Reinforcement of Electrical Waves and Avoidance of Loss by Straying, Reflection, and the like, by means of a Condenser.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Mar., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 29th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 8th Mar.,
1900
+
Reinforcement of Electrical Waves and Avoidance of Loss by
Straying, Reflection, and the like, by means of a Condenser.
I, FERDINAND BRAUN, Professor and Doctor of Philosophy, of No. 1, Universitäts
Strasse, Strassburg in Alsace, Germany, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The period of oscillation of waves which are produced in the discharging of a
condenser, is, according to theory, dependent only on capacity and self-induction,
viz. T == 2 LC, in which I denotes the period of oscillation, L. the self induction
and C the capacity. Theoretically speaking, the energy would be able to be increased
at will by raising the potential, if experience had not shewn that with a certain length
of spark distance oscillatory character of the discharge vanishes, and the spark is then
no longer capable of producing Hertzian waves.
The object of the present invention is an arrangement by which the energy may be
increased and also loss by dispersion, reflection etc. may be prevented, the period of
oscillation being maintained constant.
The following remarks should be considered. If P condensers each having a
capacity Care connected in parallel and charged to the potential V, then the energy
that is, smaller than that of single equally highly changed condenser. By the increase
of V this is made up for according to the formula. Nevertheless, as before mentioned
V cannot be increased at will for oscillatory discharge.
1
<
In order to increase the energy without influencing the oscillatory character and
to retain the period of oscillation the condensers are to be connected in a cascade"
or series and in such a way that they are all equal to one another.
The regulation of the condensers is preferably of a special kind, thus the one
coating of each condenser is surrounded as fully as possible by the other as in
ideal spherical condensers, and the capacity of the remaining parts (conducting
wires and spark knobs) vanishes in comparison with the capacity of each condenser.
The coatings are then connected alternately with each other. Evidently by this
arrangement the loss by reflection and dispersion is reduced to a minimum."
-
If the first condenser receives a quantity of electricity + E, an equal quantity E
is induced on its other coating and + E accumulates on the second, and so forth, that
3

page_text: 31.
condensers
Vi and the
is, all coudensers would be under exactly equal conditions as regards charge, and also
if the remaining conditions are equal, be charged to exactly the same potential. If
the potential difference of the discharge of a single condenser be
connected in series would have the entire potential difference V
energy would to W
1/2 p CV, that is be times that of a separate equally
highly charged condenser, whilst the period of oscillation is unaltered.
Thereby every condenser is 'equalized: (balanced) in itself.to produce in common an
electric oscillation.
=
=
P
Experiments have shewn that the discharge first actually takes place when the
complete sparking distance is practically equal to the sum of the single sparking
distances.
The arrangement can be altered with advantage by the insertion of primary and
secondary coils with the corresponding induction coils between the condensers, equal
proportions securing equal oscillations.
In one particular, constructional modification the outer plate is sunk in the earth
which itself serves as reinforcenient for the outer coating and can even replace this.
The inner plate to which the conductor leads, must of course be insulated from the
earth.
The invention can be. altered in various ways, either alterations may be made in
the number of oscillations or by altering the intensity or other magnitudes in
question, the condensers, the induction coils connected in series or in parallel. The
main idea always remains the same, namely to replace by a group of similar single
apparatus of identical oscillations, a single apparatus of the known kind.
Dated the 8th day of March 1800
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
322, High Holborn, London, W.C., Patent Agents for the Applicant.
Reinforcement of Electrical Waves and Avoidance of Loss by
Straying, Reflection, and the like, by means of a Condenser.
I, FERDINAND BRAUN, of No. 1, Universität Strasse, Strassburg, in the Province of
Alsace, in the German Empire, Professor and Doctor of Philosophy, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
T ====
The period of oscillation of waves which are produced in the discharging of a
.condenser, is, according to theory dependent only on capacity and self-induction, viz.
2 LC, in which T denotes the period of oscillation, L the self-induction
and C the capacity. Theoretically speaking, the energy would be able to be increased
at will by raising the potential, if experience bad not shown that with a certain length
of spark distance oscillatory character of the discharge vanishes, and the spark is then
no longer capable of producing Hertzian waves.
The object of the present invention is an arrangement by which the energy may be
increased and also loss by dispersion, reflection etc. may be prevented, the period of
oscillation being maintained constant.
The following remarks should be considered. If p condensers each having a
capacity C are connected in parallel and charged to the potential V, then the energy
will be:

