Timing control units

Claim 1

A TIMING CONTROL UNIT INCLUDING A GAS-FILLED TUBE HAVING AN ANODE AND A CATHODE AND A BIASING GRID, THE TUBE BEING CHARACTERIZED BY HAVING A PREDETERMINED FIRING POTENTIAL SUBJECT TO VARIATION BY VARIATION OF A BIASING POTENTIAL ON THE TUBE GRID, A FIRST STEP SWITCH HAVING A PLURALITY OF STATIONS, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER TO THE FIRST STEP SWITCH FOR SEQUENTIAL DELIVERY TO THE STATIONS THEREOF, A SECOND STEP SWITCH HAVING A PLURALITY OF STATIONS, MEANS FOR DELIVERING TO THE STATIONS OF THE SECOND STEP SWITCH BIASING POTENTIALS INDIVIDUALLY ADJUSTABLE AS TO EACH STATION OF THE SECOND STEP SWITCH AND AS TO THE MAGNITUDE OF THE BIASING POTENTIAL DELIVERED TO EACH STATION OF THE SECOND STEP SWITCH, MEANS FOR PLACING THE BIASING POTENTIALS OF THE STATIONS OF THE SECOND STEP SWITCH ON THE TUBE GRID, A POTENTIMETER HAVING A POSITIVE END AND A NEGATIVE END AND A CONTACT MOVABLE BETWEEN THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ENDS, THE CONTACT BEING CONNECTED TO THE TUBE CATHODE, MEANS FOR MOVING THE POTENTIOMETER CONTACT AT A CONSTANT SPEED FROM THE POSITIVE END OF THE POTENTIMETER TOWARD THE NEGATIVE END THEREOF TO DRIVE THE TUBE CATHODE MORE NEGATIVE UNTIL THE TUBE FIRES WHEREBY THE BIASING POTENTIAL PLACED ON THE TUBE GRID FROM THE STATIONS OF THE SECOND STEP SWITCH DETERMINES THE TIME REQUIRED AT EACH STATION FOR THE TUBE TO FIRE AND HENCE THE TIME ELECTRIC POWER IS SUPPLIED TO THE STATIONS OF THE FIRST STEP SWITCH, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE FIRING OF THE TUBE TO ADVANCE BOTH STEP SWITCHES AND TERMINATE CURRENT FLOW THROUGH THE TUBE.