Transformer-based integrated low-light-triggered gas switch circuit and its working method

Abstract

The present invention discloses an integrated low-light-triggered gas switch circuit based on a transformer and its working method. The circuit includes a gas switch, a transformer, a photoconductive switch, a voltage-dividing resistor, and a trigger capacitor. The high-voltage pole of the gas switch is connected to the voltage-dividing resistor, the ground electrode of the gas switch is grounded, and the trigger pole of the gas switch is connected to the secondary side of the transformer. One terminal of the primary side of the transformer is connected to one end of the photoconductive switch, and the other end of the photoconductive switch is respectively connected to the voltage-dividing resistor and the trigger capacitor. The other terminal of the primary side of the transformer is connected to the trigger capacitor and grounded. The present invention can be triggered by a low-energy laser in the microjoule level, and the trigger control is optically isolated from the high voltage. The trigger light energy is transmitted using an optical fiber, eliminating complex operations such as collimation and optical alignment, and making it easy to control the trigger moment. The trigger circuit of the present invention directly obtains the voltage and energy required by the trigger system from the main circuit or the electric field of the gas switch, without an external charging power supply.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of switches and their triggering techniques in pulsed power technology, and in particular, to an integrated low-light triggering gas switch circuit based on a transformer and its working method. Background Art

[0002] A switch is one of the key components of a pulsed power device, and its performance has an important impact on the performance of the pulsed power device. A gas switch is the most commonly used switch in a pulsed power device, and its common triggering methods are electrical pulse triggering and direct laser triggering. The advantage of electrical pulse triggering is that the circuit is simple and the cost is low. Its disadvantages are that the trigger pulse generator is large in volume, the volume and control complexity of the entire system increase significantly when triggering multiple gas switches, and the synchronization of multiple outputs is relatively poor; the advantage of direct laser triggering is good switch synchronization and optoelectronic isolation between trigger control and high voltage, etc. Its disadvantages are that the required trigger light energy is large, so the trigger light source is large in volume, and adjustments such as collimation and light alignment are required before the test.

[0003] The existing technology of gas switches triggered by photoconductive switches has the advantages of optoelectronic isolation, good synchronization, and can be triggered by high-power laser diodes. However, for the output to trigger a gas switch, its working voltage is low, so the amplitude of the output trigger pulse is low, resulting in a reduction in the triggering reliability of the gas switch. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and provide an integrated low-light triggering gas switch circuit based on a transformer and its working method.

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0006] An integrated low-light triggering gas switch circuit based on a transformer, comprising a gas switch, a transformer, a photoconductive switch, a voltage-dividing resistor, and a trigger capacitor;

[0007] The high-voltage electrode of the gas switch is connected to the voltage-dividing resistor, the ground electrode of the gas switch is grounded, and the trigger electrode of the gas switch is connected to the secondary side of the transformer;

[0008] One terminal of the primary side of the transformer is connected to one end of the photoconductive switch, and the other end of the photoconductive switch is respectively connected to the voltage-dividing resistor and the trigger capacitor; the other terminal of the primary side of the transformer is connected to the trigger capacitor and grounded.

[0009] As a preferred mode, the high-voltage electrode of the gas switch and the voltage-dividing resistor are connected to the positive pole of a main circuit power supply, the negative pole of the main circuit power supply is grounded; a main energy storage capacitor is connected in parallel with the main circuit power supply.

[0010] As a preferred mode, the photoconductive switch operates in a non-linear operating mode.

[0011] Preferably, the photoconductive switch is a photoconductive switch with a trigger light energy of 1 to 100 μJ.

[0012] Preferably, the trigger light energy of the photoconductive switch is provided by a photoconductive trigger source, and the photoconductive trigger source transmits light energy to the photoconductive switch through an optical fiber.

[0013] Preferably, the trigger electrode of the gas switch is connected to a resistor or a resistor-capacitor voltage-dividing circuit, and the potential of the trigger electrode before the gas switch is triggered is maintained by an external resistor voltage division or a resistor-capacitor voltage division circuit.

[0014] Preferably, the capacitance of the main energy storage capacitor is 22 nF; the voltage-dividing resistor is a high-voltage glass glaze resistor of 20 kΩ.

[0015] Preferably, the trigger capacitor is a high-voltage ceramic capacitor with a capacitance of 3.3 nF and a withstand voltage of 15 kV.

[0016] Preferably, the photoconductive switch is a GaAs semi-insulating photoconductive switch with a length, width and height of 6 mm × 6 mm × 3 mm placed in insulating oil.

[0017] Working method of the integrated weak-light triggered gas switch circuit based on a transformer:

[0018] First, the main circuit power supply charges the main energy storage capacitor. During the charging process, the trigger capacitor forms an RC voltage-dividing circuit through the voltage-dividing resistor and is charged simultaneously.