page_text: potential. At the same time the period of oscillation is multiplied by the
factor P
If the same number of bottles be connected in series, there is no reason for the
alteration in the duration of oscillation, but the energy is then
T
that is, smaller than that of single equally highly charged condenser. By the increase
of V this is made up for according to the formula. Nevertheless, as before mentioned, V
cannot be increased at will for oscillatory discharge.
In order to increase the energy without influencing the oscillatory character and
to retain the period of oscillation the arrangement shown in Figure 1 is used. Here
the condensers are connected in a cascade or series, and in such a way that they are
all equal to one another.
The construction of the condensers C₁, C, C, is preferably of a special kind, Fig. 2,
thus the one coating of each condenser is surrounded as fully as possible by the other
as in ideal spherical condensers, and the capacity of the remaining parts (conducting
wires and spark nobz a, a,, a³) vanishes in comparison with the capacity of each
condenser,. The coatings are then connected alternately with each other as is shown
in Fig. 2. Evidently by this arrangement the loss by reflection and dispersion is
reduced to a minimum, no occasion for straying action being given.
If the first condenser receives a quantity of electricity +E, an equal quantity - E
is induced on its other coating and + E accumulates on the second, and so forth, that
is, all condensers would be under exactly equal conditions as regards charge, and also
if the remaining conditions are equal, be charged to exactly the same potential. If
the potential difference of the discharge of a single condenser V₁, condensers
connected in series would have the entire potential difference V.= p V₁, and the
energy would amount to W = 1/2 p CV, that is be p times that of a separate
equally highly charged condenser, whilst the period of oscillation is unaltered.
Thereby every condenser is equalized (balanced) in itself to produce in common an
electric oscillation.
Experiments have shewn that the discharge first actually takes place when the
complete sparking distance is practically equal to the sum of the single sparking
distances.
As shewn in Figure 3, the arrangement can be altered with advantage by the
insertion of primary and secondary coils, such as 1, 2, 3, with corresponding
induction coils 1, 11, 111, between the condensers, equal proportions securing equal
oscillations.
In one particular constructional modification the outer plate is sunk in the earth
which itself serves as reinforcement for the outer coating and can even replace this.
The inner plate to which the conductor leads, must of course be insulated from the
earth (Figure 4).
The apparatus described are used for wireless telegraphy in the ordinary manner
that is the Leyden bottles are charged by means of an electrostatic machine such as
Whimhurst or a Rhumkorff apparatus. The waves produced are then transmitted by
the usual vertical wire of considerable length. The receiving apparatus consists also
of a vertical wire, collecting the waves, and joined to a coherer, a local battery, the
Morse or other signalizer, that is to say the devices, known to every man well up in
electricity as adapted to the said purposes. The poles of the apparatus may be
insulated or connected to earth without altering the invention.
The invention can be altered in various ways, either alterations may be made in the
number of oscillations or by altering the intensity or other magnitudes in question,
the condensers, the induction coils connected in series or in parallel. The main idea
always remains the same, namely to replace by a group a similar single apparatus of
identical oscillations, a single apparatus of the known kind.
The receiving devices are of the usual kind well known to electricians generally,

page_text: viz. the coherer, the relay with Morse apparatus, receiving plates and other similar
devices.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a system of transmitting electrical signals by means of electric waves, the
combination with a plurality of identical condensers of a spark gap provided for each
of said condensers, substantially as described.
2. In a system of transmitting electrical signals by means of electrical waves the
combination with a plurality of identical condensers of identical induction coils and
air gaps provided both for each of said condensers, substantially as described.
3. In a system of transmitting electrical signals by means of electric waves, the
combination with a plurality of identical condensers, the outer coatings of which are
surrounding the inner ones, of identical, induction coils and air gaps provided both
for each of said condensers, substantially as described.
4. In a system of transmitting electrical signals by means of electric waves, the
combination with a plurality of identical condensers, the outer coatings of which
surrounding the inner ones are formed by the earth, of a plurality of identical
induction coils and of air gaps, provided both for each of said condensers, substantially
as described.
Dated the 20th day of November 1899.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of London, Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham.