US3292026A

US3292026A - Voltage regulator discharge device

Info

Publication number: US3292026A
Application number: US243123A
Authority: US
Inventors: Yarmovsky Max
Original assignee: Tung Sol Electric Inc
Current assignee: Edison International Inc; Tung Sol Electric Inc
Priority date: 1962-12-07
Filing date: 1962-12-07
Publication date: 1966-12-13
Anticipated expiration: 1983-12-13

Description

Dec. 13, 1966 YARMQVSKY 3,292,026

VOLTAGE REGULATOR DISCHARGE DEVICE Filed Dec. 7, 1962 71:}.3- /0 /2 m /2 /0 /Z m g 22 INVENTOR.

gi MM Ji -4 ATTORNEYS MAX YAQMO VSKY United States Patent 3,292,026 VOLTAGE REGULATOR DISCHARGE DEVICE Max Yarmovsky, Livingston, N.J., assignor to Tung-Sol Electric Inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 7, 1962, Ser. No. 243,123 4 Claims. (Cl. 313-1) This invention relates to a voltage regulator discharge device for providing a stabilized voltage across its terminals. The invention has particular reference to the disposition of the electrodes within a sealed envelope which prevents contamination of the insulated portion of the envelope by cathodic sputtering due to the discharge. The invention also has reference to a novel envelope shape which permits a nesting arrangement for a plurality of devices when higher voltages are stabilized.

Voltage regulator devices are old in the art and have been used for some time in voltage regulator circuits to provide a stabilized output voltage when either the supply voltage is varied or the load impedance is changed. Prior tubes have generally been constructed with glass envelopes and glass re-entrant stems and, after continued use, particles of sputtered material deposit on portions of the insulator structure and cause leakage between the two electrodes. Also, when higher voltages were used with prior art arrangements a plurality of separate voltage regulator tubes was necessary each having its own base fitting. The present invention eliminates sputtered deposits on the insulator material and provides a convenient means for cascading any number of tubes in a single unit which saves space and additional wiring.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved voltage regulator discharge device which avoids one or more of the disadvantages and limitations of prior art regulators.

Another object of the invention is to provide a compact structure for voltage regulator devices which can be joined one to another in a nesting arrangement.

Another object of the invention is to confine the sputtering of solid materials within the tube to portions which will not cause leakage paths between the two electrodes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a structure which permits cascading of a plurality of discharge devices in a single compact arrangement so that all the devices may be exhausted, processed, and sealed in a single operation.

The invention comprises an envelope which includes two metal end pieces, and a hollow cylindrical insulator which may be made of either glass or ceramic material. Within the envelope an anode is positioned near the center of the tube and is supported by a hollow metal stem. The cathode is secured to the other end of the tube and is arranged to cover the inside surface of the insulating cylinder. At the cathode end a tubular extension is provided for exhausting and sealing. This extension is arranged to nest within the hollow anode stem when two or more discharge devices are connected in series. One feature of the invention includes a metallic ring secured to the outside of the cathode and substantially filling the gap between the cathode and the insulating cylinder. Another feature of the invention comprises a unitary arrangement of a plurality of diode structures assembled prior to the exhausting and filling operations. In this alternate arrangement, provision is made for connecting the discharge spaces so that all the devices can be exhausted and filled at the same time.

For a better understanding of the present invention, together with other and further objects thereof, reference is made to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of one form of the 3,292,926 Patented Dec. 13, 1966 invention showing the arrangement of the internal tube structure.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the discharge device shown in FIG. 1 and is taken along line 2-2 of that figure.

FIG. 3 is a side view of four of the discharge devices which have been soldered together to form a unitary circuit component.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of an alternate form of the invention showing three discharge devices connected together before the exhausting and filling operations.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the regulator shown in FIG. 4 and is taken along line 55 of that figure.

FIG. 6 is another cross sectional view of the regulator shown in FIG. 4 and is taken-along line 66 of that figure.