[0019] Control the photoconductive trigger source to transmit light energy to the photoconductive switch through an optical fiber, so that the photoconductive switch enters the conducting state. The trigger capacitor discharges to the primary side of the transformer, and a trigger pulse with a polarity opposite to the main gap voltage of the gas switch is generated on the secondary side of the transformer, thereby causing the main gap of the gas switch to conduct, and completing the triggering of the integrated weak-light triggered gas switch based on the transformer of the present invention.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0021] 1) The integrated weak-light triggered gas switch circuit based on a transformer provided by the present invention can be triggered by a low-energy laser in the microjoule level, and the trigger control is optically isolated from the high voltage; the optical fiber is used to transmit the trigger light energy, eliminating complex operations such as collimation and light alignment, and it is easy to control the trigger moment, and can be used for synchronous or asynchronous triggering of large-scale gas switches.

[0022] 2) The integrated low-light-triggered gas switch circuit based on a transformer provided by the present invention has a trigger circuit that directly obtains the voltage and energy required by the trigger system from the main circuit or the electric field of the gas switch, eliminating the need for an external charging power supply. Moreover, the light energy required to trigger and activate the conducting element is extremely low, and only dozens of microjoules of light energy are needed to trigger the conducting element to conduct. A laser diode can be used as the trigger light source, or a single laser can be used to trigger multiple switches, greatly reducing the volume of the laser light source. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present invention and should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0024] Figure 1 It is the schematic diagram of the integrated low-light-triggered gas switch circuit based on a transformer in the embodiments of the present invention;

[0025] In the figure, 1 - main circuit power supply, 2 - main energy storage capacitor, 3 - gas switch, 4 - transformer, 5 - photoconductive switch, 6 - photoconductive trigger source, 7 - voltage-dividing resistor, 8 - trigger capacitor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0026] The technical solutions of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the following.

[0027] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, terms such as "installed", "connected", "linked", "fixed", etc. shall be construed in a broad sense. For example, it may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or integrated; it may be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it may be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it may be the communication inside two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0029] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, if a first feature is above or below a second feature, it may include direct contact between the first and second features, or may include the situation where the first and second features are not in direct contact but in contact through additional features therebetween. Moreover, the first feature being above, over, and on the second feature includes the first feature being directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or merely indicating that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. If a first feature is below, under, and beneath a second feature, it includes the first feature being directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or merely indicating that the horizontal height of the first feature is lower than that of the second feature.

[0030] All features disclosed in this specification, or steps in all methods or processes disclosed, except for mutually exclusive features and / or steps, can be combined in any manner.

[0031] Any feature disclosed in this specification, unless specifically described, can be replaced by other equivalent or similar-purpose alternative features. That is, unless specifically described, each feature is only an example in a series of equivalent or similar features.

[0032] Defects of the prior art: There are currently two common triggering methods for the high-voltage gas switch 3, namely, electrical pulse triggering and direct laser triggering. The electrical pulse trigger source has a relatively large volume. When triggering multiple gas switches 3, the system volume and the complexity of control increase significantly, and the synchronization of multiple outputs is relatively poor; the trigger light source for direct laser triggering has a relatively large volume, and the laser used for triggering is transmitted through line of sight, and adjustment operations such as collimation and alignment are required before use. In the prior art of the gas switch 3 triggered by the photoconductive switch 5, the amplitude of the output trigger pulse is relatively low, resulting in a reduction in the triggering reliability of the gas switch 3.

[0033] Technical problems to be solved by the present invention: Provide an integrated low-light-triggered gas switch 3 based on a transformer 4, which uses laser triggering and realizes optoelectronic isolation between trigger control and high voltage; the transformer 4 is used to boost the trigger electric pulse of the gas switch 3, improving the trigger reliability of the gas switch 3; optical fiber is used to transmit trigger light energy, eliminating complex operations such as collimation and alignment, making it easy to control the trigger moment, and it can be used for synchronous or asynchronous triggering of a large number of gas switches 3. Its trigger circuit directly obtains the voltage and energy required by the trigger system from the main circuit or the electric field of the gas switch 3, without an external charging power supply, and the light energy required to trigger and activate the conducting element is extremely small, only dozens of microjoules of light energy is required to trigger the conducting element to conduct, greatly reducing the volume of the light source.

