Raytheon Company

Hughes Electronics Corporation

Hughes Missile Systems Company

John W Gerstenberg

Kenneth William Brown

Joseph Santoru

Dan M Goebel

James R Gallivan

Alan Rattray

Robert L Poeschel

Thomas Lee Obert

Ken W Brown

Larry Andrew Booker

Hung P Van

A system to regulate gyrotron power is configured to raise the filament voltage of a gyrotron to a standby voltage, then set the filament voltage to the normal standby voltage plus a current offset voltage before pulsing the gyrotron. The system is further configured to increase the filament voltage to a boost voltage that is higher than the standby voltage, thereby inducing a temperature increase in the cathode that offsets the cooling effect of radiating. The system is also configured to analyze a beam power of the gyrotron and adjust the filament voltage to bring a beam current within a range, and reduce the filament offset to zero such that the filament voltage is equal to the standby voltage.

System and method for gyrotron power regulation

An apparatus includes a microwave source that produces a microwave feed beam, and a first pair of microwave sensors that each intercept and receive a portion of the microwave feed beam. The two microwave sensors are spaced apart from each other along a first-pair axis. A first phase-comparison device has as it inputs the output signals of the two microwave sensors, and as an output a first phase comparison of the first-sensor output signal and the second-sensor output signal. A first geometrical calculator has as an input the first phase comparison and as an output a geometrical relationship of the first-pair axis to an other feature. This geometrical relationship output may be used to generate a control signal that is used to alter the geometrical relationship. There may be additional microwave sensors operating in a similar manner but spaced to provide information for other geometrical axes or allow improvements in geometrical measurements.

Apparatus and method using wavefront phase measurements to determine geometrical relationships

Switching apparatus for switching on and off one or more microwave tubes. A preferred embodiment of the switching apparatus comprises a solid state magnetron switcher that switches a plurality of magnetrons on and off using a plurality of high voltage (IGBT) switches. The microwave tubes or magnetrons are driven from a single power supply. The technical approach employed in the present invention places all microwave tubes or magnetrons into low level oscillation prior to switching them into full conduction. This maintains minimal voltage across the high voltage switches while allowing only a small percentage (1-2%) of full load current to be drawn.

Solid state magnetron switcher

A microwave launcher includes a hollow microwave cavity in the shape of a plus sign, four coplanar exit ports in the arms of the microwave cavity, and a non-coplanar entry port at a central hub of the microwave cavity. A single magnetron is in communication with the entry port. There is a controllable, electrically activated microwave barrier at each of the exit ports. Each microwave barrier includes an electrical signal input whose operation controls the activation of the microwave barrier. A switching circuit has a voltage source for the electrical signal input of each of the microwave barriers. Microwave power output from the single microwave source is launched from the selected exit port by using the switching circuit to selectively block microwave passage through each of the nonselected exit ports, but to leave the selected exit port unblocked.

Electrically switched multiport microwave launcher

A beam steering array that comprises a high voltage source for providing high voltage pulses and a plurality of high voltage switches coupled between the high voltage source and a plurality of microwave sources. Each of the microwave sources are coupled to an antenna element. A trigger source is coupled to the plurality of high voltage switches for providing trigger pulses thereto that are used to selectively switch the respective switches on and off to transfer the high voltage pulses from the high voltage source to a selected microwave source. In a reduced to practice embodiment, the present invention provides for a thyratron switched beam steering array comprising a plurality of channels that each include a high voltage switch comprising a thyratron, a triggering circuit, a magnetron that is used as the microwave source, and an antenna element coupled to the magnetron.

Thyratron switched beam steering array

A microwave switch selectively directs a microwave signal along first and second signal paths. The switch includes a microwave transmission member, a microwave chamber formed by the transmission member for containing an ionizable gas, input and output ports formed by the transmission member to communicate with the microwave chamber and a triggered plasma generator which is configured to generate, in response to a voltage trigger signal, a trigger electron density N.sub.t in the gas. The microwave signal increases the trigger electron density N.sub.t to a reflective electron density N.sub.r. Consequently, the microwave signal is reflected along a first path from the input port when the trigger electron density N.sub.t is present and is directed along a second path to the output port when the trigger electron density N.sub.t is absent. A plurality of these microwave switches is arranged to form a tunable microwave short.

Triggered-plasma microwave switch and method

A switched-inverter modulator for use in driving a load that comprises master and slave high voltage power supplies for providing output pulses that directly drive the load. A synchronized pulse generator provides pulse width tinting and synchronized amplitude commands to the master power supply. The timing pulse instructs the power supplies when to initiate high voltage and for what time interval. The analog waveform instructs the master power supply as to what high voltage level to obtain. The master power supply may have multiple slaves connected in parallel for additional current capacity. A low voltage DC capacitor bank is connected in parallel with each of the power supplies to supplement energy storage. Isolation resistors are coupled between outputs of the respective high voltage power supplies and the load to minimize temporary shorts from ringing back into the power supplies. A ramp generator is provided for synchronizing timing pulses with corresponding amplitude commands, and for controlling the rise time of each power supply. The switched-inverter modulator is capable of varying pulse widths, pulse repetition frequencies, and amplitude output applied to the load, and complex radio frequency pulse trains may be created. The present invention provides for the smallest, lightest, and most versatile pulse modulator available using current state-of-the-art technology to drive the load, and in particular a magnetron.

Growing community of inventors

Lake Elsinore, CA, United States of America

John W Gerstenberg