US 12,467,627 B2
Electric propulsion system including heaterless dispenser cathode
Brian A. Koch, Sacramento, CA (US)
Assigned to Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc., Melbourne, FL (US)
Filed by Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc., Melbourne, FL (US)
Filed on Jun. 5, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/733,971.
Application 18/733,971 is a continuation of application No. 17/442,434, granted, now 12,044,407, previously published as PCT/US2019/030114, filed on May 1, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2024/0318820 A1, Sep. 26, 2024
Int. Cl. H01J 17/30 (2006.01); B64G 1/40 (2006.01); B64G 1/42 (2006.01); F23Q 3/00 (2006.01)
CPC F23Q 3/004 (2013.01) [B64G 1/411 (2023.08); B64G 1/413 (2023.08); B64G 1/428 (2013.01); H01J 17/30 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A circuit for igniting and sustaining an electron discharge, comprising:
an ignitor circuit including:
a voltage transformer which is an in-phase transformer that includes a primary and a secondary, the primary including a first dot terminal and a first non-dot terminal, and the secondary including a second dot terminal and a second non-dot terminal;
a reset circuit connected in parallel to the primary of the voltage transformer, and configured to provide a flux reset to a core of the transformer;
a first rectifier connected in series between the second dot terminal of the secondary of the voltage transformer and a first node, the first node connecting an output of the first rectifier to a keeper;
the second non-dot terminal of the secondary of the voltage transformer connected to a dispenser cathode via a second node that is different than the first node; and
a sustaining circuit including:
a current source having a return connected to the second node; and
a second rectifier connected in series between the current source and the first node; and
a DC load that is separate from the current source, that connects an input of the second rectifier to the second node, and that has a voltage that is higher than a voltage of the dispenser cathode.