(No Model.

)
-

N. TESLA.

SYSTEM OF ELECTRIC LIGHTING.

N0._454,6'22.

Patented June 23,1891.

4

129.1

Wwwasea .

J6601 72 947 .

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

IN'IKoLA TESI-.A,'-OF NEW YORK, N. Y.
SYSTE'M' OF ELECTRIC LIGHTING.
SPECIFICATION forming part of letters Patent No. 454,622,. dated June 23, 1891.
Application ?led April 25, 1891. Serial No. 390,414. (No model.)

pabilit-yof standing the strain. I do not mean

Be it known that I, NIKOLA TESLA, a sub by the term excessively small-perim and
ject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, from similar expressions herein to imply that I 55
Smilj an, Lika, border country of Austria-Hun contemplate any number of pulsations or vi
' gary, and a resident of NewYorkJnthe county brations per second approximating to the
and State of New York, have invented certain number of light-waves, and this will more
new and useful Improvements in Methods of fully appear from the description of the na
To all whom it may concern..

10

and Apparatus for Electric Lighting, of which ture of invention which is hereinafter con
the following is a speci?cation, reference be tained.
The carrying out of this invention and the
ing had to the drawings accompanying and
fullrcalizat-ion of the conditions necessary to
'
This invention consists in a novel method the attainment of [the desired results involve,
of and apparatus for producing light by means ?rst, a novel method of and apparatus for

forming a part of the same;

65

producing the'currents or electrical effects of.

For a better understanding of the inven the character described; second, a novel
tion it may be stated, ?rst, that heretofore I method of utilizing and applying the same

of electricity.

have produced and employed currents of very for the production of light, and, third, a new 7
high frequency for operating translating de form of translating device or light-giving ap
vices, such as, electric lamps, and, second, pliance. These I shall now describe.
To produce acurrent of very high frequency '
23 that currents of high potential have'also been
produced and employed for obtaining lumi .and very high potential, certain well-known
nous effects, and this, in a broad sense, may. devices may be employed. For instance, as
be regarded for purposes of this case as the the primary source of current or electrical 75
prior state of the art; but Ihave discovered energy a continuous-current generator may
that results of the most useful character may be used, the circuit of which may be inter-v
be secured under entirely practicable condi ruptcd with extreme rapidity by mechani-
tions by means of electric currents in which cal devices, or a magneto-electric machine

both the above-described conditions of high specially constructed to yield alternating cur 80
frequency and great difference of potential rents of very small period may be used, and
are present. In other words, I have made the in either case, should the potential be too low,

an induction-coil may be employed to raise it;

or, ?nally, in order toovercome the mechani
- tial may be utilized economically and prac cal di?iculties, which in such cases become
discovery that an electrical current of an ex

cessively small period and very high poten

' i'icably to great advantage for the production

of light.

It is dif?cult for me to de?ne the exact lim

practically insuperable before the best results

are reached, the principle of the disruptive
discharge may be utilized.

iy means of this

its of frequency and potential within which my latter plan I producea much greater rate of

change in the current than by the other means

tained are due to both conjointly; but I would suggested, and in illustration of my invention
I shall confine the description of the means or
40 make it clear that as to the inferior limits of
both, the lowest frequency and potential that apparatus for producing the current to this
I contemplate using-are far above what have plan, although I would not be understood as
heretofore been. regarded as practicable. As limiting myself to its use.v The current of 95
an instance of what I regard as the lowest high frequency, therefore, that is necessary
practicable
limits I would state that I have to the successful working of my invention I
~15
- obtained fairly good results by a frequency produce by the disruptive discharge of the
as low as ?fteen thousand to twenty thousand accumulated energy of a condenser main
-' per second and a potential of about twenty tained by charging said condenser from a
thousand volts. Both frequency and poten suitable source and discharging it into or

discovery is comprised, for the. results ob

tial may be enormously increased above these vthrough a circuit under proper-relations of

?gures, the practical limits being determined _ self-induction,capacity, resisti'mcemndperiod

by the character of the apparatus and its on

in well-understm N1 ways. Such a discharge I8

access

known to be, under proper conditions, inter

intermediate to the source of current and the

, mittent or oscillating in character, and in this light-giving bod y For this purpose the con
Way a current varyingin strength at an error ductors should be free from projections and

rnously rapid rate maybe produced. Having

produced in the above manner a current of ex

cessive frequency, I obtain from it by, means

oi an induction-coil enormously high poten

points and well covered or coated with a good

insulator.