[0034] Embodiment 1

[0035] As Figure 1 shown, an integrated low-light-triggered gas switch 3 circuit based on a transformer 4, including a gas switch 3, a transformer 4, an optical switch 5, a voltage-dividing resistor 7, and a trigger capacitor 8;

[0036] The high-voltage electrode of the gas switch 3 is connected to the voltage-dividing resistor 7, the ground electrode of the gas switch 3 is grounded, and the trigger electrode of the gas switch 3 is connected to the secondary side of the transformer 4;

[0037] One terminal of the primary side of the transformer 4 is connected to one end of the optical switch 5, the other end of the optical switch 5 is respectively connected to the voltage-dividing resistor 7 and the trigger capacitor 8, and the trigger capacitor 8 and the voltage-dividing resistor 7 form an RC voltage-dividing circuit; by adjusting the component parameters of the RC voltage-dividing circuit, the preset value of the trigger component is adjusted; the other terminal of the primary side of the transformer 4 is connected to the trigger capacitor 8 and grounded.

[0038] In the above technical solution, the optical switch 5 and the transformer 4 are used to control the potential of the trigger electrode of the gas switch 3: when the trigger capacitor 8 is charged to a predetermined voltage, the optical switch 5 conducts, causing the trigger capacitor 8 to discharge to the primary side of the transformer 4. The secondary side of the transformer 4 outputs a trigger pulse with a polarity opposite to that of the main gap voltage of the gas switch 3 and feeds it into the trigger electrode of the gas switch 3, thereby causing the main gap of the gas switch 3 to conduct.

[0039] Embodiment 2

[0040] In this embodiment, the high-voltage electrode of the gas switch 3 and the voltage-dividing resistor 7 are connected to the positive pole of a main circuit power supply 1, and the negative pole of the main circuit power supply 1 is grounded; a main energy storage capacitor 2 is connected in parallel with the main circuit power supply 1. The trigger capacitor 8 is connected to the gas switch 3 and the main circuit power supply 1 through the voltage-dividing resistor 7. The trigger circuit can directly obtain the voltage and energy required by the trigger system from the main circuit or the electric field of the gas switch 3, without adding an external charging power supply for the trigger circuit, which can reduce the volume of the switch system and the complexity of the circuit.

[0041] The photoconductive switch 5 operates in a non-linear mode. When the photoconductive switch 5 is in the non-linear mode, the required triggering light energy is only a few microjoules to dozens of microjoules, and the photoconductive switch 5 can be triggered to conduct without a large-volume triggering light source. The photoconductive switch 5 uses a photoconductive switch 5 with a triggering light energy of 1 - 100 μJ. The triggering light energy of the shown photoconductive switch 5 can be 5 μJ, 25 μJ, 50 μJ, or 75 μJ.

[0042] The triggering light energy of the photoconductive switch 5 is provided by the photoconductive trigger source 6, and the photoconductive trigger source 6 transmits light energy to the photoconductive switch 5 through an optical fiber. When the voltage of the triggering capacitor 8 reaches a preset value, the photoconductive trigger source 6 activates the photoconductive switch 5 to enter the conducting state. The voltage of the triggering element (triggering capacitor 8) changes with time. By adjusting the parameters of the voltage-dividing resistor 7 and the triggering capacitor 8, the maximum voltage that the triggering capacitor 8 can reach can be changed. When the triggering capacitor 8 reaches the set voltage, the photoconductive trigger source 6 will transmit light energy to the photoconductive switch 5 through the optical fiber, thereby controlling the photoconductive switch 5 to conduct.

[0043] The photoconductive triggering light source can transmit light energy to one photoconductive switch 5 through one optical fiber to control one photoconductive switch 5 to conduct, thereby triggering one gas switch 3; or it can transmit light energy to multiple photoconductive switches 5 through multiple optical fibers respectively to control multiple photoconductive switches 5 to conduct respectively, thereby triggering multiple gas switches 3.

[0044] The trigger electrode of the gas switch 3 is connected to a resistor or a resistor-capacitor voltage-dividing circuit, and the potential of the trigger electrode of the gas switch 3 before triggering is maintained through an external resistor voltage division or a resistor-capacitor voltage-dividing circuit.

[0045] Embodiment 3

[0046] In this embodiment, the main circuit power supply 1 charges the main energy storage capacitor 2 with a capacity of 22 nF to 50 kV, and the charging time is 30 microseconds. The self-breakdown voltage of the gas switch 3 connected in parallel with the main energy storage capacitor 2 is about 65 kV. The voltage-dividing resistor 7 is a 20 kΩ high-voltage glass glaze resistor. The triggering energy storage capacitor is a high-voltage ceramic capacitor with a capacity of 3.3 nF and a withstand voltage of 15 kV. Therefore, the voltage of the triggering energy storage capacitor is 8 kV at 30 microseconds after the start of charging. The conducting element (photoconductive switch 5) is a GaAs semi-insulating photoconductive switch 5 with a length, width, and height of 6 mm × 6 mm × 3 mm placed in insulating oil. The photoconductive trigger source 6 with a light energy of only 50 uJ irradiates the conducting element at 30 microseconds after the start of charging to make it enter the conducting state, causing the connection to the triggering energy storage capacitor to discharge the primary side of the transformer 4. The secondary side of the transformer 4 generates a trigger pulse with a polarity opposite to the main gap voltage of the gas switch 3 on the trigger electrode of the gas switch 3, triggering the gas switch 3 to break down and completing one trigger of the gas switch 3.

