Ultraviolet detector with r.c. means to prevent overheating of the electrodes

Claim 1

AN ULTAVIOLET DETECTOR SYSTEM COMPRISING AN ULTRAVIOLET DETECTOR TUBE HAVING SYMMETRICAL ELECTRODES IN AN ADJACENT RELATIONSHIP PROVIDING A WORKING REGION WHEREIN AN EMISSION OF ELECTRONS RESPONSIVE TO INCIDENT PHOTONS IS CAPABLE OF TRIGGERING AN AVALANCE DISCHARGE WHEN A FIRING POTENTIAL IS APPLIED ACROSS THE ELECTRODES, AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT SERIALLY INCLUDING AN A.C. SOURCE OF POTENTIAL OF A PEAK VALUE EXCEEDING SAID FIRE POTENTIAL, A CURRENT-LIMITING RESISTOR, SAID ULTRAVIOLET DETECTOR TUBE, A RECTIFIER AND A LOAD DEVICE, SAID CURRENT-LIMITING RESISTOR HAVING A VALUE INSUFFICIENT TO PREVENT OVERHEATING OF SAID ELECTRODES WHEN SAID TUBE IS FIRED CONSECUTIVELY RESPONSIVE TO A SATURATING LEVEL OF INCIDENT PHOTON RADIATION OVER A GIVEN PERIOD OF TIME, AND A PARALLEL R.C. NETWORK CON NECTED IN SAID CIRCUIT IN SERIES WITH SAID RECTIFIER, SAID R.C. NETWORK HAVING A TIME CONSTANT OF SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN SAID PERIOD CAUSING THE CONDENSER THEREOF TO BECOME SUBSTANTIALLY CHARGED TO A THRESHOLD LEVEL IN LESS THAN SAID GIVEN PERIOD WHEN THE INCIDENT PHOTON RADIATION IS AT SAID SATURATING LEVEL WHEREBY TO INTRODUCE EFFFECTIVELY A COUNTER E.M.F. IN SAID ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT EFFECTIVE TOGETHER WITH THE CURRENT-LIMITING ACTION OF SAID CURRENT-LIMITING RESISTOR TO PREVENT OVERHEATING OF SAID ELECTRODES DURING CONSECUTIVE FIRING OF SAID ULTRAVIOLET DETECTOR TUBE OVER A SUSTAINED PERIOD OF TIME.