US906991A - Oscillation-detector. - Google Patents

Description

C. D. BABGOGK.

OSGILLATION DETECTOR. APPLICATION nun 0012, 1907.

Patented Dec. 15, 1903.-

I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

G. D. BABGOCK. OSIGILLATION DETECTOR.

* APPLICATION rman our. 2, 1907.

, 906,991. Patented De.15,1908.

2-BKBBTB-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFIOE.

CLIFFORD D..BABGOGK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO UNITED WI RELESS TELEGRAPH COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

OSCILLATION-DETECTOR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLIFFORD D. BABCOOK, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Oscillation-Detectors, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to detectors of the thermo-electric type for feeble electric curby said elements. Experience has shown that thermo-electric oscillation detectors so constructed are not stable and soon lose their sensltiveness, requiring therefore more or less frequent 'adjustmentor varlatlon of the point at which one of the elements makes contact with the other.

The object of the present invention is to provide an oscillation detector of the thermoelectric type which shall not be-subject to the foregoing defects and limitations and which shall be capable of developingalarger amount of thermo-electric energy when. acted u on by a given amount of electrical energy t an those of the type in which the received electrical energy is conveyed directly to the circuit which includesthe thermo-couple.

With this object in view my invention comprises a thermo-ele'ctric couple consist-.

ing preferably of two elements widely separated in the thermo-electric scale and forming a perfect electrical contact, in combination with means such as a short conductor of small diameter associated with said thermoelectric couple and adjacent thereto whereby the. energy of the oscillations to be detected may be converted into heat and thereby eleveto Ithe temperature of said thermo-electric cou e.

. e drawings which accompany and form apart of this specification illustrate in diagram several embodiments of my invention whereby the foregoing objects'have been accomplished in practice; but it will be understood that 'said. embodiments which hare been qhosenfor illustrating the haven-- Specification of Letters men-i. Application filed October 2, 1907. Serial no. 395,492.

' related to the si Patented net. 15, 1902.

'tion may be subjected to a wide range of variation without departing from the principle thereof. 1

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a thermoelectric couple having a signal-indicating device serially connected "therewith. Fig. 1 is an end viewfofone of the elements of a thermoeelectric couple shown in Fig. 1 with the other element removed. Fig. 2 shows a -modification of the detector shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a detectorhaving a plurality of thermo-electric couples connected in multiple with respect to the signal-indicating device. Fig. 4 shows an oscillation detector consisting of a plurality offlthermo-electrio couples connected in series. with respect to the signal-indicating device. Fig. 5 shows an oscillation detector consisting of a plurality of thermo-electric couples each'havin its circuit inductively related with thesign 4 indicating device; Fig. 6 shows an oscillation'detector consisting of a thermo-electric couple connected in series with means for heating a second thermo-electric couple'and a si al-indicating device associated with the atter. Fig. 7 shows an oscillation de tector in which the circuit of a thermo-electric couple is inductively related with a circuit which includes means for heating a sec- 0nd thermo-electric couple. Fig. 8 shows an oscillation detector consisting of a thermoelectric couple having its circuit inductively al-indicating device. 9 showsa'n osci ation detector consisting of a plurality of thermo electric couples 0011-;

nccted in multiple-series with respect to a signal-indicating device. Fig.- 10' shows'an arrangement whereby one or more thermoelectric couples may be associated with the circuit conveying the oscillations to be detected. Fig. 11 is a fragmentary view showing one way in which the heating means may be adjusted with respect to the thermo-electric 0011 lo. Fig. 12 shows partly inperspective an partly in diagram one way inwhic a thermo-el'ectric couple may be employed to operate a relay.

In the figures, A. andB are thermo-electric elements, suchfor example, as bismuth and tellurium, respectively, or steel and gelenaor some other metallic sulfid, respectively.

Fig.

However I do not limit myself as to the mar terial of said elements inasmuch as they mayl be formed of any suitable materials whic lie far apart in the thermo-electric scale.

- turn of the conductor 0 is place increased and y means C may be a short length of conductor of small diameter such for example as a bit of one-half mil platinum wire or a bit of threequarter mil carbon filament. The conductor C may be arranged with respect to the junction of'the elements A B in any suitable manner. As shown in Fig. 1, it is bent around said junction and in Fig. 2 a sin le around t 1e junction. The elements A and B may have any suitable shape and as shown the area of contact of onewith the other is made small. This contact is a perfect electricalcontact and may be made in any suitable for example, by solderin other or by mechanica y pressing them in firm contact with each other.

T is a signal-indicating device which may be associated with a circuit including the elements A and B in any suitable manner. The heating conductor 0 is included 'in the circuit which carries the oscillations to be detected. This circuit is shown as terminating at the points a and b. The points a and b may be'connected with a wireless telegraph or wireless telephone system, or other system in which the oscillations or currents to be detected are developed, in any of the usual ways in which oscillation detectors are associated with such systems, as for example, by including the conductor a. C b in an antenna or in a tuned circuit associated with such antenna.

.In Fig; 3 the thermo-electric couples A B, A B, A" B, are connected in multiple with respect to the signal-indicating device T, which may be a tele hone-receiver, and three heatin members C O" are connected in series wit the circuit a b which conveys the oscillations to be detected, said'heating members being associated with and adjacent to the thermo-electric couples, respectively. In Fig. 4 the three thermo-electrlcwouples are connected in series with the signal indieating device T. By means of the arrangementshown in Fig. 3 the thermo-electric current passing through the telephone T is of the arrangement shown in Fig. the thermo-elect'ric potential is increased.

