Triggerable ceramic gas tube voltage breakdown device

Claim 2

A hermetically sealed triggerable gas tube voltage breakdown device comprising a first gap electrode, a second gap electrode, said first and second gap electrodes being the only gap electrodes in said device, an electrode gap formed between said gap electrodes, said electrode gap being the only electrode gap in said device, an elongated ceramic insulating spacer disposed between said gap electrodes and enclosing said electrode gap, and trigger electrode means, physically separated from the electrically insulated from both of said gap electrodes and adapted to receive a trigger voltage signal other than the voltage applied across said gap electrodes, for increasing the electrical field intensity in the region of said electrode gap in response to said trigger voltage signal, said trigger electrode means being entirely exteriorly disposed about the outer periphery of said insulating spacer and being axially aligned along the length of said insulating spacer with said region of said electrode gap and being electrically insulated from said electrode gap by said insulating spacer, said spacer including means disposed about the region of said electrode gap for enabling the electric field intensity in said region to be increased in response to the application of said trigger voltage signal to said trigger electrode, said enabling means comprising a thin wall portion of said insulating spacer disposed at least partially about the region of said electrode gap, said thin wall portion having a wall thickness in the range of from about 0.015 inch to about 0.030 inch.

Claim 3

A hermetically sealed triggerable gas tube voltage breakdown device as recited in claim 1 wherein said spacer has a nonuniform wall thickness along the length of said spacer, the wall thickness of said thin wall portion in the region of said electrode gap being less than the wall thickness of said insulating spacer outside of the region of said electrode gap.

Claim 4

A hermetically sealed triggerable gas tube voltage breakdown device as recited in claim 2 wherein said thin wall portion comprises a generally U-shaped elongated recess formed in and disposed about the outer periphery of said insulating spacer.

Claim 5

A hermetically sealed triggerable gas tube voltage breakdown device as recited in claim 3 wherein said trigger electrode means is disposed about the outer periphery of said insulating spacer in said elongated recess.

Claim 6

A hermetically sealed triggerable gas tube voltage breakdown device as recited in claim 2 wherein said thin wall portion comprises a generally V-shaped groove formed in and disposed about the outer periphery of said insulating spacer.

Claim 7

A hermetically sealed triggerable gas tube voltage breakdown device as recited in claim 2 wherein said thin wall portion comprises a generally U-shaped elongated recess formed in and disposed about the inner periphery of said insulating spacer.

Claim 8

A hermetically sealed triggerable gas tube voltage breakdown device as recited in claim 2 wherein said thin wall portion comprises a flattened outer wall surface of said insulating spacer.

Claim 9

A spacer for a hermetically sealed triggerable gas tube voltage breakdown device comprising elongated tubular ceramic insulating means for maintaining a pair of gap electrodes in a fixed, spaced-apart relationship defining an electrode gap, said insulating means being configured to receive a trigger electrode about its outer periphery for axial alignment along the length of said insulating spacer with said region of said electrode gap and being configured to electrically insulate said trigger electrode from said electrode gap, said insulating means including means for enabling the electric field intensity in the region of said electrode gap to be increased in response to electrical trigger signals applied to said trigger electrode, said enabling means comprising a nonuniform wall thickness along the length of said insulating means, the wall thickness of said insulating means being less in the region of said electrode gap than the wall thickness of said insulating means outside the region of said electrode gap, said wall thickness in the region of said electrode gap comprises a thin wall portion of said insulating spacer having a wall thickness in the range of about 0.015 inch to about 0.030 inch.

Claim 10

A spacer for a hermetically sealed triggerable gas tube voltage breakdown device comprising elongated tubular ceramic insulating means for maintaining a pair of gap electrodes in a fixed, spaced-apart relationship defining an electrode gap, said insulating means being configured to receive a trigger electrode about its outer periphery for axial alignment along the length of said insulating spacer with said region of said electrode gap and being configured to electrically insulate said trigger electrode from said electrode gap, said insulating means including means for enabling the electric field intensity in the region of said electrode gap to be increased in response to electrical trigger signals applied to said trigger electrode, said enabling means comprising a nonuniform wall thickness along the length of said insulating means, the wall thickness of said insulating means being less in the region of said electrode gap than the wall thickness of said insulating means outside the region of said electrode gap, said wall thickness in the region of said electrode gap comprises a thin wall portion of said insulating spacer having a wall thickness in the range of about 0.015 inch to about 0.030 inch.

