Patent GB-838626-A (GB)
Title: Electron discharge apparatus
IPC: H01J31/06
Filed: 1956-06-07
Abstract: 838,626. Electron - beam apparatus. NATIONAL RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. June 7, 1956 [June 10, 1955], No. 17608/56. Class 39(1). An electron beam tube for automatically and cylindrically energizing a number of associated circuits in sequence e.g. for energizing the horizontal and vertical deflection systems of the " flat " television receiver cathode-ray tube described in Specifications 794,257 and 801,841, consists of an electron gun 11, Fig. 2, for delivering a beam of electrons on a path parallel to a row of target electrodes 13, and a row of deflection plates 16 offset from the target electrodes and with each deflection plate electrically connected to an offset target electrode. The beam is deflected initially into engagement with the first target electrode 13a by a grounded starter electrode 18 after travelling through a field free space formed by the remaining deflection and target electrodes at a high positive potential. The target electrodes and the offset deflection plates connected to them are discharged in succession until the beam falls on the last target electrode 13e. Before the beam can contact electrode 13f which is at a permanent high positive potential, a signal e.g. a sync signal is applied to the control grid of the gun to cut off the beam for a period long enough for all the electrodes to be recharged. The beam may be cut off by connecting the last deflection plate, but one, 45#, Fig. 7, through a condenser C 1  to a diode D 1  which is in turn connected a high voltage source and to a deflection plate 47a of the gun. When the beam falls on target 44# and discharges both target 44# and corresponding deflection plate 45#, a positive pulse is delivered to deflection plate 47a of the gun so as to deflect the beam upwardly and the beam is cut off by a shield 48. Plate 44# and its associated cut-off circuiting may alternatively be connected to the cathode of the gun, and the shield 48 is then omitted. Each of the target output circuits is connected to an RC slave circuit. The wave shape of the variable potential signal which appears on each target can be adjusted by adjusting the valve of the variable capacitor and resistor elements of the individual RC circuits, or by modifying the electron beam current by changing the grid voltage and using the capacitance existing in the circuit. The operation of the tube may be initiated by applying a sync signal to starter electrode 18 which is connected to an RC differentiating circuit. The target electrodes 13 have cysturned edges 15 so that the entire electron beam will continuously impinge the surface of at least one target electrode at every instant and a smooth continuous output potential waveform is taken off at the output conductors 14. The target electrodes may be cup-shaped 23, Fig. 3, and tilted at an angle of 45 degrees. Each target has a suppressor grid 30 and a screen grid 31. In another embodiment the target electrodes are in the form of hollow cubes with a slotted channel in the top side of each cube. In an embodiment for reducing the length of the tube, Fig. 8, the deflection electrodes 86 are channel shaped and the targets 83, 84, are placed on both sides of the beam path (out of the paper), and the beam is deflected alternately from one side to the other by means of a slotted accelerator electrode 81 and deflecting and focusing grids 82. A positive potential is applied to one grid 82 and a negative potential to the other of the focusing grids 82, and the grids 82 are deployed in a discontinuous fashion so that the potential alternates from plus to minus on each sequential pair of grids. The tube elements may all be incorporated in the envelope of the " flat " tube of Specifications 794,257 and 801,841.