N. TESLA. APPARATUS FOR THE UTILIZATION OF RADANT ENERGY. (Application filed Mar. 21, 1901.) (No Model.)
Witnesses: Intentor
The Norris'Peress co, PHoro-LTHo, washington, D.C.
UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. NIKOLA TESLA, OF NEW YORK, N. Y. APPARATUS FOR THE UTILIZATION OF RADANT ENERGY. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 685,957, dated November 5, 1901. Application filed March.21, 1901, Serial No. 52,153, (No model.) To all whom it 77.0/ concern: operation or control of mechanical or elec Beit known that I, NIKOLATESLA, a citizen other trical devices or rendered useful in many of the United States, residing at the borough In applying ways. of Manhattan, in the city, county, and State denser, preferably my discovery I provide a con of New York, have invented certain new and static capacity, and ofconnect considerable electro 55 one of its termi useful Improvements in Apparatus for the Utilization of Radiant Energy, of which the ducting-body nals to an insulated metal plate or other con following is a specification, reference being of radiant matter. exposed to the rays or streams had to the drawings accompanying and form ticularly in view ofItthe is very important, par fact that electrical 6o O ing a part of the same. It is well known that certain radiations energy is generally supplied at a very slow rate to the condenser, to such as those of ultra-violet light, cathodic, with the greatest care. I use, by preference, construct the same Roentgen rays, or the like-possess the prop the best quality of mica, as dielectric, taking erty of charging and discharging conductors I5 of electricity, the discharge being particu every possible precaution in insulating the 65 larly noticeable when the conductor upon stand armatures, so that the instrument may with Which the rays impinge is negatively electri ing and great electrical pressures without leak fied. These radiations are generally con cation when may leave no perceptible electrifi sidered to be ether vibrations of extremely discharging instantaneously. In 20 small Wave lengths, and in explanation of the practice I have found that the best results 7 o phenomena noted it has been assumed by are obtained with condensers treated in the manner described in a patent granted to me some authorities that they ionize or render February 23, 1897, No. 577,671. Obviously the conducting the atmosphere through which they are propagated. My own experiments above precautions should be the more rigor 75 25 and observations, however, lead me to con ously observed the slower the rate of charg clusions more in accord with the theory here ing which and the smaller the time interval during the energy is allowed to accumulate in tofore advanced by me that sources of such the condenser. The insulated plate or con radiant energy throw off with great velocity ducting-body should minute particles of matter which are strongly face as practicable topresent the as large a sur rays or streams of electrified, and therefore capable of charging an electrical conductor, or, even if not so, of matter, I having ascertained that the amount may at any rate discharge an electrified con energy conveyed to it per unit of time is ductor either by carrying off bodily its charge tionate under otherwise identical conditions propor or otherwise. to the area exposed, or nearly so. 35 My present application is based upon a dis Furthermore, the surface should be clean and preferably highly polished or amalgamated. covery which I have made that when rays or The second terminal or armature of the con radiations of the above kind are permitted to denser may be connected to one of the poles fall upon an insulated conducting-body con of a battery or other source of electricity or nected to one of the terminals of a condenser to any conducting while the other terminal of the same is made such properties or body so or object whatever of 90 conditioned that by its by independent means to receive or to carry means electricity of the required sign will be away electricity a current flows into the con supplied to the terminal. A simple way of denser so long as the insulated body is ex posed to the rays, and under the conditions supplying positive or negative electricity to 45 hereinafter specified an indefinite accumu the insulated terminal is to connect the same either to lation of electrical energy in the condenser an conductor supported at Some height in the atmosphere or to a grounded con takes place. This energy after a suitable ductor, the former, as is well known, furnish time interval, during which the rays are al lowed to act, may manifest itself in a pow ing positive and the latter negative electric Od So erful discharge, which may be utilized for the ity. As the rays or supposed streatms of mat 2 685,957 ter generally convey a positive charge to the device d be of such character that it will op first condenser-terminal, which is connected erate to close the circuit in which it is in to the plate or conductor above mentioned, I cluded when the potential in the condenser usually connect the second terminal of the has reached a certain magnitude, the accumu 7o 5 condenser to the ground, this being the most lated charge will pass through the circuit, convenient way of obtaining negative elec which also includes the receiver R, and oper tricity, dispensing with the necessity of pro ate the latter. viding an artificial source. In order to util In illustration of a particular form of ap O ize for any useful purpose the energy accu paratus which