Abstract: Gas discharge display device having a gas-filled space gas-tightly closed on one side by a front plate and on a side opposite thereto by a back plate and subdivided by a control plate into a gas discharge space and a post-acceleration space, the control plate carrying electrode runs respectively addressable separately and forming a matrix as row conductors on one side of the control plate and as column conductors on the other side of the control plate, and having, together with the electrode runs, control through holes at intersection points of the matrix, a fluorescent screen disposed on the side of the front plate opposite the control plate and defining the post-acceleration space, the fluorescent screen having an anode layer thereon, and at least one insulated cathode on the side of the back plate and defining the gas discharge space, the control plate having, on the side thereof facing towards the post-acceleration space, a plate having a raster of holes formed therein coincident with a raster of the cont

Abstract: An improved ion clearing electrode assembly for use in an electron beam production and control assembly which is especially suitable for use in a scanning electron beam computed tomography X-ray scanning system. The assembly uses a vacuum sealed housing chamber which is evacuated of internal gases and in which the electron beam is generated and propagated. Normally residual gas within the chamber interacts with the electrons of the beam to produce positive ions which have the affect of neutralizing the space charge of the electron beam and thereby causing focusing difficulties and destabilization of the beam. The ion collecting electrodes herein are an improvement of those disclosed in the co-pending Rand U.S. patent application Ser. No. 434,252, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,900. The electrodes are designed to extract the ions and reduce their neutralizing effect while maintaining a precisely uniform electric field and therefore beam optical aberrations are minimized.

Abstract: The disclosed flash device is of the kind that incorporates an integrated processing circuit requiring a stable voltage, but one and the same battery supplies both a booster circuit and the processing circuit. The device avoids the drop in voltage to the processing circuit when the booster circuit draws current after a flash by means of a detector circuit that detects the flash or the operation of the booster circuit. A switching circuit responds to the output of the detector circuit and supplies the charge on a back-up capacitor to the integrated processing circuit. Thus, in the event of a flash, the processing circuit which is normally operated by power from the battery is protected from a supply voltage drop by the supply of a voltage from the back-up capacitor.

Abstract: A lamp includes a tube which forms part of a sealed vessel, extending between a lamp cap and a pinch at an end of the tube inside the vessel. A current supply conductor extending between a cap contact and a light source inside the vessel includes a fuse wire portion which is embedded in an electrically insulated mass within the tube, part of the fuse wire portion being free of the insulating mass, between the mass and the lamp cap.

Abstract: A "Jacob's Ladder" type spark gap for use in a television receiver or the like includes an alumina substrate having a pair of divergent wires mounted thereon for extinguishing arcs thereacross. The bottom ends of the wires are formed into plug-in terminals. Both upper and lower portions of the wires are supported in suitable apertures in the substrate and soldered to silver pads formed thereon for rigidity purposes. A flameproof housing encloses the substrate and has air vents at the bottom and is open at the top.

Abstract: A thyratron utilizable as a circuit interrupting protective device is provided. The thyratron includes an apertured grid between anode and cathode which is divided transversely into two parts separated by an insulating layer. Both surfaces of the composite grid remote from the insulating layer carry conductive meshes which meshes cover the exits of the apertures in the composite grid. The thickness of the insulating layer and the dimensions of the meshes are such that no point within an aperture is further from a part of the grid or a mesh than the Debye distance whereby the effects of Debye shielding tend to be reduced when a negative potential is applied between two said parts of said grid to quench a discharge previously initiated by applying positive potential to both parts of the grid.

Abstract: A current limited strobe charging circuit in which the charging current is automatically limited during the time required to reform the primary storage capacitor after a long period of non-use without materially effecting the current flow and time required to subsequently recharge the storage capacitor after it has been reformed includes a positive temperature coefficient resistor serially connected therewith to switch from a low resistance mode of operation to a high resistance mode of operation as a result of its own internally generated I.sup.2 R heat.

Abstract: A switch circuit is disclosed which warms-up a load prior to complete turn on. The circuit includes a single pole double throw switch and an amplifier. The input to the amplifier connects to the off throw of the switch and the amplifier is rendered nonconducting when the switch is off. However, when the switch is between its off and on position, as it is being thrown on, the amplifier conducts a half wave rectified warm-up current to the load. Then, when the switch is on, the amplifier is bypassed by a short circuit connecting between the on throw terminal of the switch and the load, and the load is driven to 100% capacity via this short circuit.

Abstract: A shut-off device is provided for an inverter which feeds at least one discharge lamp, the shut-off device operable to shut-off the inverter in limiting cases and remaining in this condition until a lamp replacement. The shut-off device flips into its normal condition when a holding current in a monitoring circuit falls below a flyback limit value. In order to keep the losses as low as possible, the monitoring circuit is dimensioned high-resistant and a separate holding circuit is provided, the separate holding circuit having a controlled dependency on the low control current in the monitoring circuit. In the disconnect case, the control current also suffices to hold the shut-off device in the disconnect condition when an electrode is broken.

Abstract: A flash strobe power supply adapted for controlling alternately the energization of a pair of flash lamps includes a trigger timing device for generating a series of positive pulses and a series of negative pulses spaced in time from the positive pulses by a predetermined interval. First and second energy storage devices are provided for repeatedly charging incrementally during successive charging cycles and for storing a charge to be applied to respective first and second flash lamps. An inverter oscillator circuit includes a pulse width modulator and a transformer for generating a quasi-squarewave signal whose frequency is greater than the frequency of the positive and negative pulses to control the incremental charging of the energy storage devices. First and second switching devices deliver when conductive the charge stored in the first and second energy storage devices to their respective first and second flash lamps.

