The Transfiuxor

Abstract

The transfluxor comprises a core of magnetic material with a nearly rectangular hysteresis loop and having two or more apertures. The control of the transfer of flux between the three or more legs of the magnetic core provides novel means to store and gate electrical signals. The transfluxor can control, for an indefinitely long time, the transmission of ac power according to a level established by a single setting pulse. This level can have any value in a continuous range, from no transmission to some maximum, thus affording either "on-off" or "continuous" stored control. These properties of the transfluxor, possessed by no other passive element, render it a significant addition to the list of basic circuit components presently employed in electronics. The characteristics of a representative two-aperture transfluxor are described. The device has high efficiency of power transmission, short setting time, negligible coupling between setting and output circuits and sharp setting thresholds. Several illustrative applications are given, including nondestructive readout memory systems and channel selector switches. Several examples of transfluxors with more than two apertures are described.