Method and system for gating a power supply in a radiation detector

• US 6,690,098 B1
• Filed: 01/31/2000
• Issued: 02/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: L-3 Communications Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Litton Systems Incorporated (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Inventors: Saldana, Michael R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Toatley, Jr., Gregory J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RIOS CUEVAS, ROBERTO JOSE
• Application Number:
  US09/494,882
• Time in Patent Office: 1,471 Days
• Field of Search: 307/125, 307/115, 307/106, 307/108, 250/214.VT, 250/214.LA, 250/216, 250/207, 359/353, 359/537, 359/807, 327/113, 327/114, 327/122, 327/124, 327/165, 327/173, 327/365
• US Class Current: 307/125
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2231/50 Imaging and conversion tubes
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 43/025 Circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 43/246 Microchannel plates [MCP] image amplification tubes using MCP H01J31/507
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 43/30 Circuit arrangements not adapted to a particular application of the tube and not otherwise provided for

Abstract

The present invention comprises a method for gating a power supply. A gating command terminal is capacitively coupled to an on/off switch. A gating command signal is provided at the gating command terminal. The gating command signal is operable to activate the on/off switch. An off signal is generated at an output terminal of the on/off switch in response to an off state of the on/off switch being activated. An on signal is generated at the output terminal in response to an on state of the on/off switch being activated.

Claims

1. A method for gating a power supply, comprising:

capacitively coupling a gating command terminal to an on/off switch;

providing a positive voltage source and a negative voltage source at the on/off switch;

providing a gating command signal at the gating command terminal, the gating command signal operable to activate the on/off switch;

generating an off signal at an output terminal of the on/off switch in response to an off state of the on/off switch being activated, a pulse width of the off signal being less than a pulse width of the gating command signal; and

generating an on signal at the output terminal of the on/off switch in response to an on state of the on/off switch being activated, a pulse width of the on signal being less than the pulse width of the gating command signal.

2. The method of claim 1, generating an off signal at the output terminal comprising coupling the positive voltage source to the output terminal and generating an on signal at the output terminal comprising coupling the negative voltage source to the output terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of capacitively coupling the gating command terminal to the on/off switch comprises:

coupling the gating command terminal to a first and second capacitor, and

coupling the first and second capacitors to the on/off switch.

4. A system for gating a power supply, comprising:

an on/off switch;

a positive voltage source and a negative voltage source coupled to the on/off switch;

a gating command terminal coupled to the on/off switch, the gating command terminal operable to provide a gating command signal to the on/off switch, the gating command signal operable to alternatively activate an on state and an off state of the on/off switch; and

first and second capacitors coupled to the gating command terminal and the on/off switch, an off signal being generated at an output terminal of the on/off switch for a time less than a pulse width of the gating command signal in response to the off state being activated, an on signal being generated at the output terminal of the on/off switch for a time less than the pulse width of the gating command signal in response to the on state being activated.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the positive voltage source is coupled to the output terminal to generate the off signal at the output terminal and the negative voltage source is coupled to the output terminal to generate the on signal at the output terminal.

6. The system of claim 4, the on/off switch having an open circuit position between the on state and the off state.

7. A switching network for providing an alternating signal, comprising:

an on/off switch comprising an output terminal;

a positive voltage source and a negative voltage source coupled to the on/off switch; and

a gating command terminal for providing a gating command signal capacitively coupled to the on/off switch, the gating command signal operable to activate an on state and an off state of the on/off switch such that an on signal is provided at the output terminal for a time less than a pulse width of the gating command signal while the on state is activated, and an off signal is provided at the output terminal for a time less than a pulse width of the gating command signal while the off state is activated, the gating command signal being operable to alternatively activate the on state and the off state.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the positive voltage source is coupled to the output terminal to generate the off signal at the output terminal and the negative voltage source is coupled to the output terminal to generate the on signal at the output terminal.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising first and second capacitors coupled to the gating command terminal and the on/off switch.