A time-division multiplexed hall thruster power supply system

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of time-multiplexed hall thruster power supply systems, in the excitation power supply of thruster positive and negative respectively connect single-pole double-throw switch K1 and K2, through switching switch K1 and K2 state realizes excitation power supply to excitation coil power supply or to cathode heating wire power supply;Through the positive pole of anode power supply connects current-limiting resistor, and is connected in series single-pole single-throw switch K3, through K3 switch realizes to cathode touch pole ignition high-voltage pulse, realizes thruster ignition.The technical scheme presented in the application reduces the demand for hall thruster power supply, directly reduces the demand of 4 power supply to 2, by time-multiplexed excitation power supply and heating power supply, anode power supply and ignition power supply, significantly reduce the complexity, weight and cost of system.Simplify filter circuit for large capacity capacitor, simplify the coupling relationship of thruster and anode power supply, while large capacity capacitor provides sufficient energy in the ignition process, improve the success rate of system ignition.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of space electric propulsion systems, and in particular to a time-division multiplexing Hall thruster power supply system. Background Technology

[0002] A Hall thruster consists of an anode, an excitation coil, a cathode heating wire, and a cathode contact electrode. In a traditional Hall thruster power supply system, the power supply processing and control unit consists of four power supplies and a filter circuit. The four power supplies are the excitation power supply, heating power supply, ignition power supply, and anode power supply. The anode power supply is a high-voltage source (300–600V), the heating and excitation power supplies are constant current sources (2–7A), and the ignition power supply is a high-voltage pulse (100–600V, pulse width 10ms–1s). The filter circuit FU consists of various RLC filters. During ignition, the heating power supply provides a constant current to the cathode heating wire, the excitation power supply provides a constant current to the Hall thruster's excitation coil to generate a steady-state magnetic field, and the high-voltage ignition pulse provided through the contact electrode generates plasma discharge to ignite the Hall thruster.

[0003] This system requires four different types of power supplies to work together in sequence during ignition. The entire power supply system design is complex, and new technical solutions are urgently needed to reduce the complexity of the Hall thruster power supply system, reduce the weight of the power supply product, and improve the ignition reliability of the thruster. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem solved by this invention is that, in response to the problem of multiple power supply requirements and complex filtering circuits for Hall thrusters, this invention provides a time-division multiplexing Hall thruster power supply system. By time-division multiplexing of various power supplies and devices, the complexity, weight and cost of the system are reduced.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention is: a time-division multiplexing Hall thruster power supply system, wherein the Hall thruster being powered includes an anode, an excitation coil, a cathode heating wire, and a cathode contact electrode;

[0006] The power supply system includes an anode power supply and an excitation power supply; the negative terminal of the excitation power supply is connected to the common terminal of the single-pole double-throw switch K1, and the positive terminal is connected to the common terminal of the single-pole double-throw switch K2.

[0007] The positive terminal of the anode power supply is connected to two branches. One branch is connected to the anode, and the other branch is connected to a current-limiting resistor and then a single-pole single-throw switch K3 in series, which is then connected to the cathode contact terminal. The negative terminal of the anode power supply is connected to the negative cathode terminal of the cathode heating wire.

[0008] The first branch of the single-pole double-throw switch K1 is connected to the negative terminal of the anode power supply and the negative cathode terminal of the cathode heating wire, respectively, and the second branch is connected to the negative excitation terminal of the excitation coil; the first branch of the single-pole double-throw switch K2 is connected to the positive excitation terminal of the excitation coil, and the second branch is connected to the positive heating terminal of the cathode heating wire; a filter capacitor is connected between the first branch of the single-pole double-throw switch K1 and the anode.

[0009] By switching the states of single-pole double-throw switch K1 and K2, and adjusting the state of single-pole single-throw switch K3, time-sharing power supply to the anode, excitation coil, cathode heating wire, and cathode contact electrode is achieved. At the same time, sufficient energy is provided by the filter capacitor to improve the reliability of thruster ignition.

[0010] Furthermore, the single-pole double-throw switch K1 and K2 are electronic switches or mechanical relay switches, while the single-pole single-throw switch K3 is a high-voltage resistant electronic switch.

[0011] Furthermore, the withstand voltage of the single-pole single-throw K3 is greater than the anode voltage.

[0012] Furthermore, the anode voltage range is 300V to 600V.

[0013] Furthermore, the resistance of the current-limiting resistor is greater than 1K ohms.

[0014] Furthermore, the capacitance of the filter capacitor is greater than 10uF.

[0015] Furthermore, the specific method for achieving time-sharing power supply to the anode, excitation coil, cathode heating wire, and cathode contact electrode is as follows:

[0016] Switch the single-pole double-throw switch K1 to its first branch and the single-pole double-throw switch K2 to its second branch. Turn on the excitation power supply and set the output current of the excitation power supply to power the cathode heating wire.

[0017] Turn on the anode power supply, wait for a period of time, and then turn off the excitation power supply.

