Circuit for protecting traveling-wave tubes against faults of a power supply

Abstract

A traveling-wave tube protection circuit prevents faults in its associated power source from damaging it. The power source supplied DC voltages to the collector, slow-wave circuit, anode and cathode of the traveling-wave tube. A power source control circuit is provided between the anode electrode and the anode power source circuit and is used for applying a control voltage to the anode electrode. The control voltage stops the operation of the traveling-wave tube during the transient times which occur responsive to the initiation and the termination of the power source circuit operations. On shutdown, the power source control circuit also stops the supply of the control voltage to the anode electrode after the transient response is terminated. The power source control circuit has a high-frequency oscillator driven in response to either the initiation or the termination of the operation of the power supply means. To stop the operation of the traveling-wave tube, a control voltage is obtained from the output of the high-frequency oscillator, rectified and used to charge a capacitor which operates the oscillator for a predetermined time interval after the power supply ends.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.