Referring now to the drawings, the discharge device shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, includes a first conductive terminal disc 10 and a second conductive terminal disc 11 joined by a hollow cylindrical ceramic insulator 12 which may be made of glass. The two discs are sealed to the insulator and the joints between them are made airtight. In the center of the first terminal disc 10 a tubular conduit 13 is secured. This conduit may be welded to the disc or soldered but in any case it is an air-tight joint. The tubular conduit is for connection to an exhaust and filling apparatus which is well known in the art and need not be described here in detail. After the exhaust and filling operations are completed the tubular conduit is collapsed by a clamp, thereby forming a seal 14 which is cut off from the exhaust apparatus.

Inside the envelope, a hollow cylindrical cathode 15 is mounted which may be secured to the first terminal disc 10 by a flanged disc 16 or by any other appropriate means. It should be noted that the cathode 15 extends downwardly far enough to shield the inside surface of the insulator 12. The anode 17 comprises a short cylinder on a hollow re-entrant cylindrical stem 18 which is secured to the second terminal disc 11 by welding or soldering. The anode 17 is approximately at the central point within the cathode 15. In order to be sure that a discharge starts at a comparatively low voltage, a thin deposit of radioactive material 20 is deposited on anode 17 as indicated in FIG. 1.

Cathode 15, as noted above, protects the inside surface of the cylindrical insulator 12. In order to further protect this surface of the insulator surface, a barrier ring 21 of nickel is secured to the outside surface of cathode cylinder 15 and arranged to substantially fill the gap between the cathode and the insulator. The presence of this ring means that none of the ionized particles which may result from the electrical discharge can pass from the discharge space up beyond the ring and deposit on the surface of the insulator to form a leakage path.

The discharge device is first exhausted of all gases and, after some aging, a selected gas such as argon or neon is admitted into the envelope at a predetermined pressure to form the basis of the electrical discharge. In order to keep this gas in a purified state, a getter 22 may be welded to the outside surface of the cathode cylinder. There is enough leakage of gas past barrier ring 21 so that any evolution of confined gas from the metallic structures will gradually be absorbed by the getter material. The anode 17 may be secured to an axial stem 18 by any convenient means such as angles 23.

The operation of this device is the same as the operation of other voltage regulator discharge devices which have been described in the literature and which are well known.

Discharge devices of this type may be made to regulate the voltage across the anode and cathode within the range of 105 volts to 150 volts by varying the type of gas within the envelope and its pressure. If it is desired to regulate a voltage which is two, three, or four times one of these values, a number of discharge devices as shown in FIG. 1 may be connected together to form a high voltage unit. One such unit is shown in FIG. 3 where each discharge device includes a first terminal disc 10, a second terminal disc 11, and a cylindrical insulator 12. As indicated in FIG. 1, the exhaust tu=bulation 13 and the seal 14 extend beyond the terminal disc 10 and form one terminal of the volt-age regulator diode. The other terminal of this array is the disc 11 on the extreme right and this disc may be connected to a conductor 24 for connection to an external circuit. The discharge devices are nested together by inserting the tubular seal 1314 into the re-entrant space 25 of the anode stern. After assembly, the discharge devices may be joined permanently by soldering or brazing with a joint 26.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show an alternate form of the invention which includes a similar terminal disc 30, intermediate discs 31, and a terminal disc 32. The disc 30 is substantially the same as the first terminal disc 10 shown in FIG. 1 and includes a tubular conduit 13 and a seal 14. The cathodes 33 in this array have the same form as the cathodes 15 shown in FIG. 1 but they are secuerd to the cathode cap 30 by small stand-off brackets 34, thereby providing a space between the top of the cathodes and the bottom surface of the cathode discs for the passage of gas during the exhaust and filling operation. The anode cylinder 35 is formed with a central hole 36 also for the passage of gas during the exhausting and filling operations. The anode cylinders 35 are mounted in axial alignment with intermediate discs 31, each having a central hole 37. The intermediate discs 31 are conductive and are sealed to the cylindrical insulators 38 both above and below the plane which separates the two discharge devices. The usual conductive ring 21 and the getter 22 are substantially the same as described above.

