Resonant power supply for an arcjet thruster
First Claim
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1. A power supply for a thruster, comprising:
- a full-bridge resonant converter including a resonant tank circuit for stabilizing the load of said thruster; and
control means for regulating the output current of said resonant converter substantially independent of an output voltage, the load quality factor of said resonant tank circuit varying in accordance with said output voltage and said output current so as to operate in a predetermined steady-state operating range, said steady-state operating range extending from a relatively low output voltage and a relatively high output current to a relatively high output voltage and a low output current.
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Abstract
A power supply for a thruster for space applications (e.g., an arcjet thruster) comprises a series/parallel resonant converter wherein the load quality (Q) factor of the resonant tank circuit inherently varies with arc voltage so as to accommodate changes in arc voltage from initiation thereof through steady-state operation. Effectively, the resonant tank circuit acts as a ballast by matching the arc during initiation thereof through steady-state operation. Furthermore, the resonant converter operates in a soft-switching, low-voltage switched mode so as to maximize efficiency.
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2 Claims
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1. A power supply for a thruster, comprising:
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a full-bridge resonant converter including a resonant tank circuit for stabilizing the load of said thruster; and control means for regulating the output current of said resonant converter substantially independent of an output voltage, the load quality factor of said resonant tank circuit varying in accordance with said output voltage and said output current so as to operate in a predetermined steady-state operating range, said steady-state operating range extending from a relatively low output voltage and a relatively high output current to a relatively high output voltage and a low output current. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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Specification