[0018] Switch the single-pole double-throw switch K1 to its second branch and the single-pole double-throw switch K2 to its first branch. Turn on the excitation power supply and set the output current of the excitation power supply to power the excitation coil.

[0019] Close the single-pole single-throw switch K3 to provide a high-voltage pulse for ignition of the cathode contact electrode, thereby igniting the thruster.

[0020] Furthermore, the closing time of the excitation power supply is denoted as T2, and the closing time of the single-pole single-throw switch K3 is denoted as T3, where T3-T2<1s.

[0021] Furthermore, when powering the cathode heating wire, the output current of the excitation power supply is set to I1, and the magnitude of I1 is jointly determined by the characteristics of the cathode heating wire and the cathode contact electrode; when powering the excitation coil, the output current of the excitation power supply is set to I2, and the magnitude of I2 is determined by the characteristics of the excitation coil.

[0022] Furthermore, the waiting time after turning on the anode power supply is jointly determined by the characteristics of the cathode heating wire and the cathode contact electrode.

[0023] The advantages of this invention compared to the prior art are:

[0024] (1) The technical solution proposed in this invention reduces the power supply requirements for Hall thrusters, directly reducing the power supply requirements from 4 to 2. By time-division multiplexing the excitation power supply and heating power supply, anode power supply and ignition power supply, the complexity, weight and cost of the system are significantly reduced, making the electric propulsion system more commercially competitive.

[0025] (2) The present invention cleverly uses two single-pole double-throw switches to achieve the reuse of excitation power supply and heating power supply, and uses a current-limiting resistor in series with an electronic switch to achieve the ignition pulse of Hall thruster, which improves the ignition voltage to the high voltage of anode and reduces the single ignition power supply requirement. At the same time, the electronic switch K3 can continuously switch multiple pulses to achieve high reliability ignition of Hall thruster.

[0026] (3) The filter circuit is simplified to a large-capacity capacitor, which simplifies the coupling relationship between the thruster and the anode power supply. At the same time, the large-capacity capacitor can provide sufficient energy during the ignition process, thereby improving the success rate of system ignition. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the power supply system for the Hall thruster that is time-division multiplexed according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Parts of each structure in the drawings will be described separately. It is worth noting that elements not shown in the drawings or not described in words are in forms known to those skilled in the art.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, the time-division multiplexing Hall thruster power supply system proposed in this invention includes an anode power supply and an excitation power supply. The excitation power supply can be configured with an output current, allowing for the setting of the required supply current when powering the excitation coil and cathode heating wire.

[0030] The negative and positive terminals of the excitation power supply are connected to the common terminals of single-pole double-throw switch K1 and K2, respectively. By switching the states of switches K1 and K2, the excitation power supply can supply power to the excitation coil or to the cathode heating wire.

[0031] The positive terminal of the anode power supply is connected to two branches. One branch is connected to the anode, and the other branch is connected to a current-limiting resistor and then a single-pole single-throw switch K3 in series, which is then connected to the cathode contact electrode. The negative terminal of the anode power supply is connected to the cathode negative terminal of the cathode heating wire. By closing and opening the switch K3, a high-voltage pulse is provided to the cathode contact electrode for ignition. At the same time, during the ignition process, the large-capacity capacitor of the filter can provide sufficient energy to improve the reliability of the thruster ignition.

[0032] The first branch of the single-pole double-throw switch K1 is connected to the negative terminal of the anode power supply and the negative cathode terminal of the cathode heating wire, respectively, and the second branch is connected to the negative excitation terminal of the excitation coil; the first branch of the single-pole double-throw switch K2 is connected to the positive excitation terminal of the excitation coil, and the second branch is connected to the positive heating terminal of the cathode heating wire.

[0033] By switching the states of single-pole double-throw switch K1 and K2, and adjusting the state of single-pole single-throw switch K3, time-sharing power supply to the anode, excitation coil, cathode heating wire, and cathode contact electrode can be achieved.

[0034] Preferably, the single-pole double-throw switch K1 and K2 are electronic switches or mechanical relay switches, and the single-pole single-throw switch K3 is a high-voltage resistant electronic switch. The withstand voltage of the single-pole single-throw switch K3 is greater than the anode voltage; specifically, the anode voltage range is 300V to 600V.

[0035] Preferably, the resistance of the current-limiting resistor is greater than 1K ohms, while the heat power of the resistor during the high-voltage ignition process needs to be considered.

[0036] The specific method for using a time-division multiplexing Hall thruster power supply system to provide time-division power to the anode, excitation coil, cathode heating wire, and cathode contact electrode is as follows:

[0037] (1) Switch the single-pole double-throw switch K1 to its first branch (i.e., connect to the cathode negative pole), switch the single-pole double-throw switch K2 to its second branch (i.e., connect to the heating positive pole), turn on the excitation power supply, set the output current of the excitation power supply to I1 (the magnitude of I1 is determined by the characteristics of the cathode heating wire and the characteristics of the cathode contact pole), and supply power to the cathode heating wire.