It is obvious that the array of discharge devices shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 may be exhausted and filled at the same time and that they will operate in the same manner as a series of separately filled devices. The protection against cathodic sputtering is the same in both designs.

The foregoing disclosure and drawings are merely illustrative of the principles of this invention and are not to be interpreted in a limiting sense. The only limitations are to be determined by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A voltage regulator discharge device comprising: a sealed envelope enclosing a gas at reduced pressure, an anode, and a cathode; said envelope formed with a first terminal disc having a turned-over flange, a second terminal disc having a turned-over flange, and a hollow cylindrical insulator sealed between said flanges; a hollow cylindrical cathode connected to said first terminal and mounted adjacent to the inside surface of the insulator for shielding the insulator from sputtering due to electrical discharges; an exhaust tubulation connected to the center of said first terminal disc for exhausting and filling the envelope; a re-entrant conductive stem connected to the center of the second terminal disc; a barrier ring positioned between the outside surface of the cathode cylinder and the inside surface of the insulator for blocking the flow of ionized particles; and an anode mounted inside the cathode cylinder in axial alignment therewith and connected to the second terminal disc.

2. A voltage regulator as claimed in claim 1 wherein a quantity of radioactive material is deposited on one of said electrodes for ionizing the gas in the envelope.

3. A voltage regulator as claimed in claim 1 wherein a quantity of getter material is positioned on the outside surface of the cathode for absorbing undesirable gases.

4. A plurality of voltage regulators as claimed in claim 1 wherein the exhaust tubulation of one regulator device is nested within the re-entrant portion of the anode stem to provide a circuit component having a higher voltage rating.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,878,341 9/1932 Spencer 313 X 2,141,654 12/1938 Kott 313185 2,365,518 12/1944 Berkey et a1. 3l3l85 2,43 1,226 11/ 1947 Berkey et al 313-220 2,471,263 5/1949 Depew 313185 X 2,887,614 5/1959 Lafferty 31536 3,087,092 4/1963 Lafferty 3l3l88 X FOREIGN PATENTS 930,400 7/1955 Germany.

JAMES W. LAWRENCE, Primary Examiner.

P. C. DEMEO, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A VOLTAGE REGULATOR DISCHARGE DEVICE COMPRISING: A SEALED ENVELOPE ENCLOSING A GAS AT REDUCED PRESSURE, AN ANODE, AND A CATHODE; SAID ENVELOPE FORMED WITH A FIRST TERMINAL DISC HAVING A TURNED-OVER FLANGE, A SECOND TERMINAL DISC HAVING A TURNED-OVER FLANGE, A SECOND TERCYLINDRICAL INSULATOR SEALED BETWEEN SAID FLANGES; A HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL CATHODE CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST TERMINAL AND MOUNTED ADJACENT TO THE INSIDE SURFACE OFTHE INSULATOR FOR SHIELDING THE INSULATOR FOR SPUTTERING DUE TO ELECTRICAL DISCHARGES; AN EXHAUST TUBULATION CONNECTED TO THE CENTER OF SAID FIRST TERMINAL DISC FOR EXHAUSTING AND FILLING THE ENVELOPE; A RE-ENTRANT CONDUCTIVE STEM CONNECTED TO THE CENTER OF THE SECOND TERMINAL DISC; A BARRIER RING POSITIONED BETWEEN THE OUTSIDE SURFACE OF THE CATHODE CYLINDER AND THE INSIDE SURFACE OF THE INSULATOR FOR BLOCKING THE FLOW OF IONIZED PARTICLES; AND AN ANODE MOUNTED INSIDE THE CATHODE CYLINDER IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT THEREWITH AND CONNECTED TO THE SECOND TERMINAL DISC.