Claim 11

A spacer as recited in claim 8 wherein said thin wall portion comprises a generally U-shaped elongated recess formed in and disposed about the outer periphery of said insulating means.

Claim 12

A spacer as recited in claim 8 wherein said thin wall portion comprises a generally U-shaped recess formed in and disposed about the inner periphery of said insulating means.

Claim 13

A spacer recited in claim 8 wherein said thin wall portion comprises a generally V-shaped groove formed in and disposed about the inner periphery of said insulating means.

Claim 14

A spacer as recited in claim 8 wherein said thin wall portion comprises a generally V-shaped groove formed in and disposed about the outer periphery of said insulating means.

Claim 15

A hermetically sealed gas tube voltage breakdown device comprising a first gap electrode, a second gap electrode, said first and second gap electrodes being the only gap electrodes in said device, an electrode gap formed between said gap electrodes, said electrode gap being the only electrode gap in said device, an elongated ceramic insulating spacer disposed between said gap electrodes, said insulating spacer comprising two elongated tubular spacer halves, and a trigger electrode physically separated from and electrically insulated from both of said gap electrodes and adapted to receive a trigger voltage signal, said trigger electrode including conductive material disposed between said spacer halves, said spacer including a thin wall portion having a wall thickness in the range of from about 0.015 inch to about 0.030 inch.

Claim 16

A hermetically sealed gas tube voltage breakdown device comprising a first gap electrode, a second gap electrode, said first and second gap electrodes being the only gap electrodes in said device, an electrode gap formed between said gap electrodes, said electrode gap being the only electrode gap in said device, an elongated ceramic insulating spacer disposed between said gap electrodes, said insulating spacer comprising two elongated tubular spacer halves, and a trigger electrode physically separated from and electrically insulated from both of said gap electrodes and adapted to receive a trigger voltage signal, said trigger electrode including conductive material disposed between said spacer halves, said spacer including a thin wall portion having a wall thickness in the range of from about 0.015 inch to about 0.030 inch.

Claim 17

A hermetically sealed gas tube voltage breakdown device as recited in claim 13 wherein said spacer halves have a nonuniform wall thickness along the length of said spacer, the wall thickness of said thin wall portion in the region of said electrode gap being less than the wall thickness of said insulating spacer outside of the region of said electrode gap.

Claim 18

A hermetically sealed gas tube voltage breakdown device as recited in claim 14 wherein said thin wall portion comprises a generally U-shaped elongated recess formed in and disposed about the outer periphery of said insulating spacer.

Claim 19

A hermetically sealed gas tube voltage breakdown device as recited in claim 13 wherein said thin wall portion comprises a generally U-shaped elongated recess formed in and disposed about the inner periphery of said insulating spacer.

Claim 20

A hermetically sealed gas tube voltage breakdown device as recited in claim 13 wherein said thin wall portion comprises a generally V-shaped groove formed in and disposed about the inner periphery of said insulating spacer.

Claim 21

An electrical circuit for controlling the light output of a photoflash lamp comprising means for extinguishing a photoflash in response to an electrical signal said extinguishing means comprising means for generating trigger voltage signals and comprising a hermetically sealed triggerable gas tube voltage breakdown device having a first gap electrode; a second gap electrode, said first and second gap electrodes being the only gap electrodes in said device, an electrode gap formed between said gap electrodes, said electrode gap being the only electrode gap in said device, an elongated ceramic insulating spacer disposed between said gap electrodes and enclosing said electrode gap and trigger electrode means, physically separated from and electrically insulated from both of said gap electrodes and adapted to receive said trigger voltage signals that are distinct from the voltage applied across said gap electrodes, for increasing the electrical field intensity in the region of said gap electrodes in response to said trigger voltage signals, said trigger electrode means being entirely exteriorly disposed about the outer periphery of said insulating spacer and being axially aligned along the length of said insulating spacer with said region of said electrode gap and being electrically insulated from said electrode gap by said insulating spacer, said spacer including means disposed about the region of said electrode gap for enabling the electrical field intensity in said region to be increased in response to the application of said trigger voltage signals to said trigger electrode, said enabling means comprising a thin wall portion having a wall thickness from about 0.015 inch to about 0.030 inch.

