Extended spring loaded tuner

• US 5,859,576 A
• Filed: 03/29/1996
• Issued: 01/12/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ISCO International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Illinois Superconductor Corporation
• Inventors: Winandy, Peter M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ham, Seungsook
• Application Number:
  US08/624,075
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 333/231, 333/232, 333/233, 333/235, 333/995
• US Class Current: 333/232
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 7/06 Cavity resonators

Abstract

A tuner including a shaft extendible through an aperture extending completely through a jacket of the tuner. The tuner includes a shaft tensioning and grounding structure and a tuning material holder comprising a cup-shaped structure with a clasping element.

Claims

1. A tuner mounted adjacent an RF resonator to be tuned, comprising:

a tuner shaft comprising an electrically conductive solid rod disposed within a cavity of the RF resonator and having threads and coupled to a holder for a tuning material;

a jacket disposed adjacent said shaft; and

a shaft tensioning device disposed adjacent said shaft and separate from said jacket, said shaft tensioning device having means for applying a force to said threads to maintain a position of said shaft and also including grounding structure for maintaining electrical grounding from the electrically conductive solid rod of said tuner shaft to said shaft tensioning device.

2. The tuner as defined in claim 1, wherein said shaft is inserted into an aperture in said jacket, said aperture extending completely through said jacket.

3. The tuner as defined in claim 1, wherein said shaft is continuously threaded.

4. The tuner as defined in claim 1, wherein said tuning material holder comprises a substantially cup-shaped structure.

5. The tuner as defined in claim 4, wherein said substantially cup-shaped structure comprises a clasping device for retaining said tuning material.

6. The tuner as defined in claim 1, wherein said shaft comprises a brass material.

7. The tuner as defined in claim 1, wherein said grounding structure comprises a flange electrically coupled both to said shaft and a housing of the RF resonator to be tuned.

8. The tuner as defined in claim 1, wherein said grounding structure mechanically stabilizes said shaft.

17. The tuner as defined in claim 1 further including a different tuning material coupled to said electrically conductive material of said tuner shaft, said different tuning material selected from the group consisting of an electrically conductive metal different than said tuner shaft, a semiconductor, a high temperature superconductor and an ionic material.

9. A tuner for an RF resonator having a housing with an exterior surface, comprising:

a continuously threaded tuner shaft including an electrically conductive portion extending continuously from the housing exterior surface into a cavity of said RF resonator and threadably engaging both a spring-loaded flange for applying force constantly to said threaded tuner shaft and also a jacket connected to a resonator housing;

a substantially cup-shaped turning material holder coupled to said tuner shaft and including a clasping device, said tuning material holder disposed within said resonator housing; and

screws coupled to said flange and said resonator housing, thereby preventing radial and rotating displacement of said flange.

10. The tuner as defined in claim 9, wherein said shaft is inserted into an aperture in said jacket, said aperture extending completely through said jacket.

11. The tuner as defined in claim 9, wherein said shaft comprises a brass material.

12. The tuner as defined in claim 9, further including a tuner material selectably disposed in said material holder.

13. The tuner as defined in claim 12, wherein said tuner material is selected from the group consisting of a metal, a semiconductor, a high temperature superconductor and an ionic material.

15. The tuner as defined in claim 9 wherein said spring loaded flange acts as a tensioning device to affirmatively stabilize said continuously threaded shaft.

16. The tuner as defined in claim 15 wherein said tensioning device comprises at least one of a spring and a bellows.

14. A tuner system comprising, a plurality of resonators with each of the resonators having a cavity and with each of said resonators also having an individual tuner, each said individual tuner associated with a separate resonator detunable by said tuner associated therewith thereby enabling separate tuning of each of said separate resonators;

and

a respective tuner shaft comprised of an electrically conductive material coupled to a corresponding resonator housing of each said separate resonator with each said respective tuner shaft of electronically conductive material extending into the cavity of the resonator and means respectively coupled to said corresponding tuner shaft for applying a respective force to said corresponding tuner shaft to maintain good electrical grounding of said respective tuner shaft of electrically conductive material to said means for applying a respective force, in each of said separate resonators.