Electronic timer

Claim 1

A MISSILE DESTRUCTOR FUZE APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A DESTRUCTOR SQUIB; A UNIJUNCTION TRANSISTOR HAVING AN EMITTER ELECTRODE AND A PAIR OF BASE ELECTRODES; MEANS FOR PROVIDING A PREDETERMINED POTENTIAL GRADIENT IN SAID UNIJUNCTION TRANSISTOR BETWEEN SAID BASE ELECTRODES AND CORRESPONDINGLY ESTABLISHING A PREDETERMINED VALVE OF PEAK POINT EMITTER VOLTAGE FOR FIRING SAID UNIJUNCTION TRANSISTOR; A SERIES-CHARGING NETWORK COMPRISING A SOURCE OF VOLTAGE, A SWITCH, A RESISTOR, A COMPENSATING TANTALUM CAPACITOR, AND A FIRING TANTALUM CAPACITOR, TO EFFECT CHARGING OF SAID FIRING CAPACITOR TO SAID PREDETERMINED VALUE OF PEAK POINT EMITTER VOLTAGE UPON EXPIRATION OF A PREDETERMINED TIME DELAY INITIATED UPON CLOSING OF SAID SWITCH; SAID FIRING CAPACITOR, SQUIB, AND UNIJUNCTION TRANSISTOR BEING CONNECTED IN CIRCUIT TO EFFECT FLASHING SAID SQUIB BY CONDUCTION OF DISCHARGE CURRENT FROM SAID FIRING CAPACITY THROUGH SAID SQUIB AND SAID EMITTER ELECTRODE WHEN THE FIRING CAPACITOR VOLTAGE REACHES SAID PREDETERMINED VALVE OF PEAK POINT EMITTER VOLTAGE; AND SAID CAPACITORS HAVING BALANCING TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENT CHARACTERISTICS WHICH RENDER SAID PREDETERMINED DELAY TIME SUBSTANTIALLY INDEPENDENT OF AMBIENT TEMPERATURE CHANGES.