Non-planar voltage multiplier

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10945329-B2
Application number	US-201916668897-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2019
Priority date	Nov 16, 2017
Publication date	Mar 9, 2021
Grant date	Mar 9, 2021

Abstract

In order to reduce the amount of electrical insulation needed for voltage isolation of large voltages generated by a voltage multiplier, the voltage multiplier can be shaped to smooth out electric field gradients. The voltage multiplier can comprise multiple sections, each section located in a different plane. The voltage multiplier can comprise a negative voltage multiplier and a positive voltage multiplier, each inclined at different angles with respect to each other. The voltage multiplier can include a curved shape.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A voltage multiplier configured to multiply an input electrical voltage to produce an output bias voltage having an absolute value of ≥2 kV, the voltage multiplier comprising:
a low voltage section located in a first plane and a high voltage section located in a second plane;
the first plane and the second plane forming a V-shape with an angle of a channel of the V-shape being ≥60° and ≤170°;
the low voltage section configured to produce ≥1 kV absolute value of bias voltage and providing input electrical power to the high voltage section; and
the high voltage section configured to produce ≥1 kV absolute value of bias voltage and providing output electrical power to a high voltage apparatus at the output bias voltage.

2. The voltage multiplier of claim 1 , further comprising:
a corona guard including a curved profile, the curved profile wrapping at least partially around the voltage multiplier; and
an electrical resistivity of a material at a concave side of the curved profile divided by an electrical resistivity of a material at a convex side of the curved profile being ≥10 6 .

3. The voltage multiplier of claim 1 , further comprising:
a middle voltage section electrically coupled between the low voltage section and the high voltage section;
the middle voltage section configured to produce ≥1 kV absolute value of bias voltage and providing input electrical power to the high voltage section;
the middle voltage section located in a seventh plane, the seventh plane being different from the first plane and the second plane; and
an angle between the seventh plane and the first plane and an angle between the seventh plane and the second plane, both located on a same side of the seventh plane, both have a value of ≥70° and ≤170°.

4. The voltage multiplier of claim 1 , further comprising:
the V-shape is a primary V-shape, the voltage multiplier is a negative voltage multiplier, the output bias voltage is a negative output bias voltage, the low voltage section is a negative low voltage section, and the high voltage section is a negative high voltage section;
a positive voltage multiplier configured to multiply an input electrical voltage to produce a positive output bias voltage of ≥2 kV, the positive voltage multiplier comprising: a positive low voltage section located in a third plane and a positive high voltage section located in a fourth plane; the third plane and the fourth plane forming a secondary V-shape with an angle of an opening of the secondary V-shape being ≥60° and ≤170°; the positive low voltage section configured to produce ≥1 kV of bias voltage and providing input electrical power to an input of the positive high voltage section; and the positive high voltage section configured to produce ≥1 kV of bias voltage and configured to provide the positive output bias voltage.

5. The voltage multiplier of claim 4 , wherein the first plane and the third plane are parallel or intersect with an angle of ≤10°.

6. The voltage multiplier of claim 4 , further comprising:
a negative voltage sensing resistor electrically coupled between the negative output bias voltage and ground voltage, the negative voltage sensing resistor located in a fifth plane; and
a positive voltage sensing resistor electrically coupled between the positive output bias voltage and ground voltage, the positive voltage sensing resistor located in a sixth plane.

7. The voltage multiplier of claim 4 , wherein the second plane and the fourth plane are parallel or intersect with an angle of ≤90°.

8. A voltage multiplier comprising:
a negative voltage multiplier configured to multiply an input electrical voltage to produce a negative output bias voltage having a value of ≤−2 kV, the negative voltage multiplier having an end with a lowest absolute value of voltage, defining a negative low voltage end, and an end with a highest absolute value of voltage, defining a negative high voltage end;
a positive voltage multiplier configured to multiply an input electrical voltage to produce a positive output bias voltage having a value of ≤2 kV, the positive voltage multiplier having an end with a lowest voltage, defining a positive low voltage end, and an end with a highest voltage, defining a positive high voltage end; and
the negative voltage multiplier and the positive voltage multiplier inclined at different angles with respect to each other such that an end view of the voltage multipliers forms an X-shape by intersection of a plane of the negative voltage multiplier and a plane of the positive voltage multiplier.

9. The voltage multiplier of claim 8 , wherein:
the negative low voltage end includes capacitors with a voltage rating that is ≥10% higher than capacitors at the negative high voltage end;
the negative low voltage end includes diodes with a voltage rating that is ≥10% higher than diodes at the negative high voltage end;
the positive low voltage end includes diodes with a voltage rating that is ≥10% higher than diodes at the positive high voltage end; and
the positive low voltage end includes capacitors with a voltage rating that is ≥10% higher than capacitors at the positive high voltage end.

10. The voltage multiplier of claim 8 , wherein a distance between the positive high voltage end and the negative high voltage end is ≥3 times a distance between the positive low voltage end and the negative low voltage end.

11. The voltage multiplier of claim 8 , wherein the voltage multipliers intersect in the end view with:
a length each leg of the negative voltage multiplier in the X-shape being ≥10% of a total length of the negative voltage multiplier; and
a length each leg of the positive voltage multiplier in the X-shape being ≥10% of a total length of the positive voltage multiplier on each side of the X-shape.

12. The voltage multiplier of claim 8 , wherein an angle of a channel of the X-shape is ≥60° and ≤120°.

13. The voltage multiplier of claim 8 , further comprising:
a corona guard including a curved profile, the curved profile wrapping ≥partially around the negative voltage multiplier and the positive voltage multiplier; and
an electrical resistivity of a material at a concave side of the curved profile divided by an electrical resistivity of a material at a convex side of the curved profile being ≥10 6 .

14. The voltage multiplier of claim 8 , further comprising:
a corona guard;
the corona guard including a curved profile wrapping at least partially around the negative voltage multiplier and the positive voltage multiplier;
the corona guard having a material at a concave side of the curved profile with an electrical resistivity of ≥10 5 Ω*m; and
a voltage sensor electrically coupled to the output bias voltage and located on a convex side of the curved profile;
a negative voltage sensor electrically coupled to the negative output bias voltage and located on a convex side of the curved profile; and
a positive voltage sensor electrically coupled to the positive output bias voltage and located on the convex side of the curved profile.

15. A voltage multiplier configured to multiply an input electrical voltage to produce an output bias voltage having an absolute value of ≥2 kV, the voltage multiplier comprising:
a first end having a lowest absolute value of voltage and a second end having a highest absolute value of voltage, a gradually increasing absolute value of voltage from the first end to the second end, the voltage multiplier configured to produce ≥2 kV of absolute value bias voltage between the first end and the second end; and
a curved shape with a direction of the increasing absol

Assignees

• Moxtek Inc

Inventors

• Miller Eric
• Hoffman David S
• Jones Vincent F

Classifications

• H02M7/106 Primary

  With physical arrangement details · CPC title

• H01J35/025

  X-ray tubes with structurally associated circuit elements · CPC title

• H05G1/10 Primary

  Power supply arrangements for feeding the X-ray tube {(supply circuits with converters in general H02M; supply circuits for emitters and amplifiers H04B1/16 - H04B1/1623)} · CPC title

• H05G1/06

  X-ray tube and at least part of the power supply apparatus being mounted within the same housing · CPC title