. 1. In this particular embodiment, the electrical conductor 29, which is the conductor normally coupled to a voltage reference level such as circuit ground, has a substantially circular portion 33 which is spaced from the remainder of the electrical conductors 31. Thus, a spark gap 35 is provided intermediate the electrical conductor 29 and each one of the electrical conductors 31.

Additionally, each one of the spark gaps 35 is of preselected magnitude which is readily determinable during the fabrication of the support section 7. Moreover, each of the spark gaps 35 is in the same plane and of a fixed pre-selected value which is independent of other component parts of the body section 5 and undesired variations and distortions therebetween.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate alternative configurations of the support section 7. In FIG. 3, an electrical conductor 37, which is the conductor normally coupled to a voltage reference level, is in the form of a circular band having a leg portion 39 extending interiorly thereto for providing electrical connection to one of the electrical connectors 19 of the body section 5 of FIG. 1. A plurality of spaced electrical conductors 41 are arrayed within the surrounding electrical conductor 37 and each of the electrical conductors 41 is arrayed to provide alignment and electrical contact with one of the electrical connectors 19 of the body section 5.

Also, the surrounding electrical conductor 37 has a plurality of protuberances 43 each one of which is spaced from one of the electrical conductors 41. In this manner, a spark gap 45 is provided intermediate each of the electrical conductors 41 and the surrounding electrical conductor 37. As mentioned above, each of the spark gaps 45 is of a pre-selected value and substantially independent of variations within the body section 5 of the spark gap socket. 7

FIG, 4 illustrates another embodiment of the support section 7 wherein is included a wafer 47 of electrical insulating material having one electrical conductor 49 with a central portion 51 and a plurality of circumferentially spaced and arrayed conductors 53 affixed to the surface of the wafer 47. As above, each of the

electrical conductors

49 and 53 is arrayed for alignment and electrical contact with one of the electrical connectors 19 of the body section 5. Also, intermediate each one of the electrical conductor 53 and the central portion 51 of the electrical conductor 49 is an aperture 55. Each of these apertures 55 are of a magnitude which is selectable and serves as a spark gap of predetermined value intermediate each one of the electrical conductors 53 and the central portion 51 of the electrical conductor 49. Thus, the apertures 55 further insure consistency of the spark gap and arcing potential by eliminating the possibility of carbonization of the wafer 47 of electrical insulating material intermediate the central portion 51 of the electrical conductors 49 and the conductor 53.

It should perhaps be noted that the support section 7 is preferably fabricated of a laminated material having a layer of electrical insulating material with a layer of electrically conductive material bonded thereto. In a manner well known in the printed circuit art, portions of the electrically conductive layer are removed to provide the desired spaced electrical conductors with the previously described spark gap intermediate one of the conductors and each one of the remaining electrical conductors.

Thus, there has been provided a unique spark gap electron discharge device socket having numerous advantages over any of the known spark gap sockets. The socket is simple in construction and economical of materials and assembly and fabrication time. Also, the structure provides a capability of uniformity, consistency, and repeatability of predetermined spark gap values which, as far as is known, is unobtainable in any other spark gap tpye structure.

While there have been shown and described what are at present considered the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An electron discharge device spark gap socket comprising in combination:

a socket body of electrical insulating material having apertures in spaced array;

an electrical connector disposed within each of said apertures; and

support means afiixed to said socket body, said support means being in the form of electrical insulating material having a plurality of electrical conductors aflixed in spaced array to one surface of said support means, each of said electrical conductors being aligned with and contacting one of said electrical connectors, and One of said electrical conductors being spaced a predetermined distance from the remainder of said electrical conductors whereby said predetermined distance forms a spark gap intermediate said one conductor and each one of the remaining electrical conductors.

2. The electron discharge device spark gap socket of claim 1 wherein all of said electrical conductors and said spark gaps intermediate said electrical conductors are in a single plane of said support means.

3. The electron discharge device spark gap socket of claim 1 wherein said support means is in the form of a laminated structure having a layer of electrical insulating material and electrical conductors bonded thereto and contacting individual ones of said electrical connectors, said electrical conductors being formed to provide spark gaps intermediate one electrical conductor and each one of the remaining electrical conductors.

4. The electron discharge device spark gap socket of claim 1 wherein said socket body includes a pair of substantially planar surfaces in approximate normal relationship to one another, each one of said plurality of apertures extends through said socket body intermediate said pair of substantially planar surfaces, each one of said electrical connectors within each one of said apertures includes a pin-receiving portion and a wire connecting lug portion, and said wire connecting lug portion of each of said electrical connectors contacts one of said electrical conductors.

5. The electron discharge device spark gap socket of claim 1 wherein said apertures and electrical connectors of said socket body and said electrical conductors of said support means are circumferentially arrayed in spaced relationship and one of said electrical conductors is formed to provide a substantially circular portion spaced from each one of the remaining electrical conductors whereby a spark gap is provided intermediate said circular portion of said one electrical conductor and each one of the remaining electrical conductors.

6. The electron discharge device spark gap socket of claim 5 wherein said support means is apertured intermediate said circular portion of said one electrical conductor and each one of the remaining electrical conductors.

7. The electron discharge device spark gap socket of claim 5 wherein said circular portion of said one electrical conductor and said remaining electrical conductors are in the same plane with said circular portion located interiorly of and spaced from the remaining electrical conductors.

8. The electron discharge device spark gap socket of claim 5 wherein said circular portion of said one electrical conductor and said remaining electrical conductors are in the same plane and said circular portion substantially surrounds and is spaced from the remaining electrical conductors.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1967 Smith 313-331 11/1967 Kearney 313331 US. Cl. X.R. 3l3325