Cold cathode ionization vacuum gauge and inner wall protection member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9316555-B2
Application number	US-201414260545-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2014
Priority date	Jun 13, 2013
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

A cold cathode ionization vacuum gauge, including: two electrodes disposed such that one of the electrodes is surrounded by the other electrode to thereby form a discharge space therebetween; and an electrode protection member disposed in the discharge space and configured to protect an inner wall surface of the other electrode, wherein the electrode protection member has electric conductivity and is elastically deformed along a shape of the inner wall surface to be electrically connected to the other electrode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cold cathode ionization vacuum gauge, comprising:
two electrodes disposed such that one of the electrodes is surrounded by the other electrode having a cylindrical shape to thereby form a discharge space therebetween; and
an electrode protection member disposed in the discharge space and configured to protect an inner wall surface of the other electrode in a circumferential direction,
wherein the electrode protection member includes a protection portion formed of an elastic member having electric conductivity and a plate-shape, the elastic member being capable of elastic deformation into a cylindrical shape and being capable of changing the diameter of the cylindrical shape in accordance with the elastic deformation, and
wherein the protection portion is elastically deformed along a shape of the inner wall surface in the circumferential direction, presses the inner wall surface of the other electrode, and is to be electrically connected to the other electrode.

2. The cold cathode ionization vacuum gauge according to claim 1 , wherein the electrode protection member further includes:
a trigger electrode portion connected to the protection portion, and protruding toward the one electrode under a state that the protection portion is covering the other electrode.

3. The cold cathode ionization vacuum gauge according to claim 2 , wherein a plurality of the trigger electrode portions are provided.

4. The cold cathode ionization vacuum gauge according to claim 1 , wherein the electrode protection member includes a protruding portion being in contact with the inner wall surface under a state that the electrode protection member is covering the other electrode.

5. An electrode protection member,
wherein the electrode protection member has electric conductivity and is disposed in a discharge space between two electrodes, the two electrodes being disposed such that one of the electrodes is surrounded by the other electrode having a cylindrical shape to thereby form the discharge space,
wherein the electrode protection member is configured to protect an inner wall surface of the other electrode in a circumferential direction, and
wherein the electrode protection member comprises a protection portion formed of an elastic member having electric conductivity and a plate-shape, the elastic member being capable of elastic deformation into a cylindrical shape and being capable of changing the diameter of the cylindrical shape in accordance with the elastic deformation, and
wherein the protection portion is elastically deformed along a shape of the inner wall surface in the circumferential direction, presses the inner wall surface of the other electrode, and is to be electrically connected to the other electrode when disposed in the discharge space.

6. The electrode protection member according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a trigger electrode portion connected to the protection portion, and protruding toward the one electrode under a state that the protection portion is covering the other electrode.

7. The electrode protection member according to claim 6 , wherein a plurality of the trigger electrode portions are provided.

8. The electrode protection member according to claim 5 , comprising a protruding portion being in contact with the inner wall surface under a state that the electrode protection member is covering the other electrode.

Assignees

• Canon Anelva Corp

Inventors

• Enomoto Itaru
• Mano Hideo

Classifications

• G01L21/34 Primary

  using electric discharge tubes with cold cathodes · CPC title

• H01J41/04

  with ionisation by means of thermionic cathodes · CPC title

• H01J41/06

  with ionisation by means of cold cathodes · CPC title

• G01L21/32

  using electric discharge tubes with thermionic cathodes · CPC title

• G01L21/30

  by making use of ionisation effects · CPC title