Method and apparatus for automatic high power tube recovery

• US 20080012656A1
• Filed: 07/12/2006
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Enterprise Electronics
• Original Assignee: Enterprise Electronics
• Inventors: Alford, James Larry, Helvin, James Rogers, Nelson, Dean A., Killpack, Ron, Stagliano, James J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,750,573 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 332/133
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4008 of transmitters

Abstract

The invention consists, generally, of a method for automatically reducing power to an electron emitting cathode by sensing an operating condition of the electron emitting cathode, calculating a condition number based upon the operating condition, comparing the condition number to a threshold value, and reducing the power to the electron emitting cathode when the condition number is greater than the threshold. The apparatus and method may be implemented upon a system having a high voltage power source, an RF tube, a control processor, and a signal processor.

Claims

1. A method of reducing power to an electron emitting cathode, comprising the steps of:

a. sensing an operating condition of said electron emitting cathode;

b. calculating a condition number based upon said operating condition;

c. comparing said condition number to a threshold value; and

d. reducing power to said electron emitting cathode when said condition number differs from said threshold value by a predetermined amount.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said sensing step further comprises sampling a plurality of sensors.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said calculating step further comprises balancing said samples of said plurality of sensors against a plurality of sensor threshold values such that the number of said samples is equal to the number of said plurality of sensor threshold values.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising balancing each of said samples of said plurality of sensors against a corresponding one of said plurality of said sensor threshold values.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said balancing step further comprises incrementing said condition number by a unit value when the value of one of said samples of said plurality of sensors is greater than a corresponding value of one of said plurality of sensor threshold values.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said balancing step further comprises incrementing said condition number by an amount proportional to the difference between the value of one of said samples of said plurality of sensors and a corresponding value of one of said plurality of sensor threshold values.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said reducing step further comprises reducing the power to said electron emitting device to fifty percent of the maximum power of said electron emitting device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of lowering said threshold after said reducing step.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of increasing the power to said electron emitting cathode when said condition number falls below said lowered threshold.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of returning said threshold to the original value of said threshold when said power is increased.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of further reducing the power to said electron emitting cathode when said condition number remains greater than said threshold.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said reducing step further comprises reducing power by an amount proportional to the difference between said threshold and said condition number.

13. A system for controlling the power to an electron emitting cathode;

comprising;

a. a plurality of sensors configured to sense operating conditions of said electron emitting cathode;

b. comparators configured to compare said operating conditions to a plurality of sensor threshold values and to output a threshold indicia;

c. a summing block configured to sum said threshold indicia, said sum of said threshold indicia being a condition number; and

d. a power level decision block configured to receive said condition number and to compare said condition number to a threshold value to determine a power level for said electron emitting cathode.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said comparators are further configured to increment said condition number by a unit value when the value of one of said operating conditions from said plurality of sensors is greater than a corresponding value of one of said plurality of sensor threshold values.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein said comparators are further configured to increment said condition number by an amount proportional to the difference between the value of one of said operating conditions of said plurality of sensors and a corresponding value of one of said plurality of sensor threshold values.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein said power level decision block is configured to reduce the power to said electron emitting device to fifty percent of the maximum power of said electron emitting device when said condition number is greater than said threshold.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said power level decision block is further configured to lower said threshold when the power to said electron emitting device has been reduced.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said power level decision block is further configured to increase the power to said electron emitting cathode when said condition number falls below said lowered threshold.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said power level decision block is further configured to return said threshold to the original value of said threshold when said power is increased.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein said power level decision block is further configured to further reduce the power to said electron emitting cathode when said condition number remains greater than said threshold.

21. The system of claim 13 wherein said power level decision block is configured to set the power to said electron emitting cathode by an amount proportional to the difference between said threshold and said condition number.

22. A data structure for controlling the power to an electron emitting cathode, comprising:

a. a set of operating conditions;

b. a set of operating condition thresholds;

c. a comparator configured to compare said set of operating conditions to said operating condition thresholds, said comparator further configured to output a threshold indicia vector;

d. a summing block configured to sum said threshold indicia vector, said sum being a condition number; and

e. a power level decision block configured to receive said condition number and to compare said condition number to a threshold to determine a power level for said electron emitting cathode.

23. The structure of claim 22, wherein said comparator is further configured to increment said condition number by a unit value when a value of one element of said set of operating conditions is greater than a corresponding value of one element of said set of operating condition thresholds.

24. The structure of claim 22 wherein said comparators are further configured to increment said condition number by an amount proportional to the difference between a value of one element of said set of operating conditions and a corresponding value of one element of said set of operating condition thresholds.

25. The structure of claim 22, wherein said power level decision block is configured to reduce the power to said electron emitting device to fifty percent of the maximum power of said electron emitting device when said condition number is greater than said threshold.

26. The structure of claim 25, wherein said power level decision block is further configured to lower said threshold when the power to said electron emitting device has been reduced.

27. The structure of claim 26, wherein said power level decision block is further configured to increase the power to said electron emitting cathode when said condition number falls below said lowered threshold.

28. The structure of claim 27, wherein said power level decision block is further configured to return said threshold to the original value of said threshold when said power is increased.

29. The structure of claim 25, wherein said power level decision block is further configured to further reduce the power to said electron emitting cathode when said condition number remains greater than said threshold.

30. The structure of claim 22 wherein said power level decision block is configured to set the power to said electron emitting cathode by an amount proportional to the difference between said threshold and said condition number.