Tunable tube amplifier system of a radio-frequency power generator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9515616-B2
Application number	US-201414575993-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2014
Priority date	Dec 18, 2014
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

Tube amplifier system including a plurality of conductor walls extending parallel to a longitudinal axis and defining an interior space therebetween. The tube amplifier system also including a shorting deck that extends transverse to the longitudinal axis. The shorting deck is electrically coupled to the conductor walls. The tube amplifier system also includes a movable tray assembly having a grounding deck that extends parallel to the shorting deck. The grounding deck and the shorting deck define an output cavity therebetween that has a length. The movable tray assembly is removably mounted to at least one of the conductor walls such that the grounding deck is capable of being positioned at multiple different levels along the longitudinal axis to change the length of the output cavity.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tube amplifier system comprising:
a plurality of conductor walls extending parallel to a longitudinal axis and defining an interior space therebetween;
a shorting deck extending transverse to the longitudinal axis, the shorting deck being mechanically and electrically coupled to the conductor walls; and
a movable tray assembly including a grounding deck that extends parallel to the shorting deck, the grounding deck and the shorting deck defining an output cavity therebetween that has a length measured along the longitudinal axis, the movable tray assembly being removably mounted to at least one of the conductor walls such that the grounding deck is capable of being positioned at multiple different levels along the longitudinal axis to change the length of the output cavity.

2. The tube amplifier system of claim 1 , wherein the shorting deck is an output shorting deck and the movable tray assembly includes an input shorting deck that extends parallel to the grounding deck and defines an input cavity between the input shorting deck and the grounding deck, the input shorting deck being secured to the grounding deck such that the input shorting deck moves with the grounding deck when the movable tray assembly is moved for positioning within the interior space.

3. The tube amplifier system of claim 2 , wherein the movable tray assembly includes a ground wall that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis and mechanically and electrically couples the grounding deck and the input shorting deck, the ground wall and at least one of the conductor walls interfacing with each other to form an outer conductor that surrounds the input cavity.

4. The tube amplifier system of claim 1 , wherein the multiple different levels are discrete levels that are spaced apart along the longitudinal axis.

5. The tube amplifier system of claim 1 , wherein the movable tray assembly has a perimeter that interfaces with the conductor walls, the movable tray assembly electrically coupling to the conductor walls along the perimeter.

6. The tube amplifier system of claim 1 , wherein the movable tray assembly includes flexible conductive elements that are configured to engage the conductor walls.

7. The tube amplifier system of claim 1 , wherein the grounding deck includes a securing panel that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis and forms an exterior surface of the movable tray assembly, the securing panel configured to be removably mounted to the at least one conductor wall along the exterior surface.

8. The tube amplifier system of claim 1 , further comprising a power tube and an input inner conductor coupled to the movable tray assembly, wherein the power tube, the input inner conductor, and the movable tray assembly are coupled to one another and move as a unit when the movable tray assembly is moved for positioning within the interior space.

9. The tube amplifier system of claim 8 , further comprising a tuning capacitor assembly that is operably coupled to the power tube, the tuning capacitor assembly including a connector wall that surrounds and is coupled to the power tube, the tuning capacitor assembly also including a tuning sheet that surrounds the power tube and interfaces with the connector wall, wherein the connector wall and the tuning sheet include outer sides that form a combined capacitive surface, the tuning sheet being movable along the central axis to change a size of the combined capacitive surface and adjust an amount of capacitance provided by the tuning capacitor assembly.

10. A movable tray assembly configured to form part of a tube amplifier system, the movable tray assembly comprising:
a grounding deck having an input side and an output side that face in opposite directions;
a ground wall extending away from the input side of the grounding deck; and
a shorting deck extending parallel to the grounding deck, the ground wall extending between and mechanically and electrically coupling the grounding deck and the shorting deck, wherein the grounding deck, the ground wall, and the shorting deck define an input cavity, wherein the grounding deck, the ground wall, and the shorting deck are configured to have fixed positions with respect to one another and move as a unit when the movable tray assembly is moved for positioning with respect to the tube amplifier system.

11. The tube amplifier system of claim 1 , wherein the movable tray assembly is capable of being removably mounted to the at least one conductor wall such that the movable tray assembly may be readily mounted to or demounted from the at least one conductor wall without destroying the movable tray assembly or the at least one conductor wall.

12. The movable tray assembly of claim 10 , wherein the grounding deck and the shorting deck include exterior surfaces that are configured to interface with conductor walls of the tube amplifier system, the exterior surfaces including flexible conductive elements that are configured to removably engage the conductor walls.

13. The movable tray assembly of claim 10 , further comprising a power tube that extends away from the output side of the grounding deck and an input inner conductor that is positioned within the input cavity, wherein the grounding deck, the shorting deck, the power tube, and the input inner conductor are configured to have fixed positions with respect to one another and move as a unit when the movable tray assembly is moved for positioning with respect to the tube amplifier system.

14. The movable tray assembly of claim 13 , further comprising a tuning capacitor assembly that is coupled to the power tube, the tuning capacitor assembly including a connector wall that surrounds and is coupled to the power tube, the tuning capacitor assembly also including a tuning sheet that surrounds the power tube and interfaces with the connector wall, wherein the connector wall and the tuning sheet include outer sides that form a combined capacitive surface, the tuning sheet being movable along the central axis to change a size of the combined capacitive surface and adjust an amount of capacitance provided by the tuning capacitor assembly.

15. The movable tray assembly of claim 10 , wherein the grounding deck includes a securing panel that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis and forms an exterior surface of the movable tray assembly, the securing panel configured to be removably mounted to at least one of the conductor walls along the exterior surface.

16. A tuning capacitor assembly comprising:
a connector wall surrounding a central axis and defining a thru-hole that is configured to receive a power tube, the connector wall having an inner side that faces inward toward the central axis and an outer side that faces outward away from the central axis; and
a tuning sheet surrounding the central axis and interfacing with the connector wall, the tuning sheet having an inner side that faces inward toward the central axis and an outer side that faces outward away from the central axis, wherein the outer sides of the connector wall and the tuning sheet form a combined capacitive surface, the tuning sheet being movable along the central axis to change a size of the combined capacitive surface and adjust an amount of capacitance provided by the tuning capacitor assembly.

17. The tuning capacitor assembly of claim 16 , wherein the connector wall includes reference markers that each correspond to a different size of the combined capacitive surface when the tuning sheet is aligned with the reference marker.

18. The tuning capacitor assembly of claim 16 , w

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Bäcklund Andreas

Classifications

• H03F3/22

  with tubes only (H03F3/24 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H03F3/189

  High-frequency amplifiers, e.g. radio frequency amplifiers · CPC title

• H01G5/01

  Details · CPC title

• H03F2200/451

  the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier · CPC title

• H05H2007/025

  Radiofrequency systems · CPC title