Patent US4210845A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4210845A
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US
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Trirotron: triode rotating beam radio frequency amplifier
Assignee: United States Department of Energy
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Filing: 1978-11-24
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Granted: 1980-07-01
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Expires: 1998-11-24
Abstract
Abstract High efficiency amplification of radio frequencies to very high power levels including: establishing a cylindrical cloud of electrons; establishing an electrical field surrounding and coaxial with the electron cloud to bias the electrons to remain in the cloud; establishing a rotating electrical field that surrounds and is coaxial with the steady field, the circular path of the rotating field being one wavelength long, whereby the peak of one phase of the rotating field is used to accelerate electrons in a beam through the bias field in synchronism with the peak of the rotating field so that there is a beam of electrons continuously extracted from the cloud and rotating with the peak; establishing a steady electrical field that surrounds and is coaxial with the rotating field for high-energy radial acceleration of the rotating beam of electrons; and resonating the rotating beam of electrons within a space surrounding the second field, the space being selected to have a phase velocity equal to that of the rotating field to thereby produce a high-power output at the frequency of the rotating field.
Inventors
- 👤 Jean V. Lebacqz
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 10:05
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01J; H01J25/00; H01J25/78
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
93 words
A rotating beam radio-frequency amplifier, including: a cylindrical cathode having an outer curved surface for producing electrons; radio-frequency waveguide input means including means for establishing a traveling wave for forming said electrons into a beam and rotating said beam around said cathode; means for adding energy to said beam during said rotation; and output means for extracting the energy of the beam, said input and output means including waveguides that support traveling waves at a frequency that is an integral multiple of one or more of the frequency of said established traveling wave.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
93 words
A rotating beam radio-frequency amplifier, including: a cylindrical cathode having an outer curved surface for producing electrons; radio-frequency waveguide input means including means for establishing a traveling wave for forming said electrons into a beam and rotating said beam around said cathode; means for adding energy to said beam during said rotation; and output means for extracting the energy of the beam, said input and output means including waveguides that support traveling waves at a frequency that is an integral multiple of one or more of the frequency of said established traveling wave.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
49 words
The amplifier of claim 1, wherein said waveguide input means includes a circular ring-shaped waveguide positioned coaxial and coplanar with said cathode, said waveguide having an inner wall and an outer wall, each of said walls having a central section that is transparent to the passage of electrons therethrough.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
The amplifier of claim 2, further including means for thermionically heating said cathode to produce a cloud of electrons thereabout, said cathode being spaced apart from said waveguide to form an annular space therebetween.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
The amplifier of claim 3, further including biasing means for confining said cloud of electrons in the space between said cathode and said waveguide to control the angular width and magnitude of the beam.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
13 words
The amplifier of claim 4, wherein said biasing means includes electric field means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
13 words
The amplifier of claim 4, wherein said biasing means includes magnetic field means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
15 words
The amplifier of claim 4, wherein said biasing means includes electric and magnetic field means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
The amplifier of claim 2, further including first and second grids mounted in the central section of said inner and outer walls respectively of said waveguide.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
31 words
The amplifier of claim 2, wherein said outer surface of said cathode is coincident with said inner wall of said waveguide and is within the central section of said inner wall.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
The amplifier of claim 1, wherein said means for adding energy to the beam includes a direct current potential source connected across said waveguide input means and said output means.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
136 words
A method for amplifying radio-frequencies, including the steps of: developing a cylindrical cloud of electrons; supporting an input traveling wave at a frequency that is an integral multiple of one or more of the frequency of the traveling wave; applying the rotating electrical field of the traveling wave to the cloud of electrons to extract electrons therefrom and form them into a beam rotating around the cloud in synchronism with the rotating field, all positions of the rotating beam being coplanar with the cloud; adding energy to the beam of electrons to form a high-energy beam; developing and supporting an output traveling wave in response to the high-energy beam at the same frequency as the frequency of the input traveling wave; and extracting energy from the traveling wave to produce a high power level radio frequency.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
136 words
A method for amplifying radio-frequencies, including the steps of: developing a cylindrical cloud of electrons; supporting an input traveling wave at a frequency that is an integral multiple of one or more of the frequency of the traveling wave; applying the rotating electrical field of the traveling wave to the cloud of electrons to extract electrons therefrom and form them into a beam rotating around the cloud in synchronism with the rotating field, all positions of the rotating beam being coplanar with the cloud; adding energy to the beam of electrons to form a high-energy beam; developing and supporting an output traveling wave in response to the high-energy beam at the same frequency as the frequency of the input traveling wave; and extracting energy from the traveling wave to produce a high power level radio frequency.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 11, wherein said electron cloud is thermionically produced.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 11, wherein said electron cloud is developed by utilizing the rotating electrical field to produce multipactoring.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 11, wherein a bias field is utilized to confine the electrons to the cloud.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 14, wherein the bias field is a direct current field.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 15, wherein the bias field is a magnetic field.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1983-07-01 | 1983-12-31 | 1984-07-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1987-07-01 | 1987-12-31 | 1988-07-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1991-07-01 | 1991-12-31 | 1992-07-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |