Electric device provided with a switch which is designed as a discharge tube
First Claim
1. An electric device provided with a switch which comprises a gas discharge tube which comprises at least two internal main electrodes, a reversible hydrogen getter disposed in said discharge tube, said getter releasing hydrogen when the temperature of the getter is increased and taking up hydrogen when the temperature is decreased, the magnitude of hydrogen pressure in said discharge tube at least partly determining the electrical conductivity of said switch, said discharge tube also containing a rare gas so that a change-over from the conducting state into the non-conducting state of the switch is accomplished by changing the getter temperature.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention relates to an electric device provided with a switch which is constructed as a discharge tube which comprises at least two main electrodes and a reversible hydrogen getter.
According to the invention the discharge tube contains a rare gas so that the current flow in the conducting state of the switch is mainly ensured by that rare gas. The non-conducting stage of the switch can be obtained by heating the getter. Namely, the hydrogen pressure in the discharge tube then becomes so high that the discharge in the tube is extinguished. Heating of the getter is preferably effected by the heat developed by the current between the main electrodes. This results in a self extinguishing breakdown element.
9 Citations
16 Claims
- 1. An electric device provided with a switch which comprises a gas discharge tube which comprises at least two internal main electrodes, a reversible hydrogen getter disposed in said discharge tube, said getter releasing hydrogen when the temperature of the getter is increased and taking up hydrogen when the temperature is decreased, the magnitude of hydrogen pressure in said discharge tube at least partly determining the electrical conductivity of said switch, said discharge tube also containing a rare gas so that a change-over from the conducting state into the non-conducting state of the switch is accomplished by changing the getter temperature.
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13. A switch which comprises:
- a gas discharge tube which includes at least two internal main electrodes, a reversible hydrogen getter disposed in said discharge tube, a getter from which hydrogen is released when the temperature of said getter is increased and hydrogen is taken up when the temperature of said getter is decreased, and the amount of the hydrogen pressure in the discharge tube being co-determining for the electrical conductivity of said switch, at least one rare gas also being present in said discharge tube, and said getter having the characteristic that within a temperature range of 200°
C. the hydrogen pressure in the discharge tube changes by at least a factor of 10, the hydrogen pressure at the lower limit of this range being at least 10-3 Torr. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
- a gas discharge tube which includes at least two internal main electrodes, a reversible hydrogen getter disposed in said discharge tube, a getter from which hydrogen is released when the temperature of said getter is increased and hydrogen is taken up when the temperature of said getter is decreased, and the amount of the hydrogen pressure in the discharge tube being co-determining for the electrical conductivity of said switch, at least one rare gas also being present in said discharge tube, and said getter having the characteristic that within a temperature range of 200°
Specification