JPS6035554B2 - propulsion device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improvement in a propulsion device equipped with a plasma generator.

Capacitor banks have traditionally been used as a method of storing electrical energy in this type of propulsion device.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a propulsion device equipped with a conventional plasma generator, in which 1 is a charging power source, 2 is an anode of a discharge head, 3 is a cathode of a discharge head, 4 is an inductance for pulse shaping, and 5 is a propulsion device equipped with a plasma generator.
6 is an electrical energy storage control switch, 6 is an electrical energy release control switch, 7 is a capacitor bank for electrical energy storage, 8 is a working gas supply system, and 9 is a gas supply piping system.

Since the slave is configured in this way, by controlling the switch 5, the energy stored in the capacitor 7 is pulse-shaped by the inductor 4, and then temporarily applied to the anode 2 and cathode 3 of the discharge head. A large current arc discharge occurs between the working gas supply system 8 and the gas supply. The working gas supplied by the piping system 9 is turned into plasma and released into space, and thrust is obtained by the reaction.

Conventionally, aluminum electrolytic capacitors have been used as the capacitor bank 7 because of their large capacitance per unit weight and volume, but these have the following drawbacks.

1. Since a liquid is used, the container must be tightly closed.

2. A relief valve is required because it may bank, and safety measures must be taken to ensure that there is no negative impact on the outside in the event of a puncture.

3 Usable temperature range is narrow.

In order to compensate for the above drawbacks, in conventional systems, the capacitor is placed in a sealed container with a relief valve, and the entire system is thermally controlled, making the system complex.

Furthermore, the lifespan is even shorter, and regular maintenance and maintenance are required when stored.
Another drawback was that it required inspection. In order to improve these drawbacks, extend the service life, and eliminate the need for maintenance, the present invention uses an inductor as an energy storage device, and connects the inductor in series when storing electric energy, so that the energy can be stored with a relatively small current. save,
When emitting electric energy, energy is supplied in parallel to the anode and cathode of the divided discharge head, equivalently obtaining a large current required as a plasma generator.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which 1 is a charging power source, 2 is an anode of a discharge head, 3 is a cathode of a discharge head, 8 is a working gas supply system, and 9 is a gas supply pipe. Series, 10
are semiconductor switches SW, ~SWn, 11 is an inductor for electric energy storage, 12 is a current sensor, 13
is set by the current sensor 12 to O of the switches SW, ~SWn.
A control circuit controls N and OFF, and 14 is a voltage control resistor.

FIG. 3 is a rewrite of FIG. 2 focusing on the electric circuit, and the explanations for 1 to 3 and 8 to 14 are the same as in FIG. 2.

Next, the operation of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

When the series power supply 1 is turned on, a voltage is applied with the polarity shown in the figure, and all the semiconductor switches SW, to SWn are turned on, a current flows through the inductor 11 while accumulating energy. If the current sensor 12 detects that the current has reached a certain accumulated current lo, and the control circuit 13 simultaneously turns off the semiconductor switches SW, ~SWn,
At both ends of each inductor 11, a positive voltage is generated on the side to which the anode 2 is connected, and a negative voltage is generated to the side to which the cathode 3 is connected, and the current continues to flow at the accumulated current of lo amperes. At this time, the voltage generated in the inductor 7 becomes loR volts due to the voltage control resistor 14, and this voltage is applied between the anode 2 and the cathode 3. At this time, when a working gas that turns into plasma is applied between the anode 2 and the cathode 3 through the gas supply system 8 and piping system 9, a discharge occurs between the electrodes and the inductor 7
The energy (Kyo LI. 2) stored in is converted into plasma energy.

By the way, a single inductor has the property that no matter how large L is, it cannot flow more than the current value that flows during energy accumulation, and in the end, the same amount of current is required to obtain the large current to convert plasma into thrust. A power supply capable of passing a current of Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the anode and cathode electrodes are divided, and as many inductors as the number of divisions are prepared. When energy is stored, no plasma is generated, so the inductor 11 is connected in series to the power source 1. The current sensor 2 detects that the energy storage current has reached lo amperes, and the control circuit 13 switches on the semiconductor switch 10 (SW
, ~SWn) are turned off at the same time, the voltage generated by each inductor 11 is applied between the individual electrodes 2 and 3, causing a discharge, and considering the discharge electrodes as a whole, l
This is equivalent to a discharge current of nlo amperes multiplied by the division number of the discharge electrode of o amperes, and a current sufficient to accelerate the plasma was obtained. Compared to electrolytic capacitors, inductors do not require airtight containers because they do not use liquid.

2. There is no need for a flat tire and it is safe.

3. The usable temperature range is an order of magnitude wider.

Because of these advantages, by using an inductor, it is possible to use it in a vacuum without storing it in a sealed container and with simple heat control, and it has a long life, so special maintenance and inspection work is not required even during storage. This means that we have achieved a plasma generator that was previously unavailable.

As described above, the present invention connects a plurality of series-connected switches and inductors in series to a power source, and connects the plurality of inductors to the anode and cathode of a discharge head for plasma generation. A current is caused to flow through the plurality of inductors by controlling a switch on and off, and electrical energy temporarily stored in the inductor is applied between the anode and the cathode. Because it is equipped with a small current, it temporarily stores electric energy, and when it releases electric energy, it supplies energy in parallel to the anode and cathode of the discharge head.
It is possible to obtain the necessary current as an equivalent plasma generator. Furthermore, the present invention makes it possible to realize a plasma propulsion device that can be directly used in a wide range of environmental conditions, making a significant contribution to the development of electric propulsion devices used in space, in particular.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional plasma generator, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the electrical circuit of FIG. In the figure, 1 is a power supply, 2 is an anode of the discharge head, 3 is a cathode of the discharge head, 4 is an inductor for pulse shaping, 5
1 is a switch for electrical energy storage control, 6 is a switch for electrical energy release control, 8 is a gas supply system, 9 is gas supply piping, 1 is a semiconductor switch, 11 is an inductor for electrical energy storage, 12 is a current sensor, 13 is a control circuit;
14 is a voltage control resistor. Note that the same or corresponding parts in the figures are denoted by the same reference numerals. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 In a propulsion device equipped with a plasma generator, a plurality of switches and inductors connected in series are connected in series to a power source, and each of the above inductors is divided into the same number as the inductors of the discharge head for plasma generation. By connecting to each combination of an anode and a cathode and turning on the plurality of switches at the same time, current is caused to flow through the plurality of inductors to accumulate energy, and the plurality of switches are connected to the desired amount of energy storage. A propulsion device comprising a plasma generator configured to turn off the plasma generator when the plasma generator reaches the plasma generator, thereby applying electrical energy temporarily stored in the plurality of inductors between the plurality of anodes and cathodes of the discharge head.