[0047] Embodiment 4

[0048] This embodiment provides a working method for an integrated low-light-triggered gas switch 3 circuit based on a transformer 4. First, the main circuit power supply 1 charges the main energy storage capacitor 2. During the charging process, the trigger capacitor 8 forms an RC voltage-dividing circuit through the voltage-dividing resistor 7 and is charged simultaneously. By selecting appropriate capacitance values for the trigger capacitor 8 and resistance values for the voltage-dividing resistor 7, the trigger capacitor 8 reaches a set voltage value when the main energy storage capacitor 2 is fully charged (see Embodiment 3 for reference).

[0049] At this time, the control optical trigger source 6 transmits light energy to the optical switch 5 through an optical fiber, causing the optical switch 5 to enter the conducting state. The trigger capacitor 8 discharges to the primary side of the transformer 4, and the secondary side of the transformer 4 generates a trigger pulse with a polarity opposite to that of the main gap voltage of the gas switch 3 on the trigger electrode of the gas switch 3, thereby causing the main gap of the gas switch 3 to conduct, completing the triggering of the integrated low-light-triggered gas switch 3 based on the transformer 4 of the present invention.

[0050] Since the method described in this embodiment is the method adopted for an integrated low-light-triggered gas switch 3 circuit based on a transformer 4 in an embodiment of the present invention, those skilled in the art can understand the specific implementation manners and various variations of the method in this embodiment. Therefore, the implementation of the circuit in the embodiment of the present invention by the method will not be described in detail here. As long as the devices adopted by those skilled in the art to implement the method in the embodiment of the present invention fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0051] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, those skilled in the art can make additional changes and modifications once they know the basic creative concepts. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be construed as including the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications falling within the scope of the present invention. The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. It should be noted that any modifications, equivalent replacements, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A working method of an integrated weak-light-triggered gas switch circuit based on a transformer, characterized in that: First, the main circuit power supply charges the main energy storage capacitor. During the charging process, the trigger capacitor forms an RC voltage division circuit through the voltage division resistor and is charged simultaneously. The control photoconductive trigger source transmits light energy to the photoconductive switch through an optical fiber, causing the photoconductive switch to enter the conducting state. The trigger capacitor discharges to the primary side of the transformer, and the secondary side of the transformer generates a trigger pulse with a polarity opposite to that of the main gap voltage of the gas switch on the trigger electrode of the gas switch, thereby causing the main gap of the gas switch to conduct and completing the triggering of the integrated low-light-triggered gas switch based on the transformer. The high-voltage electrode of the gas switch is connected to the voltage division resistor, the ground electrode of the gas switch is grounded, and the trigger electrode of the gas switch is connected to the secondary side of the transformer. One terminal of the primary side of the transformer is connected to one end of the photoconductive switch, and the other end of the photoconductive switch is connected to the voltage division resistor and the trigger capacitor respectively; the other terminal of the primary side of the transformer is connected to the trigger capacitor and grounded. The high-voltage electrode of the gas switch and the voltage division resistor are connected to the positive pole of a main circuit power supply, and the negative pole of the main circuit power supply is grounded; the main circuit power supply is connected in parallel with a main energy storage capacitor. The photoconductive switch operates in a non-linear operating mode. The photoconductive switch uses a photoconductive switch with a trigger light energy of 1 - 100 μJ. The trigger light energy of the photoconductive switch is provided by the photoconductive trigger source, and the photoconductive trigger source directly or indirectly transmits light energy to the photoconductive switch through an optical fiber using a high-power laser diode. The trigger electrode of the gas switch is connected to a resistor or a resistor-capacitor voltage division circuit, and the potential of the trigger electrode before the gas switch is triggered is maintained through an external resistor voltage division or resistor-capacitor voltage division circuit. The capacitance of the main energy storage capacitor is 22 nF. The voltage division resistor is a 20 kΩ high-voltage glass glaze resistor; the trigger capacitor is a high-voltage ceramic capacitor with a capacitance of 3.3 nF and a withstand voltage of 15 kV. The photoconductive switch is a GaAs semi-insulating photoconductive switch with a length, width, and height of 6 mm × 6 mm × 3 mm placed in insulating oil.

Images