Power regulating means for light amplifier tubes

Claim 2

The combination comprising: a light amplifier tube having a pair of spaced anode and cathode terminals; a direct current power supply having a graduated series of output voltage taps; a low Voltage tap of said series connected to the cathode terminal of the tube; a first means connected between a high voltage tap of said series and the anode of the tube for sensing the value of current flowing through the tube; and second means responsive to changes in current values sensed by said first means for automatically switching the anode from the high voltage tap to said intermediate voltage tap when the current reaches a predetermined value.

Claim 3

The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first means is a resistive element.

Claim 4

The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said second means is a reverse-biased diode.

Claim 5

The combination comprising: a light amplifier tube having a pair of spaced anode and cathode terminals; a direct current power supply having a graduated series of output voltage taps and intervening voltage sources; a low voltage tap of said series connected to the cathode terminal of the tube; resistive means connected between a high voltage tap of said series and the anode of the tube for developing a voltage drop in accordance with the value of current flow through the tube; and switching means connected between an intermediate voltage tap of said series and the anode of the tube for electrically connecting the anode to said intermediate voltage tap when a definite value of voltage drop is developed across the resistive means.

Claim 6

The combination comprising: a light amplifier tube having a pair of spaced anode and cathode terminals; a direct current power supply having a graduated series of output voltage taps and intervening voltage sources; a low voltage tap of said series connected to the cathode terminal of the tube; resistive means connected between a high voltage tap of said series and the anode of the tube for developing a voltage drop in accordance with the value of current flow through the tube; and switching means connected between an intermediate voltage tap of said series and the anode of the tube for electrically connecting the anode to said intermediate voltage tap when a definite value of voltage drop is developed across the resistive means.

Claim 7

The combination as set forth in claim 4 wherein said switching means is a diode normally maintained in a reverse-biased condition by said intervening voltage source between the high and intermediate voltage taps and is responsive to a definite incremental change in voltage drop developed across said resistive means.

Claim 8

The combination as set forth in claim 5 wherein said reverse-biased diode is forward-biased when said voltage drop developed across the resistive means exceeds the value of said intervening voltage source.

Claim 9

The combination comprising: a light amplifier tube having a pair of spaced anode and cathode terminals; a direct current power supply having a plurality of voltage sources connected in electrical series and a graduated series of output voltage taps, each of said sources connected between respective pairs of adjacent taps in said graduated series; a low voltage tap of said graduated series connected to the cathode of the tube; a high voltage tap of said graduated series connected to a first resistive element; a plurality of intermediate voltage taps of said graduated series connected to respective resistive elements and series connected switching means, each of said switching means connected in parallel with said first resistive element to the anode terminal of the tube.

Claim 10

The combination comprising: a light amplifier tube having a pair of spaced anode and cathode terminals; a direct current power supply having a plurality of voltage sources connected in electrical series and a graduated series of output voltage taps, each of said sources connected between respective pairs of adjacent taps in said graduated series; a low voltage tap of said graduated series connected to the cathode of the tube; a high voltage tap of said graduated series connected to a first resistive element; a plurality of intermediate voltage taps of said graduated series connected to respective resistive elements and series connected switching means, each of said switching means connected in parallel with said first resistive element to the anode terminal of the tube.

Claim 11

The combination as set forth in claim 7 wherein each of said switching means is a respective diode maintained in a normally reverse-biased state by the respective voltage source connected between the associated voltage tap and the preceding higher voltage tap in the graduated series.

Claim 12

The combination as set forth in claim 8 wherein each of said diodes is forward-biased, in sequence, by a voltage developed across the respective resistive element connected to the preceding higher voltage tap in the graduated series.