Claim 22

An electrical circuit for controlling the light output of a photoflash lamp comprising means for extinguishing a photoflash in response to an electrical signal said extinguishing means comprising means for generating trigger voltage signals and comprising a hermetically sealed triggerable gas tube voltage breakdown device having a first gap electrode; a second gap electrode, said first and second gap electrodes being the only gap electrodes in said device, an electrode gap formed between said gap electrodes, said electrode gap being the only electrode gap in said device, an elongated ceramic insulating spacer disposed between said gap electrodes and enclosing said electrode gap and trigger electrode means, physically separated from and electrically insulated from both of said gap electrodes and adapted to receive said trigger voltage signals that are distinct from the voltage applied across said gap electrodes, for increasing the electrical field intensity in the region of said gap electrodes in response to said trigger voltage signals, said trigger electrode means being entirely exteriorly disposed about the outer periphery of said insulating spacer and being axially aligned along the length of said insulating spacer with said region of said electrode gap and being electrically insulated from said electrode gap by said insulating spacer, said spacer including means disposed about the region of said electrode gap for enabling the electrical field intensity in said region to be increased in response to the application of said trigger voltage signals to said trigger electrode, said enabling means comprising a thin wall portion having a wall thickness from about 0.015 inch to about 0.030 inch.

Claim 23

An electrical circuit as recited in claim 18 wherein said spacer has a nonuniform wall thickness along the length of said spacer, the wall thickness of said thin wall portion in the region of said electrode gap being less than the wall thickness of said insulating spacer outside of the region of said electrode gap.

Claim 24

An electrical circuit as recited in claim 19 wherein said thin wall portion comprises a generally U-shaped elongated recess formed in and disposed about the outer periphery of said insulating spacer.

Claim 25

An electrical circuit as recited in claim 20 wherein said trigger electrode means is disposed about the outer periphery of said insulating spacer in said elongated recess.

Claim 26

An electrical circuit as recited in claim 19 wherein said thin wall portion comprises a generally V-shaped groove formed in and disposed about the outer periphery of said insulating spacer.

Claim 27

An electrical circuit as recited in claim 19 wherein said thin wall portion comprises a generally U-shaped elongated recess formed in and disposed about the inner periphery of said insulating spacer.

Claim 28

An electrical circuit as recited in claim 19 wherein said thin wall portion comprises a flattened outer wall surface of said insulating spacer.

Claim 29

An electrical circuit for controlling the light output of a photoflash lamp comprising means for extinguishing a photoflash lamp in response to an electrical signal, said extinguishing means comprising means for generating trigger voltage signals and comprising a hermetically sealed gas tube voltage breakdown device having a first gap electrode, a second gap electrode, said first and second gap electrodes being the only gap electrodes in said device, an electrode gap formed between said gap electrodes, said electrode gap being the only electrode gap in said device, an elongated ceramic insulating spacer disposed between said gap electrodes, said insulating spacer comprising two elongated tubular spacer halves; and a trigger electrode physically separated from and electrically insulated from both of said gap electrodes and adapted to receive a trigger voltage signal, said trigger electrode including conductive material disposed between said spacer halves, said spacer including a thin wall portion having a wall thickness in the range of from about 0.015 inch to about 0.030 inch.

Claim 30

An electrical circuit for controlling the light output of a photoflash lamp comprising means for extinguishing a photoflash lamp in response to an electrical signal, said extinguishing means comprising means for generating trigger voltage signals and comprising a hermetically sealed gas tube voltage breakdown device having a first gap electrode, a second gap electrode, said first and second gap electrodes being the only gap electrodes in said device, an electrode gap formed between said gap electrodes, said electrode gap being the only electrode gap in said device, an elongated ceramic insulating spacer disposed between said gap electrodes, said insulating spacer comprising two elongated tubular spacer halves; and a trigger electrode physically separated from and electrically insulated from both of said gap electrodes and adapted to receive a trigger voltage signal, said trigger electrode including conductive material disposed between said spacer halves, said spacer including a thin wall portion having a wall thickness in the range of from about 0.015 inch to about 0.030 inch.

Claim 31

An electrical circuit as recited in claim 25 wherein said spacer halves have a nonuniform wall thickness along the length of said spacer, the wall thickness of said thin wall portion in the region of said electrode gap being less than the wall thickness of said insulating spacer outside of the region of said electrode gap.

Claim 32

An electrical circuit as recited in claim 26 wherein said thin wall portion comprises a generally U-shaped elongated recess formed in and disposed about the outer periphery of said insulating spacer.

Claim 33

An electrical circuit as recited in claim 26 wherein said thin wall portion comprises a generally U-shaped elongated recess formed in and disposed about the inner periphery of said insulating spacer.

Claim 34

An electrical circuit as recited in claim 26 wherein said thin wall portion comprises a generally V-shaped groove formed in and disposed about the inner periphery of said insulating spacer.