may be used in carrying out 75 mulated in the condenser, I furthermore con my discovery I now refer to Fig. 2. In this nect to the terminals of the same a circuit in figure, which in the general arrangement of cluding an instrument or apparatus which it is desired to operate and another instrument dtheis elements is identical to Fig. 1, the device or device for alternately closing and opening ducting-platescomposed shown as it, placed of two verythin con in close proximity 15 the circuit. This latter may be any form of and very mobile, either by reason of extreme circuit-controller, with fixed or movable parts flexibility or owing to the character of their or electrodes, which may be actuated either support. To improve their action, they should by the stored energy or by independent means. be inclosed in a receptacle, from which the My discovery will be more fully understood from the following description and annexed I air may be exhausted. The plates t t are drawings, to which reference is now made, and including ainsuitable connected series with a working circuit, receiver, which in this in which case is shown as consisting of an electromag Figure 1 is a diagram showing the general net M, a movable armature arrangement of apparatus as usually em spring b, and a ratchet-wheela, w,a retractile provided 90 25 ployed. Fig. 2 is a similar diagram illustrat with a spring-pawl 1, which is pivoted to ar ing more in detail typical forms of the devices mature a, as illustrated. When the radia or elements used in practice, and Figs. 3 and tions of the sun or other radiant source fall 4 are diagrammatical representations of modi upon fied arrangements suitable for special pur denser,plate as P, a current flows into the con above explained, until the poten 95 poses. As illustrative of the manner in which the bring into contactsufficiently tial therein rises to attract and several parts or elements of the apparatus in thereby close the circuit connected toit, the two plates and one of its simplest forms are to be arranged condenser-terminals. This permits a flowtwo the of and connected for useful operation, reference current which energizes the magnet M, caus is made to Fig. 1, in which C is the condenser, ing it to draw down the armature a, and im IOC P the insulated plate or conducting - body part a partial rotation to the ratchet-wheel which is exposed to the rays, and P' another (U. As the current ceases the armature is plate or conductor which is grounded, all be retracted ing joined in series, as shown. The terminals moving thebywheel the spring b, without, however, v. With the stoppage of I O5 TT of the condenser are also connected to a the current the plates it cease to be attracted circuit which includes a device R to be oper and separate, thus restoring the circuit to its ated and a circuit-controlling device d of the original condition. character above referred to. Fig. 3 shows a modified form of apparatus The apparatus being arranged as shown, it used in connection with an artificial source O 45 Will be found that when the radiations of the of radiant energy, which in this instance may Sun or of any other source capable of pro be an arc emitting ducing the effects before described fall upon A suitable reflectorcopiouslymay be ultra-violet rays. provided for con the plate Pan accumulation of electrical centrating and directing the radiations. A energy in the condenser C will result. This magnet R and circuit-controller d are ar phenomenon, I believe, is best explained as ranged as in the previous figures; but in the II5 follows: The sun, as well as other sources of present radiant energy, throws off minute particles of itself thecase the former instead of performing whole Work only serves the purpose matter positively electrified, which, impinging of alternately opening and closing a local upon the plate P, communicate continuously circuit, containing a source of current B and 55 an electrical charge to the same. The op a receiving posite terminal of the condenser being con controller d,orif translating device D. The nected to the ground, which may be consid fixed electrodes separated by consist desired, may a minute of two air ered as a vast reservoir of negative electricity, gap or weak dielectric film, which breaks a feeble current flows continuously into the down more or less suddenly when a definite I 25 condenser, and inasmuch as these supposed particles are of an inconceivably small radius difference of potential is reached at the ter minals of the condenser and returns to its or curvature, and consequently charged to a original state upon the passage of the dis relatively very high potential, this charging of charge. the condenser may continue, as I have ac Still another modification is shown in Fig. tually observed, almost indefinitely, even to in which the source S of radiant energy is the point of rupturing the dielectric. If the 4, a special form of Roentgen tube devised by -T 685,957 3 me, having but one terminal k, generally of specifically described with reference to Fig. 2 aluminium, in the form of half a sphere, with a plain polished surface on the front side, and also that the special detailsof construction . from which the streams are thrown off. It and arrangement of the several parts of the 5 may be excited by attaching it to one of the apparatus may be very greatly varied with terminals of any generator of sufficiently high out departure from the invention. electromotive force; but whatever apparatus Having claim is described my invention, what I be used it