Abstract: A current driven gain controlled electronic ballast system (100) is provided having a power source (112) for actuating a pair of gas discharge tubes (140 and 140'). The ballast system (100) includes a filter network (111) which is connected to the power source (112) for establishing a substantially constant voltage signal and suppressing harmonic frequencies generated by the electronic ballast system (100). An induction circuit (115) is coupled to the filter network (111) for generating a voltage across the gas discharge tubes (140 and 140') responsive to the driving current. The induction circuit (115) includes an automatic gain control network (117) to maintain the driving current at a predetermined value and includes a trigger network (117) for generating a switching signal.

Abstract: An electronic flash including a discharge flash tube controlled by a first switch and a commutation capacitor for controlling the first switch. There is provided a second switch for governing the operation of the commutation switch. A charging circuit is provided for charging the commutation capacitor and includes a resistor connecting the commutation capacitor with an electric power source. The resistor has a resistance value which is small enough to allow a current not smaller than a current at which the second switch is turned off.

Abstract: An electronic flash device fires one or a pair of flash tubes sequentially for continuous shooting photography with a motor driven photographic camera, for substantially continuous illumination or for sequential illuminations at intervals, as well as fire the flash tube a single time for one shot photography. The flash device is provided with a main capacitor and an auxiliary capacitor which selectively energize the flash tube or tubes. The auxiliary capacitor is charged by the main capacitor and discharged to energize the flash tube for a small amount of flash light and shorttime restoration of the flash firing circuit. When a pair of flash tubes are employed, they are alternatively actuated for the sequential firing and one of them is actuated for the single time firing. The pair of flash tubes are coupled with each other through a commutation capacitor and switch elements for quick repetition of their firings.

Abstract: A tapered z-pinch for externally introducing an electron beam into a parte accelerator that causes only a small development of perpendicular velocity in the electrons of the electron beam, and that causes only a small disturbance to the magnetic field lines of the particle accelerator.

Abstract: A triggered spark gap discharger having a small auxiliary gap in the trigger pulse path. The auxiliary gap provides ultraviolet radiation to liberate electrons at the trigger probe and allow prompt firing of the trigger gap and primary gap, particularly in aged discharger units.

Abstract: A Varistor (which is a non-linear impedance means) is connected in series with the primary winding of a current-transformer; and this series-combination is connected across the fluorescent lamp to be started. Before the lamp starts, the voltage across it is limited in magnitude by the voltage-clamping effect of the Varistor; and the current then flowing through the Varistor is transformed by the current-transformer and applied by way of separate secondary windings to each of the lamp's cathodes for heating thereof. A special high-voltage tertiary winding on the current-transformer provides for lamp starting aid voltage.Thus, the lamp may be gently and rapidly started in the Rapid-Start mode.However, as soon as the lamp starts, the voltage across the lamp diminishes to a magnitude lower than that required for current to flow through the Varistor.

Abstract: A socket assembly for a CRT includes a socket mounted on a printed circuit board having a plurality of spark gaps interposed between an open grounding ring and the terminals of the socket. The spark gaps associated with the cathode and heater socket terminals have larger width dimensions than those associated with the other electrode terminals and are positioned adjacent to the portion of the open grounding ring farthest from the connection to the CRT "dag".

Abstract: The invention provides a linear beam tube which may be protected against high voltage arcs between the cathode and anode of its electron gun by connecting to ground a limiting impedance in a series path from said anode. The anode is carried upon the end of a ceramic cylinder which is co-axially within a conical metallic member. The end of the ceramic cylinder remote from the anode is attached to one end of said conical metallic member, the other end of which is flanged, with the flange passing through the tube envelope to provide an external termination which may be connected to ground. Resistive material is deposited in a groove in the inner surface of said ceramic cylinder to form a deposited impedance which extends from the anode over the end of the ceramic cylinder, to the end of the conical metallic member and constitutes said limiting impedance.

Abstract: DC operated power supplies for electroluminescent lamps are self-inhibited from further oscillations and thus are current limited in the event that a failure occurs in an EL lamp which results in the EL lamp being shorted. Single ended and push/pull transformer power supplies are disclosed, and a transformerless solid state power supply is disclosed utilizing a voltage multiplier, and an inhibitor circuit at the output of the voltage multiplier responsive to substantial voltage drop upon the occurrence of a shorting of the EL lamp, to inhibit further oscillations and operations of the circuit.

Abstract: A light-emitting diode is energized by converting a mechanical energy by means of a piezoelectric element into electrical charges which are transformed in a transformer into current pulses sufficient for activating the light-emitting diode. The component parts of a device of this invention include a rotation-symmetrical housing enclosing a striking member which is spring-biased against an opening in the housing, a piezoelectric element cooperating with the striking member and having two opposite electrodes connected to a primary winding of a pulse transformer. The secondary winding of the transformer is connected to the leads of the light-emitting diode. The piezoelectric element is pressed against the compression spring of the striking member by a connection spring leading to a terminal of the primary winding. All component parts are aligned along the center axis of the housing.