[0038] (2) Turn on the anode power supply and wait for T0 seconds (the waiting time is determined by the characteristics of the cathode heating wire and the cathode contact electrode). Turn off the excitation power supply and record the time of turning off as T2.

[0039] (3) Switch the single-pole double-throw switch K1 to its second branch (i.e., connect to the excitation negative pole), switch the single-pole double-throw switch K2 to its first branch (i.e., connect to the excitation positive pole), turn on the excitation power supply, set the output current of the excitation power supply to I2 (the magnitude of I2 is determined by the characteristics of the excitation coil), and supply power to the excitation coil.

[0040] (4) Close the single-pole single-throw switch K3 and record the closing time as T3 (T3-T2<1s must be satisfied). Give the cathode contact electrode an ignition high voltage pulse to realize the thruster ignition. Once the thruster is successfully ignited, open the switch K3.

[0041] It is understood that this invention has been described through embodiments, and those skilled in the art will recognize that various changes or equivalent substitutions can be made to these features and embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. Furthermore, under the teachings of this invention, these features and embodiments can be modified to adapt to specific circumstances without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. Therefore, this invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, and all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims of this application are protected by this invention.

[0042] The contents not described in detail in this specification are common knowledge to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A time-division multiplexing Hall thruster power supply system, wherein the Hall thruster being powered includes an anode, an excitation coil, a cathode heating wire, and a cathode contact electrode, characterized in that: The power supply system includes an anode power supply and an excitation power supply; the negative terminal of the excitation power supply is connected to the common terminal of the single-pole double-throw switch K1, and the positive terminal is connected to the common terminal of the single-pole double-throw switch K2. The positive terminal of the anode power supply is connected to two branches. One branch is connected to the anode, and the other branch is connected to a current-limiting resistor and then a single-pole single-throw switch K3 in series, which is then connected to the cathode contact terminal. The negative terminal of the anode power supply is connected to the negative cathode terminal of the cathode heating wire. The first branch of the single-pole double-throw switch K1 is connected to the negative terminal of the anode power supply and the negative cathode terminal of the cathode heating wire, respectively, and the second branch is connected to the negative excitation terminal of the excitation coil; the first branch of the single-pole double-throw switch K2 is connected to the positive excitation terminal of the excitation coil, and the second branch is connected to the positive heating terminal of the cathode heating wire; a filter capacitor is connected between the first branch of the single-pole double-throw switch K1 and the anode. By switching the states of single-pole double-throw switch K1 and K2, and adjusting the state of single-pole single-throw switch K3, time-sharing power supply to the anode, excitation coil, cathode heating wire, and cathode contact electrode is achieved. At the same time, sufficient energy is provided by the filter capacitor to improve the reliability of thruster ignition.

2. The time-division multiplexing Hall thruster power supply system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Single-pole double-throw switch K1 and single-pole double-throw switch K2 are electronic switches or mechanical relay switches, while single-pole single-throw switch K3 is a high-voltage resistant electronic switch.

3. The time-division multiplexing Hall thruster power supply system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The withstand voltage of the single-pole single-throw switch K3 is greater than the anode voltage.

4. The time-division multiplexing Hall thruster power supply system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The anode voltage range is 300V~600V.

5. The time-division multiplexing Hall thruster power supply system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The current-limiting resistor has a resistance value greater than 1K ohms.

6. The time-division multiplexing Hall thruster power supply system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The capacitance of the filter capacitor is greater than 10uF.

7. The time-division multiplexing Hall thruster power supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The specific method for achieving time-sharing power supply to the anode, excitation coil, cathode heating wire, and cathode contact electrode is as follows: Switch the single-pole double-throw switch K1 to its first branch and the single-pole double-throw switch K2 to its second branch. Turn on the excitation power supply and set the output current of the excitation power supply to power the cathode heating wire. Turn on the anode power supply, wait for a period of time, and then turn off the excitation power supply. Switch the single-pole double-throw switch K1 to its second branch and the single-pole double-throw switch K2 to its first branch. Turn on the excitation power supply and set the output current of the excitation power supply to power the excitation coil. Close the single-pole single-throw switch K3 to provide a high-voltage pulse for ignition of the cathode contact electrode, thereby igniting the thruster.

8. The time-division multiplexing Hall thruster power supply system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The closing time of the excitation power supply is denoted as T2, and the closing time of the single-pole single-throw switch K3 is denoted as T3, where T3-T2<1s.

9. The time-division multiplexing Hall thruster power supply system according to claim 7, characterized in that: When powering the cathode heating wire, the output current of the excitation power supply is set to I1, and the magnitude of I1 is determined by the characteristics of the cathode heating wire and the cathode contact electrode. When powering the excitation coil, the output current of the excitation power supply is set to I2, and the magnitude of I2 is determined by the characteristics of the excitation coil.

10. The time-division multiplexing Hall thruster power supply system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The waiting time after turning on the anode power supply is jointly determined by the characteristics of the cathode heating wire and the cathode contact electrode.

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