Circuit for controlling thyratron type devices either individually or as a group

Claim 1

A SWITCHING CIRCUIT FOR CONTROLLING THE EFFECTIVE POWER APPLIED TO A PLURALITY OF LOADS EITHER INDIVIDUALLY OR AS A GROUP THAT COMPRISES AN INDIVIDUAL THYRATRON TYPE SWITCH MEANS CONNECTED IN SERIES WITH EACH RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID LOADS, AN INDIVIDUAL PHASE SHIFT MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID LOADS FOR CONTROLLING THE CONDUCTION TIME OF THE INDIVIDUAL THYRATRON TYPE SWITCH MEANS CONNECTED IN SERIES WITH SAID LOAD, SAID INDIVIDUAL PHASE SHIFT NETWORKS EACH PRODUCING A FIRING SIGNAL, MEANS FOR APPLYING THE FIRING SIGNAL PRODUCED BY EACH OF SAID INDIVIDUAL PHASE SHIFT MEANS TO SWITCH THE THYRATON TYPE SWITCH MEANS CONNECTED IN SERIES WITH THE LOAD ASSOCIATED WITH SAID INDIVIDUAL PHASE SHIFT MEANS TO ITS LOW IMPEDANCE STATE RESPONSIVE TO THE PRESENCE OF A FIRING SIGNAL, EACH OF SAID INDIVIDUAL PHASE SHIFT MEANS INCLUDING A VARIABLE ELEMENT EFFECTIVE TO VARY THE PHASE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE APPLIED LINE VOLTAGE AND THE FIRING SIGNAL PRODUCED BY SAID INDIVIDUAL PHASE SHIFT MEANS THEREBY CONTROLLING THE CONDUCTION TIME OF SAID THYRATRON TYPE SWITCH MEANS, AND MEANS CONNECTED IN CIRCUIT WITH EACH OF THE INDIVIDUAL PHASE SHIFT NETWORKS ASSOCIATED WITHIN A GROUP OF LOADS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY VARYING THE PHASE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE APPLIED LINE VOLTAGE AND THE FIRING SIGNALS PRODUCED BY EACH OF SAID PHASE SHIFT NETWORKS WITHIN SAID GROUP TO SIMULTANEOUSLY CONTROL THE CONDUCTION TIME OF EACH OF SAID THYRATRON TYPE SWITCH MEANS CONNECTED IN SERIES WITH EACH OF SAID LOADS IN SAID GROUP.