The body to be rendered incandescent

should be selected with a view to its capa

tials-that is to say, in the circuit through bility of withstanding the action to which it
which or intoivvhich the disruptive discharge is exposed without being rapidly destroyed,
of the condenser takes place i include the pri for some conductors will be much more speed
mary of a suitable induction-coil, and by a sec ily consumed than others,
_
'
ondary coil of much longer and ?ner wire 1 con
1' now refer to the accompanying drawings,
vert to currents of extremely high potential. in which
The di'?erences in the length of the primary
Figure 1 is a diagram of one of the special
and secondary coils in connection with the arrangements that l have employed in carry 80
enormously rapid rateoi change in the pri ing out my discovery, and Figs. 2 and 3 are
mary current yield a secondary of enormous vertical sectional views of modi?ed forms of

frequency and excessively high potential, light-giving devices that l have devised for
Such currents are not, so far as l am aware,

available for use in the usual Ways; but 1 have

discovered that if ll connect to either of the
terminals of the secondary coil or source of
I current of high potential the leading'iin Wires
of such a device, for example, as an-ordh

20

use with the system.

I would state that as all of the apparatus

8s

herein shown, with the exception of certain

specialforms of lamp invented by me, is or

may be of well-known construction and in

common use for other purposes, l have indi 99
.25 nary incandescent lamp, the carbon may be cated such Well-known parts therefor by con

brought to and maintained at incandescence,

or, in general, that any body capable oi cone

ventional representations.

G is the primary source of current or elec

. ducting the high-tension current described trical energy. I have explained above how

and properly inclosed in a rare?ed or ex various forms of generator might be used for
30 hausted receiver may be rendered luminous this purpose; but in the present illustration

or incandescent, either when connected di~= I. assume that G is an alternating-current '

rectly with one terminal or the secondary generator of com parativelylow electro-inotive
source or energy or placed in the vicinity of force. Under such circumstances I raise the
such terminals so as to be acted upon induct potential of the current by rneansot an in
20
ively.

having a primary P and a sec

Without attempting a detailed explanation duction-coil
ondary S. Then by the current developed in
of the causes to which this phenomenon may this secondary I charge a condenser O, and
be ascribed, ll deem it su?icient to state that, this condenser I discharge through or into a
assuming the now generally accepted theories circuit A, having an air-gap a, or, in general,
40 of scientists to be correct, the edects thus
means for maintaininga'disruptive discharge,
produced are attributable to molecular bom By the means above described a current of
\ bardment, condenser action, and electric or

enormous frequency is produced. My object

etheric disturbances. Whatever part each is next to convert this into a working-circuit
or any of these causes may play in producing. of very high potential, for which purpose it
45 the e?ects noted, it is, however, a fact that a connect up in the circuit .A the primary P of u
strip of carbon or a mass oi any other shape, an induction-coil having a long fine wire sec
either of carbon or any more or less conduct=

ondary S". The currentin

'
primary
1?
ing substance in a rare?ed or exhausted re develops in the secondary S athe
current or eleci
. ceiverand connected directlyor inductively trical e?ect of corresponding frequency, but
to a source of electrical energy such as l of enormous difference of potential, and the lill
have described, may be maintained at incan secondary S thus becomes the source of the
descence if the frequency and potential of the energy to be applied to the purpose ofp'rm
current be suf?ciently high,
F
ducing light.
~
I would here state that by the termsfcuri
The light-giving devices may be connected

55 rents of high frequency and high potential to either terminal of the secondary S. It dc
and similar expressions which I have used in sired, one terminal may
be connected to a
this description I do not i mean, necessarily, conducting-wall W of ya room
or space to be
currents in thensual acceptance of the term, lighted and the other arranged for
con nection

,60

but, generally speaking, electrical disturb of the lamps therewith. In such case the
ances or e?ects such as would be produced in wallsshould be coated with
some metallic or
the secondary source by the action of the conducting substance in order that theymay
have 'su?icient conductivity.
It is necessaryto observe in carrying out
The lamps or light-giving devices may be

primary disturbance or electrical eiiiect.v '

i this invention that care must be taken.- to re

an ordinary incandescent lamp; but I prefer

duce to ail-minimum, the opportunity for the t0\use
specially-designed lamps, examples of
~ , dissipation of the energyfrom theconductors which I have shown in-detailiii the draw

454,622
ings. This lamp consists of a rare?ed 'or pole of the source of current. The metallic
exhausted bulb or globe which incloscs a lining 8 and the sheet on thus compose the

refractory conducting body, as carbon, of plates or armaturcs of a condenser.