As shown in Fig. 5 the signal-indicating device may be associated with two thermoelectric couples by means of the transformers M M which are arranged so that the currents developed in the circuit of the device T are in the same direction.

In Fig. 6 the thermo-electric currents developed by the couple tor O which in turn causes the couple A B to develop thermo-electric currents which operate the telephone T. ,A modification of the arrangement shown in Fig. 6 is illustrated in Fig. 7 in which the thermo-electric currents developed by the couple A B are translated by the transformer M, which may i A B heat the conduc' I be a stepp transformer or a step-down transformer, to the heating member C, which, by elevating the temperature of the couple A B, causes said couple to develop i currents in the circuit of the device T.

In Fig. 8, the device T is associated inductively with the circuit of the couple A B by means of the transformer M.

It will be'understood of course that the currents developed in the circuit of the thermo-couples by oscillations created in the receiving system by electro-magnetic waves from wireless mitting systems, are pulsating currents which may of course be translated by a transformer tothe signal-indicating device, as shown in Figs. 5 and 8 or to another heating element, as shown in Fig. 7.

In Fig. 9 the thermo-electric couples A B, A B, and A B are connected in multi le series with respect to the signal-indicating device T.

In Fig. 10 the switch S which cooperates with the contacts 1 and 2 may be employed to regulate the number of thermo-electric couples employed in a receiving system. The heating member C may be a much larger conductor than the heating member C. In such case when receiving signals from nearl by stations, the heating member C may be out out in order to protect the same from the received oscillations from said near-by station which might fuse said member. The oscillations developed in the receiving system by electro-magnetic waves transmitted from stations located at greater distances from the receiving system might not develop sufficient heat in the conductor 0 to cause the development in the circuit of the couple A B of a de- J tectable current, and therefore for long distance communication, the switch S may be placed on contact 2 so as to bring the heating member G into operative relatlon with the circuit a b.

'In Fig. 11 the heating member 0 is shown niounted upon the support D which by means of the screw E may be moved with respect to the thermo-electric cou le, of which one element A, is shown in said figure. this construction is to prevent one or more of a number of. sets of oscillations developed I by different transmitting systems in the circuit a b from afiecting the thermo-electric I couple. By varying the position of the heat- 1 ing member C with respect to cillations of small amplitude and which therefore would raise the tem erature of the couple to a relatively small egree, may be prevented from effecting the development of thermo-electric currents in the circuit of the couple by separatin the couple and the heating member. vl hen the heating member and con le are se arated sufficiently to prevent oscillations o relatively small amplitude from aflectin'g the couple, oscillatelegraph or telephone trans- The object ofthe couple, os

tions of relatively larger amplitude will develop in said heating member suflicient heat to cause the couple to develop currents which at f and normally held by the spring .9 so that be detected into'h'e'at and tion between A and B.

the heating member contacts withv the junc- U on the energization of the thermo-couple, t e magnet H, energized'by the thermo-electric currents, attracts the armature F and closes the circuit of the relay R and battery G at the point I.

Inasmuch as the heating members 0 C C" must be rapidly responsive to the oscillations to be received, the thermo-couple with its heating member may be placed in a suitable liquid or gaseous heat-absorbing medium.

I claim:

1. An oscillation detector comprising a thermo-electric couple and a local circuit passing through the same in combination with means associated: with said couple and adjacent thereto for converting the energy of the oscillations to be detected into heat and thereby elevating the temperature of said thermo-electric couple.

2. An oscillation detector comprising a local circuit and a thermo-electric 'couple therein in combination with a conductor associated therewith and adjacent thereto for converting the energy of the oscillations to thereby elevating the temperature of said thermo-electric couple.

3. An oscillation detector com rising a local circuit and two elements widl aly separated in the thermo-electric scale in said circuit and forming a perfect electrical contact in combination with means associated therewith and adjacent thereto for converting the energy of the oscillations to be detected into heat and thereby elevating the temperature of said thermo-electric couple.

4. An oscillation detector comprising a thermo-electric couple, a local circu t including the same, a signal-indicating device associated with said local circuit, a circuit independent of said thermo-clectric couple, and means in said circuit for converting the "energy of the oscillations to be detected into heat and thereby elevating the temperature of said thermo-electric couple.

5. An oscillation detector comprising a thermo-electric cou 1e, a local circuit serially connected therewit a signal-indicating device associated with said local circuit, a circuit independent of said thermo-electric' couple and means included in the last mentioned circuit for converting the energy of the oscillations to be detected into heat and thereby elevating'the temperature of said thermo-electric couple. Y

6. An oscillation detector comprising a plurality of thermo-electric couples, a local circuit connecting said thermoelectric couples'in series, a signal-indicating device associated with said local circuit and means associated with andadjacent to each of said thermo-electric couples for convertin the energy of the oscillations to be detected into heat and thereby elevating the temperature of said thermo-electric couple.

In testimony whereof, I havehereunto subscribed my name.

CLIFFORD D.-BABCOCK.

Witnesses:

CHAS. J. ATTEND, LORETTA T. Noon.

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