is important that the tube be ex IO hausted to a high degree, as otherwise it might 1. An apparatus for utilizing radiant en prove entirely ineffective. The working or ergy, comprising in combination a condenser, 75 discharge circuit connected to the terminals one armature of which is subjected to the ac TT of the condenser includes in this case tion of rays or radiations, independent means the primary p of a transformer and a circuit for charging the other armature, a circuit and controller comprising a fixed terminal or apparatus therein adapted to be operated or brush t and a movable terminal t in the shape controlled by the discharge of the condenser, of a wheel, with conducting and insulating as set forth. segments, which may be rotated at an arbi 2. An apparatus for utilizing radiant en trary speed by any suitable means. In in ergy, comprising in combination, a condenser, ductive relation to the primary wire or coil p one armature of which is subjected to the ac is a secondary S, usually of a much greater tion of rays or radiations, independent means number of turns, to the ends of which is con for charging the other armature, a local cir nected a receiver R. The terminals of the cuit connected with the condenser-terminals, condenser being connected, as indicated, one to a circuit-controller therein and means adapted to an insulated plate P and the other to a be operated or controlled by the discharge 25 grounded plate P", when the tube S is excited of the condenser when the local circuit is 90 rays or streams of matter are emitted from closed, as set forth. the same, which convey a positive charge to 3. An apparatus for utilizing radiant en the plate P and condenser-terminal T, while one ergy, comprisingin combination, a condenser, terminal T is continuously receiving nega terminal of which is subjected to the ac tive electricity from the plate P'. This, as tion of rays or radiations, independent means before explained, results in an accumulation for charging the other armature, a local cir of electrical energy in the condenser, which cuit connected with the condenser-terminals, goes on as long as the circuit including the a circuit-controller therein dependent for op primary p is interrupted. Whenever the cir eration on a given rise of potential in the con 35 cuit is closed owing to the rotation of the denser, and devices operated by the discharge terminal t, the stored energy is discharged closed,of the condenser when the local circuit is CO through the primary p, this giving rise in the as set forth. secondary S to induced ate the receiver R. currents, which oper 4. An apparatus for utilizing radiant en ergy, comprising in combination, a condenser, It is clear from what has been stated above one terminal of which is subjected to the ac that if the terminal T is connected to a plate tion of rays or radiations, and the other of IO5 supplying positive instead of negative elec which is connected with the ground, a circuit tricity the rays should convey negative elec and apparatus therein adapted to be operated tricity to plate P. The source S may be any by the discharge of the accumulated energy 45 form of Roentgen or Lenard tube; but it is in the condenser, as set forth. obvious from the theory of action that in 5. An apparatus for utilizing radiant en Order to be very effective the electrical im ergy, comprising in combination, a condenser, pulses exciting it should be wholly or at least one terminal of which is subjected to the ac preponderatingly of one sign. If ordinary tion of rays or radiations and the other of Symmetrical alternating currents are em which is connected with the ground, a local II5 ployed, provision should be made for allow circuit connected with the condenser-termi ing the rays to fall upon the plate P only nals, a circuit-controller therein and means during those periods when they are product adapted to be operated by the discharge of ive of the desired result. Evidently if the as the condenser when the local circuit is closed, 55 radiations of the source be stopped or inter set forth. cepted or their intensity varied in any man 6. An apparatus for utilizing radiant en 20 ner, as by periodically interrupting or rythmic ergy, comprising in combination, a condenser, ally varying the current exciting the source, one terminal of which is subjected to the ac there will be corresponding changes in the tion of rays or radiations and the other of action upon the receiver R, and thus signals circuitwhich is connected with the ground, a local I 25 may be transmitted and many other useful connected with the condenser-termi effects produced. Furthermore, it will be un be nals, a circuit-controller therein adapted to derstood that any form of circuit-closer which operated by a given rise of potential in the will respond to or be set in operation when a condenser, and devices operated by the dis predetermined amount of energy is stored in charge of the condenser when the local circuit I 30 the condenser may be used in lieu of the device is closed, as set forth. 7. An apparatus for utilizing radiant en es 685,957 ergy, comprising a condenser, having one ter- adapted to be operated by a given rise of po minal connected to earth and the other to an tential in the condenser, as set forth. elevated to receiveconducting-plate, the rays from a which distantissource adapted of NIKOLATESLA. 5 radiant energy, a local circuit connected with Witnesses: the condenser-terminals, a receiver therein, and a circuit - controller therefor which is M. LAWSON DYER, RICHARD DONOVAN.