r
This
invention
is
not
limited
to
the
special
70
comparatively small bulk and any desired

shape. This body is to be connected to the means described for producing the results

secondary by one or more conductors sealed hereinabove set forth, for it will be seen that.
in the glass, as inv ordinary lamps, or is ar various plans and means of producing cur
ranged to be inductively connected thereto. rents of very high frequency are known, and
For this last-named purpose the body is in also means for producing very high poteu~ 75
but I have only described herein cer
IO electrical contact with a metallic sheet in tials;
. the interior of the neck of the globe, and tain ways in which I have practically carried
on the outside of said neck is a second sheet out the invention.
that I claim is.
which is to be connected with the source of
,1. The improvement in the art- of electric
current. These two sheets form the arma
tures'of a condenser, and by them the cur lighting herein described, which consists in
rents or potentials are developed in the light generating or producing for the operation of
giving body. As many lamps of this or other the lighting devices currents of enormous fre
kinds may be connected to the terminal of S quency and excessively high potential, sub
85
as the energy supplied is capable of maintain stantially as herein described.
2. The method of producing an electric cur
.
20 ing at incandescence.
In Fig. 3, b is a rare?ed or exhausted glass rent for practical applicatiomsuch as for elec
globe or receiver, in which is a body of car tric lighting, which consists in generating or
bon or other suitable conductor 6. To this producing a current of enormous frequency

inducing by such current in a working

body is connected a,_ metallic conductor j, and
circuit, or that to which the lighting devices
which
passes
through
and
is
sealed
in
the
.25
glass wall of the globe, outside of which it is are connected, a current of corresponding
united to a copper or other wire g, by means frequency and excessively high potential, as

of which it is to be electrically connect-ed to

one pole or terminal of the source of current. .

set forth.

3. The method of producing an electric cur 95

Outside of the globe the conducting-wires are rent for practical application, such as for elec
lighting, which consists in charging a con
protected by a coating of insulation 72', of any tric
suitable kind, and inside the globe the sup denser by a given current, maintaining an
porting-wire is inclosed in and insulated by a intermittent or oscillatory discharge of said
tube or coating It of a refractory insulating condenser through or into a primary circuit,
and producing thereby in a secondary work
35 substance, such as pipe-clay or the like. A ing-circuit in inductive relation to the pri
re?ecting-plate Z is shown applied to the out
side of the globe b. This form of lamp is a ' mary very high potentials, as set forth.
4. The method of producing electric light
' type of those designed for direct electrical
connection with one terminal of the source by incandescence by electrically or induct 105
ively connecting a conductor inclosed in a
40 of current; but, as above stated, there need rare?ed or exhausted receiver to one of the
rco

not be a direct connection, for the carbon or

or terminals of a source of electric

other illuminatingbody may be renderedlumi .poles
nous by inductive action of the current there energy or current of a frequency and potenon, and this may be brought about in sev tial sufficiently high to render said body in
'_
.
eral ways. The preferred form of lamp for candescent, as set forth. ,
system of electric lighting, consisting
this purpose, however, is shown in Fig. 2. in 5.theA combination,
with a source ofv electric

.
I10

In this ?gure the globe b is formed with a cy

or current of enormous frequency
lindrical neck, within which is a tube or sheet energy
m of conducting material on the side and and excessively high potential, of an incan 115
over the end of a cylinder or plug it of any descent lamp or lamps consisting of. a con
ducting body inclosed in a rare?ed or ex
suitable'insulating material. The lower edges hausted
receiver and connected directly or
of this tube are in electrical contact with a
inductively to one pole or terminal of the
secured
to
the
cylinder
01,
all
' metallic plate 0,
of energy, as set forth.
the exposed surfaces of such plate and of the source
6. In a systemof electric lighting, the com
other conductors being carefully coated and
a source of currents of enormous
protected by insulation. The light-giving bination,with
and excessively high potential,
body e, in this case a straight-stem of carbon, frequency
of incandescent lighting devices, each con
. is electrically connected with the said plate sisting of a conducting body inclosed in a .125
._by a~wire or conductor similar to the wire f, rare?ed or exhausted receiver, said conduct
60 Fig. 3, which 'is.coated in like manner with a ing body being connected directly or induct
refractory insulating material It. The neck
bf the globe ?ts into a socket composed of. an ively to one pole or terminal of the source of
and a conducting body or bodies in
insulating tube or cylinder 11, with a more or current,
the
vicinity
of said lighting devices con
less complete metallic linlng s, electrically
connected by a metallic head or plate rwith nected to the other pole or terminal of said

65

a conductor g, that is to be attached to one source, as set forth.

4,

eseeee

70 in e: sysiem of electric lighting, the com

bination, with seen me 0f eurrents of enermous

' 5

duetors intermediate to the said source and

the light-giving" body-being insulated. and pro

frequency of excessively high poientia?, of tested to prevent the dissipation of the e1ec~
?ghting devices? each eonsistizag of a- con trio energy, as herein set forth.
eiueting 11006137 inelosec? in e rare?ed or ex

hamsted'reeeiver and eesneeted by e0nduet-'

directly or in?uctive'ly with we Qf the
ipeymimels of said somee, e11 pants 05 U38 con

'

Witnesses:

NIKOLA TESLA~

PARKER W. PAGE,
1%. G. TRACY.